Allow me to introduce myself. 

My name is George Braithwaite and I have been a resident on Roosevelt Island for more than thirty years.

Table Tennis (Ping Pong) has been an Olympic Sport since 1988 and I have had the honor of representing the United States at the World’s Championships in 1971 in Nagoya, Japan, in The People’s Republic of China on the historic Ping Pong Diplomacy Tour… an event which paved the way and established better relations between the USA and China, and again at the Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela and several other parts of the world.  I have been inducted into the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame and in acknowledgement of my achievements, I have been rewarded by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) with a Plaque representing an expression of appreciation on May 14, 2011 which has been placed in the Table Tennis area in the Capobianco Field.

Chapter 26 § 6387.10 - allows Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) to “Charge and collect fees, rents and other charges for the occupancy or other use of real or personal property or facilities owned, operated, managed or regulated by the corporation:"

Effective 7/1/2014 , RIOC commenced charging non-residents a fee for playing Ping Pong at the Sports Park (SP) facility.  The fee imposed is not comparable to the NYC /NYS Parks and Recreation Centers.  RIOC recreation center Table Tennis hours of operation at the Sports Park facility located at 250 Main Street remains at 6:00pm to 9:00pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  RIOC fees are $5:00 PER PERSON across the board regardless of age category and no other consideration as stated on the NOTICES distributed throughout the Sports Park facility which incidentally is conflicting and misleading according to the posting in “The Main Street WIRE” which continue to report the activity as FREE. 

If someone does the calculation, it accumulates to $15/week and $780/per year (when accounted for on a 52 weeks basis). Many of the table tennis players play 3 times per week.  This $780 fee way surpasses any New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Center fee base which is well categorized according to age.  Membership qualifies everyone the use of all City owned and operated Recreation Centers, which includes weight rooms, swimming pools, table tennis and other activities depending on the facility.   Rates for Seniors from age 62 and older is $25 per year.  Adults from age 25 to 61 years old is $100 per year.  If there is an indoor swimming pool available, the fee is $150 per year.  Kids 17 years and under are FREE.  These rates allow all qualified members to participate in Table Tennis, the Gymnasium, Basketball courts, Pool (Billiards) Room and Swimming Pool.  

This petition is to ask the RIOC Board of Directors to look into the various aspects as presented to hopefully determine and allow residents of Roosevelt Island the opportunity to fairly utilize the RIOC table tennis venue at the Sports Park facility without having to pay a high premium.  The fee should not present a financial hardship to the community.

What is most disturbing, however, is that as of May 1st, 2015, this fee which at first was directed to OFF THE ISLAND visitors to the venue has now been extended to include the Residents of the Community and bear in mind that:  There are household combinations that consist of two, three and four members who frequent the table tennis venue sometimes after leaving the Pool and play for an hour or two simply to enhance their exercise program or to have fun with their kids or grandchildren and now they will be deprived of this opportunity because it is no longer affordable.  Imagine how costly this unstructured system will be to everyone, especially for a family of three for example having to pay an additional $15 per night which seems unjustified and inconsiderate.

Residents of the Roosevelt Island community look forward to and rely on RIOC for providing a better quality of life and understanding of their concerns and existence and while it is apparent that RIOC like any other community needs to raise money to help with its budget and to improve the facilities, it is not clear as to how much revenue RIOC will generate from eventually phasing out the table tennis program entirely by implementing such an unaffordable fee.  Such an Olympic Sport should be enhanced and encouraged rather than dissolved. 

Keep in mind that table tennis players include high school kids, senior citizens, young adults and retired veterans. Without a better system in place, the current system will not be beneficial for both residents and non-residents alike.  There should be an alternative approach to increasing revenue and still balance the needs of RIOC without penalizing its residents by implementing the current rates which is obviously non-constructive.  There are other viable options for a better fee structure such as a well categorized membership fee.

Therefore, the fee based solution should be one that meets both RIOC and the public’s needs and which is comparable to the NYC or NYS park and recreation center fee system.  It will also allow both residents and non-residents to enjoy the facilities.  A blend of residents and non-residents brings about diversity and a healthy camaraderie through friendly competition.

Without getting specific about the actual number of individuals that consistently visit and utilize the sports park recreation center to play table tennis, it is a good estimate that approximately 70% of the individuals are non-residents.  

FINALLY:

IN RETROSPECT AND IN ORDER TO EVALUATE CONSTRUCTIVELY AND TO HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING, LET’S TAKE ONE FACT IN PARTICULAR INTO CONSIDERATION.  WE FEEL THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION MAY HAVE OVERLOOKED A FEW RELEVANT AND SIGNIFICANT PARTS SUCH AS THE FAMILY STRUCTURE; AND FAILING TO CLASSIFY AGE CATEGORIES etc. WHICH WE BELIEVE MERIT THE UTMOST CONSIDERATION (PRIOR TO THE DECISION TAKEN THAT ALL ISLAND RESIDENTS PAY A FEE OF $5:00.PER PERSON, EVERY NIGHT). AGAIN, THERE ARE SENIORS, YOUNG ADULTS AND YOUNGER KIDS RESIDING ON ROOSEVELT ISLAND AND COMMON SENSE DICTATES THAT THESE ARE CONSIDERATIONS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT IN PERSPECTIVE BEFORE ACTION WAS TAKEN TO IMPOSE A $5:00 FEE.

THE NEWLY IMPOSED RATE OF FIVE DOLLARS PER PERSON FOR RESIDENTS (REGARDLESS) SEEM A BIT OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE FEES CHARGED BY CITY OWNED RECREATION CENTERS IN THE FIVE BOROUGHS OF NEW YORK WHICH OFFER MUCH MORE ACTIVITIES.

AT THE MOMENT, THERE IS ALSO A GROWING CONCERN THAT UNDER THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TABLE TENNIS PROGRAM STAND A VERY GOOD CHANCE OF BEING PHASED OUT ENTIRELY AND THAT WOULD BE TRAGIC IF NOT DISASTROUS FOR RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY.

If further clarification is needed, I would be very happy to officiate by meeting with the BOD.  Thank you.

George Braithwaite, 646-320-0689 (mobile), chiefghb@yahoo.com

P.S.

On April 22, 2015 at 3:15 PM, two resident table tennis players and I attended a meeting I had asked for at the main office at 591 Main Street.  Unfortunately, this resulted in nothing more than an unproductive meeting and misunderstanding of the REAL issues.  This prompted me to appeal to YOU in search of a resolution to our concerns.