RIOC Seeking Owners Rep Consultant To Help With $33 Million Roosevelt Island Capital Improvement & Maintenance Projects Planned For Next 2 Years - Dad Asks RIOC To Start Improvements With Blackwell Park Sandbox

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) is about to begin 24 months of major infrastructure and maintenance projects.

Image Of Broken Seawall Railing Near Octagon Building From December 2017

According to RIOC Public Information Officer Alonza Robertson:

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation has an ambitious and aggressive $33 million plan to complete more than 30 capital improvement and maintenance projects during the next 12-24 months. These include the Helix repair, seawall railing replacements, bike ramp and lane construction, elevator and potential escalator repairs, Youth Center and SportsPark renovations, sidewalk, playing fields and playground improvements among others.

The projects are all in varying stages of concept, design and construction. RIOC's in-house project management team will be at capacity once two new full-time project managers and the Director of Asset Management come aboard later this month. But even with the new hires, additional resources will be required to achieve our goals. After careful evaluation, RIOC has decided to utilize consultants - via the recent RFP for Owner’s Representative Services for Capital Projects & Strategic Planning - to support the current demands for the following reasons:

1. RIOC anticipates that the workload will fluctuate significantly and staffing up for a peak demand will leave us with excess staff during low periods. A consultant will be able to accommodate this fluctuation and RIOC will benefit by only paying for the additional resources when they are required.
2. RIOC has a demand for proven consultants in managing multi-disciplined projects through design, regulatory and construction processes. Not all of RIOC’s planned projects require full-time consultants daily but they will require full-time involvement of specialists at varying intervals throughout each of the projects being considered.
3. The Owner’s Representative would assist in the regulatory process with private and public agencies, take an active role in the Design Process for projects, prepare and evaluate bid proposals, perform inspections, contract administration, and other related activities.
4. RIOC will benefit from the experience of the organizations or firms who have successfully completed similar projects throughout NYC.

RIOC is looking at the Owners Representative role as an extension of our existing team. We have no intention of reducing staffing, rather we are bolstering and supplementing our existing team to prepare for the increase volume of projects that are being undertaken.

Here's the RIOC Owners Rep for Capital Planning & Projects RFP.

During the February 7 Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council meeting Public Session, a Roosevelt Island Dad asked RIRA to support a request that RIOC make improvements to the Sandbox in Blackwell Park.

According to the Roosevelt Island Dad:

... The Sandbox is in disrepair for some time....

And:

... The level of sand has dwindled to an inch or so and the bottom tarp that is underneath the sandbox is visible.

Admittedly, there is no glass or hazards in it but it's not pleasant to be in.

I'd like to ask this group to support an idea of having it topped off with sand once a season....

... My request is that from time to time a dump truck of sand backs up and dumps a load of sand in the sandbox...

RIOC does not need an Owners Rep to help fix the Blackwell Park sandbox.

UPDATE 2/15:

That sandbox should be removed. For years parents have wondered how clean it is.

— Eric (@Eric11714) February 14, 2018

According to RIOC, the sandbox will be removed as part of an upgrade to the Blackwell Park playground equipment this spring. There will be no sandbox replacement.