FDNY Boat Water Cannons Spraying From East River For Hospitalized Injured Firefighter As Seen From Roosevelt Island Tram This Afternoon

Earlier this afternoon, Walking Off The Big Apple blogger Teri Tynes took this picture from the Roosevelt Island Tram

 Image From Terri Tynes via Instagram

and tweets:

FDNY boat, spraying in East River. View from Roosevelt Island Tram 

According to this tweet from Justin Enzmann, the reason for the spraying FDNY boat was:

they were putting on a show for a badly injured firefighter who could see from his hospital room window

Here's more Roosevelt Island pictures from Ms. Tynes excellent Walking Off The Big Apple blog.

Report From RIOC President Leslie Torres - Tram Bathrooms Open March 5, Good Shepherd Plaza Restoration Resumes March 1, New York Power Authority Tree Program, & Congratulations On 20 Years of Public Safety Service To Captain Suarez

 Image of Closed But Soon To Be Open Roosevelt Island Tram Bathrooms

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Lesie Torres sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

From time to time, I will be using this column to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of RIOC staff members who help life on Roosevelt Island run smoothly. A perfect example is Captain Estrella Suarez from our Public Safety Department.

Last month marked the beginning of Suarez’s twentieth year as a member of the Public Safety team. In 2005 she was promoted to captain, becoming the department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer. “She is the consummate professional,” says PSD Director Keith Guerra. “Simply put, she is the backbone of our department.”

In addition to being responsible for important administrative work, such as scheduling and payroll, Suarez assists Guerra with the day-to-day supervision of the Public Safety force, and with creating and implementing the department’s policies and procedures. She also supervises PSD’s Anti-Crime Unit.

For Suarez, law enforcement is not about “putting the bad guy away,” but rather about helping people. It’s a job she embraces for its challenges. “The work is complex and can be dangerous,” she says. “Every day is unique, but I like solving different problems and I have a passion for the job.”

With the help of Suarez’s leadership, PSD is a particularly tight-knit group – so much so that she refers to the department as “the family.” Officers have one another’s backs, whether it’s on the job, or it’s offering support when a fellow officer is in need.

Like so many RIOC staff members, Suarez is grateful for the opportunity to work on Roosevelt Island. “It’s a beautiful place and I feel like I’m among friends here,” she says. “If I didn’t work here, I would definitely live here. It’s the best place in the world.”

New York Power Authority Tree Program

RIOC will be participating once again this spring in the New York Power Authority (NYPA) Tree Program, which is run in conjunction with the New York State Nursery Association, Inc. In order to help make New York greener and enhance the environment, NYPA will match the cost of trees purchased. Due to the high demand and a limited supply, this year RIOC has been allotted only 38 trees – 10 Red Maples, 10 Honey Locusts and 18 Flowering Cherry Trees. The trees are scheduled to be delivered in early April and will be planted throughout the Island.

Construction Updates

The newly renovated men’s and women’s restrooms at the Tram station will be open for public use starting on Monday, March 5. We hope they will add a measure of convenience for residents and visitors.

On March 1 contractors will resume the repair work to the plaza around the Good Shepherd Community Center. The work began last year, but was suspended for the winter months. The construction, which will involve the installation of new pavers, is scheduled to be completed by May.

Latest On Roosevelt Island Cornell Technion NYC Applied Sciences andEngineering School - RIOC Planning, CPB 8 Task Force Forming, CommunityBenefits Agreement Meeting - Cornell Planning Hotel/Conference Center,Geothermal Wells 300 Feet Underground and Solar Panels

Image of Proposed Roosevelt Island Cornell Campus From You Tube

What's the latest on the Roosevelt Island Cornell - Technion NYC Applied Sciences & Engineering school? Well, a Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) March 1 Board of Directors meeting Agenda Item includes this:

... Authorization to Take Planning and Related Actions in Connection with the Proposed Applied Sciences Project on Roosevelt Island(Board Action Required � Materials to Follow)...

Community Planning Board 8 (CPB 8), representing Manhattan's East Side and Roosevelt Island, is establishing a Roosevelt Island Cornell - Technion Task Force. According to Roosevelt Island resident and CPB 8 member Jeff Escobar:

... at our last Community Board 8 Full Board Meeting, during our Chair, Nick Viest's, address, our Chair announced it was his intent to convene a specific task force under Community Board No. 8 to manage the review of Cornell's ULURP application before the City. The task force would be comprised of key members from a number of our various existing subcommittees, including the Transportation, Environmental, Roosevelt Island, and Zoning and Development subcommittees.

As you may or may not be aware, one of the specific chartered obligations of the Community Boards is to review, approve and make recommendations to any significant land use proposals and applications before it proceeds to the Department of City Planning, Borough President, City Council and Mayor for review under the codified Universal Land Use Review Procedure. The Charter's intent in requiring ULURP and the Community Board's participation was to establish a standardized procedure whereby applications affecting the land use of the City would be publicly reviewed and established mandated time frames within which application review must take place.

As it relates to Cornell and ULURP, the university must submit its ULURP application by November 10, 2012 or else face a monetary penalty for each day they fail to do so. Because of the tight timeline for the ULURP process to begin, as well as the Chair and Community Board's recognition of the immensity and importance of the Project, the Chair found it fit to call for the task force's quick formation and to ensure that it is comprised of a number of subcommittee and Community Board members, not just a single group or interest. He has also called for Cornell to immediately give a presentation to the Full Board and the Roosevelt Island Community of its development programme, to be held on Roosevelt Island, which we expect to happen within the next few week or so.

As of yesterday, our Chair has asked eleven of the fifty-three Community Board members to serve on the task force, which will be co-chaired by himself and our vice-chair, Jim Clynes (who has been key in mediating as task force chair the contentious Memorial Sloan Kettering project at its 61st and First property, which is currently under review by the Board) . It appears that the chairs of the Transportation, Education, Environmental, and Zoning and Development subcommittees, and every member of the Roosevelt Island subcommittee, has been asked to serve on the task force, as well as a couple of other members who have professional expertise in architecture, real estate and development. All Community Board appointees from Roosevelt Island have been asked to serve, include myself of the Octagon, Larry Parnes of the Rivercross buildings, Ellen Polivy of the original Wire buildings, and former Roosevelt Island resident Patrick Stewart. We will begin meeting in March, with our first meeting to be held on Roosevelt Island (which are always open and welcome for the public to attend). Our Chair will be transmitting further details in the days to come.

City and State reports:

... Cornell officials are planning an April town hall meeting to present local residents their vision for the future. That vision is filled with sloped, glittery buildings, thousands of friendly geek neighbors, maybe the occasional river ferry and a less isolated community better integrated into the rest of New York.

Cathy Dove, newly named vice president of the tech campus and current associate dean of Cornell’s College of Engineering, said there was no time like the present to begin that process.

“You’re talking to the newest community member,” said Dove, who just moved to the Riverwalk building at the island’s southern end—though at first she mistakenly referred to her new home as “Rivergate.”

Dan Huttenlocher, the tech school’s new dean, said community outreach was an essential piece of the entire $2 billion development.

“Community relations is extremely important to us,” Huttenlocher said. “It’s something we view as part of our institutional DNA.”

Like all development projects big and small, the tech campus will need to traverse the city’s land-use process, where community board members and local officials will vet the project and determine its environmental impact.

Residents say they have many questions for Cornell and Technion, such as how much money the institutes are willing to spend to upgrade infrastructure and what they will do to help revitalize the island’s flagging retail sector. Most residents are excited to welcome their new neighbors but are wary about how the campus will affect their self-described “small town” community....

Click here for the entire City and State article.

I learned yesterday that Cornell is in discussions to include an approximately 200 room hotel/conference center and perhaps even a destination restaurant to their Roosevelt Island campus.

Work is progressing on developing the Silicon Island Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for Roosevelt Island organizations with Cornell Technion. As reported previously:

Community benefits agreements are private contracts between community organizations and developers, requiring that the developer take additional actions for public benefit. In theory, CBAs allow groups that are shut out of the normal planning process to make their voices heard.

and:

... The working title for this new coalition in formation is the Silicon Island Development Coalition and will ultimately include representation from each Roosevelt Island building, RIRA, Seniors and Disabled Association, businesses and groups on the east side of Manhattan and other Roosevelt Island stakeholders....

Roosevelt Island resident Jonathan Kalkin is one of the CBA organizers and reports:

Our next meeting is Feb. 28, 2012 (7:30pm) at Westview 625. We would love anyone who has an interest in getting involved in the community benefit agreement to attend. If you represent an Island organization, please attend to get further information about how your organization can help.

It will be interesting to see how Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Cuomo, local politicians, CPB 8, Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA), RIOC, Silicon Island CBA entity and Cornell - Technion manage to work together for the betterment of Roosevelt Island and its residents.

Here's more on Cornell's plan for the Roosevelt Island campus including geothermal wells 300 feet underground and solar panels for net zero energy usage as well as proposed curriculum for the new technology school.

You Tube Video of Science Behind Cornell Roosevelt Island Campus

Gothamist reported that Mayor Bloomberg met with Cornell President David Skorton and Technion President Peretz Lavie at City Hall yesterday though they did not take any questions

Mayor Bloomberg, Cornell President Skorton and Technion President Lavie at City Hall From Twitter

and here is February 16 Press Release from Mayor Bloomberg's office announcing:

... that Professor Daniel P. Huttenlocher, Cornell University’s Dean of Computing and Information Sciences, has been named Cornell Vice Provost and founding Dean of the university’s historic tech campus, home of the Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute. Cathy Dove, currently associate dean in Cornell’s College of Engineering, will co-lead the campus as Vice President, and Technion Professor Craig Gotsman will serve as the founding director of the Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at the headquarters of Tumblr, one of the City’s fastest-growing technology companies, was joined by Tumblr CEO David Karp, Dean Huttenlocher, Cathy Dove, New York City Economic President Seth Pinsky, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne, Office of Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver and representatives from Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Bitly and YouTube.

“New York City is quickly becoming the center of the digital universe, and today’s announcements will help us get there,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “With this fantastic leadership team in place, the tech campus will help us attract and develop more talent to energize our growing tech sector. And our social media platforms will give New Yorkers the information they need on the channels they want to use.”

"Dan Huttenlocher and Cathy Dove employed their extensive knowledge, as well as their well-recognized leadership skills, during every step of the development of our proposal, and they are continuing to drive our effort to bring the new campus to fruition, expeditiously and expertly, for the people of New York,” said Skorton. “And the addition of Professor Craig Gotsman as director of the campus’s Techion-Cornell Innovation Institute brings added luster to this impressive team. Cornell and the city are very lucky to have such talented people leading this new – and new type of –  campus.”

Huttenlocher, Dove and Gotsman were instrumental in formulating and promoting the winning proposal and working with the city during the selection process for the new state-of-the-art graduate campus, to be operated in partnership with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Inaugural instruction will begin in off-site locations in the city in September of this year, with groundbreaking scheduled for 2015 and on-campus operations slated to begin in 2017. Huttenlocher and Dove will oversee the formation of the environmentally sustainable campus, whose operational costs are expected to exceed $2 billion over 30 years; the building of the campus’s expert faculty, planned to be about 280 strong in 30 years; its highly selective graduate student population, targeted at about 2,500 by 2043; as well as capital construction of the 2 million square-foot campus. The campus’s innovative academic “hub” concept, which Huttenlocher helped develop, will feature curriculum and research organized across multiple disciplines and directed toward particular sectors of New York City’s economy....

Click here for entire press release.

The Cornell Daily Sun reports on some at Cornell who object to the Roosevelt Island Cornell Technion partnership. According to the February 21 Cornell Daily Sun:

Supported by several professors, a pro-Palestinian student organization is calling on the University to end its partnership with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The group alleges that the Technion is implicated in war crimes as a result of its involvement in Israeli military research and development.

In response to a petition started by the group online, the Cornell Israel Public Affairs Committee on Sunday posted a thank-you letter to University administrators for forging the partnership. The two universities will build a tech campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City over the next 30 years.

The petition, written by Students for Justice in Palestine, criticizes the Technion’s relationship with two of Israel’s major defense corporations, Elbit Systems and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It calls the Technion “a full participant in the actions carried out by the Israeli military” that oppresses Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Provost Kent Fuchs said the partnership is intended to foster academic collaboration and was not intended as a political statement in support of the Israeli government...

Click here for the entire Cornell Daily Sun article.

Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department Extinguishes Fire Set To Sign In Roosevelt Landings According To Daily Public Safety Report

Image From Discusthermal

According to the 2/23 -24 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Daily Public Safety Report:

Fire - Subjects set a sign on fire in 560 Main Street. FDNY was notified. PSD extinguished the fire. Super was on scene and will replace sign. Fire Marshall was notified. Search of area was conducted for subjects with negative results.

UPDATE 12:30 PM - In response to my inquiry regarding this incident, RIOC's spokesperson adds:

The incident occurred at 5:34pm, and there were no injuries.

Person Jumps From Queensboro Bridge This Afternoon - Lands In Queens Park, Not Roosevelt Island

Image of Queensboro Bridge and Queensbridge Park

There were reports earlier today of a person jumping from the Queensboro Bridge and landing on Roosevelt Island. According to this tweet from NY Scanner:

NYC: Jumper down from the 59 Street Bridge Jumper onto Roosevelt Island being transported in serious condition Crime scene being established

The person did not land on Roosevelt Island but in Queensbridge Park underneath the Queensboro Bridge.

UPDATE 2/24 - From the 2/23 -2/24 Roosevelt Island Public Safety Report:

Aided - NYPD 19th pct notified PSD of a jumper. The incident was in Queens and not on Roosevelt Island.

Roosevelt Island Resident and Rethink Group Founder Denise Shull Reading From Her New Book Market Mind Games At Gallery RIVAA - Very Interesting Discussion On Understanding Emotion For Investing and Any Other Decision Making Process

 Image of Denise Shull's New Book Market Games In Barnes & Nobles 5th Avenue Store Window

Reported earlier this month on Roosevelt Island resident and founder of The ReThink Group Denise Shull's new book Market Mind Games: A Radical New Psychology of Investing, Trading and Risk. Ms. Shull gave a reading from her book and answered question from a well attended gathering  of Roosevelt Islanders at Gallery RIVAA on Sunday February 12.

Here's what happened. It began with a welcome from Gallery RIVAA representative and then Ms. Shull talked about her new book, followed by a Question and Answer period.



There were problems with my video camera at this point causing several minutes of Ms. Shull's presentation to be missing but then continues here.



It was a very interesting and thought provoking discussion. Would like to see more such events here on Roosevelt Island.

You can buy Ms. Shull's Market Mind Games at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Brightly Colored and Exotic Zoggers Make Their Presence Known On Roosevelt Island Ball Fields and Bar Reports Life Of Riley Blogger

Image of Roosevelt Island Zoggers From Life Of Riley NYC

Want to know more about the brightly colored t-shirt and shorts wearing Zog ball players who come to use the Roosevelt Island fields? Roosevelt Island resident and blogger Life of Riley NYC tells us:

During the weekends, especially spring and summer, Roosevelt Island’s Fire Fighters Field, Octagon Field and Pony Field come to life courtesy of the Zoggers. Like a rare breed of exotic bird descending the fields in their colorful sneakers and occasional old-school knee-high socks, Zoggers congregate, strategize and ultimately play ball—be it kickball, dodgeball, football, or baseball. Styling team colored tee shirts with cool names like Catchers in the Rye and Purple Reign, the Zoggers, whether on the field or in the local Bar & Grill afterwards, make their presence known. They’re loud, really loud—laughing, talking, and cheering . . . nonstop. And it makes you feel good just being around it, little snippets of laughter sneaking in through open windows or tapping you on the shoulder while walking by on a sunny day. You begin to look for your favorite player or the most engaging team, high-fivers, and talk about the games later, as if you were a part of it all. I had to know more about this phenomenon. I asked around, did a little research, and discovered a wonderful back story as motivational as the Zoggers themselves....

Click here for the entire Life Of Riley Zog article and more info on Roosevelt Island Zog Sports from previous posts as well as the Zog site.

Celebrate Roosevelt Island Black History Month 2 PM Saturday February 25 At The Senior Center With Music, Poetry and Dance - President Obama Speaks At Groundbreaking Ceremony For Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Image From RIOC

Received the following message inviting all Roosevelt Island residents to come to the Black History Month Celebration at the Seniors Center on Saturday February 25. From the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):

Come join us as we celebrate the achievements and contributions of African Americans throughout history, Saturday February 25th, 2pm at Roosevelt Island Senior Center (546 Main Street). The event will include music, poetry and dance. Light refreshments will be served. Sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Senior Association and the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. For more information, call 212-750-3952

I spoke with Roosevelt Island Seniors Association President Delores Green earlier this week who invites all Roosevelt Islanders to attend the Black History Month Celebration.

According to History.com:

Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

Here's President Barack Obama speaking at this week's groundbreaking ceremony for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall.

Video from the White House.gov

MTA's Fast Track Subway Program Reaches Roosevelt Island Next Week - No Roosevelt Island F Train Service In Either Direction Starting 10 PM Monday February 27 thru 5 AM Friday March 2, Q Line Extended To Roosevelt Island At These Times

The MTA is reporting that there will be no F train subway service to Roosevelt Island and other stations on the  6th Avenue subway line from 14th Street to Queensbridge/21 street starting 10 PM Monday February 27 until 5 AM Friday March 2 due to the Fast Track Subway repair program. The MTA notes:

Service is extended to 21 St-Queensbridge, stopping at Lexington Av/63 St and Roosevelt Island. 

What is the Fast Track program? According to the MTA:

MTA New York City Transit wrapped up its second FASTRACK line segment closure successfully completing an ambitious schedule of work on the Seventh Avenue Line from 34th Street-Penn Station to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. It remains clear that the FASTRACK program is both a safer and more efficient way to maintain and clean a 24/7 subway system.

Transit employees, inspected signals, replaced rails and ties, scraped roadbeds, cleaned stations and painted areas impossible to reach during normal train operation. Workers also took the opportunity to clean lighting fixtures, change bulbs and repair platform edges while performing intense levels of station cleaning—things that improve efficiency while also providing a visible improvement to the station environment....

and:

... During the four-night series of shutdowns, 800 maintenance workers each night completed more than 400 tasks, an effort that would have taken months under normal operations. Work included:

• 15,000 bags of rubbish removed;
• 17,000 pounds of scrap material removed;
• Muck and mud scraped from 19,000 feet of concrete roadbed;
• 2,500 light bulbs changed in subway tunnels and station platforms;
• Several stations received spot painting and the ceilings of others, including Nevins Street, were scraped and painted;
• Station drains cleaned;
• Maintenance and inspection of eight elevators and three escalators performed at Chambers Street, Clark Street and Borough Hall;
• Serviced and inspected smoke detectors and alarms;
• Serviced 17 track switches, 53 signals;
• Repaired 315 feet of platform edge and;
• Cleaned and tested 34 CCTV cameras and 20 monitors....

More on Fast Track.

You Tube Video of MTA's Fast Track Program

What improvements would you like to see at the Roosevelt Island subway station?

Interview With Roosevelt Island Tram Operator Greg, Recommends Building Trams From East To West Side Of Manhattan - It's A Wonderful Job With Great Views and Nice People

Tramway Operator from Ryan Villarreal on Vimeo.

Nice interview with a good guy. Greg Paravati has been operating the Roosevelt Island Tram since it began service in 1976. He has watched generations of Roosevelt Island children grow up and even attended some of their weddings.

Mr. Paravati says the Tram is a wonderful way to travel and that if he was in charge, more trams would be built across the City, particularly form the East side to the West side.

Here's an earlier interview with former night Tram Operator.

Stolen Property Reported Inside Roosevelt Island Motorgate Garage - Was It A Car, Motorcycle Or Something Else? Will RIOC Tell Us?

Image From Hulu

Reported in February 14 post of a Grand Larceny at 540 Main Street, Roosevelt Landings, and my request of Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department for more information:

The 2/11 - 12 Public Safety Report indicates that a Grand Larceny occurred at 540 Main Street.

Grand Larceny - At 540 Main Street.  Search made with negative results.   NYPD filed a report.

Yesterday, I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) to provide additional details as to what was stolen, any damage or injuries involved, what time of day the incident occurred and any other relevant information. Will update when RIOC responds with information.

On February 20, I received this response from RIOC's Press Spokesperson:

The Grand Larceny incident at 540 Main Street occurred on 2/11 at 5:35pm.  There were no injuries.

RIOC provided no information regarding what was stolen - just place, time and whether there were any injuries.

How about RIOC performing a public service by informing the Roosevelt Island public

• what was stolen, 
• if the stolen property was taken from a person or from inside an apartment when nobody was home,
• If the property was stolen from a person, was the person threatened, was a weapon involved, was the victim an adult, child, male or female,
• If the property stolen, was taken from inside an apartment, how was access gained?

The press spokesperson is not at fault here - they are only following orders from RIOC staff.

Earlier today, I sent this message to RIOC President Leslie Torres, Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez and Public Safety Director Keith Guerra:

The 2/17 - 18 Public Safety Report indicates:

Stolen Property - Inside Motorgate. NYPD and PSD on scene.

What was the item stolen - was it a car or something else and what time did incident occur.

It would be very helpful and a public service if RIOC will inform what item was stolen in this case as well as other incidents in which there was a robbery, burglary, grand larceny or any other similar incident.

For some reason, RIOC's Press Spokesperson has been told not to report any information regarding what has actually been stolen such as the 2/11 - 2/12 Grand Larceny asked about below.

Will you change RIOC policy to include information disclosing the type of item stolen.

UPDATE 2/22 - RIOC's Press Spokeperson concerning the Motorgate Stolen Property:

This incident occurred at 3:00pm and there were no injuries.

Roosevelt Island Jobs Available - Teacher Assistants With Bright Horizons, Receptionist/Cashier At Tennis Club and Property Manager Legal Assistant

Image From How I Save Money

Craigslist shows 2 new Roosevelt Island jobs available. Bright Horizons has part-time teaching assistants openings:

... We are currently hiring for Part-Time Teacher Assistants to work with children from 3 months through 6 years of age at one of our Full-Service centers on Roosevelt Island in Midtown Manhattan. Interested candidates must be willing to work a flexible 20 to 25 hour per week schedule Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:30 am to 6:30 pm, and this is a 12 month program. We will be holding an Open House on Thursday February 23rd at one of our centers in New York City. Interested and qualified candidates can apply online by clicking on the link below the requirements. You must receive a confirmation email with the center location in order to attend the Open House
Requirements For Teacher Assistant Positions:

Must be 18 years of age and a High School graduate
9 credits or more in Early Childhood Education preferred but not mandatory
Experience working with children ages 3 months through 6 years of age (preferably in a childcare or school setting)
Ability to effectively communicate with parents
Minimum of one to two years experience with appropriate age-group (preferred)
Flexible Part-Time schedule M-F between the hours of 7:30 am to 6:30 pm
Good communication and written skills
Additional center/school requirements may apply...

Click here for more info from Craigslist and here for Bright Horizons.

Also, the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club is looking for a receptionist/cashier. According to Craigslist:

Receptionist / cashier at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. Must have good communication skills, phone skills, and computer skills. Careful and able to handle details. Evening shifts available. Full or part time. Knowledge of tennis is desirable, but not required.

Click here for more info on receptionist/cashier position.

Property manager legal assistant position previously mentioned in still listed on Craiglist as well.

Good Luck.

What The Heck Was Floating Down The East River On Barge Sunday Afternoon - A Space Capsule, Submarine Part, Underwater Turbine?

Roosevelt Island resident Dave Rosenberg noticed something unusual being barged down the East River Sunday afternoon. Mr. Rosenberg shares this photo he snapped

Image From Dave Rosenberg

and asks:

What the heck is that?

Any ideas?

Here's more East River Traffic from previous posts.

WNYC Radio Reports On New Roosevelt Island Cornell Campus and Revitalization Of Main Street Retail - We're A Captive Retail Audience, Like Airports, Says Hudson's David Kramer

Main Street Image Of Roosevelt Island Is The Village From Glark

According to WNYC radio:

... “If you walk down Main Street you will see shuttered shop after shuttered shop,” said Matthew Katz, president of the Roosevelt Island Residents’ Association and one of RIOC’s biggest critics. “Why? Because all of those shops, their landlord was RIOC. And RIOC did not know how to be a commercial landlord, and it did not want to be a commercial landlord. “...

... “If anything the retail should be more successful on an island, which is an island,” said David Kramer, principal at the Hudson Companies. “It’s a captive audience. It should do well like retail does in airports.”

Carl Weisbrod, a long-time resident of Roosevelt Island and senior partner at HR&A Advisors, is one person who is confident about the impact of the tech campus.

“It will definitely affect retail,” he said...

... The prospect of the new business the campus will bring, and the presence of an experienced private developer, may begin to pay off soon. The Hudson and Related Companies are in negotiations with five new stores, according to Kramer, with the first new stores expected in the summer.

The impact may be less positive for existing stores, however. Trellis, the neighborhood diner, is one of three stores that the Hudson Companies are negotiating with; they’re likely to face higher rents.

Click here for the entire WNYC article and below is the radio report.



I've heard from a reliable source, though unconfirmed from Hudson/Related, that one of the new Roosevelt Island Main Street Stores is likely to be a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins shop.

Now, if we can just get the Mobile Food Trucks by the subway,  Roosevelt Island residents may soon have some good retail choices some of which were suggested by this 2009 Main Street Retail Study.