Update To Cornell Technion Roosevelt Island Engineering School Selection - Mayor Bloomberg Interview, Transportation Infrastructure Questions, Why Not Stanford, Academic Program and Graffiti Clean Up Called For

Image From Cornell In NYC

Here's a follow up to post on Tuesday reporting that Cornell Technion partnership was selected to build the NYC Applied Sciences and Engineering School on Roosevelt Island.

Mayor Bloomberg and Cornell President David Skorton appeared on Good Day New York Tuesday morning to discuss the new graduate engineering school and its impact on New York City. Mayor Bloomberg also categorically denied any intention to run as an independent candidate for President in 2012.

Bloomberg: Cornell On Roosevelt Island To Change Education In NYC: MyFoxNY.com

2nd Avenue Sagas Blogger asks, as do those of us living here, what is the future for Roosevelt Island transportation infrastructure improvements with the arrival of the Cornell Technion campus?

 ... In a post yesterday, Cap’n Transit wondered how Roosevelt Island would remain relatively car-free. The infrastructure on the island can’t really support a huge influx of cars as it is even as the current hospital areas near where the campus will go up are relatively car-heavy. “Let’s hope,” the Cap’n writes, “that the Cornell and Technion designers have more vision than they showed in that lame fly-through, and that they build something urban and scholarly, with really narrow streets, like in Paris’s Latin Quarter....

and:

One potential “right thing” could involve exploring a new subway stop for the island. The 53rd St. tunnel passes directly underneath what will be the southern end of the Cornell campus. There’s no station right now, and I have no idea if one is even technically or economically feasible. But it would serve to anchor the campus and would nearly eliminate the need to drive to Cornell-on-Roosevelt. Currently, while the F train itself at Roosevelt Island is very crowded, the station is only the 180th most popular. That figure is a bit deceptive though as the 37.6 percent increase in ridership from 2009 to 2010 was the second highest in the city. Over 2.5 million riders a year use the station, and that number will jump considerably with the campus....

During Monday's Press Conference, I asked Mayor Bloomberg and Cornell President Skorton that very question regarding transportation infrastructure improvements for Roosevelt Island and received a general reply that they were very aware of the issue and it will be addressed but no specifics at that moment. After the press conference I asked NYC Economic Development Corp President Seth Pinsky about Roosevelt Island transportation infrastructure and he indicated that discussions will be underway with the MTA on this issue. Also nothing specific at that moment.

There were some interesting comments to the 2nd Avenue Sagas post on Roosevelt Island transportation infrastructure including:

The proper grading for a stop in the 53rd St tubes is simply not there. You need essentially a level grade for about 600 ft, or as close as possible to 600 ft. Besides there is ample capacity at the Roosevelt Island stop. Ample train capacity would be achieved by putting the “F” back in 53rd St, where it belongs, and routing the much more lightly loaded “M” into 63rd St. In so doing you’d eliminate all the ridiculously slow and delay generating switching moves at Queens Plaza & 36 St. Nights & weekends when the “M” quits the “F” could be be rerouted to 63rd St. For reliability a railroad should be straight railed to the maximum extent possible. Eliminate all unnecessary switching moves.

the Queensboro Bridge Roosevelt Island elevator idea returns:

Perhaps adding a mid-bridge station on the Queensboro? Is it not true that trolley service over the bridge featured a Roosevelt Island stop?

and:

... Is there any word on expanding ferry service to the new campus? I imagine such service would be very convenient for those coming from LIC or Brooklyn....

or:

What about constructing a new tram from the Cornell campus to the new development at the former Con Ed site just south of the UN? That has to be cheaper than a new subway stop. Add in the Vision42 proposal (hey, we’re dreaming here, right?) and you’ve got a pretty quick route into Midtown.

Click here for the entire 2nd Avenue Sagas post and additional comments.

The NY Observer Beta Beat has an excellent article headlined:

Safety School? As Stanford Says ‘See Ya!’ Bloomberg Hops in Bed with Big Red
How New York City got a better deal by going with the less prestigious choice.

regarding the competition between Cornell and Stanford to be selected to build the new school. According to Beta Beat:

...  Part of the difficulty of understanding where negotiations broke down is a silence clause stipulated in the request for proposal (RFP). But numerous sources, who spoke under condition of anonymity, painted a picture of tense discussions and onerous demands that left several schools wary, including Stanford.

Cornell, eager to increase its presence in New York City, was more compliant at the negotiating table and better versed in what it took to get city approval, including fundraising before commitments were made. Sources said the $350 million gift, for example, had been secured for months. “We need to expand beyond Ithaca,” President Skorton said plainly from the podium.

“Cornell needed it more. But NYC Tech needs Stanford more,” tweeted New York City–based venture capitalist David Pakman, alluding to the latter’s prestige within tech circles and facility with spinning out successful startups. (There’s a reason China and Russia are trying to build their own Silicon Valley.)
In the end, it seems the city got a better deal for taxpayers by going with the one that wanted it more, rather than the one it was supposed to want.

A university source familiar with the negotiations said Stanford’s decision to drop out wasn’t based on any one issue, but rather due to “a whole host of things that held them liable for factors outside of [their] control,” such as big-ticket penalties for missed construction deadlines and the city’s desire “to indemnify themselves for any toxicity” at the Roosevelt Island site. Although a Phase II study was commissioned this year, a full scale analysis of the medical dump under the hospital cannot be done until the building is razed. Should serious hazards be uncovered, the school will be on the hook not only for the clean-up but also potentially for resultant delays.”You had a lot of institutions that wouldn’t even apply because of the terms, and they got even more severe in the negotiation process,” said the source.

City officials counter that such stipulations are par for the course. “If we didn’t include these types of commitments, there would be a chorus of people saying: How could the city write a blank check to a university that in five years could just decide it wasn’t into it?!” one official said. “It’s standard in any kind of long-term land lease or land sale that the city would ask the recipient to agree to certain benchmarks.”....

Click here for the entire Beta Beat article.

Tech Crunch interviewed Cornell Dean Daniel Huttenlocher on the new Roosevelt Island school:

... Academically, we’re looking at shifting away from traditional university campus disciplines. There’ll be key disciplines involved — computer science, electrical engineering, operations research, applied math — but those disciplines need to be in the context of other disciplines where tech is being applied…. hubs that combine tech and other fields. In media, for instance, there are relevant areas of the social sciences, like sociology and psychology.

It’s about building interdisciplinary groupings that focus on these domains — Connective Media, Healthier Life, and the Built Environment. That second one isn’t just health care, but things like lifestyle types of apps. The third is about smart building technology, green buildings.
If you look at startup companies in New York, there’s certainly media. That’s a big, active area in the city’s economy.

For health, you’re seeing some startups there. But I’d say it’s the leading edge of the startup world. Then with green tech, that’s the bleeding edge, and there are relatively few companies. There’s a lot of growth potential in all these areas from a jobs perspective, and we see the academic areas that support them are not pure tech....

Click here for the entire Tech Crunch interview.

What impact Cornell's huge presence on Roosevelt Island will have in the future is unknown but it will be immense. Someone, perhaps associated with Cornell using the name Cornell Tech, is trying to have an impact by reporting this graffiti issue to RI 311 See Click Fix system.

HUGE HUGE gang tagging on the sea wall, all in Queens can see it

this thing is huge and been there a long time..would be nice if it was covered up, painted, sandblasted off. You can see it from Queens and it is very large, had to take a long time to do.

Let's see how fast the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) jumps to clean up the graffiti mess pointed out by Cornell.

This is just the beginning of a very long and exciting process for the Roosevelt Island community. Can't wait to see what happens next.