want to start by thanking everybody for their good wishes while I was ill. I hope that the second stay in the hospital will be the last one! After what I went through, I do have some advice, though. Drink lots of water and make sure that you have a balanced diet. To say that kidney stones are painful is an understatement.

A lot has happened since the last President's column, and most of it is good news. The first piece of good news is that the deal with Hudson-Related for the start of the third building of Southtown was completed last week and construction will start soon. I look forward to welcoming new residents to the Island, and anticipate that there will also be a completed deal with Becker and Becker for the Octagon site in the near future.

We have also been in contact with the Trust for Public Land about Southpoint. They anticipate that there will be a public meeting to show the plans in the early fall. Some of the proposals that I am hearing are very exciting. They may not all make it into the final plan, but they certainly deserve consideration. Examples include a stone gate house, an open air performance space, a restaurant, a sculpture area, a bird-watching area, and accessible gardens.

There will also be a park developed around the Tram plaza in Manhattan. While we are not involved in the planning of that area, the Parks Department recently informed us that construction will begin in September or October. The concrete work on the Manhattan Tram station will be complete by that time, and we will make every effort to work with the Parks Department to make sure that Tram riders are not too inconvenienced. From what we are hearing, the park will be beautiful and will be worth the wait.

I am sure that many of you saw Fear Factor filming on the Tram. It was an exciting project for them, and will be part of their 100th episode to be aired in November. While the majority of the funds received, $20,000, will go into the general fund, a portion has been earmarked for new garbage cans to match the new planters that are being ordered from the funds received from Dark Water.

Within the next several weeks we will be expending a great deal of money on upkeep of the Tram. In excess of $80,000 will be spent on annual general maintenance. The funds will be used on various Tram systems, and will necessitate the closing of the Tram for approximately ten days. Maintenance is a vital part of continued good Tram operations. The final details have not been worked out yet, but it is anticipated that the shutdown will start the week of August 9. For the latest information, please remember to call the RIOC hotline at 212-308-6608.

The RIOC hotline provides information about all different types of transportation, including the Tram, the bridge, and the buses. As we have reported, new hybrid electric buses are being ordered within the next few weeks. As soon as all of the details of the deal are finalized, the buses will be ordered. Delivery will take place within 18 to 24 months after they are ordered. When they are delivered, we will be able to revisit the question of taking the Red Buses off the Island. As many of you know, the buses have been experiencing mechanical difficulties, including on one of the senior shopping trips into Queens. We look forward to the day when this is no longer an issue.

Taking the buses off the Island was one of the issues discussed at the quarterly Offices of Emergency Management planning meeting held in July. Matt Katz, president of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association, was present as the representative of the Island residents. The topic of this quarter's meeting was the Roosevelt Island bridge. The operation of the bridge was detailed for all present. It was stated that the bridge is never raised without Department of Transportation personnel on site. They have the ability and the capacity to lower the bridge if there ever is a mechanical difficulty. It was also pointed out that the DOT notifies the police department, the fire department, emergency medical services and Public Safety before any action is taken. Appropriate personnel are deployed to the Island before the bridge goes into operation.

More meetings, on various topics, will be held quarterly. Summaries of the meetings will appear in this column. I am sure there will also be reports to RIRA from Matt.

I hope that everyone continues to have a great summer with lots of sunny days. It looked as if July 4 was going to be one of the rainiest days this summer, but at the last minute the forecast and the weather cleared. The rainy forecast did dampen some ticket sales, but they increased dramatically at the end. Late vendor bills are still coming in, but it appears that there will be an approximately $5,000 net. It was a great event and I hope to see all of you there next year!

Remember - drink lots of water!