The RIRA Column

Hard to believe another summer has gone by. Every day I see more and more new faces on the street enjoying the nice weather and the beautiful views. On behalf of RIRA, I want to welcome all of our new residents at both Southtown and Octagon. And, let’s not forget that new residents are also moving into some of the WIRE buildings. We welcome them, also. I went down to Octagon last week with a couple of other RIRA members and met several new neighbors who were very friendly and interested in getting involved in Island activities. We want to do everything we can to encourage them to do just that. There can never be too many concerned residents wanting to make this a better place to live.

Margie Smith, Vice President Roosevelt Island Residents Assn. e-mail: MSmith@quintennium.com

If you’re reading this column you already know about The Main Street WIRE. Be sure to look in the Coming Up section to see what’s happening on the Island and, if you’ve got something you want to list, just send it along to editor@MainStreetWIRE.com, with your phone number. He’ll be happy to put it in the appropriate issue.

We invite all residents to attend the next RIRA meeting (and think about running – elections this November). The September meeting will be held at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd on Wednesday the 13th at 8:00 p.m. Some of you may notice that this is a change from our usual schedule (we normally meet the first Wednesday of the month). That’s so we’re all able to attend the free production of Dances at Twilight, celebrating the choreography of Isadora Duncan. It’s going to be held at Lighthouse Park on September 6 (rain date is the 7th) at 7:00 p.m. You’ll begin to see posters for this event, sponsored jointly by RIRA and RIOC, in the next couple of weeks. Why not make a night of it? Pack a picnic supper, invite your friends, and bring your blankets and lawn chairs. (There will be a limited number of chairs for others.)

RIRA is able to present events like these for free because we hold fundraising events during the year (like the Greek Wine Tasting a few months ago) and because innovative residents like Sherie Helstien ask for donations, as she did when Redemption Films was filming The Brave One on the Island recently. They very generously donated $2,000 to the Residents Association and we want to publicly thank them very much for their support.

New logo on Tram cabins

Changing to another subject – the Tram. The last word from RIOC was that it should be back in operation by September 1. I’m sure we’re all looking forward to that. It’s been a long, hot summer in many ways, exacerbated by our Tram being down for so long. While I’ll be extremely happy to see its return, I feel compelled to report a case of Identity Theft. Our beloved Tram is no longer called the "The Tram." Now painted on the cabins is "RIOC." While the powers that be certainly had the right to do this, I truly wish they hadn’t.

Unfortunately, with the Fall comes memories of the 911 WTC tragedy. This year is the 5th anniversary and we’ll be holding a memorial service in front of the 911 Memorial Plaque just west of the Chapel. Details will follow on kiosks and in the next WIRE. For those of you who are new to the Island, the Memorial Plaque is in the Chapel courtyard, just west of the church building. Anyone wishing to help organize this service should send an e-mail to Steve Marcus, President of the Residents Association, at SteveAtRIRA@verizon.net.

Short Postscript to the Spitzer Town Hall meeting from RIRA President Steve Marcus:

In the coming weeks, I will try to get a firmer commitment from Mr. Spitzer’s staff on his stance on an elected RIOC board, which was one of the few areas in which I thought his clear response was lacking. However, what was not lacking were the unstinting efforts of so many volunteers who arranged this event and worked so hard to get the word out, or the interest of hundreds of residents who filled the auditorium and asked excellent questions, or the presence of our elected officials. So, thanks for a fine effort that should have impressed the candidate that Roosevelt Island is a real community worth special attention.