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The RIRA Column
In the spirit of the holidays
I thought I’d make this column a little upbeat. With the diversity of
nationalities on Roosevelt Island, the only way to cover everyone is to
start with a very big Happy Holidays to All!
I know New Year’s is a more appropriate time for making wishes, and
thanking people for their work during the year, but if I don’t do it
now, Steve Marcus will do it in his next column, so I’m going to beat
him to it.
I know it’s hard for many of you to celebrate the holidays when your
futures are uncertain because of the building conversions. My wish for
Eastwood is that the deal that was struck works well for everyone, and
my thanks go to the building committee who worked so hard for so long to
pull it all together. My wish for Rivercross is that however things work
out, we remain the close-knit building that we’ve always been and at the
end of the day everyone feels good about whatever arrangements are
worked out. My thanks to all the residents who are working on the
project. My wish for Island House and Westview is very much like my wish
for Rivercross. May RIOC and the Sheldrake organization realize what a
unique opportunity they have here to make money while still doing the
right thing for people who have come to call Roosevelt Island their
home. My wish is that the negotiations be conducted with integrity and
reasonableness so that all parties walk away feeling that they’ve been
treated fairly and with respect.
My wish for the rest of the Island is that Manhattan Park, Southtown,
and Octagon residents become more involved with Island activities. We
need more of you to join RIRA, the Residents Assocation. If we’re not
working on projects that are relevant to you, come and tell us; start
new committees that address your needs; plan functions that you and your
families would look forward to attending. We promise you’ll be greeted
with a warm welcome and we’ll do everything we can to make you feel like
part of the Island family.
What I wanted to do next was thank all the organizations on Roosevelt
Island that enhance our day-to-day lives through their work. But, as I
began to think about it, I realized that I only get about a thousand
words in this column and that’s not nearly enough to do justice to these
organizations, so I’ll try to mention a few of them and apologize to the
others for not saying more. Just know that we all appreciate what you do
and we wish you the very best in the upcoming years.
The Youth Center does an outstanding job and my wish for them is that
the powers that be will recognize how important it is to build that new
state-of-the-art center for the kids (this one will require some
extraordinarily fast work by a higher power if it’s going to happen
before allocated funds are no longer available).
Then there’s the Senior Center which, I believe, has achieved the
unusual goal of keeping the rest of us young. I don’t know about anybody
else, but I have trouble keeping up with them. I want to thank the
Disabled Association for their active contributions to the Island and
for never letting us forget about our neighbors who at times need our
support. I want to thank the Garden Club, the Tree Board, the Art
Gallery, and the Living Library who use their talents to enhance this
already beautiful landscape. Thanks to all the merchants who provide
much needed services for the residents and the doctors who are there for
us; the religious organizations, and the hospitals.
Thanks also to the other groups who provide services to the children and
the adults, like PS/IS 217, the Child School, the Scout Troops, the
Nursery, the Tennis Association, the Library, the Thrift Shop, the
Tennis League, the Historical Society, the Main Street Theatre, etc.
We’re also unique in that we have headquartered on our Island at least
two (probably more) organizations whose sole goal is to do good for
others. The Icla da Silva Foundation, headed up by Airam da Silva, gives
emotional, logistical, and financial support to children afflicted with
leukemia. Check out their website at
www.icla.org. Then there’s Orphans
International, headed up by Jim Luce, which has provided homes for
dozens of children worldwide. Check out their website at
www.oiww.org.
Let’s also wish happy holidays to the members of the FDNY Special Ops
unit housed on the Island, who put their lives on the line daily for us.
We also owe thanks to our politicians for giving us grant money when we
need it and for their hard work reminding Albany that we’re here and we
deserve their attention.
A big thank you to the hard workers in the multiple housing companies
and in RIOC who take care of the buildings, the grounds, and the rest of
the Island infrastructure. We probably don’t say this often enough
during the year, so let me just take this opportunity on behalf of all
the residents, to express our gratitude and say that we appreciate your
hard work.
Last, but certainly not least, thank you to The WIRE for bringing us the
news and for allowing us to publicly speak out on issues that are
important to us.
Now, a great big Happy Holidays to All from your Residents
Association.
P.S. On a personal note, a special warm welcome to Sarah Loftus (from my
home town of Broad Channel), who just moved into Manhattan Park with her
two friends Diana Tam and Lydon Sleeper. Sarah, come visit and bring
your friends – it’ll make your mother happy! |
