 |
 December 18, 2004 |
|
The RIOC Column
President & COO, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation 
I want to take this opportunity to wish everybody a very happy holiday season. I wish that there was better weather the night of the tree lighting, but I am glad that the children enjoyed the visit from Santa and the firefighters from Special Operations. In the last issue I listed some of the things that we were able to accomplish during the past year. In this issue I want to look ahead to some of the things that we hope to accomplish in 2005. The first thing is the repair of the elevators at the Motorgate facility. The frequent outages are inconvenient and unacceptable. We are working with our partner in the facility, Manhattan Park, on these repairs. As previously reported, we have already sent out an RFP for the work, and I anticipate that it will start this winter. I am disappointed that it has taken this long and I will continue to push for a resolution. The coming year will also see other work performed on the facility. As many of you have noticed, whenever it rains, water flows into the facility. We have already issued an RFP for general engineering services and that contract was recently awarded. One of the things that this firm will be examining is the entry points for the water and the path that it takes throughout the building. We anticipate that this work will be done by the spring and any remedial steps will start soon after that. Finally with regard to Motorgate, we will continue to work with the management at the parking garage to ensure that the facility is clean and well maintained. There have been some definite improvements over the past several months. It is my goal to continue to find other ways to make the facility cleaner and more inviting for regular customers and visitors. RIOC is also still focused on the roads. Work started on the roads within the past several weeks, but that work will not be a permanent fix. We are also having the engineering firm look at the roads throughout the Island. It is my goal that in 2005 we will start a permanent repair of all of the roads, catch basins and crosswalks. Once completed the roads will be more easily navigated by pedestrians, easier to maintain, and more visually appealing. We are also working with a consultant to revitalize the commercial strip on the Island. We have a lot of exciting possibilities and look forward to a great deal of progress on this in the coming year. It is anticipated that plans will be presented in the early part of the year and implementation will start immediately thereafter. The coming year will also see much progress on building three of Southtown and we will soon be able to welcome additional neighbors to the Island. The residents of buildings one and two have already added to the community, and I am confident that the same will be true of the residents in Riverwalk. The next steps will also be taken toward the development of a park at Southpoint. There have been several well-attended community meetings that led to the selection of the preferred plan. The next stage is to try and raise the funds for the first phase of the preferred plan. The Trust for Public Land is already hard at work on this to make the park a reality. It is our hope that at least a portion of the funds and the next stages in the planning will be completed in the coming year. There will also be general Island beautification projects undertaken in 2005. The plans include, but are not limited to, remedial work on the railings surrounding the Island, the sprucing up of the storefronts, the painting of the tops of the kiosks and the replacement of the planters along Main Street. I look forward to 2005. I hope that it is a happy and healthy one for you and your families. I also look forward to all that we can accomplish for and with the residents of Roosevelt Island. Happy New Year!
|
