Report From RIOC's President - Dog Policy Enforcement, Tram Crane Delay, Board Meeting, Southpoint Park Closed & More Roosevelt Island Issues

You Tube Video Explains What Curb Your Dog Means

RIOC President Steve Shane sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. Mr. Shane updates us on:

• Enforcement Of Dog Curbing Rules
• Residents Address RIOC Directors Prior To Board Meeting with advanced sign-up
• Tram On Schedule Despite Crane Application Delays By City
• Q102 and Red Bus Service
• Southpoint Park Closed For FDR Memorial and Wild Gardens/Green Rooms Construction
• Octagon Field Resurfacing (Trees Cut) and Other Construction Projects
  
• Fast Trash Exhibit
  
• Blackwell Park and Good Plaza planning and
• Resident Architects/Planners Group
  

May 10, 2010

1. Dogs: Thank you to all the dog owners who have been observing the rules to keep your pet on the leash and to curb him/her as necessary. For the others, please be more considerate of your neighbors. PSD is enforcing the law.

2. Board of Directors: Next meeting on May 6 at 5:30 p.m. with a brief public-comment period before the official start of the meeting. Anyone wishing to speak should sign up in advance at either the RIOC office or on the RIOC website at RIOC.com. The Agenda is always published on the RIOC website well before the meeting.

3. Tram: After ten weeks, the construction is proceeding on schedule, although the City’s microscopic examination of crane permit applications has resulted in some delay for the portion of the work involving dismantling of tower tops and erection of new structures. The station work proceeds apace at both ends. We are monitoring closely.

4. Bus service:

(1) Red Bus Shuttle to Manhattan: Weekdays, operating on the hour beginning at 10:00 a.m., pick-ups starting at Riverwalk Café, then 546 Main, and, finally, on the east side of Main opposite PS 217; returning from Manhattan on the half-hour. Passenger drop-off is in front of PS 217, Good Shepherd, and Riverwalk Cafe. The Manhattan stop is the west side of Second Avenue, at the north end of the 58-59th Street block. No shuttle into Manhattan during 3:00-6:00 p.m. afternoon rush hours except one bus into Manhattan departing the Island at 3:30 p.m. and picking up in Manhattan at 4:00 p.m. to accommodate returning schoolchildren. Resumption of hourly service into Manhattan at 7:00 p.m. and returning until 11:30 p.m.

Weekends, shuttle service into Manhattan starting at 10:00 a.m., hourly throughout the day until 11:00 p.m. Same pick-ups, returning on the half-hour with the last at 11:30 p.m.
See the schedules posted on RIOC s web site and on the posters throughout the Island. Note that if the F train is not in service, the frequency into and out of Manhattan will be increased to every half-hour weekdays, and, on weekends, hourly on the hour from the Island starting at midnight until 10:00 a.m. and every half-hour thereafter, returning from Manhattan 30 minutes after departure. Fares are $1.00, with seniors, disabled and children (5-16) at 50 cents.
We are keeping ridership statistics, and will make further decisions about keeping these shuttle bus runs, in consultation with the RIOC Board s Operations Committee, depending on utilization. It does appear that the F train and the MTA are servicing the needs of the residents so far, and we hope it will continue. I am aware of the discomfort, but it is temporary.

(2) Q102: The MTA continues to operate the Q102 bus on the Island on its published schedule, with a route change to eliminate the alternating loops to Coler and Goldwater. Now, the buses all turn right after entering the Island, go north to Coler, run south to Goldwater, then north to the helix before exiting the Island.

(3) Red Bus: Service continues on the Island, but because of the increased construction activity at the Tram site and the elimination of the Tram stop during the outage, all regular Red Bus service runs a continuous loop southbound along the East Drive, stopping at Riverwalk Cafe, then looping around to the front of the subway station. Passengers may disembark for the subway at Riverwalk Cafe‚ or ride around to the subway. With the occasional closure of the west road to accommodate the assembly, operation, and dismantling of the crane for work on the tower, all traffic will be diverted to one-way southbound on Main Street, then west across the Island south of Sportspark. RIOC has taken delivery of the demo bus acquired for half price and will now be able to retire the last of the diesels and have an all hybrid electric bus fleet.

5. Southpoint: The Southpoint area is closed while active construction is under way on both the FDR Memorial and Green Rooms/Wild Gardens. We expect the area to reopen as far south as the Renwick Ruin in the fall, although the planting in the open space areas at the northern end will require that people will have to stay off until the growth takes hold.

6. Projects:

A. Octagon Soccer Field resurfacing: Work is under way. Some trees were cut down to permit the field to be properly dimensioned and a new light stanchion to be installed. When the field work is complete, with consultation from the landscape architect and the Tree Board, new specimen trees will be planted at designated locations.

B. Other: Sportspark, Motorgate expansion joint repair, fiber-optic cabling, Good Shepherd HVAC, Octagon sewer complete (the comfort station is reconnected), street lighting, tot-lot improvements, etc., all keep Engineering very busy. We are going to do a pilot test to see how LED lighting would work both at Motorgate and in the regular street lights. Energy conservation and ecological correctness are very much in the plan.

C. AVAC: One of two new compactor chambers has arrived and will be installed. The new paneling is nearing completion. For anyone interested, go to RIVAA gallery to see the exhibition entitled “Fast Trash”, all about AVAC and pneumatic collection systems. Wonderful presentation!!

7. Blackwell Park and Good Shepherd Plaza: Community participation in the planning process continues. Meeting will be held on evening of May 5 to discuss, along with Cornell University students, concepts for green space. Presumably reported on elsewhere in the WIRE.

8. Architects and Planners: A group of Island residents has formed a fledgling group of professionals who will share ideas and be available as a sounding board. I have encouraged them and look forward to their advice to the community and RIOC on planning and design matters.

This message also published as the RIOC column in the 5/8/10 Main Street WIRE.