There are bees swarming and making a hive in the FDNY call box in the island out front of the Octagon bus stop. Dangerous!!
Do you have a Roosevelt Island issue or problem that can be fixed by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC)? If you see a problem or an issue on Roosevelt Island that needs to be brought to the attention of RIOC and fixed, click on RI 311 See Click Fix,
Reported last week on some Roosevelt Island residents being kept awake at night by construction noise and bright lights on the Queensboro Bridge :
... Every night this week (as well as between the 16 and the 20th of july), there has been extremely loud jack hammering on the queensboro bridge, between 10pm and 3-4am. The level of the noise is really unbearable. They also use huge projectors to give light to the workers....
I sent the following inquiry to the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT):
Several Roosevelt Island residents who live near the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge have been upset at the overnight construction noise and lights coming from the Bridge into their apartments between 10 PM and 4 AM.
Can the Department of Transportation provide any information regarding the overnight work which is being done on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. When will it be completed and is there any way to reduce the noise and lights keeping Roosevelt Island residents awake at night?
The NYC DOT replied:
work currently is being performed to resurface the roadway on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. The project takes place in two phases—milling and resurfacing—and work is being performed during the day, and in some cases overnight. The resurfacing project will create a smoother riding surface, and alleviate bumpy conditions, which we received complaints about in the past.
and:
We checked our records, and it does not appear that we have received any 311 complaints about this issue. Please note that steps are being taken to mitigate noise related to this active construction project, including using newer equipment and mufflers. With regard to lighting, the roadway lighting is essential for worker safety during overnight shifts. DOT is reminding the crew to take a look at the lights, and where possible, adjust them to make sure the lights are directed only at the roadway.
The project will be completed in the fall, based on weather.
Every night this week (as well as between the 16 and the 20th of july), there has been extremely loud jack hammering on the queensboro bridge, between 10pm and 3-4am. The level of the noise is really unbearable. They also use huge projectors to give light to the workers.
Do you have any information of how much time this will last, or if they could stop working during the night, allowing everyone to sleep?
Earlier today, another Roosevelt Island resident told me that last night he could hear the loud noise of Queensboro Bridge construction work from his apartment at 455 Main Street - 4 buildings away from the bridge
Hope you get a good night sleep tonight.
UPDATE 8/6 - More from Roosevelt Island Southtown residents on Queensboro Bridge construction noise:
Me too in Riverwalk Crossing. Because it's so humid out, we keep the windows closed and the AC on. Otherwise, it would keep us up. :(
and:
I am going to buy earplugs tomorrow, it has been terrible in the past week, and who knows how long this construction will go on. I could not find any information about it online.
UPDATE 8/9 - NYC Department of Transportation reports they will take steps to mitigate the problem. More here.
Do you have a Roosevelt Island issue or problem that can be fixed by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC)? If you see a problem or an issue on Roosevelt Island that needs to be brought to the attention of RIOC and fixed, click on RI 311 See Click Fix, report the issue and then monitor RIOC's response to the problem.
Every single day, the Island Hose courtyard becomes a meeting place for skateboarders who exercise their skills.
The noise made by those skateboarders jumping every possible steps inside the Island House courtyard, is amplified by sound reflections from the surrounding walls.
Is there a way Public Safety can provide a quitter environment for tenants of Island House, by enforcing a NO SKATEBOARD ZONE inside Island House courtyard?
and RIOC's response:
Issue Closed
The courtyard is operated by your building management company, RY Management. Please inform them of the situation as it is there responsibility. We will also ask our Public Safety Officers to observe the specified area.
Parents & dog owners! A little sensitivity and some rules needed! dogs going wild, barking, raring their teeth, and jumping up on the food have no place at the green market. Dogs of shouldn't be that close to food sales. And kids on Razor scooters, bikes, skates, etc. are a danger and a nuisance. Please take some responsibility.
RIOC, would u kindly institute some rules:
- no pets allowed in vicinity of food
- no scooters, bicycles, rollerblades, etc. beyond this point?
Thank you!
and RIOC's response:
Issue Closed This is certainly a sensitive matter. The PTA manages the green market as it assists them with meeting their fundrasing goals. We will reach out to them for further discussions and work with the PSD to see that these matters are handled accordingly.
RIOC
The fruit stand needs lights at night. Currently he uses a generator, which creates unnecessary pollution. Could RIOC make an electrical outlet available at the fruit stand location?
No response yet from RIOC on the fruit stand issue.
One final example:
I guess it will take Cornell moving over here for RIOC to try to put on a good face.. Filthy, nasty women's locker rooms at Sports Park Pool
Bet you 100 bucks by the time Cornell moves in here RIOC will jump to cleaning up the dark, old and pitiful dressing rooms at the pool. l would like to see Ms. Torres' face if she wanted to go for a swim at the Sports park Pool and went into the dressing rooms with her family to change, and shower. I bet she would be heading over to Home Depot stat to purchase some Clorox, a few Mr. Shower heads and she might even grab a gallon or two of yellow or sage green paint and some new clean and slip proof tiles for the floors, not to mention some new light fixtures.
What do people think that come over and use the pool and use the showers before and after the pool? My god, clean the place up if not for us for the kids that frequent the place!
maybe we should go in and take pictures of the showers and the dressing areas to show what we are talking about...last time I went, my flip flops were sticking to the dressing room floor! I wanted to sterilize my hands after touching everything in there. All of that then gets transferd into the pool.
A complete make over is in order, plain and simple.
No RI 311 response yet from RIOC on this issue though RIOC VP of Operations Fernando Martinez did respond to complaints about condition of Sportspark locker rooms in post earlier this week:
The Sports Park locker rooms are cleaned daily, and they were painted about 2 years ago. We are having preliminary internal discussions on an overall Sports Park rehabilitation project.
One problem with the RI 311 reporting system is that RIOC lists an issue as "Closed" when they respond to the listing, not necessarily when the issue is resolved. Perhaps RIOC should acknowledge an issue is received, then wait until the issue is resolved before indicating it is closed.
Mayor Bloomberg and Cornell President David Skorton appeared on Good Day New York Tuesday morning to discuss the new graduate engineering school and its impact on New York City. Mayor Bloomberg also categorically denied any intention to run as an independent candidate for President in 2012.
2nd Avenue Sagas Blogger asks, as do those of us living here, what is the future for Roosevelt Island transportation infrastructure improvements with the arrival of the Cornell Technion campus?
... In a post yesterday, Cap’n Transit wondered how Roosevelt Island would remain relatively car-free. The infrastructure on the island can’t really support a huge influx of cars as it is even as the current hospital areas near where the campus will go up are relatively car-heavy. “Let’s hope,” the Cap’n writes, “that the Cornell and Technion designers have more vision than they showed in that lame fly-through, and that they build something urban and scholarly, with really narrow streets, like in Paris’s Latin Quarter....
and:
One potential “right thing” could involve exploring a new subway stop for the island. The 53rd St. tunnel passes directly underneath what will be the southern end of the Cornell campus. There’s no station right now, and I have no idea if one is even technically or economically feasible. But it would serve to anchor the campus and would nearly eliminate the need to drive to Cornell-on-Roosevelt. Currently, while the F train itself at Roosevelt Island is very crowded, the station is only the 180th most popular. That figure is a bit deceptive though as the 37.6 percent increase in ridership from 2009 to 2010 was the second highest in the city. Over 2.5 million riders a year use the station, and that number will jump considerably with the campus....
During Monday's Press Conference, I asked Mayor Bloomberg and Cornell President Skorton that very question regarding transportation infrastructure improvements for Roosevelt Island and received a general reply that they were very aware of the issue and it will be addressed but no specifics at that moment. After the press conference I asked NYC Economic Development Corp President Seth Pinsky about Roosevelt Island transportation infrastructure and he indicated that discussions will be underway with the MTA on this issue. Also nothing specific at that moment.
There were some interesting comments to the 2nd Avenue Sagas post on Roosevelt Island transportation infrastructure including:
The proper grading for a stop in the 53rd St tubes is simply not there. You need essentially a level grade for about 600 ft, or as close as possible to 600 ft. Besides there is ample capacity at the Roosevelt Island stop. Ample train capacity would be achieved by putting the “F” back in 53rd St, where it belongs, and routing the much more lightly loaded “M” into 63rd St. In so doing you’d eliminate all the ridiculously slow and delay generating switching moves at Queens Plaza & 36 St. Nights & weekends when the “M” quits the “F” could be be rerouted to 63rd St. For reliability a railroad should be straight railed to the maximum extent possible. Eliminate all unnecessary switching moves.
the Queensboro Bridge Roosevelt Island elevator idea returns:
Perhaps adding a mid-bridge station on the Queensboro? Is it not true that trolley service over the bridge featured a Roosevelt Island stop?
What about constructing a new tram from the Cornell campus to the new development at the former Con Ed site just south of the UN? That has to be cheaper than a new subway stop. Add in the Vision42 proposal (hey, we’re dreaming here, right?) and you’ve got a pretty quick route into Midtown.
Safety School? As Stanford Says ‘See Ya!’ Bloomberg Hops in Bed with Big Red
How New York City got a better deal by going with the less prestigious choice.
regarding the competition between Cornell and Stanford to be selected to build the new school. According to Beta Beat:
... Part of the difficulty of understanding where negotiations broke down is a silence clause stipulated in the request for proposal (RFP). But numerous sources, who spoke under condition of anonymity, painted a picture of tense discussions and onerous demands that left several schools wary, including Stanford.
Cornell, eager to increase its presence in New York City, was more compliant at the negotiating table and better versed in what it took to get city approval, including fundraising before commitments were made. Sources said the $350 million gift, for example, had been secured for months. “We need to expand beyond Ithaca,” President Skorton said plainly from the podium.
“Cornell needed it more. But NYC Tech needs Stanford more,” tweeted New York City–based venture capitalist David Pakman, alluding to the latter’s prestige within tech circles and facility with spinning out successful startups. (There’s a reason China and Russia are trying to build their own Silicon Valley.)
In the end, it seems the city got a better deal for taxpayers by going with the one that wanted it more, rather than the one it was supposed to want.
A university source familiar with the negotiations said Stanford’s decision to drop out wasn’t based on any one issue, but rather due to “a whole host of things that held them liable for factors outside of [their] control,” such as big-ticket penalties for missed construction deadlines and the city’s desire “to indemnify themselves for any toxicity” at the Roosevelt Island site. Although a Phase II study was commissioned this year, a full scale analysis of the medical dump under the hospital cannot be done until the building is razed. Should serious hazards be uncovered, the school will be on the hook not only for the clean-up but also potentially for resultant delays.”You had a lot of institutions that wouldn’t even apply because of the terms, and they got even more severe in the negotiation process,” said the source.
City officials counter that such stipulations are par for the course. “If we didn’t include these types of commitments, there would be a chorus of people saying: How could the city write a blank check to a university that in five years could just decide it wasn’t into it?!” one official said. “It’s standard in any kind of long-term land lease or land sale that the city would ask the recipient to agree to certain benchmarks.”....
Tech Crunch interviewed Cornell Dean Daniel Huttenlocher on the new Roosevelt Island school:
... Academically, we’re looking at shifting away from traditional university campus disciplines. There’ll be key disciplines involved — computer science, electrical engineering, operations research, applied math — but those disciplines need to be in the context of other disciplines where tech is being applied…. hubs that combine tech and other fields. In media, for instance, there are relevant areas of the social sciences, like sociology and psychology.
It’s about building interdisciplinary groupings that focus on these domains — Connective Media, Healthier Life, and the Built Environment. That second one isn’t just health care, but things like lifestyle types of apps. The third is about smart building technology, green buildings.
If you look at startup companies in New York, there’s certainly media. That’s a big, active area in the city’s economy.
For health, you’re seeing some startups there. But I’d say it’s the leading edge of the startup world. Then with green tech, that’s the bleeding edge, and there are relatively few companies. There’s a lot of growth potential in all these areas from a jobs perspective, and we see the academic areas that support them are not pure tech....
What impact Cornell's huge presence on Roosevelt Island will have in the future is unknown but it will be immense. Someone, perhaps associated with Cornell using the name Cornell Tech, is trying to have an impact by reporting this graffiti issue to RI 311 See Click Fix system.
HUGE HUGE gang tagging on the sea wall, all in Queens can see it
this thing is huge and been there a long time..would be nice if it was covered up, painted, sandblasted off. You can see it from Queens and it is very large, had to take a long time to do.
Let's see how fast the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) jumps to clean up the graffiti mess pointed out by Cornell.
This is just the beginning of a very long and exciting process for the Roosevelt Island community. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Image of Grandpa Al Lewis Playground From Roosevelt Island 360
Special Playground Correspondent Roosevelt Island 360 reports on a potential safety problem at Grandpa Al Lewis Playground:
The playground equipment at Grandpa Al Lewis Playground is probably the most heavily used on Roosevelt Island due to its location and popularity to all the local kids. That popularity has taken its toll on the equipment. And an accident is just waiting to happen.
After the removal of the overhead monkey bars RIOC fenced off the remaining platform securing the fences with plastic straps. Straps that have to endure the pressure of hundreds of kids weekly pulling and pushing upon the fences. At one end of one fence four straps secure the fence. The other side only two. The second fence only has one remaining strap.
It is this fence and remaining strap that will probably soon fail and I believe RIOC should be monitoring and fixing before something happens.
On our way home from the playground we stopped in at Public Safety to report the condition. We'll see how long it takes to be truly repaired. Simply replacing straps is not a long term option.
on the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) web site. You can also track how RIOC responds to this issue as well as other issues previously submitted to the site including
Was in the Tram and only one side of windows was open (no cross ventilation-hot). It was full so I couldn't get to the operators. When the tram got to the Island I told the operator to open them. He did, but this should be part of the procedure on every shift. Also a slide saying "hot, please ask operator to open all tram windows" would help too.
Community Gardens has no power
Friends, when approaching the roundabout southward on Main St, there is a roundabout sign, AND an ALL TRAFFIC sign. I think this can be confusing!
There are a lot of cars at Motorgate that park outside the parking lines and as a result take up more than one space. Some cars park in the small car areas that are very big and this makes it difficult to get around the turns. Most of the parking lot lines are old, not clear or bright so a solution might be to paint these with a bright reflective paint. Also the rules should be enforced or penalty system agreed to make sure people parking follow the rules.
In Motorgate the Zipcar signs are on the ground. It would be easier to see if you put them on the wall or both. Also if you painted the parking lines Zipcar green that would help too!
In addition to voting for and monitoring issues already submitted to RIOC, you can report them as well. So, if you see a problem or an issue on Roosevelt Island that needs to be brought to the attention of RIOC and fixed, click on RI 311, report the issue and then monitor RIOC's response to the problem.
Roosevelt Island resident Jonathan Kalkin shares this opportunity for an internship with NYC Digital.
NYC Digital is seeking an intern skilled in social media tools and strategy. This individual should have excellent communication skills, professional experience in digital media, and mastery of prominent digital media platforms and tracking applications. The intern will play an important role in supporting New York City’s digital media presence by contributing to social media channels and facilitating coordination with City agencies...
The mission of NYC Digital is to create a healthier civil society and stronger democracy through the use of technology that engages, serves, and connects New Yorkers.
To this end, NYC Digital coordinates digital citywide initiatives that support the efficient exchange of information and services between the public and the City of New York government. This includes the user experience and content of nyc.gov, 311 Online, crowdsourcing and participatory media initiatives, and the coordination of social media efforts. In May 2011, NYC Digital released Road Map for the Digital City, a comprehensive plan to make New York city the world’s premier Digital City....
Mr. Kalkin adds:
A great internship opportunity for a Roosevelt Island resident who wants to innovate New York City.
In addition to the New York City government, Roosevelt Island is also attempting to lead the way in the use of digital technology to improve the delivery of municipal resources and services with the recent launching of the Roosevelt Island 311 See Click Fix problem reporting system,
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.
