One of those services is the on-Island bus service, and starting this week, that service will be provided on new, red, state-of-the-art buses. We are having a ceremony to inaugurate the new buses at 10:30 on Wednesday, February 15, at the Tram station, and want to invite all residents to come out to see and ride them. They are designed to run on hybrid fuels, including electricity and gasoline, and are fully handicapped-accessible.

The amenities include an unparalleled series of landmarked monuments and public parks, ranging from the Lighthouse on the northern tip of the Island to the former Renwick smallpox hospital, the City’s only landmarked ruin, in Southpoint.

The Blackwell House in the center of the Island dates back to 1794, having been the farmhouse home of Roosevelt Island’s earliest resident. The Chapel of the Good Shepherd, with its magnificent rotunda, has become a regular meeting place for Island residents.

Now we are about to add a new historic presence on the Island in the Octagon Tower, with a renovation nearly completed as part of the development of the Octagon apartment buildings. The Octagon is the surviving remnant of a 19th century mental hospital, a time when the City located many of its medical facilities on the Island.

The amenities include a wide variety of athletic and recreation facilities, as well. The parkland on the Island, including Southpoint Park, offer fields for baseball and soccer. There are outdoor tennis courts and the indoor courts at the privately-owned tennis center. The promenade that circumnavigates the Island has become a popular track for walking, running and bicycling.

Central to the recreational amenities is the Sportspark, which is large enough to accommodate indoor basketball and soccer. The swimming pool also has inaugurated a program of open swim times appropriate for all ages that we encourage residents to take advantage of.

Adult-only swimming is set aside twice during the week, on Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 4 to 7 p.m. Swimming for all ages is available on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Admission is $5. More information is posted on the RIOC website at www.rioc.com.

Last Saturday was the first open swim, which brought rave reviews from those residents who attended, and we encourage more residents to check the website and join in the exercise and fun.

These amenities exist for the benefit of our residents. So whether you seek to improve your mind or your body, or hopefully both, we urge you to take advantage of what your home community offers.