Report From Acting RIOC President Don Lewis - Roosevelt Island Hurricane Sandy Status, Meeting With Governor Cuomo's Secretary Larry Schwartz, Cornell NYC Tech, FDR Memorial, Halloween Parade And Thanks RIOC Employees For Work During Storm

 Image Of Acting RIOC President Don Lewis From RIOC

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Acting President Don Lewis sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

First and foremost, I hope that everyone in the Roosevelt Island community and their loved ones remained safe through Hurricane Sandy. I would like to extend a special thank you to the Corporation’s Public Safety, Grounds, Transportation and Engineering teams who all went above and beyond the call of duty, and in certain instances worked tirelessly through the night to keep our wonderful Island safe during this tumultuous time. A list of RIOC employees who were part of this tremendous effort and spent the majority of the storm away from their families, and on the Island, is included at the end of this column. Thank you all.

Hurricane Sandy

In order to effectively respond to the storm, RIOC employed the emergency management procedures we learned during Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) training attended by certain staff last year. We established an Emergency Command Center at the Public Safety Department’s (PSD) headquarters, and coordinated with the City’s Office of Emergency Management, NYPD and FDNY before, during and after the storm. We also effectively applied lessons learned during Hurricane Irene, such as establishing alternate emergency phone numbers in the event of an outage with the main PSD line. By effectively implementing FEMA’s procedures, we are eligible for federal reimbursement funds to help cover the costs incurred as a result of the storm.

We spent much of Tuesday and Wednesday assessing damage to the Island. Lighthouse Park experienced substantial flooding, there was damage to multiple Island trees, and certain locations on the Island lost power. We’ve also had to close the Island parks, but hope that both Southpoint and Four Freedoms Park will reopen by the time this column is distributed in The Wire on Friday.

We are pleased to note we have not received any reports of injuries incurred on the Island as a result of the storm. We are also pleased to report that both the Red Bus and Tram were back in service as of 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday and complimentary rides offered on both services on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday.

RIOC Board Meets with Secretary to Gov. Cuomo, Larry Schwartz

Larry Schwartz, Secretary to Governor Andrew Cuomo, attended the October 25 meeting of the RIOC Board of Directors. The meeting was highly productive and Secretary Schwartz discussed Island issues with the Board and addressed Island residents in attendance. We are pleased to note that Mr. Schwartz made clear that he and the Administration intend to work closely and collaboratively with the RIOC Board and Island residents going forward. Mr. Schwartz’s remarks are important affirmations of the Administration’s commitment to the Roosevelt Island community.

Cornell Update

On October 22, representatives from Cornell provided an update on campus plans at a meeting of Community Board 8. The representatives listened to concerns and answered questions from Roosevelt Island residents. I can assure the Island community that RIOC is deeply engaged with Cornell and the City on the planning of the campus and its potential effects on Island infrastructure. We are fully aware of the magnitude of this project and of the legitimate concerns Island residents have concerning the same. As noted, we have been working closely with Cornell and the City on infrastructure (as well as other) issues in order to ensure that the community’s concerns, as well as RIOC’s, are properly heard and properly addressed. We will continue to listen carefully to feedback from the Island community as we move forward on this exciting project.

Four Freedoms Park Draws Big Crowds

As expected, Four Freedoms Park is proving to be quite a draw, with over 3,500 visitors from Wednesday, October 24 (public opening date) through Sunday October 28. Guests have included visitors from all over the world, including Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Norway, Italy and France, as well as visitors from various states, and of course, a slew of New Yorkers. Other visitors of note include, Jim Roosevelt, grandson of Franklin and Eleanor, accompanied by his wife and daughter, Gordon Davis – NYC Parks Commissioner in the 80’s – with Diane Coffey, Chief of Staff to Mayor Ed Koch, and The President of Salk Institute – the famous Louis Kahn building in La Jolla, California – attended with his family.

The park will be recruiting volunteers and training tour guides who can educate visitors about the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the architecture of Louis Kahn and the rich history of Roosevelt Island. For more information, you can sign up for updates at www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org/page/s/get-involved-with-the-park.

Halloween Parade a Success

I had an absolute blast celebrating Halloween with RIOC staff and the rest of the community last Saturday at the Roosevelt Island Halloween Parade & Extravaganza – in case you didn’t recognize me and other RIOC employees, we were dressed as Big Bad (Friendly) Pirates!!! The weather was perfect so we were able to hold the event outdoors for the first time in years. We enjoyed an exceptional performance from the Brooklyn-based Approaching Storm Marching Band comprised of middle-school and high-school children.

We were very pleased to see RIOC Council Member Jessica Lappin and Senator Jose M. Serrano in attendance with their families, joining hundreds of costumed Roosevelt Islanders for the parade and festivities at Capobianco Field. We also would like to thank Urban American and the Roosevelt Island Youth Center for co-sponsoring this free-for-the-public event and for helping to make it the Biggest and Best Parade & Extravaganza of All-Time!!!

(Thank you to the following RIOC employees who worked through Hurricane Sandy: Public Safety: Keith Guerra, Rene Bryan, Estrella Suarez, Wanda Coleman, Gary Yee, Rodell Lindsey, Raul Hernandez, Patricia Gamble, Lilia Paguada, Christian Gilmore, Jeffrey Laszczych, Ralph Torrens, Lisa Williams, Kionna Wray, Steven Cohen, Deborah Viel, Luis Candelario; Engineering: Alex Snedkov, Robert Greene, Santo Verta, Juan Rivera, Rajcoomar Megnath, Alex Banashko; Grounds: Fernando Vargas, Toni Tinoco, Fidel Cintron, Juan Cruz, Chris Gonzalez, Jamal Perry; Transportation Cyril “Cy” Opperaman, Shamsodeen Satar, Joe Marino, Joe Franchi. I would also like to thank Community Relations Specialist Erica Spencer-El who did a tremendous job of keeping the Island community informed of Sandy related issues.)