The Island House Tenants Association and the building’s owners have moved efficiently and effectively to set up a deal that will make many tenants the owners of their apartments, and their association the owner of the property. The deal also protects those who wish to stay as renters – a very important piece of the puzzle. The congratulatory feelings Wednesday night were fully appropriate, and everyone who’s ever put personal effort into working through the difficulties of "this devilish process" (as Tim Johns put it Wednesday night) – whether their particular version was the deal or not – should take a well-deserved bow.

There will be more bows to be taken if the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation can find its own spirit of the deal and, with it, a ground-rent rate that will be as encouraging as possible. Based on past pronouncements by RIOC Board members Deborah Beck and John Mannix who, along with Alberteen Anderson, make up the Board’s real-estate committee, there’s reason to believe RIOC will do all it can.

RIOC’s good offices with the taxing authorities will be a welcome help, as well.

This is a deal that promises to keep the neighborhood intact while giving residents a greater stake in both their building and their Island.

Nice going!

Thursday’s RIOC Board meeting confirmed funding progress for a park on that wonderful patch of land at our Island’s southern end, and that deserves full-blown congratulations, as well. With Councilmember Jessica Lappin on board to protect the City’s funding commitment, and RIOC officials keeping the State on board, there’s a stronger chance we’ll finally have New York City’s new premiere park, second only to Central Park, in our backyard.

We remain a bit uneasy about that RFIP that RIOC issued for a piece of the land, but we’ll know more about that after a February 16 open meeting (see ComingUp, page 3). We’ll cross fingers that the RIOC Board will now hold the line on commercialization of any more of the Island’s parkland.

DL