Candidate Night Tonight - RIOC Board Nominees

Tonight at 7pm in the Good Shephered Community Center the Roosevelt Island Residents Association will be hosting a Meet the Candidates event for the five announced candidates for the open Board of Director seats opening up on the RI Operating Corporation Board.

Is Roosevelt Island, Improv Everywhere's Next Target?

The great thing about local niche bloggers is we like to learn what is going on and scheduled for our neighborhoods and to then let our neighbors know all about it. The bad thing is a concern regarding ruining a great surprise or a good thing. Improv Everywhere has indicated on their site that they plan an Mp3 event on May 23rd at 4pm on Roosevelt Island. Hence my dilemna.

What's an Improv Anywhere Mp3 experiment you ask? Let's just say it's a lot of people (a lot) wearing headphones and doing what the voice them to do. And watch out if you are in the area they are told to be in. Link here.

Knowing that the Roosevelt Islander and I both love writing about such events I am hoping we don't ruin the fun. Even Frank Farance of RIRA even knows about the event and has posted a comment on the Improv Everywhere blog itself about his interest. Although Frank wants to make sure they get the right permits so PSD doesn't try to disrupt the impromptu gathering that I believe is the whole point of the exercise.

So read this blog post, then forget about about it, but watch for the fun that day. Can you do that?

Governor Forces RIOC Board Member to Resign from Simultaneously Holding Resident's Association Seat

Jonathan Kalkin, Courtesy of The Main Street WIRE

-----Original Message-----

From: Frank Farance
Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:45:18

To: Steve Shane
Subject: Re: Official Resignation from The Roosevelt Island Resident's Association (RIRA)
To: RIOC President, RIOC Board of Directors
Dear Steve and Ken-

I received the following E-mail below, which is appalling.

Could you explain:

(1) under what grounds Mr. Kalkin is being forced to resign from RIRA
(2) what is the written policy that establishes this policy
(3) what has changed, if anything, regarding Mr. Kalkin (and future RIOC board candidates) that would require their resignation from RIRA.

I note that RIOC Directors Kraut and Stewart were former RIRA Presidents and were permitted to be on the RIOC Board and retain their RIRA positions. What has changed?

Frank Farance
RIRA President

--------------------------------

From: Jonathan Kalkin
To: Frank Farance

Subject: Official Resignation from The Roosevelt Island Resident's Association (RIRA)
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 11:08:02 -0500
Cc: Stephen Shane & Kenneth Leitner

Dear RIRA President Frank Farance,

I have just been informed that Governor Paterson's office, upon a second review of my file and the file of possible new board members, has stated that I must regretfully resign my position as a RIRA Council Member. On the original review I was not told to resign. Since I have been informed, I officially and regretfully resign from my seat on the Roosevelt Island Resident's Association.

Thank you,

Jonathan Kalkin
New York, NY 10044

Election Day Comes to Roosevelt Island

Just as the Federal, State, and local elections are taking place today so are the local Roosevelt Island Resident Association elections. Posters hit the Main Street kiosks in earnest only in the last two days as well as door flyers in many buildings. In addition to the executive offices noted above building representatives to the Common Council are elected from each residential building.

Oct 21st Stringer Sponsored Community Forum re Transportation Issues

This coming Tuesday, October 21st, Roosevelt Island residents will have another opportunity to discuss transportation issues affecting the island this time not just with RIOC regarding the Tram but with our elected officials and each of the government agencies that run and maintain our bridges, subways, and buses.

The Community Forum is being lead by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and as this post appears to also include Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Jose Serrano, Assembly Member Micah Kellner and City Councilmember Jessica Lappin.

According to a representative from Borough President Stringer’s office the agenda is not yet final but one of their goals is to make the forum as interactive as possible including discussions of issues as well as possible solutions.

As opposed to Community Board 8’s Roosevelt Island transportation forum which took place in Manhattan at the Blood Center this forum is scheduled to take place here on the Island and as such can expect a much better turnout than the less than a dozen who attended the CB8 meeting.

All residents are encouraged to attend as this is a great opportunity to ask questions and hear from all parties plans for next year when the Tram is offline for several months. The timing of this meeting is appropriate as at least one of the referendum proposed by RIRA for the November elections includes the Tram.

Roosevelt Island's 9-11 Memorial Service

Each year Roosevelt Island holds its own 9-11 memorial service behind the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. This year the service, sponsored by RIRA, begins at 7:30 pm. Please bring your own candle. As noted in the picture below the memorial placque memorializes both residents and members of the FDNY Special Operations Command that were stationed here on Roosevelt Island.

Appoint All Six Elected RIOC Board Nominees

Of the six resident elected RIOC Board Nominees it was hoped that the Governor would without question appoint four and the Mayor would appoint the two he is allowed by law to appoint. In a strange turn of events Governor Paterson's staff has recommended to the Governor that he only pick three of elected resident nominees and re-appoint a current resident RIOC Board member who voluntarily chose to not run in favor of the election process.

This blog and I personally agree with the Roosevelt Island Residents Association, the Main Street WIRE, and my fellow blogger The Roosevelt Islander that the Governor and Mayor be urged to appoint all six nominees based on the desires of the resident population of Roosevelt Island.

At present I am unaware of the circumstances causing the Governor’s staff to make their recommendations but will work with RIRA to voice the message that all six should be appointed.

According to the Main Street WIRE bulletin issued this morning and the WIRE’s Roosevelt Island Blog the Governor’s office is expected in addition to David Kraut, who currently sits on the RIOC Board, to nominate Fay Christian, Dr. Kathie Grimm, and Jonathan Kalkin. That would leave the Mayor’s office the ability to appoint two of the remaining three elected nominee candidates: Frank Farance, Erin Feely-Nahem and Howard Polivy. The mayor is allowed to appoint two individuals of which only one has to be an island resident. If events continue on this path one of these three individuals will not be appointed despite the wishes of the resident poulation.

RIRA FDR Memorial Surveys Distributed via WIRE

Well this weekend, as an insert to the Main Street WIRE, the Roosevelt Island Resident’s Association distributed it’s long called for survey to determine what the present day population of the island thinks of the Louis Kahn designed memorial.

The survey itself has its own history as many individuals wished it stopped at simply asking whether individuals liked, disliked or had no opinion re the design. Some individuals feel that the survey is slanted as anti-Kahn design despite its having two columns of pro and con bullet points supporting the pro and con positions. As a matter of full disclosure I contributed an earlier version of the back page two column design.

There is also a call from my fellow island blogger, the Roosevelt Islander, to extend the length of the survey response period to allow for a greater number of responses to the survey. I fully support this as I believe more time is needed to “push” our fellow residents to fill out the form (pro or con) and to either walk it over to the PSD office and drop off the form in the above pictured box or to mail it into RIRA.

My own non-statistical on-line survey regarding the FDR memorial can be found HERE. Please vote in the paper survey and also this online version.

FDR Memorial - Survey for All Residents to be in WIRE

This week's Main Street WIRE is slated to include a survey which all residents of Roosevelt Island interested in the Louis Kahn designed FDR Memorial are encouraged to complete.

PressHD.com videotaped RIRA President Matt Katz about the survey. Double click the above image to view this video only. Behind the scenes I should note I am interested to see the final format of the survey as the e-mails between the parties drafting the survey involved how detailed the questions should be or should it just be simply: Yes, No, No Opinion.

FDR Memorial Town Hall Meeting Tonight 3/25 at 7pm

Come down tonight at 7:00 pm to the Church of the Good Shephered to a Town Hall meeting to hear a presentation from the folks at the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI) regarding the Four Freedoms FDR Memorial.

The folks at RIRA are I believe sponsoring this Town Hall meeting and I hope to bring down a portable DVD player or that one will be available (thanks to Frank Farance) to play the YouTube videos showing the current 360 degree views I have downloaded.

Many of us see this memorial as more to its architect Louis Kahn and FERI has come to change that notion and to demonstrate that the memorial will enhance the space rather than some (myself included) destroy the inherent beauty of the park as it stands now.

Link HERE to to the Roosevelt Islander blog to read his most recent comments regarding the Kahn - FDR Memorial specifically that the memorial was designed to block the current 360 degree views so as to focus on the views available at the "Memorial Room" which will sit at the Southern most point of the memorial.

RIRA Meeting - Tonight - March 5th at 8 PM

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association will be holding its March meeting tonight at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd starting at 8:00 pm.

CB8 Meeting Focused on Kahn FDR Memorial Design

Despite RIRA President Matthew Katz's own assertions, that the question of whether the Louis Kahn design FDR Memorial is appropriate for this Island at this time and that the issue should be brought to a larger vote by the local populace, the meeting of the Community Board 8 Roosevelt Island committee seemed to focus on the design and the fact that most public memorials are built without consultation or input of the local populace.




The meeting chaired by Patrick Stewart, included a presentation by Ambassador William J. vanden Heuvel, who is spearheading the fundraising project on behalf of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. I expect to post a video of his presentation shortly. He indicated at this time only $10 million of the $40 million needed has been raised or pledged and that if the project does not happen these funds woud not be available to another design or park project. They were raised based on the Kahn design and for no other.




Ambassador William J. vanden Heuvel was President of the Four Freedoms Foundation from 1984–87 and President of its successor, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, from 1987 to 2000. He has served as Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as U.S. Representative to the European Office of the United Nations.




The Ambassador indicated upon questioning that no part of the $40 million is for an endowment to upkeep the Memorial after it is built. RIOC President Steve Shane when discussing this issue after the event indicated that an agreement (circa 1970's) exists between NYS and NYC which indicated that the State Parks Department agreed to be responsible for the maintenance but he wondered if this could be upheld as no funding is evident in any state budgets issued to date.




As noted above the design appeared central to many statements and the members of the CB8 committee were disppointed that the Ambassador and the representatives from FERI had not brought any drawings or materials which would better demonstrate the first person feel of the memorial other than the aerial views which all parties agreed were impersonal and give off a very hard image of the planned memorial. It is expected that before any future planned Town Hall meetings or presentations to CB8 that newly drawn rendering and drawing would be presented.

When given the opportunity the audience members which spoke seemed to be in favor of the memorial by a margin of two to one. My own view given at the event was that I fear the sweeping 360 degree views will be lost to the trees despite my being told and hearing that the foliage would only begiin at above 7 feet in height and as such the views would remain despite my argument that some loss must be acknowledged as 20 foot trees are not invisible and must block views in some manner compared to today. the model photographed above seems to support my concerns.

The photos presented throughout this post were taken from a web site devoted and created in support to a Cooper Union exhibition regarding the memorial I believe in 1998.

RIRA Raises Election Banner Anouncing RIOC Election

PressHD issues second video related to RIOC elections. This one covers Matt Katz and RIRA installing two banners above Main Street notifying residents and visitors alike of the Feb. 5 plenary election.

Matt Katz looks incredibly happy. In the annals of RI history if this election comes off without a hitch and Spitzer installs the elected reps Matt Katz will be remembered as one of the key individuals who kept pushing for this day and got us there.

It's a fun day when Roosevelt Island bloggers can link to other Roosevelt Island web sites and blogs.

Roosevelt Island Placard Parking Issue Makes Daily News

Link HERE for story at the Daily News.

A Flea Market, a Book & Sock Sale, and a Celebration of Community Activism and Representation (December 1-2, 2007)

The following are three posters advertising events taking place this weekend December 1st and 2nd on Roosevelt Island. On Saturday afternoon Island Kids is hosting its First Flea Market fundraising event from 12pm to 5pm. At 5pm the Roosevelt Island Residents Association will be celebrating 30 years of community service at RIVAA.





On Sunday December 2nd the Roosevelt Island Jewish Center is hosting it annual sock and book sale from 10am to 4pm.

A 9-11 Ceremony for Us Each to Remember in Our Own Way

This evening’s 9-11 memorial here on Roosevelt Island included several readings of poems, three songs and a presentation of a tree sapling by a representative from a group of Oklahoma City bombing survivors who traveled to NYC to take part in various 9-11 events. The entire ceremony lasted less than a half hour and concluded with those assembled singing “Amazing Grace” and those individuals interested walking from the Church plaza to the East River Promenade to view the Pillars of Light.

By my count there were approximately 200 people or so in attendance. The opening speaker stated that it was important to come together each year so that knowledge of this event is passed on by those that were there to those that were not so that they never forget.

I filmed the entire event with my little camera and am currently converting the file now so I can upload it onto the Internet. The ceremony started in the light and finished in the dark so I am unsure how clear the back end of the video will be. The audio will be fine as RIOC provided microphones and speakers amplifying the event so that even my little camera picked it all up.

Before leaving the plaza I was approached by Tahira Khan, the mother of Taimour Khan, who is one of the individuals we had all come together as a community to remember. Ms. Khan politely introduced herself and indicated that she had forgotten to bring a camera this evening and wanted to ask if I would share the video I had shot. My response was of course yes and I look forward to hearing from her again to give her copies of the base footage.

After separating from Ms. Khan I realized that the ceremony included no words from family members or friends, nor did it include any speechifying by local representatives or clergy. The ceremony simply included a selection of readings and poems meant for us to think and remember those lost, from Roosevelt Island and the whole city, each in our own ways. It succeeded and those individuals who planned it as such should be thanked.

Not just names but people who mattered...

The following are the names of those individuals lost on 9-11 with connections to Roosevelt Island. They include residents, an employee, a resident's relative, as well as firefighters who were based on Roosevelt Island – Ed Beyea, Anthony J. Fallone, Taimour Khan, Scott Larsen, and Kevin J. Smith –– Deputy Chief Ray Downey, Deputy Chief Charlie Kasper, Battalion Chief John Moran, and Battalion Chief John Paolillo.

Where I could find an article about that individual I have linked their name appropriately. If there was no specific article I linked to a picture. This linked WIRE article is of the May 2002 dedication and unveiling of the RIRA memorial tree and placque. Double click on the picture to enlarge it.



Again as I reported the other day there is a memorial planned for tonight at 7:00 pm behind the Church at the Memorial Tree.

Candlelight Vigil Planned at Roosevelt Island 9/11 Memorial

This Tuesday, September 11, 2006, Roosevelt Island will commemorate the day with a candlelight vigil outside the Chapel of the Good Shepherd at the Memorial Plaque and Tree at 7:00 pm. Visitors from Oklahoma City will be joining the ceremony. The vigil is sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Residents Association.

In The Papers: The Wire - Sept. 8, 2007

The September 8, 2007 issue of the Main Street Wire is available on line for those looking to begin their weekend early. The top headlines include:

(1) RIRA Sets February “Plebiscite” To Propose Nominees for RIOC”
(2) Oklahoma City Survivors Will Join Islanders at Tuesday’s 9/11 Ceremony
(3) Six Merchants Get New Leases in “First Step”

Inside the Wire you will see a letter to the editor (page 3) from RIRA Communications Chair Frank Farance continuing his crusade to force the PSD to obey its own rules. A picture of that wheelchair bicycle I reported on Aug 3rd this summer is on page 8. Various articles recall 9/11 with pictures and memories including a picture of the Wire issue that first covered the tragedy. Orphans International advertises, on page 9, it’s 9/15 benefit Concert set for 7pm at the Manhattan Park Theatre. Page 16 offers a combination ad / announcement from Island Cats regarding their upcoming 9/15 adoption event.

As normal expect to see your free issue of the Main Street Wire delivered to your apartment door handle or mailbox this weekend.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association Meeting Tonight - Sep. 5, 2007

This evening, September 5, 2007 at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, 543 Main Street, starting at 8:00 pm, the Roosevelt Island Residents Association will hold its monthly meeting. The agenda is featured above in the photo provided. Sorry the only agenda I could find was this photo of an agenda posted on a local kiosk and I was not in the mood to retype it. Double click on the photo to enlarge it.

The only order of business requiring action is the RIOC Board Initiative scheduled to be discussed within the Committee Reports scheduled to start at approximately 9:05 pm. I would expect Frank Farance’s report for the Communications Committee to be lively based on his posters and RIRA blog entries of the past week.

I had hoped to attend but my employment requires me to stay in my office in Manhattan. Perhaps the blogging world will be represented by the Roosevelt Islander so check out his blog tomorrow for any possible updates. I believe this is a Main Street Wire week so we should get a full accounting by Dick Lutz of the meeting by Saturday morning.

UPDATE Sept. 7th : As expected the Roosevelt Islander was able to attend and his report of the RIRA meeting can be found HERE.