Briefly... The Main Street WIRE Urinetown at Teen Theatre Island`s
Transcription
Briefly... The Main Street WIRE Urinetown at Teen Theatre Island`s
H. Patrick Stewart III April 25, 1933 – April 28, 2015 Saturday, May 9, 2015 35:16 Community Board 8 1995-2013 President, RIRA 1996-2000 RIOC Board Member 1999-2009 Obituary, page 11 Memorial event Saturday, May 16, 2:00 p.m. Chapel of the Good Shepherd 2013 Tryouts Next Weekend Youth Soccer Takes Off With a New Direction by Laura Russo Soccer enthusiasts have a new reason to cheer, thanks to Islander John Palladino. Soccer is soon to go from a team sport to a community sport. Tryouts are next weekend. Palladino is the founder and head of Palladino Academy, and head coach of the Roosevelt Island United Football Club (RIUFC), new ventures that are the only outlets for competitive youth soccer on Roosevelt Island. Soccer is Palladino’s life. Raised in Spokane, Washington, he has been coaching soccer since age 15. He played on a full scholarship throughout his student years at Gonzaga University, then later returned to coach there. On moving to Roosevelt Island two years ago, he immediately noticed the lack of opportunity for Island kids who wanted to train at a competitive level. “I was walking outside one day and I saw kids playing, so I investigated. I realized there was just a recreational team, but there was no opportunity for kids to really train,” he said. In the spring of 2013, Palladino took it upon himself to fill the void by starting the Palladino Academy. “I started with one kid, then I had See Soccer, page 6 As a fundraiser, The WIRE is offering a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle of the picture above (without the overprint), along with four other Roosevelt Island scenes. The offer appears on page 8. Westview Tenants Get a Red Herring. What Does Their Task Force Get? Mad. by Briana Warsing Last Friday, Westview residents found red herrings outside their doors. By Tuesday night, the Westview Task Force was saying that the red herring had a foul odor about it. Red herring is common parlance worked could vote in the participatory budget [they are under 16], but through their persistence and determination, they were able to raise half a million dollars toward a Green Roof in our community. the Westview House Affordability Plan, titled A Plan for Preservation of Affordable Housing and Withdrawal From the Mitchell-Lama Program. The Affordability Plan regulates pricing, and seeks to preserve Westview as affordable for both current and future tenants; it has yet to receive the requisite governmental approvals. Though long-awaited, and though anticipated by a notice from the Westview Task Force two days earlier, the red herring was a bit of a surprise for tenants, some of whom have bemoaned a lack of prior communication about the nature of the plan. And the Westview Task Force distributed a letter to tenants Tuesday night saying that the red herring See Green Roof, page 6 See Westview, page 7 for the thick book containing a proposed cooperative offering plan – in this case, the structural outline that is intended to take the building out of New York State’s Mitchell-Lama program and into private ownership by both tenants and landlord. Relied upon in the red herring is Success! Green Roof for PS/IS 217 Is Big Winner; Celebration Wednesday by Briana Warsing John Palladino The Main Street WIRE Islanders turned out to vote, and PS/IS 217 will get a green roof. And there will be a communitywide celebration of that success in the schoolyard on Wednesday (May 13) from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. Over the course of 10 days, 2,140 residents of City Council District 5, including 362 Islanders, turned out to vote for projects proposed in Council Member Ben Kallos’ Participatory Budgeting (PB) competition. The top vote-getter in the million-dollar contest was the green roof for PS/IS 217, getting the nod from over a third of all voters. PS 151 came in second for its green roof. Each won $500,000. Christina Delfico, founder of IDig2Learn, said, “Council Member Ben Kallos told me we got more Fighting for Better Funding, Library Seeks Vote of Confidence votes with our 845 than the total who showed up last year, which was around 500.” How did that number more than quadruple this year? In a joint email, here’s how Girl Scout Troop Leaders Aiesha Eleusizov and Janine Schaefer answer that question. “Girl Scout Troops 3001 and 3244 dedicated countless hours at the subway, in front of the school, at the Earth Day event, and simply walking down the street passing out bookmarks about the community projects. They met with constituents at our local Expo, [where they] drew pictures about the Green Roof. They made and posted a YouTube video on social media to encourage voting [for the project], and spread the word to Island residents. None of the Girl Scouts who Island’s Elected Reps to Hold Town Meeting May 21 Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Jose Serrano, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, and City Council Member Ben Kallos plan to hold a town meeting Thursday, May 21, at 7:00 p.m., in the Good Shepherd Center. Appearing at a meeting of the Residents Association’s Common Council on Wednesday night, Kallos said the meeting would be a general Q&A – an opportunity for residents to take their questions and concerns directly to the officials who are positioned to provide answers or act on concerns. Urinetown at Teen Theatre The Roosevelt Island Library is asking for your help. Our local branch of the New York Public Library is joining in a letters campaign to persuade the political powers-that-be to provide more funding for New York City’s libraries. The goal is 1,000 letters from Roosevelt Island. It’s important here so that, in three years, our library will have the funding it needs to open the doors in its new location. That should be an easy goal, considering the fact that the Green Roof for PS/IS 217 easily won the competition in recent Participatory Budgeting award with 362 votes from Islanders who had to go to a specific location to cast a vote. (See story, this page.) You can sign a letter at the local branch, or go to tinyurl.com/riHelpNYPL to sign it there. At the branch, you can also buy a $5 t-shirt (S, M, L, XXL) with the Invest in Libraries logo. Briefly... • The free tennis learning program sponsored by the New York Junior Tennis League is again active for children five years and older. Details in ComingUp’s Continuing Events & Activities on page 10. • Don Lewis is no longer RIOC’s General Counsel. • David Kinderas is being replaced as head of the Authorities Budget Office, the agency that has made Island non-profits nervous with a ruling that RIOC can no longer award Public Purpose Funds. (An exception to that ruling is being sought.) The Main Street Teen Theatre is staging the popular satire next weekend, lampooning politics, the legal system, corporate mismanagement, capitalism, and populism. It’s in the newly refurbished production space in the Cultural Center. (ComingUp, page 3; ad, page 5.) Urinetown won the Tony for Best Musical in 2002. 2 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 Letters The Editorial Page Service The great majority of us have a time of it muddling through daily life. When things go right, we take the leisure we feel we’ve earned. But there is that amazing super-class of people who extend themselves into making the world – or the neighborhood – a better place. You know who you are. You are like Patrick Stewart. You know why you do it. As Patrick Stewart knew. Just in his contributions to our community, you can count up 32 service years on his part (see page 1). The WIRE didn’t always agree with Stewart, but he positioned us for some of our proudest moments. Present WIRE editorial management started at just about the time that Patrick became President of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association and set a goal of sending an incompetent RIOC president packing. We joined in, and his courage and determination gave steel to our efforts and our will. Success and celebration followed, though the fight for the right of Roosevelt Islanders to have democratic control of our local level of government has not ended. It was Patrick who famously asked Mayor Rudy Giuliani to take us back, evoking Giuliani’s response, “I’d love to help you liberate Roosevelt Island.” He was a fighter, Patrick was, and the goal that he purused remains a community effort today. Thank you, sir. Rest in peace. DL Letters Policy The WIRE welcomes letters of interest to the Roosevelt Island community, and to/from officials. Recommended maximum length, 350 words; longer letters will be considered if their content, in the judgment of the editors, merits the required space. All letters are subject to acceptance and editing for length and clarity. Letters submitted anonymously will not be published; requests for a Name Withheld signature will be considered, but the writer’s name, address, and phone number must be provided for verification and for our records. Submit by email to [email protected]. Expect a confirming response and, if you receive none, resend and call 212-826-9056 to alert us. Alternatives: Typed copy left at 531 Main Street, and clearly handwritten letters will be considered, if brief (allow extra time for typesetting). We regret that we are not able to take telephone dictation of letters. Letters deadline for May 23 issue: Tuesday, May 19, 5:00 p.m. The Main Street WIRE Published by Unisource2000TM, Inc. ©2015 Unisource2000TM Inc. 531 Main St. #413, NYC10044 e-mail [email protected] MainStreetWIRE.comTM TM News 212-826-9056 Urgent news 917-617-0449 Advertising 917-587-3278 Circulation 212-935-7534 Editor & Publisher – Dick Lutz Managing Editor – Briana Warsing Copy Editor – Ashton Barfield Chief Proofreader – Linda Heimer Proofreaders – Vicki Feinmel, Helke Taeger Reporters – Jim Baehler, Andrew Gordon, Francine Lange, Sara Maher, Alex Marshall, Laura Russo, David Stone Photographers – Maria Casotti, Mircea Nicolescu, Olya Turcihin, Kurt Wittman Aerial Photography – Ken Decker; Jeff Prekopa Editorial Cartoonists – Autumn Ashley, Anna Eppel Advertising Sales – Ellen Levy Circulation Managers – Sherie Helstien, Matthew Katz Circulation Assistants – Jim Bates, Brandon Cruz Human Resources – David Bauer Legal Counsel – A. Ross Wollen Technical Advisor – John Dougherty Island History Consultant – Judy Berdy Website NYC10044 – Jeff Prekopa, Laurence Vaughan Peter Alpert, Bubu Arya, Marty Atkins, Steve Bessenoff, Barbara Brooks, Shelly Brooks, Carol Chen, Gloria Cherif-Jamal, Billy Cuozzi, Caroline Cuozzi, Joan Davis, Joan Digilio, John Dougherty, Arlise Ellis, Justin Evans, Jan Fund, Gloria Gonsalves, Matthew Gonsalves, Tiffany Gonsalves, Aaron Hamburger, Ellen Jacoby, Todd Jagerson, Michael Kolba, Gad Levanon, Mary Mangle, Vincent McClean, Hezi Mena, Bakul Mitro, Brett Morrow, Clinton Narine, Kiran Narine, Sandra Narine, Kumar Nathan, Halima Nooradeen, Essie Owens, Joan Pape, Christina Park, Sue Pirard, Lucas Plaut, Judy Quintana, Brian Reccardi, Ronnie Rigos, Ilonka Salisbury, Mondira Sarkar, Rick Seefried, Bob Specker, Betty Spensley, Camilla Stacchetti; and... Allison Pearlman and students of Legacy High School; Kim Massey and students from the PS/IS 217 Beacon Program, Juniors and Cadettes of Girl Scout Troop 3324 To the Editor: If the options are to “join ’em or fight ’em,” perhaps in the case of the State of New York vs The Citizens of Roosevelt Island (The WIRE, April 25), we should join ’em. Apparently, the Garden Club is being classed (like the Main Street Theatre) as users of space that is being avidly sought by other potential community users, and therefore being required to pay RIOC for being there. Here’s another brilliant idea – perhaps the next step: As a way of raising money for NYS purposes, I am working on perfecting a meter that every Island resident will be required to wear. The meter will record the number of times the heel of each resident strikes the public paths and walks here on the Island. The rate to be charged for each heel strike will take some imagination to determine, but we could have our best Albany public minds working on that. Given the Albany reasoning, this is only fair. Anyone walking on the public walks is taking the place of someone else who might want to walk there. Or could the State of New York go back to the original idea of having a self-governing community on Roosevelt Island? David Bauer To the Editor: It is with great pride and joy that we announce the results of City Council Member Ben Kallos’ 2015 Participatory Budget vote. It is a real testament to the strong Roosevelt Island community voice and their friends living in the Upper East Side and Midtown East, that the PS/IS 217 Green Roof project garnered the highest number of votes across District 5. We wish every project could win, and are thrilled by this special honor. PS/IS 217 continues to build a strong academic track, including gifted and talented programs, and offer hands-on opportunities for our students. Our efforts to continue that with a green roof are only possible due to our deep and growing ties with the Island community, and the many groups that make up our neighborhood. We appreciate deeply our community relationships, and welcome your ongoing support as we embark on this multi-year project that will enhance our community for generations to come. The 217 PTA has a talented designer in Nathalie Chetrit, who worked to create eye-catching flyers and bookmarks for the green roof, and even lent her talent to the other Island project, for hearing technology at the Roosevelt Island NYPL branch. We are deeply moved by so many who actively campaigned, with a special nod to the Brownies Girl Scout Troop 3001 supported by Manhattan Park led by Aiesha Eleusizov, and the Beacon, Youth Program Girl Scout Troop 3244 led by Janine Schaefer. Their fullon social media campaign, which included video interviews and YouTube videos, as well as traditional on-the-street campaigning at the subway and Farmer’s Market, fueled the win. Sharon Bermon and Lydia Tang helped bring awareness of hearing technology while supporting the Green Roof project. The Garden Club, RIRA, NYPL, Historical Society, Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance, our local press The WIRE To the Editor: Within the last three weeks, the planters in Good Shepherd Plaza have been filled with flowering shrubs and perennial plantings. Last fall, there was a major overhall of the grassless area under the trees in the plaza, with additional diverse plantings. Seating areas were arranged, as well, for Islanders’ comfort. A committee of neighbors worked hard to help design the plaza and select suitable plants. We are now ready, with the change in weather, to begin to enjoy the fruits of this labor. I, happily, have an apartment that looks directly down on the plaza, and I receive great enjoyment checking the daily changes in plant growth. However, it is very discouraging for me to see the number of Islanders who think that the new grass area is a perfect place to allow their dogs to urinate, and then trample through the fragile plantings on their way back to the pavement. The grass is already showing yellow patches, and with the coming warm days, I expect the odor of feces – yes, they are being left, as well – will begin to make this area unattractive, as well as unsafe, to enter. Signs and short border fences are being considered, to discourage these interlopers. I would hope, however, that if you are among those who are taking a “short route” through our plantings areas, you would rethink the damage that you are doing, and instead stick to the paths provided. This will protect our special places so that we can all enjoy them. Willa Klein and the Rooseveltislander, RIOC, the Parents’ Network, and countless parents, businesses, buildings, and residents joined in. This win could not be possible without Roosevelt Island support, so a big congratulations to all, and thank you to Ben Kallos and his team for this Participatory Budget opportunity. We will hear the results of Borough President Gale A. Brewer’s capital funding for the Green Roof project in June 2015, so stay tuned as we continue our dream to offer a 21st century learning hub atop our roof. Please come join us at 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, in the PS/IS 217 schoolyard at 645 Main Street for a Green Roof Vote Celebration with Council Member Ben Kallos. Mandana Beckman Principal, PS/IS 217 Olga Shchuchinov Natalia Starkova 217 PTA Co-Presidents To the Editor: Regarding the rat problem (The WIRE, April 25): The Southtown businesses are hosted by buildings that are connected to the pneumatic garbage transportation system. Can the stores be hooked up? Or would that violate some rule of separation of residential and commercial trash? Can they get a waiver? Sheldon Brooks Offered an opportunity to respond, RIOC President Charlene Indelicato wrote: Thank you for offering RIOC the opportunity to respond to this resident’s concern through your publication. In keeping with our normal operating practices, our preference is to communicate directly with the individual resident and/or business on particular matters about which they are concerned. So... Everybody concerned about rats, ask individually. Indelicato’s email address is Charlene.Indelicato@ rioc.ny.gov. Let The WIRE know if you get an answer. To The Editor: I have been an Island resident for 18 years, and for 12 of them, I have had to walk through Island House’s 12th floor corridor involuntarily inhaling the pungent odor of marijuana, and unwillingly accepting the bulk of that odor as I enter my apartment. We live in Island House (575). Without fail, rush hour as well as 9:00 to 11:00 p.m., the stench of marijuana from residents of the apartment across the corridor fills the hallway, seeping its way into the surrounding apartments. Not everyone enjoys the smell of marijuana. I know neither my family nor I care to inhale it, and I certainly do not want my four-year-old child doing that. When I pay rent for my apartment, I am not agreeing in any way, shape, or form for my family, especially my child, to take in the smell of cannabis. Every time we smell it, we immediately alert Public Safety. Other residents on my floor have done the same, and we have passionately pleaded with Public Safety to do something. Public Safety has been unsuccessful. A knock on the door usually results in (a) no one answering and so the matter is dropped, or (b) a millionth warning – so there’s no follow-up leading to punishment. As far as I am aware, New York Sate has not legalized marijuana, so why this has been allowed to become uncontrollable is beyond me. I welcome any assistance in finding a solution to this matter ASAP. C. Ramcharan To the Editor: We’d like to invite all Islanders to join the National Bike Challenge, which runs annually from May 1 through September 30. The Challenge is a friendly competition to get us to ride more often, ride more miles, and burn more calories. It is free, and open to anyone. You don’t need to be an expert cyclist to join and log miles. The National Bike Challenge awards prizes monthly to randomly selected participants at all point levels. We hope that once you join, it will create an automatic incentive for you to ride more often, and to compete for points with yourself and other riders. How do you join The National Bike Challenge? Go to NationalBikeChallenge.org and create a profile for yourself. Using our local zip code (10044) automatically puts you into the NYS/NYC challenge. Once you’ve created your own account, you can join a team. Go to “My Account” on the National Bike Challenge Home page, and in your personal profile, under “Groups,” you can search for an existing team to join, or create a new one. A team for our Island, The Roosevelt Islanders, has already been created and we’d like you to join us, but you can create your own workplace, school, or neighborhood team by going to your account, under “Groups,” and selecting “Create.” How do you log miles? It’s easy. With a smartphone, you can use one of four apps to track your miles: Strava, MapMyRide, Endomondo, or See Letters, page 14 The WIRE, May 9, 2015 • 3 – This Weekend – Subway Diversion – No direct F train service from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island, Fri May 8 9:45pm to Mon May 11 5am. Family Folk Band performance featuring NikosKids, Sat May 9 11am, Four Freedoms Park. Free. Uni Project Pop-Up Reading Room, Sat-Sun May 9-10 12noon-5pm, Four Freedoms Park. Free. Mothers’ Day, Sun May 10. – Regularly Scheduled Meetings and Events – See separate listing, page 10. – The Next Two Weeks – Movie Night at the Library, Dracula Untold, Tue May 12 6pm (93 minutes). CPR Training, Tue May 12, 8pm, 546 Main St., 12th floor conference room. PS/IS 217 Green Roof Vote Celebration with City Council Member Ben Kallos, Wed May 13 6:15-7:30pm, PS/IS schoolyard, 645 Main St. Refreshments. Open to all. (Story, page 1.) Main Street Teen Theatre presents Urinetown, Fri May 15-Sun May 17. (Ad, page 5.) Soccer tryouts for Roosevelt Island United Football Club, Sat May 16 10am-12noon & Sun May 17 9am-12noon, Octagon Field. (Story, page 1.) Poster Screen Printing, Sat May 16 1pm, with book talk about WPA, 2:30pm, Four Freedoms Park. Registration encouraged (FDRfourFreedomsPark.org/events). Memorial Celebration for Patrick Stewart, former president of RIRA and former RIOC Board member, Sat May 16 2pm, Chapel of the Good Shepherd. (Story, page 11.) Bike New York presents Bicycling Basics for Kids (age 8-up), Sun May 17 10am-1pm, Capobianco basketball court. Meet at the container under the helix ramp. Bicycling Art Tour of the Island, Sun May 17, 12:45 pm, meet at the Bike New York container under the helix ramp. Register by email to [email protected] or call 212-870-2075. Sponsored by the Historical Society, the Visual Art Association, and Bike New York. Free. Bike New York presents Family Cycling 101, Sun May 17 4-5pm, Sportspark Lounge. Free. Equipment, safety, carriers, trailers, kidfriendly routes, what to pack, more. Free. Child School/Legacy High School annual Founder’s Dinner, Thu May 21, 6pm, Terrace on the Park, 52-11 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park 11368. $150. For tickets, tinyurl.com/DinnerMay21. Book Discussion, Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self by Rebecca Walker, Thu May 21 6:30pm, Library. Town Meeting with Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, State Senator Jose Serrano, and City Councilmember Ben Kallos, Thu May 21 7pm, Good Shepherd Center. The Main Street WIRE – Sat May 23. Advertising deadlines: Display, Wed May 13 (ads accepted after deadline on a space-available basis); decision date for circulars/inserts, Tue May 19; 6,000 copies due Thu May 21. Future issues: Jun 6, 20; July issue date to be announced; Aug 1, 29; Sep 12, 26; Oct 10, 24; Nov 7, 21; Dec 12. News phone 212-826-9056; urgent matters, 917-617-0449. Email press releases and feature-story suggestions to MainStreetWIRE@ usa.net. Advertising (display & classified) 917-587-3278 or msWIREads@ gmail.com. Opening Reception for Black & Gold, an exhibition of the works of Michi Toki, Sat May 23 6-9pm, Gallery RIVAA. Gallery hours Sat-Sun 11am-5pm, Wed & Fri 1-5pm & 6-9pm. Through Jun 7. CPR Training, Sun May 24, 5:45pm, Good Shepherd Center. – Future Weeks – Memorial Day, Mon May 25. Women’s Health Organization presents Stroke Awareness and Healthy Brain Aging with Dr. Mathew Fink, chief of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, Wed May 27 6:30pm, 546 Main St., 12th floor conference room. Free. Info: 646-895-3618. Main Street Children’s Theatre presents Little Shop of Horrors, Fri May 29-Mon June 1. (Ad, page 5.) Bike New York’s Second Annual Spring Kickoff Party, Sat May 30 11am-4pm, Capobianco Field basketball court. Free bike raffle, popup bike shop, bike registration, helmet & bike fitting, kids learn-to-ride (1-3pm), bike decorating contest. Free. PS/IS 217 International Dinner, Sat May 30 4-7pm, Manhattan Park Community Center, 8 River Rd. International food, music, entertainment, kids’ crafts. $20 (kids $10), $60 for groups up to five; advance ticket sale, go to 217pta.com. Questions: [email protected]. Reservations not required. Kidz Theater presents an afternoon showcase of musical theater, Sun May 31 1pm, The Child School. Fundraiser for a performance trip to Disney/Florida to present the showcase there. Adults $15, children $10. Info: 212-371-2434. Sunset Garden Party, Wed Jun 3 5-8pm, Four Freedoms Park. Info: fdrFourFreedomsPark.org. RIRA Common Council meets, Wed Jun 3 8pm, Good Shepherd Center, lower level. Meeting begins with public session, in which residents and others may address the Council R&R Concerts presents Music on the Cutting Edge, piano performance by Islander Roy Eaton, featuring Hajime Sakita, Japanese musical saw virtuoso, Sat Jun 6 7pm, Good Shepherd Center. MST&DA Dance Concert, Sun Jun 7 (Ad, page 5.) Community Board 8 Roosevelt Island Committee and Youth and See ComingUp, page 7 On Saturday, April 25, our little ship in the East River welcomed nearly 4,000 Island neighbors, friends, family members, and visitors to the annual RIRA Cherry Blossom Festival. Some came for the Family Picnic at Southpoint Park, and many more came for the afternoon of performances at Four Freedoms Park, and calligraphy and arts classes at Gallery RIVAA. Many thanks to our Island partners – Four Freedoms Park, Roosevelt Landings Management Co., the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association, the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, the Roosevelt Island Youth Program at Beacon, RY Management, Shops on Main, Hudson/ Related Company, the Child’s School and Legacy High School, Manhattan Park, and RIOC – for helping RIRA sponsor the event, and to the RIRA Social, Cultural & Educational Services Committee, led by Chair Lynne Strong Shinozaki and assisted by members Lydia Tang and Julia Palermo, for putting together another memorable occasion, and for keeping alive the Festival and the vision of its founder, Junko Hasegawa. Since Japanese tradition holds that coming upon a cherry blosJeffrey Escobar, President som at the peak of Island Residents Association its bloom brings its Roosevelt [email protected] finder the greatest of luck, the perfect timing of this year’s festival with the peak of the blooming of our cherry blossom trees is an auspicious omen indeed. If you missed the Festival, or haven’t had the chance to see the splendor of our trees, please make sure to visit them throughout the Island, particularly in the southern part – they are truly a sight to see. Participatory Budgeting Some of that luck may have touched PS/IS 217 and their bid for an educational Green Roof for our Island’s 543 public school children. Over the course of 10 days last month, more than 2,140 Island residents and Upper East Side neighbors voted in this year’s Participatory Budgeting. We were lucky enough to have two of our Island’s community initiatives on this year’s ballot, and our Green Roof at PS/IS 217 received 845 votes, the most district-wide. The other Island initiative (an audio induction loop system for our branch of the New York Public Library) came in a very close third with 741 votes – barely beaten out by the rooftop outdoor play space and greenhouse at PS 151 on East 86th Street (754 votes). Congratulations to PS/ IS 217 and its supporters – including the PTA, Brownie and Girl Scout troops 3001 and 3244, the Roosevelt Island Garden Club, and the Roosevelt Island Parents’ Network – for their efforts in getting out the vote. The success of the Green Roof initiative for the school and the audio induction looping for the library in securing the largest and third-largest numbers of votes in the district is a testament to the dedication and pride that our community takes in bettering the lives of all who live here, young and old, able and challenged. Moreover, the success of the two initiatives should remind us of the power that each of us has when we choose to exercise our rights to participate and vote. We look forward to re-supporting both programs should they The RIRA Column See RIRA Column, page 14 The WIRE publishes these columns, exclusively, as a service to the community and to the entities invited to provide them, and does not control or censor their content. Roosevelt Island Explorers (RIEx) is one of many homegrown initiatives driven by appreciation of the Island’s unique community and exceptional beauty. Our work aligns with two unifying threads that shape the Island’s identity today and our vision for its future: the Island as a hub of innovation, and the legacy of the Roosevelts. Inspired by the Roosevelts’ selfless quest to improve lives of the American people, we believe that high-quality education belongs to all children. In a place like Roosevelt Island, no child should have to look for a better school elsewhere. By developing a program that challenges the standardized, test-driven education, we aim to sustain the Island’s legendary ingenuity by breaking new ground in early childhood education. My husband and I discovered the Island in 2007 through the auditorium-renovation project at PS/IS 217, and were quickly seduced by its breathtaking views and the strong community. We were not alone. Many young families recognized the Island’s nurturing qualities and made it their home. Soon, people of childbearing age and children 0-5 became the Island’s fastestgrowing population groups. Around that time, while immersed in studies about child development, I discovered the Reggio Emilia approach known worldwide as the model of excellence in early childhood education. Developed in Italy after World War II, the Reggio approach represents the most comprehensive summary of progressive education theories and practices from all over the world. The main tenet of the Reggio approach is the belief that children are born ready to learn and are perfectly capable of figuring out the world around them. They construct their own knowledge through interaction with everything and everybody in their environment. This process cannot be rushed, as children’s exploration sees no boundaries. The role of adults is to guide them gently without imposing what they think children should do. Most importantly, the Reggio Emilia community believes children are its most precious resource and the responsibility of all. This means that all Reggio Emilia children ages 0-6 have access to affordable, high-quality infant-toddler centers and preschools. When surrounded by the Roosevelt Island community, I could not help connecting the two: in the midst of intense debates about the quality of the American test-driven education, our Island seems to offer a solution. The possibility of engaging children and The Community Column the community in an unrestricted exploration of life around them shaped the vision of the Roosevelt Island Explorers. We introduced RIEx to the community in 2012 through the Children’s Garden, located between 455 and 465 Main Street. With help from parents and from 455 Main Street management and staff, this garden became an outdoor classroom where children explored freely, building relationships with the environment and each other. Engaged in activities meaningful to them, they constructed, created, shared, and laughed, taking exploration to new levels in a joyful process of LEARNING. The garden is also a place where parents, working alongside their children, remember their childhood experiences and create new ones. We are becoming a learning community for children and adults. While the Reggio Emilia schools demonstrate a community embracing Leila Vujosevic, Founder children as capable, Roosevelt Island Explorers thinking beings, our [email protected] task is the reverse: by demonstrating children’s vast capacities, we hope to change the prevailing public perception that children are weak and in need of protection to become capable, strong, and powerful. After building a supportive community, opening a school would follow as a natural next step. This is not an easy task. Seeing children in action is the best way to demonstrate not only their capabilities but also the endless learning possibilities that exist on Roosevelt Island. During the 2013 and 2014 Fall for Arts Festivals, we created a large Island map and a cardboard Renaissance City. On Roosevelt Island Day in 2014, children and parents created art by weaving recycled materials into a chicken fence, and made music with instruments made from found materials. The area around the fountain became a yarn cobweb, stretched around the trees. The RIOC community outreach group proved essential for the site organization. Materials came from the nearby construction site, and parents helped with art- and music-making. It was a community coming together. While these one-day events serve as beautiful examples of the educational and social possibilities that exist See Explorers, page 14 The Community Column features a broadly chosen rotating series of columnists and topics. 4 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 Join us for these upcoming events at the Park in May! SATURDAY MAY 9: NIKOSKIDS Performance by Brooklyn’s favorite family folk band. FREE 11am SATURDAY MAY 9 & 10: UNI PROJECT The Park will host the Uni Project, a pop-up reading room that creates community in public spaces. FREE 12-5pm SATURDAY MAY 16: POSTERS FOR THE PEOPLE Screen-print your own poster and join a discussion on the WPA and its lasting legacy with Posters for the People author, Ennis Carter. Registration encouraged. FREE Workshop, 1pm; Book talk, 2:30pm ONGOING: YOGA • May 6 - August 29 Free for members, suggested donation $5 for non-members WEDNESDAYS • 10:15am: Vinyasa class appropriate for all levels THURSDAYS • 4:15pm: Kids & family yoga, with caregivers ages 4-7 FRIDAYS • 6:00pm: Hatha class appropriate for all levels SATURDAYS • 10:00am: Class focusing on core, appropriate for all levels Bring your own mat! For details and the full events calendar, please visit www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org/events. The Park is free and open to the public 6 days a week, 9am - 7pm. Closed Tuesdays. facebook.com/fdrfourfreedomspark @4freedomspark Home Style Indian Cooking Healthy • Free Local Delivery (min $18) • Vegetarian / Vegan Friendly • Now Open 7 Days 11AM-10PM 718-606-9150 35-27 31st Street, Long Island City www.samossabites.com Open 7 Days a Week Free Island Delivery FREE EXAM FOR YOUR PET New Clients Only. Please present this ad. (a $72 value) Come and meet our friendly staff! Mon-Thu 12 noon-10 pm • Fri 11 am-11 pm Sat 10 am-11 pm • Sun 12 noon-7 pm 605 Main Street • 212.355.3111 [email protected] facebook.com/islandwinesRI 212-396-3020 310 East 65th Street (Between 1st and 2nd Avenue) Suite 1C, New York , NY 10065 www.uppereastsideah.com The WIRE, May 9, 2015 • 5 SAVE THE DATES May 29–June 1 Children’s Theatre presents Little Shop of Horrors MAIN STREET TEEN THEATRE presents Fri. May 15 8 pm (Opening) Sat. May 16 2 pm & 8pm Sun. May 17 7 pm Directed by Nathaniel Taylor-Leach ewly n e h In t bished r refu l Center ra Cultu eatre th June 7 Dance Concert Music Director Noel Carey Choreography Aya Esther Hayashi General $15 FEATURING Madison Abdul Mallaigh Ashton Georgia Belmont Georgia Bobo Bill Cusick ✯✯✯✯✯ Andrew Herlihy Danielle Herlihy Jack Humphrey Jordan Johnston Jason Marfey Seniors & Students $10 Sterling Nyx Ty Scanlan Izzy Tokornoo Illiana Wong Wilson Wong Mat Seating (ages 4-10) $5 Box Office is open 90 min. before each performance. Buy tickets online at mstda.org. THE CULTURAL CENTER, 548 M AIN STREET (DOWNSTAIRS) URINETOWN is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). MSTDA.ORG • EMAIL: [email protected] • 548 MAIN STREET ROOSEVELT ISLAND NEW YORK 10044 at 405 Main Street and 4 River Road at 405 Main Street and 4 River Road Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Sun 11am-5pm Mention this ad for 25% off one full-price item at 405 Main Street and 4 River Road Early Childhood Education for children ages 3 months to 6 years Currently enrolling for the 2015-2016 school year Just steps from the Tram at 234 East 60th Street • • • RIDN atwith 405 Main Street,degrees for children age 3 monthsand to 3 NY ½ years Teachers graduate in Education State Certification• RIDN at 4 River Road, for children age 2 ½ to 6 years old • in every class room Early Childhood Educationfor for children agesages 3 months to 6 yearsto 6 years Early Childhood Education children 3 months Teachers with graduate degrees in Education and NY State Certification Currently enrolling for the 2015-2016 school year in every class room Currently enrolling for the 2015-2016 school year Financial aid available Teachers with graduate degrees in Education and NY State Certification in every class room Financial aid available Home and Garden Décor Artificial flowers and trees Silk orchid arrangements Vintage items Gifts RIDN at 405 Main Street, for children age 3 months to 3 ½ years Financial aid available For more please to visitage our website at old www.ridn.org RIDN information at 4 River Road, for children 2½ to 6 years (212) 593-0750, [email protected] For more information to visit our website www.ridn.org RIDN at 405 Main Street,please for children age 3 at months to 3 ½ years (212) 593-0750, [email protected] RIDN at 4 River Road, for children age 2 ½ to 6 years old For more information please to visit our website at www.ridn.org (212) 593-0750, [email protected] 212-695-8828 email: [email protected] Visit us at SILVERLEAFNY.COM 6 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 Takashi Ikezawa (middle) was honored at this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival. Left to right: Jim Luce, City Council Member Ben Kallos, Ikezawa, Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, and Lynne Shinozaki, who leads the Social, Cultural, and Educational Committee of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association. Cherry Blossom Festival 2015 Photos: Howard Polivy The festival attracted a crowd estimated at 4,000-5,000. Energetic entertainment included the Taiko Drummers. Green Roof, from page 1 This has been an excellent opportunity for our youth to learn, first-hand, the power of the vote, the community, and working hard to achieve your dreams.” A Group Effort PTA co-presidents Olga Shchuchinov and Natalia Starkova mobilized the PTA Green Roof social media campaign and kept churning out fresh news. Green Roof press links and benefits of educational Green Roofs were on the school’s Facebook page and the PTA’s blog. These constant notifications also explained the PB vote process and gave vote locations and times. They even went old-school and sent flyers home to parents. The Green Roof Project was showcased at the school’s Silent Auction, and there were posters about it all over the school. PTA member and designer Nathalie Chetrit created flyers and the green bookmarks that the Girl Scouts passed out. She even made a version for the Upper East Side and Midtown East to remember their Island neighbor. Delfico also credits RIRA President Jeff Escobar for featuring the project in all of his RIRA Columns, sending email blasts to RIRA members, and hosting Delfico at a RIRA meeting where she educated Common Council members on the project. She says the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation also got into the mix, and mentioned the PB voting process repeatedly via Facebook. The Roosevelt Island Garden Club was active in promoting the project. President Ali Schwayri explains, “Roosevelt Island Garden Club’s mission includes serving as a resource and educator of all things green and sustainable on the Island. It was an absolute pleasure to support PS/IS 217’s Green Roof project, and to invite our membership to understand the Participatory Budgeting process and to mobilize. We believe in the benefits of the Green Roof for our community, and I speak for Secretary Julia Ferguson and the entire membership when I say we all look forward to sharing our expertise and passion for this important project.” Delfico lists the Roosevelt Island Parents’ Network and the Main Street Theatre as other organizations whose memberships were mobilized. It didn’t hurt that City Council Member Ben Kallos and his team were often on-Island during the PB process. Delfico says, “They were always on hand to explain the process and answer questions.” Earth Day was a wonderful coincidence. The Island’s Earth Day event took place on the final vote day under hospitable skies, and 217 votes were captured at the Visitor Kiosk in Tramway Plaza. Delfico distributed flyers to RIRA, the Girl Scouts, the Roosevelt Island Garden Club, and Island residence buildings. Soccer, from page 1 five, now we have almost 40 kids in the program. “Coaching is my passion. I’ve coached at all levels, but I really enjoy working with the kids,” Palladino said. His training methodology comes straight from his own experience training, and later coaching, at the Seely Soccer Academy in Spokane. “There is definitely a philosophy behind the way [the academy] runs – hard work, fairness, dedication, honesty, and enjoyment.” For Palladino, the training is not limited to the field. “I want the kids to conduct themselves the same everywhere, with fairness. This is about earning what you get, believing in yourself, and knowing what you can accomplish.” Parents on Roosevelt Island are just as excited as the kids to be working with Palladino. Aiesha Eleusizov’s son, Zamir, is 11 years old. He’s been playing competitive soccer since age eight. “For three years, we’ve had to travel to Pier 40 on the Hudson, three times a week, so Zamir can train,” Eleusizov said. “It was really frustrating, Deep Roots Traditionally, a full design in partnership with the school According to PS 217 Sustainability Coordinator Ursula takes 4-5 months, then bidding and awarding a contract takes Fokine, “The [idea for the] green roof came partially out of 2-3 months. Building the green roof takes about a year. That Christina’s [Delfico’s] iDig2Learn, but also in her conversa- means that 2018 is the earliest that all this effort could come tions with the school about how we can engage students more to fruition. in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) learning. Reactions It developed from there.” PTA co-Presidents Natalia Starkova and Olga Shchuchinov Delfico’s version is, “My memory is that Ursula Fokine said, “PS/IS 217 has a strong academic track and a Gifted and I were standing in the hallway outside the school office, and Talented program, and we are growing our STEM protalking about children’s responses to plants and iDig2Learn, gramming, so this win brings us one step closer to creating and she motioned her eyes upward and smiled as she said to a 21st-century teaching hub.” me – What about the roof? And I said, Really? That would Sustainability Coordinator Fokine was moved by the combe great. We can do that.” The project grew from that small munity collaboration. She said, “The mobilization of this seed. community to make that happen speaks to the positive and Feasibility forceful impact we can all have for change.” Delfico seconds In 2013, Principal Mandana Beckman, with support from that, saying, “The story is the strength of the Island voice. the PTA, applied to the Manhattan Borough President’s office Roosevelt Islanders have a choice to use their voice with a for a $35,000 Green Roof feasibility study, and won. vote.” Next, the School Construction Authority (SCA) met with Fokine explained, “We need to prepare our students to school leadership to discuss what could be built on the roof live in a sustainable world. Our Green Roof will not only to further 21st century learning. SCA toured the roof, and provide an outdoor classroom for students and a haven for did a thorough safety analysis and project-cost report with wildlife, it will be a model for the city, so it can be a thriving, input from engineers, architects, designers, 217 educators, healthful, efficient and welcoming place to live and learn for and the school’s custodial team. generations to come. A green roof will involve students in The SCA deemed the project feasible, and it moved to the the hands-on learning that will shape their attitudes about the funding stage – a huge win. importance of sustaining the As for PB, Delfico says, environment. We are thrilled “We never tried getting on Green Roof Success Celebration about this investment in our the Participatory Budget balfuture.” Wednesday (May 13), 6:15-7:30 lot before this one in 2015. I Diane Levitt, the Director had never heard of it.” of K-12 Education at CorPS/IS 217 Schoolyard This year, Delfico was a nell Tech, is excited, too. PB delegate and proposed She acknowledged that she Open to All the Green Roof project for hasn’t had a conversation consideration on the PB balwith the steering committee lot. She said, “Kallos is super-impressed with our rally, and yet, and that it’s early, but she has a lot of ideas. “There we are sharing the news with all the politicians, who are is a real opportunity for physical computing with senequally excited and taking note of our Island voice.” sors,” says Levitt, explaining, “A sensor is a thing that Funding might detect moisture or sunlight. It is a physical thing In February 2015, Beckman applied to Borough President that collects data and speaks through a wireless conBrewer’s office for $1.5 million in capital funding, and will nection or small computer. The physical sensors bring hear the results next month. Green roofs are typically funded information into the computer and enable us to make by the Borough President’s office and the City Council, decisions about watering, for example. There is a lot of working together. opportunity there.” Timeline Levitt and Cornell Tech have connected PS 217 to a conThe SCA will not start the bidding process until all the sultant. Together they are building a project-based learning funds are committed. The faster the commitment, the sooner unit. Levitt says, “What’s interesting about this it that the the bid process starts. Winning funds in 2015 means access question they’ve asked, that they’re building this unit around, to them in 2016; likewise, winning funds in 2016, means is Can we make Roosevelt Island energy-independent? And availability in 2017. I think that really ties to the Green Roof.” because we have such great facilities [on the Island], but no proper programs.” Rhonda Pringle echoed Eleusizov’s sentiments, saying “Traveling to practices after school is exhausting for kids. Now we have something right on our doorstep.” Having a competitive training program on Roosevelt Island is not just about the convenience, but also about the community, Eleusizov said. “Now, kids have the opportunity to receive high-quality training, but also to be a part of the community and foster relationships. A big piece of this is being able to play here. We have a lot of pride on Roosevelt Island.” Pringle not only has two sons in Palladino’s program, but is also the Marketing and Fundraising Manager for Palladino Academy. She said that watching the children develop in an Island-based program is fantastic, and she’s working to get them involved in fundraising as well. In the coming weeks, residents can look forward to a bake sale manned by the kids in the program. Pringle said, “It will be an opportunity for the kids to talk about what they are doing, and get people excited.” Another reason for players and parents to get excited is RIUFC’s recent partnership with the New York Red Bulls. Palladino said that John Massey, Interim Club President, was the main conduit for making the partnership happen. A major coup for RIUFC, the partnership will allow players direct access to the Red Bulls players, and training with the coaches. While still a startup, the Red Bulls organization has been incredibly accommodating and easy to work with, Massey said. In addition to providing a high level of training for the kids, Massey hopes that bringing in a name brand will attract more revenue for the club and thus the Island. Money is a concern, especially with the cost of equipment, field fees, and insurance, said Massey, but “It’s very important that the opportunity is offered to all kids on the Island.” He added, “The bottom line is having a plan for the kids to be involved in soccer on any level on Roosevelt Island.” A scholarship fund is in the works, and the parents are very involved, said Massey. In addition, he is working on obtaining sponsorships with local businesses to raise capital. He said that the opportunities for branding on the web and on team uniforms would be a boon for local businesses. Massey said it’s a challenge, but he hopes the timing is right with the imminent Cornell Tech campus and the management of storefronts on Main Street by Hudson/Related. Cultivating a symbiotic relationship between the club and local businesses is the ideal situation, said Massey. “We’ll really get the most traction if we come together as a group. This is literally Main Street, USA.” In the end, Massey said, “It’s simple, it’s about the kids and the ball.” He noted that one of Palladino’s great strengths as a coach is his involvement on the field. “John gets in there and the kids get to see the speed of play and control. It’s fluidity in motion.” For those interested, RIUFC will have open tryouts on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and on Sunday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Octagon Field. The WIRE, May 9, 2015 • 7 Island Retail Hudson/Related Gives A Progress Report Hudson/Related (H/R) is replacing the commercial real estate firm that’s been attempting to fill Main Street retail locations. There’s no announcement yet on what firm will replace Winick. In a meeting last week, an H/R representative summarized the status of efforts to put the empty storefronts on Main Street to work serving residents. Here’s what Pedram Mahdavi told the Residents Association’s Retail Real Estate Subcommittee: ● The new library branch is apparently three years away, following a one-year design phase, another year for approvals, and another year for construction. ● The planned urgent care location – to operate in the former Thrift Shop location – will start interior construction within a few weeks. It’s expected to open by fall. ● A child-care operation at 568 Main Street (next to Cynthia Ahn’s Roosevelt Nails) is expected to open in two to three months. ● Work has resumed at Trellis after a snafu over a load-bearing wall. There’s no target date yet, but owner Kaie Razaghi recently issued a hopeful prediction of late June. ● The stationery-and-card shop plans to remain, but is here on a monthto-month basis at present, and there’s not yet any agreement on terms. ● While Mahdavi was either cagey or uninformed, residents attending the meeting concluded that the Catholic Parish is the likely entity negotiating to take over the second floor at 504 Main Street, for a variety of activities – possibly including the return of the much-missed Thrift Shop. Asked about whether there were others in negotiation for what will be the new library’s upstairs neighbor, Mahdavi said, “I can’t disclose our negotiations with potential tenants.” Mahdavi did say that the new residential tower at 480 Main Street, now under construction, will open this summer, with a leasing office opening sooner. Apart from four floors taken by Sloan-Kettering, the building will be 100% market-rate, with the overall affordability requirement for the Riverwalk buildings being dealt with on a “rolling basis.” 480 Main Street will have 266 apartments, and will be known as Riverwalk Point. (The original “Southtown” moniker for the Riverwalk buildings is something that H/R would prefer to lose, as sounding too down-market.) Westview, from page 1 should not have been distributed – charging the owners with bypassing negotiations in sending the red herring to the New York State Department of Law, which passes on the legality and correctness of such offering plans. In a Friday, May 1 letter to David Hirschorn, the owners’ representative, the Task Force asked that he return to negotiations to resolve differences. At The WIRE’s press deadline, that’s where things stood. Westview is still in the MitchellLama system. Residents of Island House, where privatization has passed to the last stage (after the final-plan “black book”), received its red herring in a different sequence – after first having secured acceptance of its Affordability Plan, and then having left the Mitchell-Lama program. The Numbers If the terms described in the red herring survive through the entire process, current tenants will be able to buy their apartments at about $226 per square foot. Westview one-bedroom apartments range from 803 square feet to 872 square feet. Selling prices are based on share count (at $204.60 per share) rather than square footage. This means that smaller apartments will be somewhat under the $226/sqft cost, while larger apartments will be above that baseline number. (In the red herring, Westview’s per-squarefoot prices are 25% higher than the Island House cost of $180/sqft.) The average number of shares for a Westview one-bedroom (using 595 Main Street, apartment 312, currently vacant) is 825. The insider-offering price for apartment 312 is $177,041. If apartment 312 were sold, pursuant to the Affordability Plan, to a non-tenant (an outsider buying in), the asking price would be $588 per share, or $485,119, almost three times the insider cost. Monthly maintenance on that unit is listed as $883.42. If the black book follows this red herring, tenants will have 90 days to decide whether to buy or stay as rental tenants. After that, the opportunity will go away. (At Island House, there was a short lastminute extension of the offering period, but Westview tenants can’t count on that happening in their case.) For the plan to become effective, 15% of tenants (55 apartments of the total 361) must accept the offer and buy in. Not All Affordable The plan provides for the owners to have 127 apartments (35%) to sell or rent to outsiders at market-rate prices. At present, 38 apartments are vacant and likely to be included in the market-rate offerings, but the plan empowers the owners to choose the apartments to be added to create the total of 127. The red herring explains that it is “unlikely the Sponsor will elect to sell occupied apartments until they are vacated,” but does not specify which apartments those will be or how they will be selected. (The owners of Island House offered a buy-out to secure additional apartments.) Resale Insiders who buy will be able to sell their units after one year of ownership at double the purchase price – $409 per share (about $452 per square foot). Each succeeding year, the permissible sale price will increase 7.5% (in the second year, to $440 per share). This means that a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,376-square-foot, 1,665-share unit purchased at $357,404 can be sold for $714,808 after one year, or for $768,418.60 after two years. But a flip tax will be imposed on sales. For the first two years, it will be 60% of gross profit. For the next six years, the flip tax will go down 5% each year to 30%. Then it will drop 2% each year until it reaches a final 20% in year 13. Rentals Residents will be allowed to stay on as rental tenants, with controls on rent increases. The Affordability Plan imposes limitations on the rents that can be charged. The Grad Students Consider: What Will Become of RI’s Sense of Community? by Laura Russo The question: How can Roosevelt Island sustain its sense of community despite current issues facing the Island? Those asking: Four graduate students at NYU-Polytechnic. Forty years ago, the first apartments became available on Roosevelt Island. Their residents, urban pioneers, took a chance on a unique locale, and together cultivated a neighborhood where the concept of “community” was paramount. While it is true that Roosevelt Island’s geography isolates it from Manhattan, the concept of community was illustrated just as strongly by the residents coming together to create thriving arts organizations and to transform rubble into beautiful green space. Today, these organizations are still in existence, run by residents, for residents – the Garden Club, the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association (RIVAA), and the Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance (MST&DA). The Roosevelt Island Historical Society stands as an example of Islanders working proudly to preserve history. But, for all this, there is an undercurrent of change on Roosevelt Island. The once thriving arts organizations and nonprofits are at risk because of the recent discontinuation of Public Purpose Funding. rent calculation starts with a 2009 DHCR Rent Order and is based on income, following guidelines published by the New York City Rent Guidelines Board. Lease succession of those apartments will not be permitted. They may go to the market-rate pool once the leaseholder is no longer in residence if the owners have not yet accumulated their 127 apartments; otherwise, it will be sold at the affordable price. Market-Rate Units Market-rate apartments won’t be subject to affordability restrictions, and owners who purchase at market prices will pay no flip taxes. Reactions Thus far, some residents say they feel that the red herring contains a good offer. They understand that comparable Manhattan apartment prices in buildings with doorkeeper, indoor pool, health club, and playroom cost far more than the most expensive Westview apartment. (Incidentally, 595 Main Street’s apartment 1204 is that most expensive Westview apartment. It is a 1,595-square foot three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit with a 269-square foot terrace. The listed insider price is $481,547.) Other residents appear to agree with the Task Force that something better should be possible. A small sampling of residents polled by The WIRE agree that it will be difficult to go from paying $1,800 a month in rent, to (for example) a $3,400 maintenance-plus-mortgage bill, with the X factor being likely submetering of electricity in a drafty building. Additionally, the red herring requires a minimum of 10% down, which is $48,154.70 for apartment 1204, plus a two-month-maintenance contribution to the apartment corporation’s capital fund. These apartments are being sold as-is, so there is some intra-building grumbling about the owners ignoring current maintenance requests, and instead waiting for conversion so that maintenance and repairs will be at shareholder expense instead of the owners’s responsibility. Empty storefronts still line Main Street. The building of the Cornell Tech campus moves forward, and residential construction on the Island is increasing. This leads to that initial question: How can Roosevelt Island sustain its sense of community despite these issues? It’s a tough question that’s been explored by the four graduate students at NYU-Polytechnic School of Engineering. What the group concluded may surprise some residents. Monica Raffaelli, Ryan Thibeault, Ziyu Meng, and Carlos Augusto Bautista Isaza have spent the last three months exploring the Island and talking to residents, as part of a project inspired by the question, “How might we restore vibrancy in cities and regions facing economic decline?” But instead of looking to fix a community, the group decided to concentrate on what they could learn from a community. They chose Roosevelt Island. Thibeault had played rugby on the Island and immediately suggested it as a location to study, whereas “Everyone else [in the class] wanted to go to typical New York City communities like Greenpoint and Bushwick,” said Raffaelli. Isaza said that the group arrived without expectations and thought, Let’s see what happens. He notes that his first impression was that the Island was a really happy neighborhood, and that it would be great to try and replicate the model in other areas. But, he said, “I realized it wasn’t as perfect as I thought it was, there is a lot of expectation here, something big is happening, and I think it’s Cornell.” Raffaelli thinks, “There are a lot of factors that will effect change. Cornell may be the easiest to blame, but it’s not necessarily a [fair] scapegoat.” The group spent many Saturdays at the Farmers’ Market in order to speak with residents. They also attended the RIOC Board of Directors meeting on March 26, 2015, in order to get a sense of the community governance. Raffaelli thinks that the Island has a strange appeal to outsiders. One afternoon at the Farmer’s Market, she spoke at length with a vendor whose grandmother was one of the original Island residents. “He had great memories, absolutely nothing negative to say [about the Island]. But he lived in Hoboken,” she said. Often, visitors were more likely than residents to speak to the group. In trying to engage with residents, the group said they met with a lot of resistance. Thibeault said he wanted residents to know, “It’s okay to speak your mind about your community.” Raffaelli continued by saying, “If you don’t have a voice, you don’t have an outlet.” Isaza was concerned that there was a lot of talk about “community,” but wondered, “Where is it?” Meng followed his point by saying that of the residents the group did speak with, many talked about Roosevelt Island as an international community, but that she didn’t see it in action. She said, “People comment that [Roosevelt Island] is very multicultural, but I didn’t see that at the Board Meeting.” She wondered, is “living here just a business transaction for some people?” The group said the most important thing they learned from their investigation is that “no one has all the answers,” said Thibeault, but that “we need to keep up the conversation,” said Raffaelli. ComingUp, from page 3 Education Committee meet, Mon Jun 8 7pm, PS/IS 217 auditorium. Cornell Tech update on partnership with the school. Bike New York’s Summer Ride Series starts, Thu Jun 11 5:45pm. Meet at the container under the helix ramp. No registration required. Bikes & helmets provided for those who need them. Roosevelt Island Day, Sat Jun 13. RIRA Blood Drive, Sat Jun 13. Imagination Playground, play with oversize architectural blocks, SatSun Jun 13-14, Four Freedoms Park, on the lawn. Flag Day, Sun Jun 14. Book Discussion, Half a Life by V.S. Naipaul, Thu Jun 18 6:30pm, Library. Third Annual Relay for Life, in support of the American Cancer Society, Sat Jun 20, 10am-10pm, Octagon Soccer Field. Family-friendly event with activities and entertainment for all ages. Opening Reception for Gardenscape, solo exhibition of the works of Toshiko Kitano Groner, Sat Jun 20 5-8pm, Octagon Gallery, 888 Main St. Gallery hours 9am-8pm daily. Through July 19. Women’s Health Organization presents Sleep Health with Dr. Dianne Augelli of Weill Cornell Medical Center, Wed Jun 24 6:30pm, 546 Main St., 12th floor conference room. Free. Info: 646-895-3618. Outdoor Movie, Sat Jun 27. Independence Day, Sat Jul 4. Outdoor Movie, Sun Jul 11. Outdoor Movie, Sun July 25. Cornell Construction & Community Task Force quarterly meeting, Mon Jul 27 6-8pm, Gallery RIVAA. Open to the public. Outdoor Movie, Fri Aug 7. Outdoor Movie, Sat Aug 8. Outdoor Movie, Sat Aug 22. Outdoor Movie, Sat Aug 29. RIRA Common Council meeting, Wed Sep 9 8pm, Good Shepherd Center. Fall for Arts Festival, Sat Oct 3. Columbus Day, Mon Oct 12. Halloween Parade, Sat Oct 24. Cornell Construction & Community Task Force quarterly meeting, Mon Oct 26 6-8pm, 546 Main St. 12th floor. Open to the public. Daylight Saving Time ends, Sun Nov 1. Events? List ’em! [email protected] List early, so that other organizations can avoid conflicts. 8 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 Vw Jigsa 1000-Piece Puzzles! Challenging and Fun! Supporting The WIRE Pre-Order Now Choose from 5 or buy all 5 $20 each Quan. _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ □ Tramway □ Lighthouse □ Blackwell Fall □ Blackwell Winter □ Good Shepherd $20 each. At left, please check the puzzle(s) you’d like, and indicate the quantity of each. On-Island, we will deliver to buildings with doorstations. If no doorstation, provide phone number or email address and we’ll call you when your order is ready for pickup. If your order is to be mailed to an off-Island address, add $3 for each puzzle to be mailed and be sure to provide address(es). Check payable to The WIRE. Your purchase supports publication of The Main Street WIRE. Allow 3-5 weeks for delivery of orders placed before May 20. Send order to The WIRE, 531 Main Street #413, NYC 10044. Please print clearly. Questions? Call 212-826-9055. If leaving a message; please give your phone number twice, slowly and clearly, at beginning and end of message. Name _____________________________ Address ___________________________ Phone ____________________________ Email _____________________________ Amount enclosed $__________________ 718-706-WINE (9463) BlueStreakWine.com The WIRE, May 9, 2015 • 9 10 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 Adventures O curated by Sara Maher Sunshine and daffodils. Clear skies and bike rides. Parks and picnics. Pigeons and picnics. Things in spring go better together. Here are a few pairings that will perk you up after a long (and wet... and windy...) winter. Quiz + Showbiz The beloved NPR show Ask Me Another is recorded live in Brooklyn! Join host Ophira Eisenberg at The Bell House as she questions puzzle gurus, audience members, and mystery guests. Upcoming guests include the Grammy-nominated duo The Milk Carton Kids, and Tony-winner Sutton Foster. F downtown to 4th Av. and walk northeast to 149 7th St. The Milk Carton Kids guest on Mon, May 11, and Sutton Foster guests on Mon, May 18; doors at 6:30, show at 7:30. $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For ages 21 and over. thebellhouseny.com/calendar Masks + Martinis Every Friday night from now through August, the Rubin Museum presents Cabaret Cinema, screenings of classic films that reflect themes present in the museum’s current exhibitions. This year’s theme is Movie Masks, kicking off with The Seventh Seal and running through a myriad of other masterpieces, such as Dumbo, The Princess Bride, and -Island Casanova, before wrapping it up with To Catch a Thief. The corresponding exhibit is Becoming Another: The Power of Masks, showcasing different mask-making styles and traditions from Northern India, Mongolia, Siberia, and beyond. Come early to enjoy K2 Friday Night, with a DJ, special tapas menu, and happy hour specials, before the show. F downtown to 14th St. and walk northwest to 150 West 17th St. Movie Masks every Friday at 9:30pm, May 15 through August 28; The Power of Masks runs through February 8, 2016. K2 Friday Night is included in free museum admission on Friday nights from 6:00 to 10:00; movies are free for members, and $10 for non-members. rubinmuseum.org/events Games + Graphics Before John and Yoko, there was the artist known as Yoko Ono. MoMA presents Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 19601971, with 125 of her “objects,” including works on paper, film, and audio recordings. Visitors will also have the chance to play White Chess, a living chess match designed by Ono to force competitors to work in harmony in order for the game to progress. F downtown to 57th and walk southeast to 11 West 53rd St. Yoko Ono runs May 17-September 7. MoMA is open Saturday through Thursday 10:30-5:30 and Friday 10:30-8:00. White Chess is open Tue, Wed, Friday, and Saturday, 1:00-4:00 p.m. in the Sculpture Garden. Adults $25, seniors $18, students $14, under 16 free. Admission is free every Friday night, 4:00-8:00. moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1544 Dance + Dance + Dance + Dance The 9th Annual Dance Parade & Festival invites over 10,000 dancers to shimmy and shake their way through the streets. Dancers will show off 75 styles of dance, making the Parade “the world’s largest display of cultural diversity.” The parade will be led by Grand Marshal Mary Verdi-Fletcher, working it in her wheelchair. Those who look less-thanenthusiastic will be ticketed by the NYDP (New York Dance Police), but the post-parade Dancefest – with aerial performers, free dance lessons, and, of course, a dance party – should keep the cops at bay. F downtown to 23rd St. and walk southeast to the parade start-point at 21st and Broadway; or 14th St. and walk east to University Place; or West 4th St. and walk northeast to University Place and East 8th St. Continue east on 8th St./ St. Mark’s Place to join Dancefest at Thompkins Square Park. Saturday, May 16; parade runs 1:00-3:00 p.m. and Dancefest runs from 3:00 to 7:00. Free. danceparade.org Continuing Events & Activities A listing of repeating or regularly held meetings & events (a listing of other events scheduled for this weekend and in coming weeks appears on page 3). Art Exhibits Color Outside the Line, exhibit of the works of Arline Jacoby, Gallery RIVAA, Wed & Fri 1-5pm & 6-9pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm. Through May 17. Black and Gold, an exhibition of the works of Mishi Toki, Gallery RIVAA, Sat May 23 through June 7. Vernissage XIV continues, Octagon Gallery, daily 9am-8pm. Through June 14. Parks Southpoint Park open daily 6am-10pm. Lighthouse Park open daily 7am-9pm. Four Freedoms Park daily 9am-7pm. Closed Tue. Free guided tours Sat 11am, 3pm; Sun 11am. Classes Art, taught by members of the RI Visual Art Association, Sat 11am-2pm, Sportspark. Free. Hands-Only CPR Training, 1st Wed 10:45am, Senior Center, 546 Main St.; 2nd Tue 8pm, 546 Main St 12th-floor conference room; 3rd Thu 5pm, Child School, 587 Main St.; 4th Sun 5:45pm, Good Shepherd Center, 543 Main. We Are New York English conversation groups, Fri 10:30am-12:30pm, through June 26, Library. Music First Sunday Jazz Salon, 1st Sun (resumes May 4) 5-7pm, Gallery RIVAA, 527 Main St. $10 donation. Exercise & Sports (alphabetical) Basketball (all ages), Sat 2-5pm, Sportspark. Free. Basketball (adults), Mon-Thu 7:30-9:30pm, PS/IS 217. Free. Bike New York Summer Ride Series, alt Thu Jun 11-Oct 1, 5:45pm, container under helix ramp. Info: 212-870-2080. Pilates with Karen, Wed 8:30am. Info 212-750-6223. (Ad, page 15.) Ping Pong (all ages), Tue Wed Fri 6-9pm, Sportspark. Free. RI Moms on the Move walk and exercise program, Fri 11am, Visitor Kiosk in Tramway Plaza. Free. To confirm time: [email protected]. Sportspark extended hours (ages 16-25), Fri-Sat 9pm-midnight. Weight-lifting and basketball. Free. Note: ID and proof of Island residency required. Swimming* (all ages; no instructor) – Sat-Sun 12-3pm, Mon-Fri 6-10am, Mon Wed Thu Fri 7:30-10:30pm, Sportspark. Swimming* (18 yrs+) – Sat-Sun 4-7pm, Tue 7:30-10:30pm, Sportspark. Swimming* – Water Aerobics, Sun 12-1pm, Wed & Fri 9-10am, Sportspark. Swimming* – Master class, Mon Wed Fri 7:30-8:30pm, Sportspark. (*$5; free for disabled, seniors 60+, and ages 0-3.) Tai Chi (all ages & levels), Mon 10:15am. Members, free; others, donation suggested, Four Freedoms Park, Apr 6-May 11 & Aug 31-Sep 28. Tennis for Kids, see Older Kids entries, below. Yoga (open-level), Mon & Thu 6:15-7:15pm, Sat 11:15am-12:15pm, Sportspark. $5. Mats available. Yoga (Vinyassa-flow) with Keren Messer, Mon 7:45pm, Fri 10am, Good Shepherd Center. Info: [email protected]. Yoga (Hatha) with Keren Messer, Tue 6:30pm, Good Shepherd Center. Yoga with Jax Schott, Wed 7:30-8:40pm, Island Kids, 536 Main St. $15. Yoga (open-level) with Lauren Blankstein, Thu 7:30-8:30pm, PS/IS 217 Beacon. Free. Yoga at Four Freedoms Park, 1-hour classes, May 6-Aug 29. Info: FDRFourFreedomsPark.org. Adult Vinyassa (all levels), Wed 10:15am; Kids & family, Thu 4:15pm, Hatha (all levels), Fri 6pm; Adult core (all levels), Sat 10am. Members free; others, $5 donation suggested. Bring your mat. Zumba, Mon 6:30-7:30pm, Thu 6:30-7:30pm, Sat 10-11am, Sportspark. $5. Birth through Toddler (Sat-Fri) Baby Story Time (0-18 mo), Mon 10:30am, Library. Advance registration required. Baby Playtime (0-18 mo), Mon 11am, Library. Mommy & Me Swim Classes for children 6 mo. to 3 yrs. Spots available for drop-ins Wed 10:30 and Sun 1:30 or 2:00. Info at rioc.ny.gov. Toddler Story Time (18-36 mo), Wed 11am, Library. Registration required. Free. Toddler Play Time (18-36 mo), Wed 11:30am, Library. Island Kids Baby Group (0-14 mo.), Thu 10:30-11:30am, 536 Main St. Info: [email protected]. Older Kids (listed Sat-Fri) Swimming classes (age 3-up), Sat 3-4pm, Sportspark. $15 or $100/10 weeks. Questions/ registration, [email protected] or 917-261-2771. Tennis – New York Junior Tennis League learning program, Mon-Fri 3-6pm (ages 8-18); Tue 5-6pm & Thu 3-4pm for ages 5-7 (with parent/guardian), Octagon Park Courts. No pre-registration, sneakers required. Info: [email protected] or 718-786-7110. Little Dragon Tang Soo Do (Korean martial art), ages 12 & under & caregiver, Mon 4:15pm (Jun 8-Jul 13, Aug 10-31), Four Freedoms Park. Members free; others, donation suggested. Tennis – Junior Tennis, Sat & Mon-Fri after school, Racquet Club. Info 212-935-0250. Teen Time (ages 13-18), Mon-Fri 3pm, Library. Beacon After-School Program for grades 1-8, Mon-Fri 3-6pm, PS/IS 217. Free. Info: 212527-2505. Open Gym for high school students, Mon & Wed 6-8pm, PS/IS 217. Board Games (5-12 yrs), Tue 4pm, Library. Free. Teen Game Night, Wed 6pm, Main Street Sweets, 559 Main St. Anime Club (teens), Thu 4-5pm, Library. Kids & Family Yoga (ages 4-7 & caregivers), see Exercise & Sports. Reading Aloud (children), Fri 3:30pm, Library. Girl Scouts (6-13 yrs), Fri 6-8pm, PS/IS 217. Info: 212-527-2505. Seniors Lunch, Mon-Fri noon, Senior Center, 546 Main St. $1.50. Menus outside social worker’s office. Also see additional listings, this page. Regular Meetings (listed Sat-Fri) Toastmasters (public speaking), 2nd & 4th Mon 7:30pm. Info: 212-751-9577. Sci-Fi Discussion Group, 1st Tue 6:30pm, Library. 114th Precinct Community Meeting, 4th Tue 7pm, Riccardo’s, 2101 24th Av., Astoria. RIRA Common Council meeting 1st Wed (except Jul-Aug) 8pm, Good Shepherd Center. Women’s Health Organization, last Wed 6:30pm, 546 Main St, 12th floor conference room. Book Discussion, 3rd Thu 6:30-8pm, Library. Office Hours RIOC’s Community Office Hours, Mon 3-5pm, 591 Main St. Info: 212-832-4540. Conversations with Cornell Tech Staff at Gallery RIVAA, Wed & Fri 10am-12noon & 1-4pm, 527 Main St. Constituent Service Hours: Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, 1st Wed 4-7pm, Library. City Councilmember Ben Kallos, 4th Wed 2-5pm, Senior Center, 546 Main St. State Senator Jose Serrano, Wed 4-7pm, Senior Center or 3-6pm, Library. Info: 212828-5829. Other Clinic on Housing Law, 1st & 3rd Mon 3-6pm, district office of City Councilmember Ben Kallos, 244 E. 93rd St. Reservations and questions: 212-860-1950 or [email protected]. Free Legal Clinic, 1st Mon, sponsored by Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright. For appointment call 212-288-4607. Policy Night, 2nd Tue 6:30pm, Kallos office (see above), 244 E. 93rd St.; help formulate policy. Knitting & Crocheting Circle (adults), Thu 11:30am, Library. Info: nypl.org. First Fridays with Kallos, 8-10am, district office (see above); questions and issues. Food Box Orders from Helping Families Help Themselves, ordering 1st-11th of month. Senior Center Monday (Closed May 25) 10:00 Zumba 11:00 Computers 5:00 Brain & Body Stretch Tuesday 10:20 Shoppers’ Bus 10:30 Building Strength 11:00 Blood Pressure 1:00 Paint & Sculpt Special Events MetroCard Bus, Mon May 11, 11am12:30pm Closed for Memorial Day, Mon May 25 RISA Membership Drive continues every Wed 10am-12noon. $15. Outdoor Flea Market, Sat Jun 6, 10am4pm. Details to come. (Vendors needed at $20/table, first-come, first-served.) Wednesday 9:30 Yoga Stretch 10:20 Shoppers’ Bus 10:30 Salsa with Luis 10:45 Spanish 11:00 Social Media for Seniors 1:00 Bridge 1:30 Scrabble Thursday 9:25 Chair Pilates 10:30 Zumba 10:45 Ping Pong (May 14 only) 12:30 Movie 1:00-2:30 Theatre tickets at discount prices; see Rema or Annie Friday 9:00 Building Strength 10:30 Computers 10:30 Tai Chi 12:00 Korean Exercise 2:00 Art with John 2:00 Pokeno The WIRE, May 9, 2015 • 11 H. Patrick Stewart III H. Patrick Stewart III died of a heart attack April 28, 2015, at his Roosevelt Island home, three days after his 82nd birthday. His life will be celebrated at a memorial service on Saturday, May 16, at 2:00 p.m. at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Stewart was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, on April 25, 1933, and grew up in Detroit and Kansas City, summering at Nahant, Massachusetts. His maternal grandfather, Peter F. Minnock, headed General Motors for more than 20 years. His paternal grandfather, Henry P. Stewart, was Police Commissioner of Kansas City. His father, H. Patrick Stewart Jr., along with 20 of his Yale classmates, left for England to fight in World War I before the United States entered the war. He flew for the nascent Royal Air Force, and went on to become the youngest member ever of the British military to reach the rank of major, a record only broken 25 years later, during World War II, by his son, and Patrick’s brother, Peter F. Minnock-Stewart, as a member of Military Intelligence in the British Indian Army in Burma. Inspired by his dreams of military glory, young Patrick prepared for a career as a professional soldier first at Rockhurst Preparatory School and Kemper Military School, then went on to Virginia Military Institute and Hampden-Sydney College. He joined the U.S. Army in 1955 as a 2nd Lieutenant and rose to the rank of Captain in Special Forces. He served in Lebanon and Germany. Disappointed with the peacetime military, Stewart left the Army in 1960 and became an advertising executive, first with Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborne and then with Young and Rubicam in New York and Los Angeles, then a senior marketing executive at Nabisco, Inc. Stewart left marketing in 1979 to become a limited partner at Intellectics SMB, the management consulting firm founded by his brother, Peter, serving clients as diverse as DuPont, General Electric, WJ Grace, United Airlines, AT&T, and the US Department of the Interior. Representing Intellectics SMB, he served on President Reagan’s Grace Commission Study of Cost Control in Federal Government. Stewart was active for many years as an Arbitrator and Tribunal Member of the American Arbitration Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution. Stewart moved to Roosevelt Island in 1982, married Karen in 1989, and by the 90’s had become an impassioned community activist. He was appointed to Community Board 8 by Ruth Messinger in 1995, and served until 2013. He was for many years the Chair of its Roosevelt Island Committee, and in 2006 became Co-Chair of the Second Avenue Subway Task Force. Stewart served as President of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association from 1996 to 2000. He was appointed by Governor George Pataki as a Director of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, and served from 1999 through 2009. He chaired the RIOC Board’s Governance Oversight Committee. Stewart once said in a CB8 Speaks television interview, “Community organizing takes persistence and resolve. Movement is an emotional thing of marches and demonstrations, but organization is different, especially to aim for something bigger. Many movement people are not good organizers. It takes a special cold, rational type of anger.” It also took patience and the help of his exquisite, old-fashioned courtesy. Always a thoughtful listener, he was a dedicated champion of the residents of Roosevelt Island. He will be sorely missed by the community he served. Stewart is survived by his wife, the former Karen Jellison Sanford; his daughter, Canby French Stewart of Phoenix, Arizona; his stepson, Adam Sanford of New York City; his niece, Brooke Stewart Disbrow (Mrs. Jack Disbrow) of Wilton, Connecticut; her daughter, Eirinn Stewart Disbrow of Los Angeles; his nephew, Peter F. M. Stewart Jr of Ridgefield, Connecticut; and his surrogate granddaughter, Zoe Schreiber of Cleveland, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Wounded Warrior Project, Inc. 1998 In Patrick Stewart’s Columns as RIRA President, the Measure of a Man by Jennifer Dunning and Dick Lutz Patrick Stewart was The Main Street WIRE’s first contributor of The RIRA Column. Through it, he often revealed himself as much as he revealed his concerns about a difficult time for Roosevelt Island, during the RIOC presidency of Dr. Jerome Blue. In his first column, published January 31, 1997, Stewart was frank about the troubles the community faced. “Our Island is in peril, besieged by both an incompetent Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, and the complete disregard of our State officials in Albany... One might surmise that if you are unable to fix an exit gate at a parking garage, or a two-story elevator at the Manhattan Tram plaza, you might have some difficulty responsibly executing a $350 million residential project [development of Southtown].” Stewart went on to pledge, “I promise you, as president of RIRA, that we will finally prevail, no matter what effort it takes. We are a united community and know better than anyone else what is best for us, what is rightfully ours, and how we can achieve our goals.” A year and a half later, Island self-governance was still on his mind. “If we lived in any other neighborhood in the City, and were disturbed over the issues that plague us here on the Island, we would have recourse and access to both our Community Board and the City Council... City Council members would pay attention... But the City Council has no direct power in governing Roosevelt Island. Authority here is in the sole hands of RIOC, the State agency which does govern the Island. “It only goes to show that Thomas Jefferson and his friends were right. No government, no matter how seemingly benign, should be left with absolute power... [but] we cannot vote RIOC management out of office.” Another year later, in 1999, Stewart was still focused on RIOC’s abuse of power when Islander Ron Vass resigned from the RIOC Board of Directors. “This [RIRA presidency] is no job for an idealist, and I have to work very hard to ‘keep the faith.’ I came to this job with the sincere belief that with unstinting effort – effort on the part of many people – we could accomplish a greater good for all of the residents of Roosevelt Island. I knew that the task we were taking on, of holding the current administration of RIOC to its obligations to residents, was going to be a very difficult job Form and Function We build websites that are easy to use and easy to look at www.bigcitysoftworks.com indeed. It never once occurred to me that it with inertia, with the desire to let myself might be downright impossible... Although gently off whatever hook I’m regretting at I did not underestimate the degree of incom- the moment, with the desire to get by with petence at RIOC, I did underestimate the good enough. I hold no illusions that I will complete contempt they have for the good reach what I believe to be Al’s standards, of the Island, or, for that matter, the good of but the challenge of his passing speaks to anyone other than themselves and their very me imperatively enough that I can renew my personal commitment to try to improve. narrow political self-interest.” “I know I will be asking myself, “What Stewart attributed his involvement in Roosevelt Island’s civic affairs to his beloved would Al have done?,” both in my public neighbor, Kitty Berman. They had their capacity and in my personal sphere. I know differences, but she had challenged him to that if I ask, I will have an answer. And I attend a tenants’ meeting in Island House. pledge to each of you, as your servant, that Later, “As for joining RIRA, the reason was I will do my best to act upon the answer.” But Stewart’s columns were not always because Kitty shamed me into it... “I like to think that we were largely re- heavy with Island business. Here’s how he sponsible for having [Blue] leave. I came on celebrated Christmas in 1997. “I believe in magic. I always have. Of RIRA because we’ve got this guy Jerry Blue course, for 11 months and we’ve got to get of the year, I keep it him out of here. And pretty much under RIRA did an extraorA memorial service will celebrate wraps, and rely on dinary job of that. As Patrick Stewart’s life a belief in all those head of RIRA, that next Saturday, May 16, at 2:00 p.m., other, more mundane was my main accomChapel of the Good Shepherd virtues to inspire me plishment.” to get things done. Some 12 years past Each December, his RIRA Presidency, and after a departure from the RIOC Board though, out it pops, as if it were brand new. of Directors, Stewart was still thinking about I owe it to my mother, of course, as we all do. Island governance. In a 2012 interview with I say, “We all do,” because I firmly believe The WIRE, Stewart said, “I liked my time on that somewhere, each of us still has that core the RIOC Board. I learned a lot... I got the belief in magic, and that we all got it the same idea quickly – day one, really – this is BS. way, on the morning of some other December Roosevelt Island should not be under the 25th. Oh, admittedly it gets dented and tarState of New York. It’s the only municipality nished, and some of us undoubtedly believe in the United States of America in this situ- we’ve routed it out for good, but it’s still ation. We are part of the City. That’s where there. It’s almost indestructible, thank goodwe should be. We’ve been encumbered by ness. It’s what saves us each time we think that forever. Now that I’ve looked at it, this we’ve finally come to the ‘last straw,’ and organization is wrong financially... From a we’ve all seen a few last straws in our lives... “Happily for me, I get to spend a lot of corporate point of view, this is the craziest time with a two-year-old these days, and damn thing ever.” In 1998, Stewart wrote of his high regard recently I watched Zoe encounter her first for the recently deceased defender of the Christmas tree. Houdini himself had nothTramway, Al Weinstein, in words that others ing to touch it. Someone had to give, to give of themselves in time and effort and might apply to Stewart himself. “His legacy is, of course, his power of love for that Christmas tree to be there at example. It is, at the same time, the chal- all. I sincerely wish each of you the joy of lenge he leaves us, for there is much left the magic of Christmas, and hope that, for at to do. In this all too imperfect life, in any least one moment, you are touched with the community, there will always remain much memory of your own most magical personal Christmas. May each of us know love in our left to be done. “For me, the challenge is both public and own hearts, and may each of us be inspired private. Like many of us, I often struggle to give of that love to others.” 12 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 Islanders Gilda Hannah Looks Back at a Groundbreaking Career by Jennifer Dunning Gilda Hannah came to her award-winning career in book design almost by accident. The long-time Roosevelt Islander had graduated from Vassar College with a degree in mathematics. But a boyfriend had talked her into that major, and she knew she was no mathematician. Her heart was with the fine-arts training that she had received at New York’s High School of Music and Art. However, employment was generally limited to secretarial work for young women in the late 1950’s, when Hannah graduated. And so a succession of low-level jobs followed, until one day she had a revelation about the bosses to whom she was reporting. “A guy came in and said, I’m a book designer,” Hannah recalls. “The minute he said that, I thought Bingo!” A friend suggested she take a secretarial job with “a terrible boss” at a major publishing house. No one lasted more than a year, but in that year Hannah could – and did – learn the rudiments of book design as others had before her. She landed a design job at the flourishing New Directions house. And there, in the early 1960’s, she became a noted designer of innovative book jackets, celebrated in the winter issue of Aperture, the quarterly journal of photography. A resident of the Island since 1976, Hannah looked back on her ground-breaking career in a recent conversation in her light- and plant-filled apartment in Rivercross, a home filled with functional work equipment and the vivid portraits she has painted over the years. Anecdotes tumbled out about the yeasty artistic era in which her career blossomed, and the celebrated writers with whom she came into contact. Book jackets covered the dining room table, each with its own story, all with a distinctive clarity and style that helped to brand New Directions as a major publisher of experimental writing and that helped, over the years, to sell books at a number of other houses. New Directions, founded by the visionary James Laughlin in 1936, had a stable of noted authors who included Henry Miller, Ezra Pound, Yukio Mishima, and Djuna Barnes. Hannah’s first assignment there was to design a jacket for a reprint of Nightwood, a prominent early lesbian novel by Barnes. The modernist short-story writer and poet, long the center of the thriving Greenwich Village artistic community, was a formidable character. Hannah, then Gilda Rosenblum, was essentially a sacrificial lamb, sent in after other, much more experienced designers had failed to satisfy the writer. “She was rejecting every cover,” Hannah recalled. “I had done only book interiors, and only for less than a year. She was such a star for them, and they were anxious to find someone to please her, so they put the two of us together. She was very tall. Imperious. Regal. She was in her 70’s and walked with a cane. She wore a big black cape with a high wing collar, like Superman.” Barnes was very happy with the now iconic cover, and even flirted a bit with the young Miss Rosenblum. “Heh, heh, and how is my little Miss Rosebud today?” she asked impishly at their final meeting. That success solidified Hannah’s relationship with New Directions. She became the in-house designer and made her mark at the company, developing and expanding the trend-setting work of Alvin Lustig, whom she succeeded after his death. The covers were unmistakable. Black and white, they were “stark, contemplative, inky, and dreamlike,” Carmen Winant writes in Aperture. “They often feature cropped images – usually taken by the designers themselves and rarely credited – printed full bleed, appearing to strain against the margins that hold them.” Under Hannah’s direction, the covers became almost entirely photographic. “It was an all-in-one, streamlined job,” Winant writes. “Hannah took the majority of the photographs, occasionally commissioning an image or buying from stock, made the design and type decisions, and chose the book’s paper.” She used a starburst image from a malfunctioning Leica, for example, for the cover of The Selected Poems of Federico Garcia Lorca, and split her photograph of the Statue of Liberty for the shardlike collage on the cover of Franz Kafka’s Amerika. The covers tended to be distinctively evocative,” Hannah said, rather than the more familiar literal representations of texts. The mood that the publisher wanted to evoke “was experimentalism, I think, avant-gardism. Out of the ordinary. “James Laughlin was breaking new ground both in literature and in packaging. So he wanted to hire the most evocative, untrendy people.” Along the way, Hannah gained some fame. The novelist Philip Roth suddenly noticed the young wife and mother living across the hall from him on East 10th Street when he realized that Hannah, then married to Roy Kuhlman, the designer, had created an admired book jacket. But the goal was always to sell books. “Does this advertise the book well?” Hannah said. “Is it a good representation? Does it make the book attractive to a potential buyer? That should be the one strength. And I’m not so sure there’s any guideline for that. Each assignment was different, somehow. Each required a different approach and a different kind of solution.” The one constant was that designers seldom did more than skim the texts. “Nobody read the books,” Hannah exclaimed. “You’d never have time to do the work. Of course, you’d need to know the weapon if it was a mystery.” Hannah left New Directions in the early 1960’s and went on to design for other publishing houses, including The Feminist Press, Penguin, Meridian, and Harper & Row. “There were a lot of good people around,” she recalled. “It was really a golden age of books.” But change was coming. By the early 1980’s, she had gone on to become an art director at several companies, then focused on designing the layout, typography, and concepts of book interiors. “Part of the problem was that publishers had become very political. I could see it starting. It used to be that the art director and the editor or maybe the publisher would work on a jacket cover together. But they also hired freelancers and then six people would have to approve the covers. And then they got so watered down, they stopped having value. They were more trouble than they were worth.” Today, Hannah does occasional book-design jobs, mainly for psychology texts. “Now, looking back, I really regret not having the opportunity to use the new techniques that became available to graphic designers with software like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and InDesign. They opened the door to great visual effects for cover designers that were never possible before, though of course the politics would still be there.” But now there is more time for bridge-playing, another passion, and gallery-going. Says Hannah, “I’m pretty sure I’m retired.” The WIRE, May 9, 2015 • 13 RY E IV ing L DEr yth E E ve FRon e GARDEN SCHOOL Jackson Heights, Queens A Fully-accredited, Nursery to Grade 12 Independent School Option Near You! INVITES YOU TO... Discover the Inspiration in Garden School's Community Approach to Learning Fax : 212-207-1967 Small classes, caring faculty Strong, thoughtful academics Art, music, PE, languages AP, honors, elective classes at Happy Mother’s Day! The Riverwalk Bar and Grill 425 Main Street, Roosevelt Island Thursday, May 14th, 5:00 to 7:00 PM Free - Refreshments Served www.gardenschool.org Saturday FARMER’S MARKET Fresh fruits & vegetables for your healthy table Every Saturday, early morning to mid-afternoon, at Motorgate CREDIT CARDS & EBT WELCOME Door to door transportation Financial assistance available Intensive college counseling Active parent participation (718) 335-6363 This is the tote that tells the world that you’re a proud Roosevelt Islander. Sturdy white canvas... Holds 5 two-liter bottles! (19L x 6W x 15H.) White with red Tram and black trim. I’ll take one! Or more. (Great gift for your off-Island guests!) I’ll take one (or ____)! I enclose $20.00 for each. If my order is to be mailed off-Island, I’m adding $3 shipping charge for the first tote going to a single address, and $2 for each additional tote going to that same address. Check payable to The WIRE. The WIRE will deliver to Island addresses with doorkeepers. If your building has no doorkeeper, we’ll notify you when ready for pickup (provide phone number and email address for notification). Proceeds support The Main Street WIRE. Name Address Phone Email Send order to The WIRE, 531 Main Street #413, NYC10044, or drop it off at the front desk at 531 Main (Rivercross) addressed to The WIRE. Front-desk personnel do not have stock to show or sell. They will accept an order, but cannot accept cash. 14 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 455 Main Street 7 days, 11am-11pm 212-583-1688 Free delivery for orders $15 and over. All major credit cards accepted ($15 minimum). 609 Main Street 11am-11pm Sun-Thur 11am-midnight Fri-Sat 212-588-0663 Free delivery $6 & over Advantage All-City Camps Best summer ever! CHINA 1 KITCHEN Junior Tennis for kids 6-17 • 3 to 6 hours of tennis a day • New York’s oldest junior tennis program • Optional swimming, field sports and arts Explorers, from page 3 on the Island, only a sustainable Island-wide program can truly support children’s holistic development. RIEx was first envisioned as a preschool, and continues to evolve by following our non-negotiable goals: The program has to be affordable and accessible to all Island children; just as children’s participation cannot be limited by the family’s income, it also cannot be limited by age. The image of children needs to change to embrace their extraordinary capacities. Complete freedom is necessary to create programs that educate the whole child. And children’s active community participation is essential for their civic development. In order to integrate these goals with the families’ needs, we are now searching for alternative ways to offer innovative programs, advocate for children’s right to quality education, and facilitate community building through collaboration with other Island groups that share the same values and goals. Our ideas include a Children’s Learning Center, a story-telling festival, a creative recycling center, sending holiday wishes to the world, and others in development. These Island-wide initiatives can materialize only with community participation and support. We believe in the capacity of our resourceful community to guide its own affairs and invite you to join us on this exciting journey. This is a continuing evolution of a vision with the potential to maximize our Island’s unique qualities for the benefits of not only children but also the entire community. Imagine the Roosevelt Island approach: deciding together how we want to care for our children! To join or share comments and suggestions, please contact us at [email protected]. To learn more about our work, please visit our FB page at facebook.com/pages/RooseveltIsland-Explorers/727193577310249. Ordered your puzzles yet? See page 8. Letters, from page 2 Moves. Whichever app you choose, make sure it’s enabled in your National Bike Challenge account. Each time you ride, start the app, and when your ride is done, make sure you stop it. If you don’t have a smartphone and/or prefer to do so, you can log in to your National Bike Challenge account and log your miles manually. The Challenge awards 20 points each day you ride, and 1 point for each mile. There is a lot more information available on the National Bike Challenge website. Thanks, and keep riding for a greener planet! Kent Kurkiewicz RIRA Column, from page 3 make it onto next year’s ballot. (The funding awarded to the Green Roof is only part of what’s needed.) Shooting Incident Despite the community’s striving to work together, and its successes, we still face many challenges in keeping a peaceful oasis of families and caring in a city that can be cold and uncompassionate. This was never more evident than in the recent shooting on the afternoon of April 25 in our Roosevelt Landings complex. While many on the Island were coming together that afternoon to celebrate the community at the Cherry Blossom Festival, a few chose to use violence against others, and disrupt that sense of community. Illegal activities, violence, and firearms should never be factors in our tiny space, especially in a population with so many families, children, and infirm individuals. The events of the 25th were disturbing – and disrespectful – to not only the residents of Roosevelt Landings, but to all of us who call this Island home. On a personal note, unlike others who have classified the incident on the 25th an isolated event, I would argue that no incident involving a firearm and its use on our Island is an isolated event – when such a thing happens here, it affects each of us. Do I, or the RIRA Common Council, have answers to the troubling incident? No, not any more than anyone else. But we, like you, are searching for both answers and solutions to the security of our neighbors in Roosevelt Landings and to everyone everywhere on the Island. This begins with my calling on our Public Safety Committee to hold a community meeting of residents and all the other stakeholders directly involved – including RIOC, Public Safety, NYPD, Urban American, Brookfield Properties, Council Member Ben Kallos, State Senator Jose Serrano, and Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright – to voice our concerns and frustrations about not only the recent shootings, but also the recent increase in disturbances and incidents here. The hope is that such a gathering and airing of issues can result in a thoughtful, coordinated plan of action. A community cannot heal itself through the efforts of one or a few, but through the indivisible efforts of many. As we organize the event, please keep your eye out for more details – and continue the debate and public cry for action. As our Island has seen time and time again, change can best be addressed by the efforts of each and every one of us, as past, present, and future stewards and inhabitants of our little ship floating in the East River. Patrick Stewart On behalf of the members of the RIRA Common Council, I send our gratitude and heartfelt condolences to the family of Patrick Stewart. As a former RIRA President and one of the RIRA inaugural members, he was a beloved and passionate leader and advocate for the Island and its residents. I had the pleasure of serving with him on Community Board 8 for his last couple of years as a member, and we worked together on various Island issues. His dedication to the Island, love of its residents, and mission to preserve our way of life will be missed, and will not be forgotten. ALL-CITY SPORTS & arts NEW Sports & Arts for kids 5-14 • 1 hour of tennis a day • Basketball, soccer & swimming • Daily art program with artist Bonnie Lane Roosevelt Island Racquet Club - 281 Main St. For more information contact Paul Fontana – 646.884.9644 or [email protected]. advantagecamps.net unClassified 50¢ a word • 212‑751‑8214 Deadline for May 23 issue: Tuesday, May 19 Deadline for June 6 issue: Tuesday, June 2 Please see ComingUp, page 3, for other advertising deadlines ARROJO trained stylist for at-home cuts, blowouts, event/prom styling, and color services. www.carolinekessler. com/style [email protected] 917-880-7669 CHESS INSTRUCTOR – Island resident, 10 years experience. Children & adults, beginners & intermediate. Free consultation. Moderate rates: 2-hour session $30. 212-750-9087. CLASSICAL PIANO with Irene. Read music. It’s logical fun! 917-655-0028. ManhattanHypnosis.com – Successful test-taking – $425 includes MP3. Mention ad for $50 off. Call 917-923-6772. FREECYCLE.ORG/RooseveltIsland – Give your unneeded stuff a better home through Freecycle. It’s free to give/ receive; just post needs & wants. Get everything for free. DL LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST – Experienced in pain management, chronic conditions, depression. Please call Anne Kanninen L.Ac. 917-282-7328. NOTARY – 212-317-0736 Tami. LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST / Certified Reflexologist – Island resident Diana Brill. Gift certificates available. 212-759-9042. EXPERIENCED CAT SITTER – 212-751-8214. RI resident. Will also check mail, etc. NOTARY PUBLIC – 212-935-7534. TENNIS LESSONS and play. Private, semi-private, and small groups for adults. Get back in the swing with morning and lunchtime sessions. Highly qualified instructor, Joyce Short – 917-517-8572. SCAN PHOTOS – Will teach a student how to scan & retouch properly. $10 per hour. Flexible hours. Contact John at 212-593-7610 or [email protected]. CATCH YOUR CAT – Efficient help with your feline escape artist. Vetrecommended, Island references. 917-355-1867 / catchyourcat@gmail. com. MAIN STREET THEATRE & DANCE ALLIANCE – Ongoing registration for dance and theatre classes. 212-371-4449. Unique or period clothing & furniture gladly accepted. ERRANDS: Organizing, special projects, personal assistance. You run your life, I’ll run your errands. Call Vicki Feinmel, 212-223-1108. WOMEN’S BIKE – 21.5-in. giant option brand hybrid features: 21 speeds, vigor brand padded seat, Gro-Moly seat tube adjusts from 31-40”. Blue, advent lock & key included. Originally $595 years ago but has only been used 2x & in excellent condition. Call 212-832-3456. Ask for Ivadham Mardep. WIRE classifieds work. 212-751-8214. The WIRE, May 9, 2015 • 15 Dental Love LLC 501 Main Street, Suite A 212-752-8722 MyDentalLove.com Office Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:00am-6:00pm Friday-Saturday, 9:00am-3:00pm Eco-Friendly Drycleaning • Exceptional Quality Dry Cleaning • Expert European Tailoring Shirts Laundered • Convenient Monthly Billing MINERVA Cleaners & Tailors Come experience the Convenience, Comfort, and Confidence our dental office has to offer. Your entire Family is welcome! Established 1969 Proudly Serving Roosevelt Island For Over 20 Years Services offered: General Dentistry Cosmetic Dentistry Specialists on staff: Periodontist (Gum Disease) Endodontist (Root Canal) Orthodontist (Braces/Invisalign) • Free Daily Pickup & Delivery 29-09 Broadway / Astoria, New York 11106 Tel / Fax: 718.726.2336 Receive personal attention from a Board Certified Podiatrist* Established in Manhattan for over 25 years Call 212-752-8722 NOW or Book appointments online at MyDentalLove.com Insurance Accepted – CareCredit Financing All that is good begins with a SMILE. Do you suffer from: Warts • Heel Spurs • Fungus Nail • Ingrown Toenails Nerve Pain • Cysts • Custom Inserts • Ulcers Most Insurance Plans Accepted Before work, lunch hour and evening appointments available Hammertoes/ Corns Bunion BeFore AFTer 212-750-8344 Precision Footcare: Dr. JoHN JUrCISIN www.precisionfootcare.com 133 East 58th • Suite 506 • NY, NY 10022 David Lloyd Marcus, Ph.D. Psychotherapy and Counseling strength, balance, flexibility Certified Instructor Private/Group classes on Roosevelt Island 212-750-6223 Jack Resnick, MD Specialist in Adult Medicine 501 Main Street – 212-832-2310 office practice and housecalls for the homebound Visit our Website therooseveltdoctor.com · · · · · · check lab results make appointments take a survey internet health resources get help finding insurance read opinions DASH Disabled Association Support for the Homebound DO YOU NEED...? • Help with shopping • Medications to be picked up • Someone to talk to Call DASH and one of our volunteers will come to your apartment. 917-558-0534 Associate Professor NYU School of Medicine 501 Main Street Roosevelt Island 212-777-8222 HOME VISITS AVAILABLE MOST INSURANCE PLANS, INCLUDING MEDICARE, ACCEPTED E-mail [email protected] ROOSEVELT ISLAND PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES DR. P. ZHU RICCARDI, M.D. Board-Certified Psychiatrist Call to schedule an appointment 929-235-5030 Or email [email protected] Complete confidentiality is assured. gristEdEs 16 • The WIRE, May 9, 2015 - of roosEVELt isLaNd CHECK OUT OUR GRISTEDES CAFE EAT IN OR TAKE OUT... PREPARED FRESH DAILY!!! PIZZA DEPARTMENT 1 Plain 1 Topping Pizza Slice Pizza Slice 99 1 ¢ $ 49 Ea. Pizza Combo Ea. 15 4 99 $ Ea. 99 START YOUR DAY Ea. Bacon, Egg & Bagel, Roll Cheese OnoraCroissant & Coffee 3 $ Ea. Dietz & Watson Combo Special 1/2 lb. Carving Turkey & 1/2 lb. American Cheese Dietz & Watson Combo Special 99 19 • (2) 16” Pizza Pies With 1 Topping • 12 Piece Chicken Wings $ 1/2 lb. Maple Ham & 1/2 lb. Provolone Cheese 5 Ea. 6 2 Pieces Each of Wings, Thighs, Legs, Breast $ Pizza Combo Store Baked 4 Pack Muffins Sandwich NEW itEm! Includes Bag of Chips and Bottle of Water • (2) 12” Pizza Pies With 1 Topping • 6 Piece Chicken Wings BAKERY Boxed Lunches! Ham & Cheese or $ 99 Turkey & Cheese 00 8 Piece Fried Chicken $ 99 Ea. Your Choice of 1 lb. of Potato, Macaroni or Cole Slaw Salad COME VISIT OUR BAKERY — Custom Cakes For Any Occasion — Choose Your Cake, Filling & Topping Store Made 7 or 8” Cakes 19 $ 99 Ea. Choose From: Strawberry Shortcake, Oreo, Carrot, Chocolate Mousse, Red Velvet or NY Style Cheesecake Ea. 8 $ 99 9 $ 99 Ea. Ea. Dietz & Watson Combo Special 1/2 lb. Bologna & 1/2 lb. American Cheese Dietz & Watson Combo Special 1/2 lb. Buffalo Chicken & 1/2 lb. Swiss Cheese 6 $ 99 10 $ 99 Ea. Ea. storE hours: moNday–saturday 7am–12 midNight; suNday 7am–11pm pick up our iN-storE circuLar for morE saViNgs • pricEs EffEctiVE to 5/21/15