The RIOC Column

Herbert E. Berman President Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. e-mail: HBerman@rioc.com

The WIRE led its last edition with a story about lighting on the Island that was wildly incorrect. That inaccuracy is not necessarily news but it gives me an opportunity to explain some of the capital improvements currently underway on the Island, and why we are able to do them.

The WIRE report claimed it found that 40 percent of the street lights on Roosevelt Island were out. Catherine Johnson, RIOC’s Vice President for Operations, walked the Island and performed her own census of 400 street lights and found just 31, or 7 percent, were out. Twenty of those lights were off because of a long-overdue street lighting upgrade that is currently underway at a cost of $1.4 million. It could be that some lights were off because the census was done in part at 6:00 p.m., as witnessed by Ms. Johnson. Those same lights were on at 6:20 p.m., which is when they should be because of the setting of the sun, a daily occurrence over which the RIOC board does not yet have jurisdiction.

But the street-lighting project, the first overhaul of our street lights in 30 years, is the result of the RIOC Board approving a wide array of Island improvements paid for out of growing funds. Among the upgrades underway, completed or planned are:

• The bottom surface of the pool, pool controls and pneumatic heating system were replaced or refurbished at Sportspark.

• The pavers at the Good Shepherd Community Center have been repaired and replaced, as were pavers along Main Street. New wiring for additional lighting was installed during the work on the pathway.

• Walkways, retaining walls, foundations, lighting and tables were upgraded at Lighthouse Park, and the overgrowth was cleared at the Octagon soccer field, opening the field to river views.

• The Blackwell House fountain has been repaired, and we are beginning preservation work on Blackwell House’s front.

• A new sidewalk, retaining wall and bus shelter are being installed off Main Street north of Eastwood to address congestion from buses queuing up for school kids at dismissal.

• A dog run was installed east of Riverwalk.

• And of course, the power and drive systems of the Tram were overhauled this summer after the stoppage last April, preparatory to a complete, $15 million modernization of the Tram now in the planning stages.

With the exception of the future Tram modernization, to be paid in part by State assistance, the projects were paid out of funds that RIOC has been able to build up over recent years through income generated by new development.

Much of the recent increase in available funds is from development at Octagon and Southtown. RIOC controls the land that sits under the buildings, but buildings themselves are privately owned. The developers pay RIOC for development rights and ground leases.

So when you think about challenges posed by continuing development on Roosevelt Island, remember that development generates income that allows RIOC to pay for the public works and amenities that make this such a very special place.