Report From RIOC President Charlene Indelicato - Roosevelt Island Emergency Alert System, Tree Lighting Ceremony, Sportspark Heating, Cultural Center Renovation & Contact Info

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Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Charlene Indelicato sends the following report to the community.

RIOC Advisories

This past week, RIOC launched an improvement to the RIOC Advisories electronic alert system, upgrading the former email-only notification system to Everbridge Platform, one of the leaders in critical communications systems in the United States. Everbridge uses the most advanced cloud-based technologies and allows text alerts and voice messaging in addition to traditional email notifications. The new system also allows subscribers to choose the kind of alerts they’d like to receive, such as traffic alerts, special event notifications, RIOC facility updates and more. If you have not already signed up for this free service, we encourage you to do so by visiting rioc.ny.gov and clicking the link to sign up. These advisories are the fastest way to get local information that affects daily life on Roosevelt Island as well as critical alerts in case of an emergency.

Whenever an advisory is issued, our system will attempt send out a message to subscribers through all of the contact methods that were provided during the sign-up process, including by phone, email and text message. If you would rather not receive messages through a particular method, you may log into your account and remove that contact information from your profile. Once you make this change, our system will immediately stop sending notifications to that device or email address. The only required contact method is an email address. To edit your profile information or advisory subscriptions, visit rioc.ny.gov and click the link to be taken to the RIOC Advisories member portal.

If you have questions or require assistance, we encourage you to send an email to information@rioc.ny.gov or to call 212-832-4540 during our daily office hours. A member of our staff will be happy to work with you to resolve any difficulties, or to provide help during the sign-up process.

Tree Lighting Ceremony

On Friday, December 5th at 7 PM, the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on Blackwell Plaza (500 Main Street). This much-loved tradition brings residents together each year for musical performances by local talent, giveaways for children, and an appearance by a very special guest! We hope you’ll join us this December to kick off the holiday season and to celebrate with your neighbors.

Sportspark Heating System

This week, the Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) informed us that the Island’s Steam Plant has been decommissioned and that steam heat will no longer be provided by the facility. Last spring, contractors installed a temporary boiler system at Sportspark to service the building in place of steam heat. As this temporary heating system is already in place, no disruption to the facility’s schedule is planned at this time. Going forward, RIOC’s Engineering department will work with contractors on the installation of a permanent solution for Sportspark. Once a work schedule is in place and installation begins, the public will be advised of any effects construction will have on the facility’s schedule.

Cultural Center

Construction is nearly complete at the Cultural Center on Main Street. After being severely water damaged by Hurricane and subsequent flooding, the facility required extensive restoration work. Now that the Center’s walls, doorways and electrical infrastructure have been installed, contractors are hard at work laying down the building’s flooring and finishing off the ceiling. It’s important to us to restore this community space for public use, and we are pleased that the restoration process is nearing completion.

Contacting RIOC

While RIOC Advisories are a great way for you to get local updates from us, we’d also like to hear back from you. If you would like to get in touch with RIOC about your questions, comments or concerns, please send an email to information@rioc.ny.gov or call the offices at 212-832-4540. In addition, you can contact us through RIOC’s Facebook page, facebook.com/RIOCNY. Feel free to send us a Facebook message, or use the contact form on the page to get in touch. You can also visit our Facebook page for event photos, news, announcements, and more.