Report From Acting RIOC President Susan Rosenthal - Upcoming Roosevelt Island Fun Events, Infrastructure Repairs, Capital Improvements & Future Projects

Susan Rosenthal reported to the April 14 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Of Directors meeting (Full video web cast here) on her first month as RIOC Acting President.

Image Of RIOC President Susan Rosenthal At 4/14 RIOC Board Meeting

Ms. Rosenthal said:

... We got alot of repairs going on, alot of capital improvements going on ... and alot of really fun activities going on...

The Roosevelt Island fun activities Ms Rosenthal mentioned during her report include:

• April 26 installation and ceremony for the Gustav & Ulla Kraitz Blue Dragon sculpture at Southpoint Park,
• April 28 Southpoint Park Stakeholders meeting to develop a plan for the park and Smallpox Hospital,
• April 30 Cherry Blossom Festival and
• May 17 Roosevelt Island Tram 40th Anniversary.

The Roosevelt Island infrastructure repairs and improvements include:

• Repairs to Motorgate Helix potholes starting in next 2 weeks,
• New boiler and roof installation for Sportspark starting on or about August 15 which will require closing of Sportspark for a period of time,
• New Tram Station Elevators construction to begin in September 2016 that will take a year to construct and
• Four Freedoms Park will pay for and install new bike racks for about 30 bicycles near their entrance.

Future projects include

• Possibility of Bike path from the Motorgate Helix and
• Face Lift for the Roosevelt Island Youth Center

In response to a question from RIOC Director Margie Smith, Ms. Rosenthal replied that there was no new information about plans for Coler Hospital Flood Mitigation Plan berm that was presented last November.

RIOC Director David Kraut asked about plans for the Sportspark facility and its future use by Cornell Tech. Ms Rosenthal said a renovation of Sportspark will require a huge amount of capital. Ms Rosenthal added:

...It's a gigantic project...

and RIOC will:

... have to enter into either a long term arrangement with some kind of health club facility that will infuse capital or do it ourselves which I don't think we are in a position to do....

According to Ms. Rosenthal, Cornell Tech is not going to take over responsibility for renovating Sportspark.

Here's Ms.Rosenthal's full report.