To the Editor:

It is with sadness that I inform you that someone broke into Island Kids this last Thursday, Sept 2. To all of us at Island Kids, it's hard to imagine why someone would do such a thing. We are a non-profit organization and our only purpose is to have a place where kids can come and have fun. Whoever did this was a thoughtless person whose only intention was to damage property. They damaged one of our inside doors so badly that a major repair is now necessary. They also stole our only stereo, which the teachers use to play music for the kids.

We filed a police report, but we still urge residents who live around Island Kids to let us know if they saw anything suspicious that night.

Anna Palm
Island Kids Director

To the Editor:

I note in the last issue of The WIRE that RIOC has said it will take 30 days to provide a list showing the vehicles permitted to park free on Main Street for unlimited periods of time. At first I thought this response was a typical abuse of public office, since it surely cannot take 30 days to reach under the counter and copy a sheet of paper. Then it occurred to me that perhaps the list is in constant use to train our Public Safety officers and, as such, may not be readily available. An important part of the work of our Public Safety officers is ignoring certain vehicles parked on Main Street. In order to perform that task efficiently, it must be necessary to memorize the make, model and license number of almost 100 vehicles. This, no doubt, is the cause of the frequent disappearance of the officers for extended periods of time - they all are in memory class.

Now that I know a list is in use I have some questions about it. First and most important, how do I get on the list? Is there a formal procedure with applications and interviews? If so, where do I obtain an application and where will my interview take place?

Is the list restricted to Roosevelt Island residents? If so, must I show proof of residency? Do I need two pieces of identification, including one with my photograph, or will my interviewer accept my assertion that I am indeed a resident?

Since there are many more vehicles owned by Roosevelt Island residents than there are spaces on Main Street, there must be a formula to assign each applicant his or her proper place on the list. Is preference given to length of residency and, if so, where does my move-in date of September 1976 place me on the list?

Also, will my 1936 Hudson Terraplane receive a preferred slot on the list on the basis of age and infirmity? And when my beloved, if ancient, automobile finally is sent to the recycling yard, can I sell my place on the list to a person of my choosing, or must it go to the next person on the list?

It would seem from Geof Kerr's survey that having a handicapped ID or a license plate with a wheelchair emblem automatically places one on the list. My personal physician has indicated to my wife on more than one occasion that I suffer from a number of serious mental deficiencies. Do I apply to RIOC for a handicap ID, or is this handled through the Public Safety office?

After having both knee joints replaced in 1994, I now find after prolonged sessions of prayer while kneeling that I am mobile only with the help of a sturdy assistant. A quick calculation shows that the purchase of a wheelchair would cost far less than a monthly parking slot at Motorgate. If I appear for my interview in a wheel chair, am I automatically entitled to a license plate showing my disability?

These are questions that many Roosevelt Island residents must be pondering and we would appreciate a response from RIOC within the usual 30-day waiting period.

Jim Baehler

Dr. Maari de Souza
Executive Director
The Child School
587 Main Street, NYC10044

Dear Dr. de Souza:

This is the third, and I regret first public, letter that I address to you. In two earlier certified letters we informed you that ever since the installation of the venting/air-conditioning system on the roof of The Child School buildings at 585 and 587 Main Street, we have been subject to unacceptable levels of noise pollution. We have waited over 120 days for a resolution of this issue from you, but none has been forthcoming. I am also informed by Mr. Neal Weissman of 575 Main Street that he notified RIOC of this situation in August, 2003, and made a public request for a resolution to this issue through a letter published in The WIRE September 6, 2003. Perhaps some further public airing of this issue will elicit a more positive response from you.

The systems on these buildings go on at 7:00 every morning, turn on and off irregularly, and create not only constant industrial noise but associated rattling and shaking of unit doors and container structures. These units are so large they effectively add 50% to the height of the Island House school. Vibrations penetrate our apartment even with windows firmly closed. In addition, the system remains on when the school is closed and empty, and in weather below 70o .

Your school is, in effect, taking from us much of what we pay for to live here. We moved to Roosevelt Island (some of us nearly 30 years before The Child School) and have paid a premium in rent for our apartments' quiet, fresh air, and lack of urban/industrial noise. The constant noise pollution and changes to our air quality due to the systems on The Child School rooftops now affect 135 apartments in Westview and Island House and force us to live with closed windows and air conditioning. These factors have begun thus to severely interfere with the habitability of our apartments. In addition, the noise pollution and vibrations also disturb our sleep, produce anxiety, and affect our health and wellbeing and our ability to conduct our social and professional lives.

Whether Island House or Westview remain privately owned or are converted to resident ownership, noise pollution is a major factor affecting the habitability and market value of these apartments. Constant machine vibration can have serious structural effects. The net effect of 135 apartments running their air-conditioners constantly just to keep noise out increases pollution and adds thousands of dollars to building operating expenses; it will increase air-conditioning unit replacement costs for the affected apartments - costs which will be borne by all building residents. Current and potential new owners should take heed and join us in our efforts to reach a solution.

Since May, we have requested and received three visits from Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) noise inspectors in our apartment at 595 Main Street. After the last visit, we were informed that a summons was issued to The Child School and a court appearance set for September 29 for a violation under Noise Code section 24-237.

Ronald G. Musto, Ph.D.

Editor's note: This letter was condensed for publication. The writer has also provided information on how to lodge a noise complaint with DEP; click here for more information

To the Editor:

About that unticketed, privileged Toyota:

I find the parking issue so offensive, as do many other people. It's just unfair to all those Roosevelt Island drivers who use the parking as originally intended - for short stays to load and unload. The rare times that I do drive onto the Island for the purpose of loading or unloading, I have given up any hope of finding a space.

A few years ago, when I had to take my daughter to the airport early in the morning (about 5:00 a.m.), there was no place to park at my building. On the other hand, last summer we had close friends visiting from Long Island. They inadvertantly parked across from Motorgate in the handicapped zone and were given the maximum parking ticket, probably within an hour of parking. I think the ticket was for $165, and I could not successfully appeal it. The handicapped sign was covered by a tree bough, the blue paint was faded, and none of the other cars had handicapped plates, although they did have handicapped tags hanging from the rear-view mirrors. I sometimes wonder how many of those signs are being used legitimately.

I suggest that Main Street be used solely for loading or unloading and that, if handicapped individuals are due special privileges, their vehicles be required to have handicapped plates.

The situation is so much worse than what it was when I moved to Roosevelt Island in 1992, and therefore a radical policy change is required. I truly hope that we will see justice done.

Name Withheld