To RIOC President Herb Berman
and RIRA President Steve Marcus:

I am a relatively new resident of Roosevelt Island having moved from my apartment in the Village after my rent was raised well over what I could afford (after 15 years). So I moved into the Octagon on April 20 ( two days after the Tram disaster) with promises of the Red Bus being very frequent, making travel to and from Manhattan fairly easy.

Not so. I have contacted Mr. Berman before with some suggestions for improving the Red Buses but never received any acknowledgment of my e-mail. So I am contacting both of you with these suggestions.

1.) We are working people who need to get to work. Why then are the Red Buses taking a "break" at the height of the rush hour? I had just missed a bus last Thursday, waited ten minutes for the next bus, which did not take passengers (at 9:00 a.m.) because he needed his break.

After another ten minutes went by and the crowd at the Octagon was getting edgy, the third bus arrived. It fills nearly to capacity with riders just from the Octagon. Only four more stops to go before the subway.

2.) Roosevelt Island wants to be a small home town in a big city, however, it is not. We are in a big city and we need to get places. So can we please instruct drivers that they are not to take smoking breaks while picking up passengers, they are not to stop in mid-traffic to give some passerby a kiss on the cheek, they are not to stop mid-route to have a chat with another bus driver, they are not to stop mid-route to get off the bus to shake some old guy’s hand.

This is not some resort island. Some of us had no choice but to move here, and we would like to make the commute to and from work as short as possible.

3.) Why oh why do you have the Red Buses making the turn into Gristede’s to pick up riders? Can you see that it makes the route slower? Do you see that it makes riders run across lanes of traffic to catch the bus? Why not stop in front of the building opposite the store? There is an awning there to protect riders from the weather, plus it is a straight route.

4.) How is it possible that the Red Buses, equipped with radios to communicate with each other, end up coming in groups of two or three after we wait for an eternity for a bus? Time after time I have waited in the morning for the bus, only to have the next one show up immediately behind the first. Why? Isn’t there a better way to provide service?

I hope you will take these comments into careful consideration.

Gregory Halverson

 

To the Editor:

Ever since the Octagon Apartments opened to new renters, the Red Bus service has deteriorated terribly. By the time it gets to the Gristede’s stop, the bus is packed to the hilt. The problem of bunching also goes unabated, even after the Tram resumed operations (the premise being that the bus schedule was tied to the Tram’s).

As usual, those responsible for running the Island’s day-to-day operations are clueless as to these new developments.

Perhaps, the only way the poor bus service issue can be addressed is when residents band together and boycott the Red Bus altogether. Will management feel the decrease in revenue with the decrease in ridership? Perhaps not, because a quarter per ride does not amount to much and even a month’s loss would be peanuts.

Also, people basically are lazy and would rather wait than walk the ten-minute stretch to the subway or Tram. Let’s face it, people would rather sit, smug and complacent, and wait for change to happen, which I assure you would take forever, thanks to the American way of red tape/bureaucracy. So a boycott probably would not work either.

Hence, my wife and I have started making plans to move off the Island. We’re giving ourselves up to a year starting this month.

Arrivederci, Auf Wiedersehen, Sawatdi, Do Svidanja, Sholem, Au Revoir, Namaste, Sayonara, Aloha, Salam, Adios, Paalam Roosevelt Island; and good luck to those who remain.

Jose Enrico and Melinda Limjap

 

To the Editor:

I was awakened from a deep sleep at 1:25 a.m. on October 12 by what sounded like an explosion, but was actually some kind of steam-letting from one of the power plant stacks. I dialed 911, half-asleep because I really thought it was an explosion. They couldn’t hear me and I couldn’t hear them! The sound was repeated a few minutes later.

I then called Public un-Safety. They heard it too, but didn’t seem to care. They told me to call Keyspan, but had no number for them. I looked it up and Keyspan told me it’s not their plant.

A few minutes later the fire department called me... it seems that the 911 operator traced my call and thought there was an explosion here. The FDNY guy had no record of any explosion, and when I told him where the noise came from he told me to call Keyspan. I told him I had already done so and Keyspan said it wasn’t their plant.

So, I got out the phone book and next called Con Ed. They told me they had no reports of anything unusual, and that if I heard a noise it might have been thunder. I don’t think so... I saw the steam spewing out of one of the stacks. Not unusual? At 1:30 a.m.? I’ve been here 26 years and never have I heard anything that loud, even in the heat of the summer as they let steam escape!

Later, others reported hearing the noise, too. So, was it Con Ed, Keyspan or the bogeyman? And, most important, why is our Public Safety gang so ill-equipped to know what’s going on that may impact the safety and security of people on this Island, such that they don’t even know whether the power plant with the three stacks belongs to Con Ed or Keyspan, nor do they know whom to contact! Oh, wait...it’s not their job to know anything or contact anyone.

Raye Schwartz

 

To the RIOC Board of Directors:

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Island Kids, Inc., our sincerest thanks for the approval of the public purpose funds for our organization. As you know, Island Kids’ mission is to support the Roosevelt Island community by providing enrichment programs for children of all ages. Your support allows us to move forward with plans to grow the organization and provide scholarships to those who otherwise would not be able to participate in our programs. We are thrilled to say that we have a full program running this fall, and will offer support groups and parenting seminars beginning in January. None of this would be possible without the generous support of RIOC. Again, thank you for your belief in this vital Island organization.

Nikki Leopold,
Executive Director

 

 

To RIOC and the RIOC Board:

Thanks for fixing up and repairing our great Sportspark pool this September! We’re back at practice, working hard, and are really grateful that the pool is so nice and clean.

Thank you so much.

Amy Richmond for
The Marlins Swim Team

 

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

I want to thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts while my son, LTCR Kurt Rothenhaus, was stationed in Iraq. He has now safely returned and is with his family in California. When I told him of your kindness, he was very, very touched.

I know your thoughts and prayers went with him as he traveled through Iraq and helped to bring him home. This is another example of the caring that always occurs among the residents of Roosevelt Island. We are a wonderful community and continually express concern for our neighbors and friends. Kurt and his family join me in thanking you again.

Clarice Rothenhaus