Welcome to Roosevelt Island's local, hometown
Fusion Salon located
at 523 Main Street (212-688-0055).
Our mission has always been to provide exceptional
hair care services for men, women and
children in a safe, modern, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. We provide the
finest selection of
professional hair care products – We
are a Certified Concept Salon featuring expert Hair Care, Cuts, Styles,
Highlights, Color and Keratin Treatment. Our experienced stylists are dedicated,
well trained professionals who provide our clients with a phenomenal salon
experience that will allow you to always look your best.
At Fusion Salon We have created a warm and friendly family atmosphere where
our aim is to always exceed your expectations and to ensure a safe and
superb experience time and time again.
We check temperature from each client. Our employees regularly take a test for
COVID-19. Our employees will wash hands or sanitize after each client, sanitize
station and chairs after each client & wear face mask.
All our Employees have completed Covid-19 training rules regarding
precautions and safety for everybody.
At Fusion Salon we are always happy to discuss your hair care needs or styling
questions. Ask your stylist which products or treatments are most appropriate
for your type of hair. We appreciate how important your hair is and how it
affects the way you feel.
To mark the beginning of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, the New York
City Emergency Management Department today unveiled the City's revised
hurricane evacuation zones. New York City Emergency Management also
relaunched the Know Your Zone hurricane awareness campaign to encourage New
Yorkers to find out whether they live in one of the City's six hurricane
evacuation zones, and take steps to be prepared for coastal storms and
hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November
30.
The City's six hurricane evacuation zones have been updated to incorporate
new and improved data, as well as information from actual events to allow
the City to more accurately define areas most at risk of flooding due to
storm surge from a hurricane. Residents who live in these zones may be
ordered to evacuate depending on a hurricane's forecast strength, track, and
storm surge. If the mayor orders an evacuation of your zone, do so as
directed. With these hurricane evacuation zone changes, roughly 1 million
New Yorkers now live in a different hurricane evacuation zone than last
year....
There are six hurricane evacuation zones, ranked by the risk of storm surge
impact, with zone 1 being the most likely to flood. In the event of a
hurricane or tropical storm, residents in these zones may be ordered to
evacuate.
I noticed that my zone has changed. Why is that?
Zones are updated to incorporate new, higher resolution storm surge model
output from the National Weather Service. These data, combined with improved
topographic data, and information from actual events, allow the City to more
accurately define areas most at risk of flooding due to storm surge from a
hurricane....
Roosevelt Island residents live in both Zones 2 and 3 depending upon the
building in which you live. As shown in the
NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder
below, the Roosevelt Island buildings colored in brown are in Zone 2 and
those colored in Yellow are in Zone 3.
The Octagon, Manhattan Park, Westview, Island House, Roosevelt Landings,
Cornell Tech, Coler Hospital and Riverwalk 480, 475 and 460 Main Street are
in Zone 2.
Riverwalk 405, 425, 455, 465 and Rivercross buildings are in Zone
3.
Click here to find
the Hurricane Evacuation Zone for your Roosevelt Island address.
The Roosevelt Island Hurricane Zones have
changed from prior years
when only the Octagon and Coler Hospital buildings were in Zone 2 as shown
in 2020 NYCEM map below.
During the September 22, 2021 Roosevelt Island Emergency Preparedness workshop with
the RI Public Safety Department, NYCEM and NYPD, resident and local activist Frank Farance
challenged the accuracy of the new NYCEM Hurricane evacuation zone maps. Mr Farance expressed great concern that the NYCEM hurricane evacuation zone map change placing most of Roosevelt Island in the higher
risk Zone 2 would cause residents to needlessly evacuate when
not necessary.
NYCEM Senior Outreach Coordinator Ed Powell replied:
...I'm listening to you and I'm listening to other people who are feeding us
information from points all over the city so don't think what
you're saying is not being heard. Believe me, I'll see that it goes to
the appropriate authorities.
Here's the discussion.
Mr Farance
describes himself as being:
... FEMA-trained on hurricane planning, simulation, evacuation, and
recovery; a graduate of
FEMA's National Emergency Management Advanced Academy;
trained by the City as a hurricane shelter manager and evacuation center
manager; served at shelters for Hurricanes Irene and Sandy; served at the
Hurricane Maria service centers; and has 15 years as a
NYCEM CERT.
Prior to the Emergency Preparedness workshop, on September 2, I asked NYCEM:
... Much of the Roosevelt Island Hurricane Risk map has changed from
Zone 3 to the higher risk category Zone 2 including the Cornell Tech campus.
Other Roosevelt Island buildings have changed to the higher risk category 2
while adjacent buildings remain category 3.
My understanding is that the Cornell Tech campus construction included
building 18 feet above the previous Goldwater Hospital campus on the same
location to take into account the risk of climate change and Roosevelt
Island Flooding.
What changed in 2021 to move most of Roosevelt Island from Category 3
Hurricane Zone to the higher risk Category 2....
and followed up asking:
... Why are buildings adjacent to each other, a matter of a few
feet apart, in different risk zones? For example, 465 Main Street is in Zone
3, 475 Main Street Zone 2. 555 Main Street is in Zone 2 and 531 Main
Street is in Zone 3.
Why is Cornell Tech (2 West Loop Road), which built their campus 18 feet
above the former Goldwater campus site location placed in the higher risk
zone 2 when it had previously been in Zone 3 last year?
A concerned Roosevelt Island resident with emergency management knowledge
has told me he believes the new data NYCEM is using as applied to Roosevelt
Island is incorrect.
Can NYCEM confirm the new data and Hurricane Zones for Roosevelt Island
buildings are correct?
Can NYCEM explain why Cornell Tech is in a risker zone than in the past
despite building their campus 18 feet above the former site and adjacent
Roosevelt Island buildings are in different Hurricane Risk Zones?
A NYCEM spokesperson answered:
New York City’s Hurricane Evacuation Zones are drawn to represent areas of
the city that may experience potentially life-threatening impacts, directly
or indirectly, from storm surge resulting from a hurricane or tropical
storm.
The Evacuation Zones are based on data from the National Hurricane Center’s
(NHC) latest SLOSH model for the NYC area. The NHC estimates storm surge
impact for a range of scenarios and NYC Emergency Management uses those
scenarios to delineate our six evacuation zones.
Because of the amount of time needed to evacuate large numbers of New
Yorkers and the uncertainty of weather forecasts, zones are drawn
conservatively so that if any portion of a block may be impacted by storm
surge the entire block is drawn into the lowest appropriate zone. Other
factors such as the ability of first responders to access areas during a
storm may also be factored in when drawing the zones.
I also asked Cornell Tech about NYCEM's changes to the Roosevelt Island Hurricane
evacuation zone including moving the Cornell Tech campus from Zone 3 to
riskier Zone 2.
Diane Allegretti, Cornell Tech Director of Design and Construction replied:
From the beginning, we knew we had to prepare for potential flooding and
rising sea levels on Roosevelt Island and that is why we built the Cornell
Tech campus with maximum sustainability and resiliency measures to withstand
different risk scenarios.
To protect against rising sea levels and flooding, the campus was raised
seven feet, elevating it above both the 100-year and 500-year floodplains.
The public open space also includes a rainwater harvesting tank, gravel
trenches to hold and slow down stormwater, and bio-filtration gardens that
treat stormwater runoff before it enters the river.
Mr Farance prepared a critique of NYCEM's hurricane zone changes,
reporting:
In response to disasters, we hear many times "No one could have imagined
such a circumstance or outcome" and are left with suffering huge failures,
typically, with catastrophic losses of life and property.
These are Fatal Flaws, both literally and figuratively, that affects
City-wide evacuation. This response seeks to avoid such catastrophic
failures by identifying problems, causes, and alternate actions.
On August 2, 2021, I identified several problems with NYC Emergency
Management's (NYCEM) new 2021 Hurricane Flood Zone (HFZ) map errors that
greatly impact Roosevelt Island's safety, emergency preparedness, and
response to coastal storms, including hurricanes, Nor'easters, and
cyclones. (These problems also affect other communities within the
City.)
The following is an excerpt:
They [Hurricane Flood Zone maps] have the wrong GIS data — a decade old,
when other City agencies like Department of Finance have current GIS
data
The elevation data is wrong
They are hydrologically wrong — according to NYCEM, water flows
uphill
The physics model is wrong
They are historically wrong
The above concerns are all true and verifiable....
Below is the full critique by Mr Farance.
The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) unanimously
approved a resolution seeking a review of the changes made to the NYCEM Roosevelt Island hurricane evacuation zones.
Date: August 13, 2021
WHEREAS, Roosevelt Island is an Island community of 12,000 people;
WHEREAS, Roosevelt Island, with respect to FDR, was built to serve the special
needs seniors and disabled, who still comprise a substantial portion of our
community;
WHEREAS, Roosevelt Island previously was mostly in hurricane Zone 3, with its
north and south ends in Zone 2;
WHEREAS, the prior Zone designations actually corresponded to flooding areas
and land elevations;
WHEREAS, the June 1, 2021 issued Hurricane Zone maps use old GIS data (street
and landform) that is a decade old, as the old Goldwater Hospital that was
demolished in 2013, yet it is still on the new maps;
WHEREAS, other City agencies, such as Department of Finance, have current GIS
data in their on-line maps, and Google Maps has current GIS data, which is
supplied by the City;
WHEREAS, the new maps have faulty hydrological and physical modeling and
incorrect landform elevation data, e.g., the new Zone 3 (Rivercross and its
promenade) are downhill from the Good Shepherd Chapel (Zone 2);
WHEREAS, the new maps do not reflect actual flood data, such as there was
flooding in the east and west promenade areas of Rivercross and
Eastwood/RL;
WHEREAS, our Roosevelt Island community was not consulted on historical or
actual data, nor was Roosevelt Island notified of the changes;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED, that RIRA requests the current maps to be corrected immediately as
the hurricane season is soon reaching its peak;
RESOLVED, that RIRA requests an investigation on why these changes were made
to the maps and the review process for the changes;
RESOLVED, that RIRA ask for urgent assistance from City, State, and Federal
agencies, entities, and elected officials to immediately resolve the errors
and promote and publish the correct information.
No word back from NYCEM yet on Mr Farance's or RIRA's concerns.
Here's some scenes
of what Roosevelt Island looked like during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.
On Tuesday evening, October 5, Roosevelt Island residents Laura & Giovanni
Battistini went for a walk with their dog Luigi.
along the west waterfront promenade. (picture below taken today)
Ms Battistini reports what happened next:
I am writing to you to bring up an issue that is worrying many RI resident:
the continuous and growing motorized vehicle use of the “pedestrian”
promenade.
Last night, around 11:00 my husband and I were walking along the promenade,
beneath River Cross condo with our 4 pound, 14 yrs old, little Luigi Yorkie
mix. Because of his age and the quiet atmosphere of the evening, we decided to
let him go off leash for a five minute walk. He had stopped to smell the grass
for a moment when I saw from behind that the light was changing and becoming
brighter. I only had a second to turn and see the vehicle that was
approaching. Luigi, at that same time, ran toward us. He was hit, and died of
his injuries a couple of hours later in our arms at the Animal Hospital across
the river. He was the love of our lives. The driver never even stepped out of
his car. He pulled down the window and told us he had a permit to drive on the
promenade. Then continued and parked under the River Cross building.
Whether or not our Luigi deserved a five-minute freedom walk on a quiet night
on a so called pedestrian promenade (Public Safety promptly reminded me that
he should have been on the leash), is beyond the point.
The point is that it could have easily been a toddler and the outcome would
have been the same.
In fact, the RI promenade has become much less of a promenade in recent years,
and much more of a motorized vehicle way. There are too many cars that have
permits like the one that killed our little Luigi, and for no good reason. If
a building doorman cannot walk a few block to his job, couldn’t he get a
permit to park on Main Street, for example, instead of having permission to
drive his car along the promenade?
There are also too many food delivery scooters who want to avoid the stop and
crossing signs on Main Street, and instead choose to speed along the promenade
as if it was a highway. Then, there are plenty of residents who use motorized
bikes and scooters and zig zag along the way trying to avoid walkers.
This is a recipe for disaster and it need not be.
The promenade should be for pedestrian use only, or non-motorized bikes and
scooters. The mix does not work. People who choose to walk along a promenade
will drop their guards in regards to motor vehicles. Like we did, they will
assume that their kids and pets are safe from injury and death from cars on a
pedestrian walkway.
I hope that there will soon be regulations that will protect the residents of
RI on this matter before what happened to our pet happens to a child....
Vehicle traffic safety problems on the Roosevelt Island waterfront promenade and Main Street have been a long time concern for residents. As reported last August 27, there were:
... 2 separate weekend incidents last Saturday and Sunday of cars hitting
Roosevelt Island pedestrians as they were walking in the Main Street
crosswalk...
... UPDATE 8/25 - Roosevelt Island residents
react
to the hit by car incidents last weekend:
Cars don’t stop. They roll through STOP signs, I have seen the Red bus,
PSD, delivery trucks do it, daily! I think it’s time for speed bumps! We
now have motorized bikes, scooters Vespas driving on the promenades! Any
thing motorized belongs on the street. Unless your 12 and under!
Yes!! I am getting afraid Every time I cross the street..I have been
almost hit more than once!
We need more patrolling of bikes and cars- a lot more near misses than
ever. And more visible stop signs
They need to slow down! People don’t abide by the crosswalk driving there.
I’m concerned that now that we are becoming a NYC hotspot with the
Panorama Room we will have people driving onto the island and drinking.
Public Safety needs to be diligent about traffic after dark.
... Slow people down all around the Island. On Main Street
from AVAC all the way to Blackwell and down and around Cornell and also around
the roadway coming from Coler Hospital....
Chief Brown also said during the September 21 PSC meeting that the waterfront promenades are only to be used by emergency vehicles but that some residents are using the breezeways for Roosevelt Landings to park their vehicles. In some instances, parking is allowed in the breezeways but when not allowed, the cars are being ticketed and could be towed.
More enforcement is definitely needed to stop motorized vehicles, including scooters, from using the pedestrian promenades before a child, senior citizen, any Roosevelt Island resident or another dog gets killed.
UPDATE 4:50 PM - Roosevelt Island residents react:
So sorry for their loss 💔 Heartbreaking. And I agree that cars driving there is an issue! Both sides of the island have too much traffic in relation to playgrounds and people walking… even PSD/RIOC traffic should decrease their use of these areas if not necessary— often times they come when children are using the sprinklers/playgrounds or school dropoff/pickup when there are 600+ students with their families in the area - it’s truly a safety hazard
The parking and driving behind Manhattan Park is out of control too…
kids run on those sidewalks (and the circle stairs have completely turned into a parking lot)
Not true what PSD says. They do not see the cars using breezeways and then speeding all the way to Motorgate. I see them from my window.
I called PSD over a year ago explaining that Uber and Lyft was directing their vehicles via GPS onto those roads and how dangerous it was. Almost running over kids and animals. Doubt anyone looked into it though
What are cars doing there? And why is the PSD not instructing cars not to be there.
That’s so sad and horrible. Our condolences to the family
The
Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA
welcomes back students and families to the
school
and introduces the administration, teachers and staff in this amusing video.
The booster and third dose shots are free and administered in cooperation with Drug
Mart Pharmacy at Seawright’s district office located at 1485 York Ave., near 79th Street.
The
all-day clinics are scheduled for Friday, October 8, Tuesday, October 12 and Tuesday October 19.. Appointments available from 9 AM until 6 PM. "We are happy to partner with Assemblymember Seawright to help
serve our community," said Drug Mart owner Ilana Aminov, RPh.
The Pfizer booster shot is available for individuals 65 and over, and for individuals 18-64 who live in a nursing home or long term care facility, or for those who
have an underlying medical condition, or at
increased risk of COVID-19 exposure due at their jobsite (for example, health care
workers), or where they live or frequently visit such as homeless shelters.
To schedule an appointment for the Pfizer booster shot visit:
The Moderna third dose shot is available for people who are
moderately to severely immunocompromised or have a weakened immune
system. They are eligible for a third dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine 28 days after
their second shot as part
of their initial vaccination series.
To schedule an appointment for the Moderna
booster, visit:
Roosevelt Island residents can ask questions or share concerns about local issues during the
opening Public Session before the start of every Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors meeting.
Prior to the September 29 RIOC Board meeting, questions and comments from the community submitted to the Public Session included:
Resumption of Senior Citizens Shoppers Red Bus to Costco and Long Island City,
PS/IS 217 parents asked for the return of a Roosevelt Island Covid 19 test site,
Request for used clothing drop off bin,
Paving broken sidewalks and streets,
Why do RIOC Board Directors who are no longer Roosevelt Island residents remain on the RIOC Board,
Public Purpose Fund grants have not been received by local organizations,
Expedition Unknown TV program seeks permission to look for buried treasure on Roosevelt Island,
Trees should be planted for shade in new concrete surface area next to the Public Library,
Overflowing garbage cans in Southtown Riverwalk Commons and
Return of $5 Yoga Classes at Sportspark
RIOC Board Members and staff rarely respond to questions during any
Public Session though they sometimes do or address the subject during the
actual Board meeting.
Here's the September 29 RIOC Board Meeting Public Session.
1:1 Foods is a culinary social enterprise dedicated to community-led food
justice in Brooklyn. We not only make good food, but we do good — investing
our profits, culinary resources, and compensated labor into grassroots food
justice work in Brooklyn.
What We Do
We provide boutique drop-off and on-site catering services, launch
collaborative pop-ups across Brooklyn, and organize special culinary and
community events. We emphasize sourcing seasonal product from local,
values-aligned farms and producers.
Why We Do It
We believe access to good food is a human right. We invest 100% of our profits
to support community-based, people-centered food justice work—primarily
through collaborative operation of the FIG Food Security Program, which
delivers fresh local produce and weekly groceries to New Yorkers fighting food
apartheid. We also offer culinary services and operational support at
low-to-no cost to other local grassroots organizations committed to
transforming the food system.
Constellation Culinary Group x 1:1 Foods
In our partnership with Constellation Culinary Group, 1:1 Foods is
highlighting incredible, mission-aligned chefs from Brooklyn and beyond. Each
week, we serve up a unique menu crafted by a local chef in our rotating Guest
Chef Series!
I spoke with.1;1 Foods founder Tadesh Inagaki
and Culinary Director Kyrelle Leefatt last July about their
food justice mission and upcoming Roosevelt Island Pop Up menus with a series
of rotating chefs.
Stop by the Cafe at Cornell Tech and have a taste of the 1:1 Foods menu.
Reviews from past Pop Up lunches have been they're delicious.
is excited to be able to offer in person programs this month.
Patrons, I have so many programs for you today that I can’t contain my excitement or describe them all to you here! Take a look at these flyers and see for yourself! They are all amazing beyond words! pic.twitter.com/GCVyHKRg4T
As previously reported, according to Roosevelt Island NYPL branch manager Carlos Chavez:
... Patrons can stay at the library as long as they want during our
hours of operation.
All our computers are back in service that includes desktops and laptops.
You can reserve them with your library card. We also have photocopying
services and scanning services available and our community room is also back
in service....
Sunday afternoons just got a lot more interesting on Roosevelt Island. Granny Annie's Bar & Kitchen is offering a Country Bluegrass live music Sunday Brunch with a terrific band - Sunshine Nights.
Take a listen - a pretty good version of Folsom Prison Blues.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
All our Employees have completed Covid-19 training rules regarding
precautions and safety for everybody.
