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June 30, 2007 |
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Last Two Weeks of June:
1. Had joint meetings with RIRA representatives to discuss prominent issues:
a. Commercial corridor on Main Street: Met with Margie Smith and a developer she brought in. Conclusion was that, for this developer, with only 30,000 square feet "available" (out of the total of 90,000 square feet, 60,000 is occupied under lease or permit), too small to be of interest given the investment of time and money required. We continue to explore the avenues to lease up the vacancies, while the clean-up program proceeds.
b. Red Bus routes: After much discussion and a trial run, as of June 25, the morning rush hour bus no longer loops into Gristedes, stops in front of Manhattan Park, proceeds directly down Main Street as before, discharging passengers across West Channel Drive from the subway, then to the Tram, discharging and receiving passengers at the existing stop, then looping behind Sportspark to head north on West Channel Drive, picking up passengers in front of the subway, and on to the north as before. The Gristedes loop elimination is during morning rush hours only. The Tram will still be met by the bus in the evening rush hour and after dark. The East Main Street bus stop near the Riverwalk sales office is eliminated.
c. Red Bus and strollers: After much discussion, the issue was referred back to RIRA to poll its greater constituency. Obviously, for the parents who must bring their strollers/toddlers onboard during rush hours, it is an imperative, despite the imposition on the much greater number. Where the line is to be drawn is one of the problems of democracy. For the time being, the rule continues as: "No unfolded strollers during rush hours."
d. Red Bus capacity: Whether the good weather season is conducive to more walkers or other reasons, the buses are not now overcrowded and neither the lines nor the wait too long. All will continue to monitor the situation and will add capacity as required.
e. Main Street congestion: While summer is here and without school buses, the congestion is relieved; double-parked delivery trucks continue to be a problem. Public Safety is researching available New York City regulations and asking merchant cooperation. The matter is being worked.
f. Main Street stop signs and crosswalks: Recognizing the danger to pedestrians, enforcement will be emphasized. A patrol car will be stationed near the foot of the bridge ramp and a couple of summonses issued for violations should become an effective deterrent. The moving of the southbound bus stop to the west side of the street and elimination of the Gristedes loop during the morning rush hour should remove much of the potential for accidents at that spot.
2. Manhattan Park: A totally unsubstantiated rumor as to the elimination of the affordable housing units in Manhattan Park was circulated. While the Section 8 contract with the US Department of HUD may expire at some date in the future, Congress has always reauthorized the program (and it would be a political firestorm not to, and make no business sense, given FHA insurance commitments on tens of thousands of units with Section 8 subsidy). More directly to the point, the lease with Manhattan Park requires the maintenance of the affordable units without exception for the Section 8 program’s continuance.
3. Island House and Westview: After many meetings with DHCR, the Island House plan for future affordability appears to be moving into a format that will be deemed to meet the affordability requirements of public purpose, both for the present occupants and those to follow. With the assistance of the residents’ financial advisors at CPC, if an appropriate agreement can be reached with the owner, refinancing arrangements made with HFA or other institutions, the physical needs of the building taken into account, and myriad legal steps taken, the road to an equity future for the tenants may be coming into focus. Not easy, with much yet to be accomplished.
4. July 4 fireworks celebration: The plans are finalized, invitations out, ticket sales underway and everyone’s hoping for good weather. For information about the event, ticket purchases, etc., see the RIOC website and the connection there. About 2,000 tickets sold so far and a great time should be had by all! The Red Bus will be free all day and the Tram will be free after 3:00 p.m.
5. Blackwell House renovation is under a full head of steam and finally looks to be on track.
6. Personnel change: With sadness for Roosevelt Island but happiness for him, Scott Weiss, our seven-year veteran of construction and engineering details, is moving on and up to a position with another company. We wish him well and thank him for his truly outstanding service. He has promised to download as much of his encyclopedic knowledge of the Island’s infrastructure as possible, both in hard copy and orally, and to be available for consultation in the future. Hill International, the engineering firm that supplies RIOC with the expertise to deal with the many diverse issues, has promoted Joie Machado to the senior position. To those who have not dealt with Joie, she is a deeply experienced project manager with an in-depth experience in construction and engineering fields. We are fortunate to have her on deck. Hill will be furnishing a second chair and will be backstopping the position as necessary.
7. Summer projects: With our seasonal hires, many projects are receiving attention. With 12,000 pairs of eyes, please let us know if you see something that looks like it should be done.
8. PS 217: I met with PTA representatives to talk about developments on the Island and specifically, the impact on the future school population of the expanded housing stock of the Octagon and Southtown developments. A census and projection should be done so that advance planning will be done for the inevitable increase in the school age population.
9. Steam Plant: NYSERDA and RIOC have agreed to split the cost of a consultant to study the feasibility of cogeneration. We are moving to pick such a consultant, hopefully from the approved New York State list, to avoid having to RFP the process, but will move ahead in any event. The Goldwater-Coler plans (see next item) may play into the future of this item as well.
10. Goldwater-Coler Hospital: Elsewhere in The WIRE is a full story on the potential of a full merger of the two hospitals, the expansion of the Coler campus and the presumed mothballing or declaration of surplus for Goldwater. While the first steps may be at hand, no official or unofficial word has been received. As these things go, it seems far off before the process will be real.
11. RIOC permitting: With the increased demand for use of RIOC’s facilities, we hired a part-time person for evenings and weekends to assist Donna Masly to supervise the use of the various areas and problem-solve as necessary.
12. Octagon Ferry Service: The New York City Office of Emergency Management seems ready to support the initiative now in the permitting process with the Coast Guard and Army Corp of Engineers. As an alternate route off the Island, the ferry pier has value, which RIOC has highlighted to OEM. Perhaps this added push will be the impetus needed.
13. Seawall repair: Contract all let, but in deference to the Fourth of July usage of Lighthouse Park, commencement of the work is postponed until week of July 9.
14. Southpoint Park: Councilmember Jessica Lappin has again delivered for the Island. She arranged for $1.5 million to be inserted into the City Council budget, now adopted, to complete the capital funding for Phase I. The Trust for Public Land (TPL) has been authorized to proceed with design development drawings based on the presentations made to both the Board of Directors and the community. The FDR committee met with representatives from RIRA to discuss concerns and is proceeding, with the Governor’s support, with fund-raising. The two planning groups have been encouraged to coordinate.
15. Historical Society Kiosk: With much prodding from Judy Berdy, the kiosk is heading for completion. Certainly shows that persistence accomplishes results.
See you at the Fourth of July celebration.