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To RIOC President Herb
Berman:
Thanks to RIOC for faking us (disabled and low-income households) out by
not revealing the cost of affordable housing at the Octagon Apartments.
What is meant by "affordable?" Is $1,300 a month for a studio
affordable? It seems that RIOC wants to eliminate any new disabled or
low-income people from living on our beautiful Roosevelt Island.
I would like to give you my idea of what affordable means by using my
Grandpa Russo. Grandpa was a shoemaker on the other side of the river,
one block from Rainey Park. Times were tough in the 1930s with 8
children and a wonderful wife, but Grandpa would have to sometimes
charge families only what they could afford, sometimes taking a loss.
But when Grandpa died, we had to open up 2 extra rooms to hold the
overflow of people who came to pay their respects for all he had done
for them. Yes, Grandpa is still remembered in the old neighborhood. Yes,
he was special to me for, you see, Grandpa died in my arms in 1962.
Are the middle class next to be eliminated from affordable rents on our
beautiful Island?
As for the recent RIOC News, I trust that in the future we will
have news that is new to us Islanders and not just repeating what our
Island paper, The WIRE, has already reported.
How about an issue on where people with special needs (elderly and
disabled) would go in an emergency, and how they would get to a shelter?
Jim Bates
The
writer forwarded this response:
Firstly, thank you for reading, commenting on our first newsletter, and
for your suggestions. We will, as time goes on, improve the news it
contains. By the way, the term "affordable" is a definition set by the
City and State of New York.
Herb Berman
To the Editor:
The Real Estate section the Sunday New York Times published an
article on Roosevelt Island. While the information it presents seems to
be mostly accurate, a specific paragraph on Riverwalk Place caught my
attention: "Prices for studios, which have sold out, were $275,000 to
$375,000. For one-bedrooms, they are $400,000 to $700,000; two-bedrooms,
$550,000 to $850,000; and three-bedrooms, $800,000 to $1.5 million."
Information on the Riverwalk website,
www.riverwalknyc.com, shows
studios priced at $400,000 (no indication of their being sold out),
one-bedrooms are $650,000-$740,000, two-bedrooms are $815,000-$1,025,000
and three-bedrooms are $1,150,000.
Now, which is which?
It makes one wonder who gave those numbers to The Times – and why
there is a $265,000 discrepancy betweem the Times’ minimum price
for the two-bedroom apartment and the one posted by Riverwalk.
And, speaking of Riverwalk, has the issue of offering some of the condos
for purchase to Island residents at better prices ever been addressed? I
wouldn’t know, I’ve only lived on the Island for the past 19 years.
Ideas, anyone?
Mirella Menglide
To the Editor:
Last week, there was a ceremony at the newly renovated East Side Branch
of the New York Public Library (NYPL). This three-story building was
constructed about 100 years ago as one of the Carnegie Libraries, known
for their architectural design, quality of materials, and utility. Paul
LeClerc, the Director of the NYPL, noted in his remarks that Gifford
Miller had been instrumental in the allocation of $3 million in City
funds for this renovation and modernization – i.e., all areas available
for wireless equipment, etc.
The WIRE has recently reported that Miller was also instrumental
in an allocation of $2.85 million for the expansion of NYPL’s Roosevelt
Island branch. The Thrift Shop has been mentioned as a possible site for
the expansion. Why could not the collapsing Blackwell House be
designated for our new library? We could have a beautiful, historic,
freestanding building providing considerably more space, renovated with
the best materials available, and outfitted with the most modern
facilities and equipment for even less than the $2.85 million allocated.
Bill Raiford |
