The RIRA Column
by Steve Marcus
President, Roosevelt Island Residents Association
Click to send e-mail to Steve Marcus

Three snowstorms notwithstanding, February has been a relatively quiet month on Roosevelt Island. But, as spring approaches, activities on the Island will pick up. I'd like to tell you about a few items of interest.

The Article 78 petition filed to stop the destruction of Octagon Park - By the time you read this, RIRA's petition to get a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the Octagon project will have been submitted for the judge's consideration and he may have already made his ruling. I'm told that there are two criteria for granting a TRO: 1) that irreversible damage could be done while a case is being adjudicated, and 2) that the petitioner's case has "a reasonable chance of winning." So, if our request is granted, then the prospects for keeping Octagon park a park are improved. If not... Well, you can make your own inferences.

Regardless of success or failure, we owe Dan Quart, our attorney, true and heartfelt gratitude. He has worked with great dedication and ability to represent our interests. Dan is running for the City Council seat in our district, and he has already provided excellent public service to our community. Dan is assisted by Professor Edward Lloyd, Clinical Professor in Environmental Law at Columbia Law School, and his two hard-working students, Vivian Mills and Rahul Agarwal. Thanks also to our State Assemblymember, Pete Grannis, for his strong support and excellent advice and legal support, and to the Attorney General's office for a knockout "amicus" brief. They sure convinced me; now let's see if they convince the judge.

Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) - This is a program that trains citizens to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their local communities. CERT training sessions are held at various times for different communities. There will be a training session starting in our area in the April/May time frame. The training is done in two-hour increments over an 11-week period. Volunteers are taught the basics in first aid, fire safety, light search and rescue, etc. The CERT volunteers become the second-response team aiding the first responders (e.g., police, firefighters, etc.) during a time of emergency. I urge anyone who's able to be part of this team to e-mail me to sign up for the sessions. If you want more information about CERT, see: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/programs/cert.html.

RIRA Benefit for Tsunami Orphans - A lot of folks in the PTA, RIRA, Manhattan Park, and Orphans International are diligently preparing for the benefit for the tsunami orphans to be held at Manhattan Park Theater on Saturday night, March 19. This is very much an Island event, with professional musicians and singers Kay Story and Damon LaScot, Janice Pendarvis and Tex Allen, and PS 217 teacher Mike Daly. We'll also have a swing-dance performance and we can all hit the floor ourselves. All proceeds will go Orphans International to build Roosevelt Island House for orphaned kids in Sumatra. This is a good cause, helps a fine charity and it will be a fun evening with your friends and neighbors. Plan to be there!