NY Senate Video: Serrano Congratulates Elected RIOC Board Nominees

The above NYS Senate video is of State Senator Jose Serrano congratulating those individuals elected to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors who were then chosen as appointees of the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate. The video is from June 2008.

Direct YouTube link.

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.

Recycling This Saturday at Lighthouse Park

This Saturday at the entrance to Roosevelt Island's Lighthouse Park will be a recycling event co-sponsored by Good Will and the Council for the Environment of NYC.

Thank you to Senator Serrano's office for getting the word out!

Constituent Hours Today: St. Sen. Serrano

Today, Tuesday, July 1, 2008, Representatives from State Senator Jose M. Serrano's office will be holding constituent hours on Roosevelt Island from 3pm to 7pm at the RIOC offices locatecd at 591 Main Street. State Senator Serrano's office holds these hours on the first Tuesday of each month. No appointments are necessary.

St. Sen. Serrano Issues Letter Supporting Congestion Pricing

State Senator Jose M. Serrano issued a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg conveying his support for congestion pricing despite at times not being always politically expedient to do so. The letter also addresses parking at Yankee System as it relates to congestion pricing.

The full letter can be found HERE as it is not yet posted on the Senator's website.

Overall I agree that congestion pricing is a worthy goal but I would like to see if there is a way for Roosevelt island residents to be able to bring their cars across the Queensboro Bridge and not be subject to the fee but alas we are only considered part of Manhattan for so many purposes.

MTA Roberts to Roosevelt Island: No Increased Service Coming Your Way

MTA NYCTA President Howard Roberts issued a reply, dated February 11, 2008, regarding the call to examine and increase subway service to Roosevelt Island. The reply was in regards to a January 20, 2008 request to President Roberts made by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Jose Serrano, Assembly Member Micah Kellner and City Council Member Jessica Lappin.

In short the letter reads that the ridership levels are within capacity and that the request to extend the Q Train to 21st Street / Queensbridge would only slow down the overall system as it would interfere with existing F, E and V Train service.

Please let us know your comments as they are being reviewed by our elected representatives.

St. Sen. Serrano Celebrates Black History Month

Link HERE to the article posted on Senator Serrano's website regarding the honorees and the event.

Elected Officials "Urge" Gov. Spitzer to Nominate RIOC Elected Candidates

As stated in a joint letter to Governor Spitzer, four elected Federal, State and City representatives urge the Governor to nominate the elected candidates to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors as only he can. The letter refers to the historic nature of the vote, the diversity of those "elected", and the large turnout of residents that voted in the election.

Double click the above image to read the full text of the letter in its original format.

Housing Forum on 2/7 at Good Shepherd Sponsored by State Sen. Jose M. Serano

One week from today State Senator Jose M. Serrano is sponsoring a Housing Forum to be held at the Church of the Good Shephered starting at 6:30 pm. The Church is located at 543 Main Street and is handicapped accessible. DHCR has confirmed that they will have representatives at the event as will Urban American, the Center for Independence of the Disabled. the Citywide Task Force on Housing Court as well as Legal Director Paul Kushner at EIS.

The event is co-sponsored by the Eastwood Residents Association and Eviction Intervention Services.

Elected Officials Call for Extension of Q Line to Supplement F Line to Roosevelt Island

In a joint letter dated January 20th, 2008, to MTA NYCT President Howard H. Roberts, Jr., it has been requested that the MTA re-evaluate the transit needs of Roosevelt Island and requests that a short term solution be instituted that would include extending the Q Line through 21st Queensbridge until the Second Avenue Subway is operational.

The full text of the letter can be linked to HERE.

The letter is signed by United States Representative Carolyn Maloney, NYS Senator Jose M. Serrano, NYS Assembly Member Micah Kellner, and NYC Council Member Jessica Lappin. The letter is a follow-up to Council Member Lappin's July 2006 letter to the MTA.

The letter opens with the following paragraph:

"As elected officials representing the thousands of New Yorkers who live and work on Roosevelt Island, we urge you to address the developing crisis in the island’s mass transit link to Manhattan and the rest of New York City. Already, Roosevelt Islanders are faced with overcrowding on the island’s sole subway connection, the F line. With thousands more residents projected to join the island’s population in the near future, as well as a prolonged period of downtime planned for the Roosevelt Island tram, immediate action is required to prevent a transportation overload of critical proportions."

The letter closes with the following two paragraphs:

"In your response to Councilmember Lappin you stated that “our recent data continues to show that, on average, the F line operates within passenger loading guidelines.” While this may be true – though it conflicts with the daily experience of Roosevelt Island residents who ride the F line – it strikes us as a somewhat shortsighted view of the problem, in light of the island’s rapid population growth and the impending overhaul of the tram.

Given these realities, it is imperative that NYC Transit seriously consider ways to augment subway service to Roosevelt Island as soon as possible. We urge you to consider extending service on the Q line to 21st St./Queensbridge. If you believe this would not be practicable, we ask that you investigate alternate possibilities for increasing service to the rapidly growing population of Roosevelt Island."

State Senator Serrano - Roosevelt Island Office Hours - Jan. 8th

State Senator Serrano Posts Roosevelt Island Office Hours

State Senator Serrano has posted office hours he or his staff will be available at the RIOC offices this week. According to the flyer posted on the kiosk along Main Street office hours will be between 2pm and 6pm at 591 Main Street on the ground floor. Double click the above image to enlarge.

Residents are encouraged to bring whatever paperwork they require that they want to discuss with the Senator. This is a great opportunity for residents concerned about the recent ESDC tax bills to ask the Senator and his office what the current status is of these bills and what he and our other elected officials are doing about this issue.