First Board Of Directors Meeting For New RIOC Leadership Team Thursday February 1, Come See What Happens And Ask Your Questions - Purchase Of 2 Diesel Red Buses On Agenda, Why Not Hybrid Buses Instead Asks Directors

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors will meet in person Thursday, February 1 at 5:30 PM in the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street) beginning at 5:30 PM. 

This will be the first full RIOC Board of Directors meeting under the new interim leadership team of Deputy General Counsel Gerrald Ellis and Chief Financial Officer Dru Amin with Board Member Howard Polivy acting as a dedicated liaison to them. This new leadership team is in place during the current absence of RIOC President Shelton Haynes and General Counsel Gretchen Robinson who are on paid administrative leave pending the investigation of employee workplace concerns brought against them.

You're invited to attend,  ask questions and share concerns about Roosevelt Island during the opening Public Session before the start of the RIOC Board meeting. Sign up to speak here.

Here's the agenda for the meeting.

Among the items on the Agenda are:

... 2. Authorization to Enter into Contract with New Flyer Industries, Inc. for the Purchase of Two Diesel Buses (Board Action Required)...

During the January 17 RIOC Operations Committee Advisory Committee (Ops) meeting,  RIOC Transportation Director Cy Opperman reviewed the status of the Roosevelt Island Red Bus Fleet and recommended the purchase of 2 new diesel powered buses.

Here's PDF of the presentation made by Mr Opperman to the January 17 RIOC Ops Committee.

During the Ops meeting, RIOC Director Ben Fhala asked if RIOC looked into purchasing electric or hybrid buses. RIOC Ops Chair Fay Christian would not allow Mr Opperman to answer the question because she ruled at the beginning of the meeting that only questions from Ops committee members would be taken and Mr Fhala is not a member of the Ops Committee. 

Here's video of the beginning of the Ops Committee meeting with Mr Christian declaring that only committee members could ask questions followed by the Red Bus presentation by Mr Opperman.

On January 25, RIOC Board Director Dr. Michal Melamed sent this message to RIOC Director Fay Christian:

I am sorry that I was not able to attend the last Operations committee meeting as I was out of the country, speaking at a medical conference. I watched the video and am aware of some of the issues that came up. I have several questions (below) to ask about the bus proposal.

1. Can we be provided with multiple bids for both diesel and hybrid buses. In the current climate crisis, I am not sure why we should be getting diesel buses.
2. Can we be provided with an estimated daily operational cost per bus for existing buses and those to be purchased, assuming a 12-year operational life for both hybrid and diesel options.
3. Can you please clarify the decommissioning process for buses—do they get sold? If so, what is the plan to sell buses 5 & 6.
4. Can we be provided with an update on the status of buses 5/6 and why they are not operational.
5. Is there a plan to purchase a third bus within the next two years?
6. Please provide a more detailed breakdown of the bus schedule, distinguishing between express and red buses, and outline hours of operation on weekdays and weekends.
7. Can someone please explain the rationale behind not assuming the need for a full fleet during rush hours on weekdays (5:30 pm to 7:30 pm), and discuss the necessity of a full fleet prior to and after those hours.
8. Can we be provided with a ridership breakdown (average commuters by the hour (or ¼ hour if available) of the day per bus), as well as a breakdown of ridership during special rides, including the number of people using those rides and the value they created.
9. Explore & report on the possibility of purchasing two mini-buses, preferably electric or hybrid, and provide estimates from multiple vendors.
10. Clarify the purpose of running buses when there is no tram or subway available in the early morning hours (after 2 am on weekdays and after 3:30 am on weekends) and provide information on the normal ridership during such times.
11. During the subway shutdown during February weekends, can we consider rerouting all red buses to Manhattan to accommodate higher volume?
12. Can we address the reported difficulties for the disabled community members in boarding buses due to issues with ramps. Break down the specific issues and explain why a manual ramp, suggested as a backup, was not purchased over three months ago. Are there any plans to acquire backup ramps to prevent such incidents?
13. Can we explore the possibility of using contacts at the MTA to purchase buses through their vendors, and provide reasons if this option has not been pursued. 

I would appreciate answers to these questions. 

I would also like to request to move to a different committee, namely the Real Estate committee. I joined RIOC in order to try to help get medical care on the island. I think my talents would better serve the real estate committee than operations.

Thanks for your attention,

On January 28, RIOC Board member Ben Fhala added:

Good morning Local Media and stakeholders of RIOC,

As of my understanding, the meeting notice and agenda were posted online on Friday. However, board members have not yet received the agenda items. We will need your assistance in analyzing the materials when they become available, given the limited time we'll have for review.

Regrettably, the conduct of the operations committee chair during the meeting resulted in multiple items not being addressed through open and honest debate by the stakeholders that RIOC serves. Unfortunately, the chair allowed one board member to use inappropriate language multiple times and belittle other board members, creating a disheartening display of dysfunction.

Due to the time constraints, Dr. Melamed has submitted multiple questions to RIOC regarding the acquisition of the buses. We are confident in the validity of these questions and anticipate meaningful responses before proceeding with a vote. This discussion will take place during the board meeting due to the dysfunction observed in the operations meeting.

As for other topics on the agenda, we lack detailed information about them or their merit. We look forward to receiving guidance and insights from the community.

I would appreciate it if you could publish Dr. Melamed's questions and include/curate questions from the community, enabling us to provide the necessary oversight over RIOC. As @Visnauskas, RuthAnne (HCR) has often emphasized that resident board members are not expected to act as rubber stamps.

Thanks, Ben Fhala* Resident Board Member

*Disclaimer: All statements made by Ben Fhala are made in his capacity as a RIOC Resident Board member. He does not represent the entirety of RIOC or the full board but serves as a Resident Board member, offering information to the community and its stakeholders.

Don't know if there has been any response to Ms Melamed and Mr Fhala's questions.