With such a success story, however delayed, you ask yourself, “Who wins?” Tennis players who finally have portable toilets at the Octagon Courts? Janet Falk who waged a two year war for them? Or RIOC which finally scored a win in helping residents as requested? Here at The Daily, we’re happy to call it a tie.
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Two years ago, Janet Falk began her push against RIOC, as we reported. But she wasn’t the first since tennis coach Joyce Short started the campaign even before that. Falk, though, was the one who persisted until she broke through.
Her first step was a mistake, but understandable. She asked big on talk, but low on delivery President/CYA Shelton Haynes. He mulled the request for two years until Falk accosted President Assistant Vice President Akeem Jamal.
Refusing to give up after following Jamal’s instructions about going through RIOC’s new Constituent Services Department and carrying on when the email address was bad, she finally got an appointment with Bryant Daniels and Amanda Dominguez.
After making her case, she was promised an answer in a week.
Who Wins? Everyone.
As of Friday, two portable toilets appeared at the pathway between the Octagon tennis courts and Pony Field, set up directly behind the baseball backstop.
There is no downside to this, and while we’re impressed with Falk’s persistent, RIOC can chalk up a win too. Responsiveness is rare enough from RIOC, and there’s hope that RIOC can and will change similarly across the board, showing respect for Roosevelt Islanders and their legitimate needs.
Stack Work Advances While Answers Do Not
On June 17 and 18, HPD told the first meeting of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant Demolition Community Advisory Group that smokestack demolition had no projected start date. Residents and the CAG would receive at least five business days’ advance notice once a date was set. Scaffolding around the stacks could not proceed until soil removal and backfill were complete and the area stabilized.
