The RIRA Column

For the residents of Westview, Island House, and Rivercross, issues of privatization, affordability, and the amount that RIOC will assess to extend their ground leases are rightly the most important topic in local news. However, unless we are able to stop RIOC’s awful plans to sell off much of their assets to private interests, this whole Island will be a significantly less desirable place to live for evreryone.

RIOC plans to sell off:

• The area east of Coler Hospital (for a 28 story building),

• Motorgate garage (so our parking rates can skyrocket at the only garage on the Island),

• The commercial properties on Main Street (which is why no leases are being renewed and sites like the old bakery are being warehoused),

• A "parcel" including Sportspark, the tennis bubble, the steam generation plant and the Tram plaza (for a "big box" store – like a Walmart or a Target), and

• The top third of Southpoint Park (for commercial or residential – RIOC really doesn’t give a damn).

In his column in the last issue of The WIRE, Roosevelt Island Operation Corporation President Berman was "as blunt as possible" about RIOC’s "legal and ethical mandate … on maintaining fiscal self-suffiency." This is a refreshingly clear statement and I believe that Mr. Berman wants to conclude his career in public service on this note.

However, in the same spirit of bluntness, RIOC, under the Pataki administration, has had a disgraceful record of fiscal responsibility, and with only eight months to go before we elect a new governor, its mighty late to find religion. We’d be awash in funding if RIOC hadn’t given away the first three buildings of Southtown for literally no net income. We could still have plenty of disposable income if RIOC would scrap plans to give away, virtually for nothing. the rights for the remaining six buildings. They also have destroyed Octagon Park in exchange for about a quarter of what a former (and more responsible) administration negotiated for Manhattan Park. But even after years of scandal and incompetence, and after selling off our precious open spaces, RIOC appears to have $15 Million in the kitty, and last year’s operating expenses matched revenues. So why are these people so intent on selling off five more chunks of property? If they actually wanted to run a surplus, they might consider axing the single AMEC "liaison" they pay $350,000 a year for. For real bucks, they’d direct the outside attorneys that they hire for hundreds of thousands per year to find a way out of the loose agreement they have with Hudson and Related to build "Phase 2" of Southtown. This is an as-yet-unsigned deal which allows them to construct buildings 5 through 9 for virtually no income to RIOC. Watch RIOC railroad a final deal on this in the next few months – and keep it secret.

I have been asking these folks for years how much property they have to sell off before they are satisfied that we are "self-sufficient," but RIOC never answers that question. Now it’s apparent that they want to sell off everything that they can.

In RIRA’s recent position paper that forcefully rejects these plans, we repeatedly asked where was the long-term planning? The transit plan? The financial plan? The plan to provide parks and recreational services? Where is the comprehensive vision for our community? Not a word from Mr. Berman on these questions, because he, and the rest of RIOC simply don’t care.

Mr. Berman sought to "allay concerns... disseminated by some leaders of the Resident Association that RIOC is acting secretly to prepare contracts for development of some or all of the five sites." As a "leader of the Resident Association," I can tell you Mr. Berman has failed to "allay" my concerns" or those of the overwhelming majority of the over 20 RIRA representatives that you have elected.

RIOC held a sham meeting a few weeks ago that was billed first as a forum to "ask clarifying questions" and later, when it was apparent that they were unwilling to actually answer any questions, to "share views on what residents want on the Island." But the real purpose of the meeting is so that, in future lawsuits, RIOC can claim that it held a series of "open meetings." RIOC couldn’t care less about what the residents want. As for secrecy, these five proposals even came as surprises to more than one of their own Board members.

Developers paid over $80,000 to respond to what Mr. Berman describes as innocent inquiries "as to how the sites would look in the future." There’s nothing innocent about it. Mr. Berman wouldn’t appreciate public bids auctioning off his kidneys to the highest bidder or to friends of his doctors. Why should residents accept the travesty of auctioning off our open space and public lands?

The fact that RIOC is selling off their interests in Motorgate and Main Street commercial properties is an admission that they are either too incompetent or lazy to properly manage them.

Although RIOC has no interest in what we think, our elected politicians do. Unless you want your neighborhood to be a cement fortress with wall-to-wall buildings, an unaffordable garage, and no open space, please write to State Senator Serrano and State Assemblyman Pete Grannis. Tell them that this last-minute fire sale of precious property to the Governor’s friends is outrageous and that you are tired of seeing Roosevelt Island as a dumping ground for Pataki patronage positions. Whenever you meet the resident RIOC members, Anderson, Beck, Kraut, Ponton, and Shinozaki, ask them: What’s the great rush to sell off the Island to commercial interests?

On more hopeful notes, Rep. Carolyn Maloney will be at the Senior Center this Saturday, March 18, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. She’s anxious to hear from Island residents. I urge everyone to take this opportunity to stop by, meet Representative Maloney and let her know your feelings on issues that are important to each of you, whether on a local level or a broader scale. In the past, Congresswoman Maloney has worked with residents on the public safety RISK task force and on better security in our subway. Two more Roosevelt Island issues that we’re hoping can be addressed on a Federal level are getting some grants for the Tram and the seawall. If you have some time, stop by, even if it’s just to say hello.

The first Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) session was held at Sportspark last Thursday. While not everyone who signed up actually came, there still was a large enough group for the class to be productive. Representatives of the FDNY conducted the session along with trainers from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM). The entire process consists of eleven weeks of training, after which Roosevelt Island will have its own certified CERT group, which will be available to aid first responders in times of emergency. This is just the start of what we all hope will be an increased preparedness on the Island. Concerned residents are stepping up and may be calling on more people to participate in this and other programs that will get us on the road to self-sufficiency if the time ever comes when we need to function on our own in an emergency situation until outside help arrives.

City Councilmember Jessica Lappin was on the Island last Monday night, meeting with our local merchants to address the problems described in the last issue of The WIRE. Several merchants are without leases, others have a short amount of time left and want answers about what’s going to happen when their leases expire, and others had concerns about the empty storefronts, wanting to rent them either to expand their current businesses or to open additional stores. Ms. Lappin and our other politicians have expressed their concern for the plight of these merchants, and have already written to RIOC about the situation. By the time you read this, a meeting between RIOC and some of our political representatives should have already taken place at which the politicians will be advocating for better treatment for the merchants. I’ll report on the outcome in my next column.