The weather has certainly changed since my last column. The much colder weather is beginning to have an effect on the trees and plants around the Island. It is my hope that, when the time comes to do the planting for next Spring and Summer, the new planters will be in place on Main Street and around the Island. During the coming Fall and Winter months the current planters, which have been damaged by people sitting on them and backing into them, will be removed.

There are additional improvements coming. As previously mentioned, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) needs to fix the water-main breaks before road work can start by Gristede's and Manhattan Park. I am happy to report that the repairs have begun. It is too early to tell exactly how long the repairs are going to take, because the preliminary evaluation of the situation is not yet completed.

The DEP repair work has already caused some minor disruptions of bus service, traffic, and pedestrian access. Please be assured that as soon as we have information we will make it available to the public. In many instances, however, we do not know that they are coming. When time and materials are available they come to the Island. I hope that the repairs are done in time for the road work to be completed before the onset of Winter. We will continue to stay on top of this and push for the work to be done quickly.

There will also be transformer work performed on the Island over the next few weeks. Two transformers will be replaced by Con Ed. We have been assured that all work will take place during the night when the loads are lower, and that there will be no interruption in service. We do not have exact dates yet, but again, we have been assured that there will be no negative impact for Island residents.

The Island also has a new tree by the picnic benches by Octagon. The tree, planted by the Roosevelt Island Tree Board, was donated in memory of Hallie Geier. She was such a vital part of the Roosevelt Island community and this really is a beautiful celebration of her young life. I invite everyone to go down and see it and enjoy the shade in the coming years.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is also focused on the greenery of the Island, but their focus is at the Southpoint of the Island. The group made a presentation to the advisory committee on October 25. They have narrowed the plans down to one preferred choice. The comments of the committee will be addressed and then this choice will be presented to the community in a public meeting at the end of November. The plan will be posted a week prior to the meeting.

TPL took all of the comments raised at the public meetings into account before narrowing the plans down to one preferred plan. I am looking forward to seeing the preferred plan once the new comments are incorporated. I hope that everybody will attend the next meeting.

Finally, I am happy to report that the State and City Offices of Emergency Management meeting with RIOC, Matt Katz from RIRA, and Keyspan did take place on October 19. It was explained to all present that there are many safety layers in place. They range from how close vessels can come to the plant, to the thickness and location of equipment, to the requirements for entering the site. This was of particular importance to all who attended the meeting due to the proximity of the plants to Roosevelt Island.

The staff of Keyspan suggested that people on Roosevelt Island might be more comfortable if they had emergency numbers that they could call if they suspected that there was a problem with stacks or plants. OEM agreed and expanded on the idea. As a result, OEM staff will work together with RIOC staff to put together a list of emergency contact numbers. The list will include the numbers of City and State agencies to contact in various types of emergencies. The list will be released to all of the buildings, posted on the web site and kiosks, and sent via the RIOC advisories e-mail as soon as it is completed.

I see that the candidates for positions within RIRA have been announced. I wish all of the candidates the best of luck and I look forward to working with the next president on issues that concern Roosevelt Island. I also want to take this opportunity to once again thank Matt Katz for all of the work that he put into the organization and the Island.

By the time that you receive this issue, the Halloween parade will be either hours away or just over. I want to say again that I wish everybody a happy and safe time this Halloween and hope that everyone joins us at the parade and playground naming.