It's A Problem For Many, Many Years, When You Gotta Go To A Public Bathroom Where Do You Go On Roosevelt Island?

The lack of public bathrooms on Roosevelt Island has been a problem for many years. As reported in 2007:

... Good Day: I was visiting Roosevelt Island yesterday. I basically had a nice time, residents were very friendly, but I was unable to find any public restrooms....

Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) President Judy Berdy is concerned about the lack of public bathrooms on Roosevelt Island. Ms Berdy shares this message she sent last Saturday to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) leadership team of Chief Financial Officer Dhru Amin and Acting Chief Operating Officer Mary Cunneen upon learning that the Cornell Tech Cafe is closing during the upcoming holidays from December 21 to January 5 making its public bathroom unavailable. According to Ms Berdy.

Every day dozens of visitors and residents arrive at the kiosk in need of bathroom facilities.

As you can see from the message below there will be an urgent bathroom shortage starting next week.

In the past Cornell Tech has accommodated visitors in the bathrooms at Bloomberg Cafe.

We have referred people to Southpoint Park which is really difficult if they are not on their way to Southpoint Park.

We know that the sewer work has been done and assume that the two bathrooms in the station should be in operation.

We Know it is a challenge to have visitors use the station bathroom., but the only other solution is opening the two bathrooms in Sportspark for visitors. Use of these bathrooms will not interupt the function of Sportspark, a RIOC facility, not a private club.

RIOC has never been good at accommodating the toilet needs of visitors or residents.

The use of portable facilities in mid-winter is unreasonable and unsafe.

Please send us your solution Monday or Tuesday since Cornell Cafe will be closed starting Wednesday.

The Roosevelt Island Tram bathrooms were closed today.

The Southpoint Park bathrooms were open and in use today, 

a short 5-10 minute walk from the Tram.

RIOC Communications Director Bryant Daniels replied to Ms Berdy that bathrooms in the Sportspark will be available to the public. 

According to Mr Bryant:

The westside Sportspark bathrooms near the main entrance are open for the general public to use while the Tram station bathrooms are offline. Judy you and your team can let folks know as needed, there is now no sign on the door about no public bathrooms.

Signage will be necessary to make sure that people know the Sportspark bathrooms are available for the public to use.

Roosevelt Island Board Of Directors Meeting Today - Garden Club License, Tram Station Restroom Sewer Repair, Interim Director of Engineering Among Items On The Agenda

 Image Of Roosevelt Island Garden Club From Above Via RIGarden

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Of Directors will be meeting later this afternoon. According to RIOC

AGENDA

MAY 21, 2015 MEETING OF

THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

THE CULTURAL CENTER THEATER, 548 MAIN STREET,

ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NEW YORK

5:30 P.M.[1]


I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

III. Approval of Minutes

1. April 16, 2015 Board Meeting (Board Action Required)

IV. Old Business

V. New Business

1. Ratification of Amendment of License Agreement with the Roosevelt Island Garden Club, LTD (RIGC) (Board Action Required)

2. Ratification of Contract with New York Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Corp. for Tram Sewer Repairs (Board Action Required)

3. Authorization to Enter into Contract for Consultant to Serve as Interim Director of Engineering (Board Action Required)

4. Authorization to Enter into Contract with Northeastern Office Equipment Inc. for Information Technology Equipment (Board Action Required)

5. President’s Report

6. Committee Reports

a. Audit Committee

b. Governance Committee

c. Operations Advisory Committee

d. Real Estate Development Advisory Committee

7. Public Safety Report

VI. Adjournment

[1] The RIOC Board Meeting will commence following a public comment period. The public comment period is not part of the meeting.

Here's more info on:

• the Garden Club License Agreement,
• Tram Station restroom sewer repair payment,
• Interim Director Of Engineering Consultant and
• Office equipment purchases.

Also, as reported yesterday, Jamie Rubin was appointed the new Chairman of RIOC Board of Directors.

UPDATE 5/22 - Here's video of the 5/21 RIOC Board of Directors Meeting.

Roosevelt Island Tram and Cornell Technion Campus Subject of Today's RIOC Board Of Directors Operations Committee Meeting At 5:30 PM - Will We Find Out When and What Tram Station Improvements To Be Made

Image of Proposed Roosevelt Island Tram Station Renovation August 2010

Received the following notice from Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a meeting of the Operations Advisory Committee of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on Monday, February 27, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. at the RIOC administrative office, 591 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York.
Amended Agenda

1. Discussion on Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway Operations

2. Discussion on Cornell/Technion Applied Sciences Campus Project

Perhaps we will learn what the status is of the long delayed planned Tram Station renovations that were part of the $25 million Roosevelt Island Tram Modernization Project.

 Image of Proposed Tram Station With Overhead Canopies In August 2010

In September 2011, RIOC President Leslie Torres reported:

... we are planning to renovate the Tram Plaza to improve its overall appearance. Plans for the renovation on the Roosevelt Island side include:

• Replacement of the railings at the Tram boarding platform
• The addition of a see-through roof
• An enclosure for the Tram boarding area, which will be heated in the winter Scrapping, sanding, and painting of the railings
• Installing a new no-slip floor and patching where necessary
• Power washing the entire Plaza

The Manhattan side of the Plaza will get the same renovations as above with the following additions:

• A new Courtesy booth
• New security gates
• New tread toppings for the stairs
• New textured warning strips at the bottom of the stairs to help the visually impaired

We have already selected the contractor and Phase 1 of the work, which also includes renovations of the restrooms, and is scheduled to begin at the end of September. We anticipate completion of all the work in the fall of 2012....

Ms. Torres reported in her February 25 President's Report that the Tram Station bathroom will be open on March 5:

 ...The newly renovated men’s and women’s restrooms at the Tram station will be open for public use starting on Monday, March 5. We hope they will add a measure of convenience for residents and visitors...

Here is the proposed Tram Station improvements proposed and approved by the RIOC Board of Directors in August 2010.

At one time a green roof was considered for the Tram Station

and the old Manhattan Tram Station Courtesy booth met this fate - remember?

Image From Judy Berdy

Latest on Roosevelt Island Cornell Technion NYC Applied Sciences & Engineering School campus from post on Friday.

Report From RIOC President Leslie Torres - Tram Bathrooms Open March 5, Good Shepherd Plaza Restoration Resumes March 1, New York Power Authority Tree Program, & Congratulations On 20 Years of Public Safety Service To Captain Suarez

 Image of Closed But Soon To Be Open Roosevelt Island Tram Bathrooms

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Lesie Torres sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

From time to time, I will be using this column to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of RIOC staff members who help life on Roosevelt Island run smoothly. A perfect example is Captain Estrella Suarez from our Public Safety Department.

Last month marked the beginning of Suarez’s twentieth year as a member of the Public Safety team. In 2005 she was promoted to captain, becoming the department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer. “She is the consummate professional,” says PSD Director Keith Guerra. “Simply put, she is the backbone of our department.”

In addition to being responsible for important administrative work, such as scheduling and payroll, Suarez assists Guerra with the day-to-day supervision of the Public Safety force, and with creating and implementing the department’s policies and procedures. She also supervises PSD’s Anti-Crime Unit.

For Suarez, law enforcement is not about “putting the bad guy away,” but rather about helping people. It’s a job she embraces for its challenges. “The work is complex and can be dangerous,” she says. “Every day is unique, but I like solving different problems and I have a passion for the job.”

With the help of Suarez’s leadership, PSD is a particularly tight-knit group – so much so that she refers to the department as “the family.” Officers have one another’s backs, whether it’s on the job, or it’s offering support when a fellow officer is in need.

Like so many RIOC staff members, Suarez is grateful for the opportunity to work on Roosevelt Island. “It’s a beautiful place and I feel like I’m among friends here,” she says. “If I didn’t work here, I would definitely live here. It’s the best place in the world.”

New York Power Authority Tree Program

RIOC will be participating once again this spring in the New York Power Authority (NYPA) Tree Program, which is run in conjunction with the New York State Nursery Association, Inc. In order to help make New York greener and enhance the environment, NYPA will match the cost of trees purchased. Due to the high demand and a limited supply, this year RIOC has been allotted only 38 trees – 10 Red Maples, 10 Honey Locusts and 18 Flowering Cherry Trees. The trees are scheduled to be delivered in early April and will be planted throughout the Island.

Construction Updates

The newly renovated men’s and women’s restrooms at the Tram station will be open for public use starting on Monday, March 5. We hope they will add a measure of convenience for residents and visitors.

On March 1 contractors will resume the repair work to the plaza around the Good Shepherd Community Center. The work began last year, but was suspended for the winter months. The construction, which will involve the installation of new pavers, is scheduled to be completed by May.

Fantastic Bird's Eye View Riding Roosevelt Island Tram Over East River To Manhattan But When Will Tram Station Bathrooms Be Fixed?

This may be the best way to experience riding the Roosevelt Island Tram over the East River on way to the Manhattan Second Avenue Tram Station without actually being on it. Here's a birds eye view of a Roosevelt Island Tram Trip.



Roosevelt Island Tramway sekund for sekund from Anders Eriksson on Vimeo.

The view and trip on the Tram is terrific but residents, tourists and Tram workers would like to have the bathrooms at the Roosevelt Island Tram station open again.

 Image Of Roosevelt Island Tram Bathroom Space

During the January 19, 2012 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors meeting, Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez explained that the contractor doing the bathroom renovation was replaced (same contractor that did the Good Shepherd Plaza Restoration) and RIOC would perform the renovation internally together with the same contractor handling the Tram Station Renovation. Mr. Martinez expressed hope that one bathroom would be open by the end of January and the other by mid-February. As of today, the Tram Station bathrooms are still closed. Here's full explanation from Mr. Martinez.

You Tube Video of RIOC Tram Bathroom Discussion