Roosevelt Island Residents Start Petition Protesting Huge Price Increase Announced Today By RIOC For Use Of Sportspark Facility When It Reopens Following Long Delayed Renovation - Is Sportpark A Public Community Recreation Center Or Private Equinox Type Gym?

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) had some news today about the opening of the long delayed Sportspark recreational facility that was closed for renovations in September 2021 and scheduled to open in the Spring 2022, then Fall of 2022, then late Fall/Winter 2022, then late Winter 2023 and as of today early spring 2023. 

According to RIOC:

 ... Membership rates for the use of the facility will include access to the following amenities: swimming pool, basketball court, and recreational room. A promotional rate will be announced in advance of the building’s re-opening on a later date....

Roosevelt Island resident Roberta Kleinman was a regular user of the Sportspark pool before the renovations closed the facility and has been looking forward for it to reopen. Upon learning of the new RIOC Sportpark user fees, Ms Kleinman writes: 

I have no words! The pricing is COMPLETELY OUTRAGEOUS! It is no where near in line with other State or City facilities, and it is triple to approx. 10 times the amount of prices in March of 2020. I am angry and baffled! These prices are PUNITIVE!!! Not in line with a not-for-profit State run facility.

So for a Roosevelt Island adult we’ve gone from $300 to $1500 ($125x12) a year. That kind of increase is unprecedented and absurd. Plus there are many people, such as myself who are only interested in using the pool, and others who would be interested in the gym.

We, as a community have to stop this!

Ms Kleinman has started an online petition to protest the new Sportspark fee structure. According to the petition:

You can view and sign the petition here.

I asked RIOC President Shelton Haynes and Communications Vice President Akeem Jamal today:

I'm preparing a story on RIOC's announcement today regarding fees for use of the Sportspark facility.

What is RIOC's rationale for the pricing structure of fees?

A community petition has begun protesting the huge increase in fees for the Sportspark...

... Will RIOC have any comment for the Roosevelt Island community?

There has been no response from RIOC.

Comments about the Sportspark membership fees on the Roosevelt Islander Instagram page include:

• The new head comes from Equinox so not surprisingly treating this as a private gym rather than a public recreation center. The petition does a good job of comparing NYC Recreation Center rates and previous Sportspark rates to the new for profit / private gym. How out of touch can they possibly be?
• I was excited about this but that’s way, way too expensive and out of budget
• Insane
• Did y’all think it was gonna get cheaper after a 12 M dollar renovation
• Then they shouldn’t have spent that much. It’s still a state run recreation center and should be priced for the people who live here.
• Gym memberships in Manhattan are $120-$300 a month. Having a respectable athletic facility on the island is sorely needed. You get what you pay for.
• those are private companies like Equinox and others. Sportspark is a NY State recreational facility similar to Riverbank State Park. Why should Sportspark charge Equinox rates instead of Riverbank.
• These numbers would be more meaningful if you had membership projections for each category of member… profit margin… etc. Then you can look at ideas such as reducing costs for Seniors by increasing non-resident rates..etc.

Today's RIOC announcement adds:

Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s President & CEO Shelton J. Haynes today announced that renovations to the highly anticipated Sportspark Complex are now complete. The nearly $12M renovation that began in April 2021 is slated to reopen in early spring 2023.

“To say I am excited for the reopening of Sportspark would be an understatement – much like the community, I am eager to unveil the new facility,” says Shelton Haynes. “The recreation center is now so much more and will serve as a central hub for the community, emphasizing overall health, wellness, and fitness.”

 Major improvements to the facility include:

• A state-of-the-art fitness center;
• A new pool & and elevated amenities;
• Upgraded HVAC & Lighting;
• Installation of energy-efficient systems;
• A reimagined gymnasium;
• A recreational play area;
• Brand-new locker rooms;
• Brand-new single & family restrooms;
• Brand-new showers;
• A group Fitness Studio;
• Event function space;
• Renovated common areas;
• A reception check-in system; and
• Resurfacing of the building’s façade.

Mr. Haynes added, “Once the appropriate New York City inspections are complete, we will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of the Sportspark complex in the near future.”

RIOC's Instagram page has pictures inside Sportspark.

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Is the Roosevelt Island Sportspark facility a public recreational center like Riverbank State Park or a private gym like Equinox