Roosevelt Island Coler Hospital Is Not Closing, Real Estate Developent Rumors Are Untrue, Says NYC Mayor Eric Adams - Volunteer Opportunities Available With Coler Auxiliary To Help Make Life Better For Residents

There have been persistent rumors over the years of plans to close the NYC Health & Hospitals Corp (NYCHHC) Coler Hospital on Roosevelt Island for future real estate development. 

As reported in 2018:

The NYC Health & Hospital Corp Coler Hospital sits on prime East River waterfront land on the north end of Roosevelt Island.

Recently, there have been plenty of rumors about Coler Hospital closing and being put up for sale by New York City.Will Coler Hospital be closed and demolished for a new development - as was it's sister property, Coler Goldwater Hospital, for the Cornell Tech campus?...

The Daily News reported:

EXCLUSIVE: The last public hospital on NYC's Roosevelt Island could be closing soon https://t.co/RflBKqpBBl

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) November 23, 2018

Prior to my  one-on-one interview with NYC Mayor Eric Adams earlier last week, I asked his office:

Is NYC HHC planning to close Coler Hospital within the next few years; and if so, why? 

Is the City, whether through NYC Economic Development Corp. or otherwise, contemplating the Coler hospital location - or any other RI location - for future development? 

If so, what purpose and use would the development serve? 

Does the NYC EDC include the Coler Hospital site, or any RI site, on any list of future development sites?

During the interview, Mayor Adams said that:

... the Hospital is not going to close. Those are rumors that people have stated. I think HHC is the best deal going in our city...

Click here for the full interview with Mayor Adams on Roosevelt Island issues. 

If you're interested in volunteering at Coler Hospital or just learning more about our neighbors who live at Coler, Judy Berdy invites you to join the Coler Community Board Auxiliary volunteers. According to Ms Berdy:

The Auxiliary provide all the services that the City and Hospital cannot provide. 

We provide entertainment, we provide things for the Units such as televisions. We provide some medical devices that are not covered by the hospital insurance. We provide parties for different occasions like this weekend, we're having a Mother's Day party. We're having a celebration on Monday for Juneteenth. At Christmas and Hanukkah time we give out gifts.

 We're a 501 C three not-for-profit and we are legally not part of the hospital. We work in coordination with the administration.... It's very important to fundraise for so that 500 residents there could get a better lifestyle and more different things to make life better...

Contact Ms Berdy for more info.

Obstruction Shuts Down Roosevelt Island AVAC Garbage Removal System For Westview And Rivercross Buildings Until Further Notice Says RIOC - Watch Video Of Fascinating AVAC Tour, Learn About Crazy Items Thrown Down Chutes, How AVAC Gets Fixed And Lightning Strike That Shut It Down Too

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) announced today that the AVAC (Automatic Vacuum Collection) underground garbage removal system is out of service for the Westview and Rivercross buildings. According to RIOC:

The west side of the AVAC line is obstructed impacting garbage collection via vacuum along the duct work servicing building complex at Westview and BLG 531 (Rivercross). DSNY is working on this and the service company ENVAC is scheduled to be here from Spain starting on July 16th. In the mean time, these building has been asked to close their garbage chutes and bring in garbage directly into the AVAC Plant. There is no definite projection of time of when it can be resolved, but daily updates will be sent before end of everyday about any progress made, until it gets resolved.

NOTE: this only affects the areas noted, and not the entire west line!

DSNY is the NYC Department Of Sanitation.

As previously reported:

... During an October 23, 2022 tour of the Roosevelt Island AVAC facility I asked Sanitation Department worker TJ about crazy items that were placed in the AVAC chutes.  

TJ answered that bed frames and TV sets have been thrown down the AVAC chute and also confirmed that the AVAC was shut down a few weeks before the Tour by a lightning strike.

Watch full video of the fascinating tour of the Roosevelt Island AVAC facility.

Happy July 4 Independence Day, It's America's 247th Birthday - July 4 Is 16th Birthday Of Roosevelt Islander Too

Happy 247th Birthday to the United States Of America.

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. 

Image of John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence from US History

Here is Thomas Jefferson's “Original Rough Draught" of our Declaration of Independence (with revisions added by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin), 1776: pic.twitter.com/KjHscLMbBD

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) July 4, 2023

July 4 is also the 16th birthday of Roosevelt Islander Online. Here's the first post from 2007 and it's about getting Roosevelt Island Southpoint Park July 4 Fireworks Celebration tickets. 

16 years later and Roosevelt Island July 4 fireworks ticket issue is still an issue but at least there is no charge for viewing any more.

Happy Birthday America!!!

UPDATE 8:55 PM - A Tipster sends an email earlier this week reporting;

If anyone was looking for proof that RIOC keeps tickets for themselves, there was a special code for RIOC and one for residents: 

 I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Shelton Haynes:

Was there a Roosevelt Island July 4 Fireworks lottery access code for residents and another, separate, access code that Rioc gave to others? Please see attached. What is the July 4 registration category which says Rioc that the Green Arrow is pointing at?

This evening, RIOC VP Of Communications Akeem Jamal replied:

There were two access codes one for the general public and another, “RIOC” for the Island community based organizations including 100 tickets for Four Freedoms Park, 50 tickets for Roosevelt Island Senior Association, 100 tickets for Roosevelt Island Disable Association, and 50 tickets for Carter Burden.

What You Need To Know For The Free July 4 Family Fireworks Celebration On Roosevelt Island At Four Freedoms Park And Cornell Tech Lawn - Graduate Hotel Panorama Room Rooftop Cocktail Bar Has Great Views Too And Drinks Starting At $269

Roosevelt Island will have great views of tomorrow's Macy's July 4 Fireworks Celebration on the East River.

If you're not one of the 1500 ticket holders to watch the Fireworks at the FDR 4 Freedoms Park,  

there are plenty of great spots on Roosevelt Island to watch anywhere on the east side south of the Queensboro Bridge, including the Cornell Tech hilltops. 

Another great spot is the Roosevelt Island Bridge.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chauncey Dandridge (@houseofdandridge)

The Graduate Hotel Panorama Room rooftop cocktail bar will have some great views and it will only cost you $269 to start.

 Ticket info here.

According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC): 

FAST FACTS

TICKETING

Ticketed Attendees

• To access FDR Four Freedoms State Park, ticket holders MUST enter through the west side entrance of Southpoint Park beginning at 6 PM
• Will receive a stamp
• Must enter no later than 9 PM
• Reentry is not permitted
• There are no tickets available on-site

 

Non-ticketed Attendees

• Will have access to the lawns at Cornell Tech starting at 12 PM
• Once capacity is reached, further admittance will not be permitted
• Must enter by 9 PM

 

AMENITIES

Food Trucks

• 12 in total
• Will be located on West Road near the lawns at Cornell Tech
  
  

Restroom Locations (all locations have ADA accessible restrooms)

• South end of Firefighter’s Field
• West of the Tram Station
• West Loop Road near the lawns at Cornell Tech
• East Loop Road near the lawns at Cornell Tech
• South Loop Road at bottom of Cornell Tech lawns
• Southpoint park entrance
  
  

Cooling Center Locations

• Just north of the East Road checkpoint #1 (East Road just south of Sportspark)
• Just north of the West Road checkpoint #1 (West side of Sportspark)
• West Road near the lawns at Cornell Tech
• West side of Southpoint Park, just south of the comfort station
  
  

First Aid Locations

• West Road, towards the southwest side of the lawns at Cornell Tech
• The southeast side of Southpoint Park, north of the Smallpox Hospital

 

TRANSPORTATION

Roosevelt Island Tramway

• For access to Manhattan
• Will run on its rush hour schedule from 7 AM to 8 PM with both cabins operating at full capacity
• The Tramway may be temporarily shut down if the viewing areas/island reach capacity
• There will be no Tram shuttle bus
  
  

Subway

• F Train access to Manhattan/Brooklyn and Queens
• Visit mta.info/weekender or call 511 for information. For electronic updates, sign up for MTA alerts at MyMTAAlerts.
  
  

NYC Ferry

• Service will end early on July 4^th.  at approximately 4:59PM
• For more information, visit Ferry Schedules
  
  

Q102

• Q102 Bus - The Q102 will not serve any stops on Roosevelt Island during preparation and viewing for the Macys 4th of July Fireworks. Buses will operate in both directions between 27th Ave at 2nd St. and Vernon Blvd. at 36th Ave., the last stop.

Roosevelt Island Red Bus

• Will run on its weekday schedule from The Octagon to the Tram.
• There will be no Octagon express bus

 

Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) Shuttle

• Will run from 6 PM to 10 PM from Good Shepherd, Tram Plaza to the west entry gate in Southpoint Park
  
  

Citi Bike

• There will be no Citi Bike stations available from Monday, July 3^rd until Wednesday morning, July 5^th.
  
  

Parking

• Will be restricted in the following areas:
• From the Meditation Lawn to 250 Main Street on the West side.
• Around the entire Cornell Tech campus (North, South, East, and West Loop Roads).
• The area in the vicinity of 250-281 Main Street.
• Residents who need to park in Motorgate Garage should do so by 3:00PM. Monthly pass holders will have access to their reserved spots with proper ID beyond 3:00PM.

 

IMPORTANT TIMES

• Between 12 PM – 3 PM residents will only be permitted to travel North bound from the helix and into the Motorgate.
• The lawns at Cornell Tech open at 12 PM
• Residents looking to park in Motorgate Garage should do so before 3 PM. Monthly pass holders will have access to their reserved spots with proper ID beyond 3 PM.
• From 3 PM – 12 AM there will be no vehicular traffic onto the island EXCEPT emergency vehicles.
• FDR Four Freedoms State Park opens at 6 PM
• The Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA) shuttle will operate from 6 PM to 10 PM from Tram Plaza to the West entry gate in Southpoint Park
• No one will be admitted to either viewing area (lawns at Cornell Tech, Southpoint Park/FDR Four Freedoms State Park) after 9 PM
• The Macy’s 4^th of July Fireworks Spectacular is anticipated to start at approximately 9:25PM

Have fun.

Wow, That's A Huge East River Striped Bass Caught By Fisherman On Roosevelt Island Pier

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gina Tarantino (@tarantino1440)

And here's an up close and personal view of fishing at the Roosevelt Island waterfront promenade a few months ago.

The Roosevelt Island Historical Society has more on Roosevelt Island fishing. NYC Parks Department has rules for fishing in NYC.

Don't know if there are any specific rules for fishing on Roosevelt Island by the Roosevelt Island Operataing Corp (RIOC).