According to The Atlantic Cities:
The snow-pocalypse, it turns out, didn't keep everyone snuggled up indoors. Director and producer Casey Neistat decided it'd be rad to snowboard through the streets of New York City, dragged behind a moving Jeep....Via Curbed.
No scheduled work affecting service on this lineBut there were signs posted in the Roosevelt Island Subway station this week, including today, noting that there would not be F Train service from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan this weekend
The MTA has advised that there will be no Manhattan bound F trains this weekend, Friday, February 14th from 11:15 P.M. to 5:00 A.M. Tuesday, February 18th.Check back with The Weekender for latest information.
Travelers are advised to check online at http://mta.info or call 511 for the most current information on this or any other MTA service advisory. To sign up for real time alerts on planned service changes, visit MYMTAALERTS.com.
Please be advised that the Sportspark Pool will be shut down until further notice. Due to icy weather, essential equipment at the Pool has experienced a mechanical malfunction. We are working with repair staff to restore the pool's machinery as quickly as possible. We regret the inconvenience this closure poses and thank you for your understanding as we work to correct the problem. Updates will be issued as they become available.
Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group
From the Roosevelt Island Twitterverse:
Happy Valentines day! #snowheart #nyc #roosevelt @ Manhattan Park, Roosevelt Island http://t.co/hEJRJsOwNN
— Skye (@skyekisser) February 14, 2014
OEM ISSUES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR Thursday and FridayUPDATE 1:55 PM:
For Motorists
If you must drive a vehicle, monitor weather and traffic reports for the latest road conditions. Use mass transportation whenever possible.
Use major streets or highways for travel whenever possible as these roadways will be cleared first.
Drive slowly. Vehicles, including those with 4-wheel drive, take longer to stop on snow and ice than on dry pavement.
Keep the name and phone number of at least one local towing service in your car in case you break down or become stuck in the snow.
If you get stuck on the road stay with your car and contact a towing company.
For Pedestrians
Exercise caution and avoid slippery surfaces; some ice may not be visible.
Wear layers including a hat, gloves and scarf to stay protected from the cold. And, keep clothes and shoes dry.
Keep fingertips, earlobes, and noses covered if you go outside.
Have heightened awareness of cars, particularly when approaching or crossing intersections.
Tips for Staying Warm
Exposure to cold can cause life-threatening health conditions. Avoid serious conditions such as frostbite and hypothermia, by keeping warm.
Wear a hat, hood, and scarf.
Wear layers, as they provide better insulation and warmth.
Keep fingertips, earlobes, and noses covered if you go outside.
Keep clothing dry; if a layer becomes wet, remove it.
Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group
Roosevelt Island tram is featured on top of @nytimes homepage. I can imagine how shaky the tram is. #SoWhiteOutside pic.twitter.com/gLaNGV5set
— Mi Li (@katyli) February 13, 2014
The National Weather Service is forecasting for snow to begin falling in the NYC Metropolitan area after midnight tonight through Friday, February 14th, 2014 at 6:00 A.M. with an accumulation of anywhere from 8- 12 inches.Time to build some snowmen
Thus, effective at 12:00 A.M., Thursday, February 13th, 2014, there will be no parking on both sides of Main St. on Roosevelt Island until 12:00 P.M., Friday, February 14th, 2014.
Free parking will be available at the Motorgate garage and underneath the Helix Ramp beginning at 12:00 A.M., Thursday, February 13th 2014 through 12:00 P.M., Friday, February 14th, 2014. This accommodation is for Roosevelt Island residents ONLY. It is imperative that vehicles parked underneath the Helix ramp be moved by 12:00 P.M. Friday, February 14th, 2014 in order to accommodate the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, February 15th, 2014.
Vehicles that do not abide by the aforementioned regulations may be summonsed and subject to being towed at the owner’s expense.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department at 212- 832- 4545. You may also visit the Motorgate Parking Garage offices located on the 4th floor of the garage.
Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group
Snow man guard #SnowMan #Frosty pic.twitter.com/qKbJWeggcq
— Fabio (@pisolog) February 8, 2014
and snow forts.
Admiring awesome snow fort on our neighbor's balcony below! #snowfort @ Roosevelt Island http://t.co/PZXAY1RMfW
— Sharon Lee Williams (@Sharon3williams) February 10, 2014
... In the mid-’70s, Bierbauer moved on to a new position as the 114th Precinct’s Roosevelt Island liaison, where he helped police the island during its housing boom and as it evolved into a bustling, independent business and residential community – no easy task.Click here for the entire Queens Gazette article.
When then-114th Precinct Community Affairs Officer Detective Thomas Yacavone, announced his retirement in 1976, Bierbauer’s vast knowledge and understanding of the community made him the only candidate for the job. Bierbauer settled into his new assignment with ease and hit the ground running – working with civic and community groups to address quality of life issues and to increase safety on the streets.
Bierbauer remained at the position until he signed off the job and retired, at age 52, in November, 1983...
Check out the video below of the February 5, 2014 Cornell NYC Tech Roosevelt Island Community Town Hall Meeting presentation, discussion and resident Q &A on the current status of campus construction project as well as plans for future including open public space.
Cornell NYC Tech VP Cathy Dove introduced the proceedings with Cornell NYC Tech Director of Capital Planning Andrew Winters, Aric Domozick from PAL Environmental Services on demolition of the Goldwater Buildings and Karen Tamir of James Corner Field Operations on the landscaping plan for the open public space on the Roosevelt Island campus.
Among the topics discussed were:
This is a reminder that the Red Bus will be free to ride beginning April 1, 2014. Any unused fare change cards must be used by March 31, 2014. Thank you for your cooperation.Reported last December on RIOC's decision to eliminate the Red Bus fare. During December 12 RIOC Board of Directors meeting, RIOC Directors Margie Smith and David Kraut explain reasons for eliminating the 25 cent Red Bus fare.
For more information, contact the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation at (212) 832-4540 or email information@rioc.ny.gov.
Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group
From the Roosevelt Island Twitterverse:
Vertigo #latergram @ Roosevelt Island http://t.co/NCktvttJ3S
— Robert Green (@greenrob) February 3, 2014... Roosevelt Island (On Roosevelt Island, Main Street and about 500 feet north of the Tramway terminal) Opened 10/29/1989: One of the deepest stations in the entire NYCT system, it takes 157 steps from the stationhouse at street level to either platform. It has a nice WMATA (Washington D.C. Metro Subway) feel of a high arched ceiling. The station walls are curved with beams at both platforms, the only NYCT station in the entire system to have this look. There are 4 levels from mezzanine to platform level, a total of 10 escalators, 2 large staircases, and 2 smaller staircases 1 to each platform. The balcony level above the platform, affords a nice view of the station and tunnel mouth facing the Queens end, as well as trains entering and leaving this station. Station is fully ADA accessible, 1 elevator to each platform is located at opposite end of stairs/escalators to the stationhouse level. This gives the clearest indication on how deep you are below the surface. politically It is a pert of Manhattan....
... we received reports of some residents having boots put on their cars this morning. This was done by the City Marshal's department, and not by PSD. Residents can call 877-207-2134 to have the boot removed. If they do not call and pay their tickets or violations within two business days, their cars are subject to towing (per http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/parking/booting.shtml).More on car booting by NYC from this NY Times article.
The Non Profit Revitalization Act of 2013This is Ms. Polivy's final RIRA President's Report after resigning last week from RIRA.
Effective July 1, the Act mandates every nonprofit to adopt a conflict of interest policy to ensure action in the nonprofit’s best interest. This provision applies to all NYS nonprofits. Among other things, the Act requires that the conflict of interest policy include the following: (1) a definition of what constitutes a conflict of interest; (2) procedures for disclosing a conflict of interest; (3) a prohibition against any attempt by the person with the conflict of interest to influence improperly the deliberation or voting on the matter giving rise to such conflict; and (4) a requirement that the existence and resolution of the conflict be documented in the nonprofit’s records, including the minutes of any meeting at which the conflict was discussed or voted upon. RIRA is acting to have an explicit policy adopted as necessary.
Code of Ethical Conduct
The ad hoc Ethics Committee has reviewed codes of ethical conduct from a variety of organizations and come up with a suggested code. The core issue is how we treat each other. We will be holding a public meeting on Thursday February 20 at 8pm to get public comment. Then at the March RIRA meeting, it will be voted on. Watch for more information. I believe that as a non-governing body, we are essentially an advocacy organization. We must first decide what we are going to advocate for, how we will do it and then speak with one voice. If we cannot do that cooperatively, then we become a clamor of competing voices and no one knows what we as a group stand for or will care to listen to us.
Balls in the air
The Super Bowl is a great example of teamwork. Each player does what he can at the moment where it can do the most good and try not to go crashing into another team member. On Roosevelt Island we are all on the same team since we all want our community to run smoothly and support our residents. I like to treat members of RIOC as our teammates. With this attitude, we all work together to get the ball to the goal.
Planning Committee
One example of balls in the air is the idea and planning of an air monitoring project on Main Street. On our internal blog, we began talking about Cornell and their agreement to do air monitoring only on their construction site. We understand that Cornell is worried about being blamed for pollution that might not be caused by them, so therefore they only want monitoring equipment on their site. However we had a lively conversation on our list serve about general air quality concerns on the Island from the amount of pollution generated from the bridge and the electric plant and other construction around the City. Therefore I suggested that we start an ad hoc committee to study this. Ball was tossed and picked up by Howard Polivy RIOC Board member who thought this was an interesting concept. He did a small amount of research and discovered that Queens College is doing an air quality study. He threw the ball to me. I passed it along to Helen Chirivas who had expressed interest in this issue. She researched a little more and tossed it to Frank Farance who called Queens College and decided to take this idea into the Planning Committee. Now ball is with Frank Farance who is in discussion with Queens College about getting air quality equipment on Roosevelt Island and having us be a part of their Citywide study. But first money needs to be raised for the equipment. Lets see where this goes from here. Ball is still in the air. We will be watching. It’s an exciting project.
Island Services
The committee has been advocating to fix the tram elevator. RIOC has acted on this problem.The elevator upgrade will take around a year and in the mean time RIOC plans to expedite fixing the broken elevator and is trying to avoid the freezing problem that was causing it to break in the first place.
Aaron Hamburger and Frank Farance have been talking with Cy Opperman at RIOC on certain bus related issues. On April 1, there will be no fares on the red bus, but the street parking fees will double to make up for lost revenue.
Housing Committee arranged a mortgage seminar
On Wednesday February 26, 7pm at the bank, Amalgamated Bank will be providing a mortgage seminar for residential housing.
Experts List Outreach
The experts list, an initiative of the government relations committee, is a panel of residents who have attained the highest levels in their chosen fields and who have agreed to make themselves available pro bono mostly to help address specific ad hoc questions and issues. I hope that by compiling such a list it will become easier for the community to seek answers and develop collaborative strategies with other interested parties such as RIOC and elected officials who might want to run questions and ideas by specialists in fields about generally accepted principles. We need anyone with a little time and energy to volunteer their expertise on issues they really care about. It could be you. We need people with all sorts of expertise who understand engineering, architecture, information systems. We need organizers, artists, designers technicians, educators, attorneys, psychologists, social workers, scientists. We hope by developing a panel of experts and interested volunteers ready to step in for particular issues and interests that we should speed the process of aiding and helping to build our community. You would help amplify and improve RIRA’s and perhaps RIOC’s ability to develop plans and responses to evolving issues.
Some concerns we face are land-use and facility development issues. For example the Motorgate arcade is a large space which could be put to good use. Another example might be to propose utilization of the old tram cars. Uses evolve, and there are fields and parks to be considered. Finally without regard to specific projects it would be wonderful if your expertise could help build an overall strategic plan could be developed to carry Roosevelt Island forward further into the 21st century.
Youth mentoring may be an important component and an opportunity for all sorts of people in the community to spend a little time to work with their neighbors, and maybe aid someone in need of occasional help and some information.
You can certainly help in your field of interests and also provide services in the community. For example, during the Cornell ULURP year we needed engineers, scientists, construction experts to read various chapters of an 800 page draft environmental impact study and give their comments. We were fortunate to have the benefit of some scientists, engineers, a City planner and attorneys to read the relevant sections. But we could have used more. People move in and out of volunteer work and we need an easy way to reach experts as we need them. If you are willing to periodically give us the benefit of your knowledge, please email your interest to RIRApresident@gmail.com with the subject line Experts List. Also, you may attend one of RIRA’s ongoing committees. We will be asking RIOC and the elected officials how they could use occasional expert input and will be developing a template for each expert to complete. But first we need more members on our government relations committee. If you would like to help us develop the questionnaire for this experts list, please join the government relations committee.
Thank you for your time and again thank you for the opportunity to serve you and the community.
This past week, RIOC welcomed a new member to its staff. Frances Walton, our newly appointed Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Financial Affairs, comes to us with a rich background in public administration, banking and financial management. For more than sixteen years, Ms. Walton served as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of the Empire State Development. During this time, she directed the agency’s financial functions, including Banking, Investments, Cash Management, Debt Insurance, Budgeting, Accounting, Portfolio Management, Loans and Grants, and their Project Finance programs. She was also responsible for the management and direction of their I.T., Human Resources and Administration departments.
Prior to joining ESD, Ms. Walton served as the Senior Vice President and Director of the State of New York Mortgage Agency’s Mortgage Insurance Fund, an agency which promotes the rehabilitation of New York State communities by providing mortgage insurance to public and private lenders, as well as assisting first-time homebuyers. She was also a Public Finance banker for Chemical Securities Inc. and Lebenthal & Co. Inc. In addition, Ms. Walton has a decade of experience in finance and management positions at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She is a former Executive Board member and Standing Committee member for the Government Finance Officers Association, a current Executive Board member and the past President of the Council for Development Finance Agencies, a Board member and former Treasurer of the Municipal Forum of New York, an Executive Board member and Corporate Secretary of the Metropolitan College of New York, and a Board member of the Northeast Women in Public Finance.
Ms. Walton graduated with an MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She has since worked for thirty-two years in the financial sector with public and private New York agencies and firms. We know Ms. Walton’s tenure here will be beneficial to RIOC and to Roosevelt Island as a whole; we are very pleased to have her on staff.
Red Bus Service Change
Travelers on the Red Bus should be aware that service has been changed due to construction at the southern end of the Island. Until further notice, there will be no Red Bus service to Southpoint Park. Southbound service will terminate at the Transverse Road near the Tramway. RIOC will send out advisories as updates become available. You may sign up for RIOC’s advisory service here: http://rioc.ny.gov/advisorybody.htm. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Public Purpose Funds Applications
The deadline for submission of materials for the 2014-2015 Public Purpose Funds was January 10, 2014. Twelve applications were received by RIOC; the total amount of funds requested is $239,400. Application materials have been forwarded to the RIRA Public Purpose Funds Committee, which will review the submissions and conduct interviews with the applicants over the coming months. The RIOC Board will review their recommendations for the award of grant money in the Spring. The total amount of Public Purpose Funds available for the upcoming grant period is $100,000.
Snow Removal Reminder
Drivers are reminded that in order to prepare the roads for snow removal during and after winter storms, “No Parking” advisories are issued for Main Street and the East and West Roadways. Vehicles that do not abide by these regulations may be summonsed and are subject to being towed at the owners’ expense. During this time, free 24-hour parking is available for Roosevelt Island residents underneath the Helix Ramp and inside the Motorgate Parking Garage (688 Main St.). If you have any questions, please contact the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department at (212) 832-4545 or the Motorgate Parking Garage at (212) 832-4585. You may also visit Motorgate’s offices, located on the 4th floor of the garage. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter and thank you for helping us keep the roadways clear and safe for travelers.
Construction
With the design for repairs to the hurricane-damaged Cultural Center complete, RIOC is moving forward to procure a contractor to carry out the work. The Request for Proposals for the restoration of the Cultural Center was posted on January 28, 2014. A pre-bid meeting for potential bidders was held earlier this week; bids are due on February 24, 2014.
Classes at Sportspark
Sportspark (250 Main St.) continues to offer a variety of free and low-cost indoor classes and programs. Zumba, yoga and ping-pong free play are available three times per week, and the gymnasium opens for free basketball play on Saturdays at 2 p.m. The pool is available for Open Swim sessions seven days a week and offers several swimming and aerobics classes. For more information about Sportspark’s schedule, check online at rioc.ny.gov/Sportspark.htm or call (212) 832-4514.
Roosevelt Island resident Diana Desrocher shares
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has issued a Travel Advisory for Monday, February 10th, 2014. The National Weather Service has forecast 1 to 2 inches of snow and accumulation this evening. Snowfall is expected to taper off by midnight. Temperatures will be in the 20's. For more information, please see the attached advisory.More snow info from the Roosevelt Island Twitterverse:
OEM ISSUES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR MONDAYSincerely,
Monday AM Rush Impacted
Temperatures Remain Below Freezing on Monday and Tuesday
For Motorists
If you must drive a vehicle, monitor weather and traffic reports for the latest road conditions. Use mass transportation whenever possible.
Use major streets or highways for travel whenever possible as these roadways will be cleared first.
Drive slowly. Vehicles, including those with 4-wheel drive, take longer to stop on snow and ice than on dry pavement.
Keep the name and phone number of at least one local towing service in your car in case you break down or become stuck in the snow.
If you get stuck on the road stay with your car and contact a towing company.
For Pedestrians
Exercise caution and avoid slippery surfaces; some ice may not be visible.
Wear layers including a hat, gloves and scarf to stay protected from the cold. And, keep clothes and shoes dry.
Keep fingertips, earlobes, and noses covered if you go outside.
Have heightened awareness of cars, particularly when approaching or crossing intersections.
Tips for Staying Warm
Exposure to cold can cause life-threatening health conditions. Avoid serious conditions such as frostbite and hypothermia, by keeping warm.
Wear a hat, hood, and scarf.
Wear layers, as they provide better insulation and warmth.
Keep fingertips, earlobes, and noses covered if you go outside.
Keep clothing dry; if a layer becomes wet, remove it.
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group
Earlier today I took a photo of a fat squirrel on @Rooseveltisland I love living here <3 pic.twitter.com/BXuCxEUckP
— Dani Bre (@DanixBre) February 9, 2014and Roosevelt Island See Click Fix 311 today:The path between the tennis courts and softball field at the OctagonStay warm and safe.
is never salted or plowed when it snows. It is heavily traveled, and is extremely slippery when frozen. Why is this dangerous condition allowed?
