December 17, 2005

The RIOC Column

The new year brings changes and new opportunities for Roosevelt Island, and nowhere are those changes more prominent than in our commitment to enhancing the environment on our Island and beyond.

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

The most visible changes will be the fleet of four new Red Buses that will soon be circulating around the Island carrying residents and visitors. The new buses are state-of-the-art hybrids, powered by a combination of electricity and gasoline that will dramatically reduce fuel costs and the pollution produced by traditional combustion engines. The interior configuration will make the new buses fully handicapped-accessible, and modern fare boxes will reject slugs and foreign coins.

The buses are a major investment for the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, with the bulk of the cost covered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and Manhattan Park. They are also in keeping with the State’s commitment to lowering energy usage and cleaning up the environment, as outlined last week by Governor Pataki in his State of the State message.

The buses have already arrived, and our drivers and mechanics are training on their new systems. We expect the buses – which will still cost 25 cents a ride – to make their street debut in time for Valentines Day next month, so if anyone wants to get married on one of our inaugural buses, now is a good time to call us.

The new generation of hybrid-power Red Buses have arrived on the Island and will be in service by Valentine’s Day

The new buses will also have routes extended to The Octagon, the soon-to-be-occupied 500-unit rental buildings that have themselves been recognized by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department of Environmental Protection for state-of-the-art "green" construction standards.

With the restored historic Octagon Tower as an anchor, two 14-story buildings are designed to be 35 percent more energy-efficient than State standards. The buildings’ environmentally friendly aspects range from the building materials themselves to high-efficiency boilers, to EnergyStar appliances. Tenants should find their utility bills more than 20 percent lower as a result of the "green" standards.

In addition, the largest array of rooftop solar cells in any residential building in the City is designed to provide 50 kilowatts of electricity, enough to provide power for The Octagon’s common areas.

The environmental consciousness extends even to the marketing plan by the developer, Becker and Becker, which is using hybrid Prius cars to transport prospective tenants to and from the buildings.

The first tenants – our new neighbors – were scheduled to begin looking at apartments this week. Occupancy is expected to begin in April. Final restoration of the Octagon Tower is scheduled for May and the entire project is slated for completion by June.

In the buses, and in The Octagon, we remain committed to the principle that environmental progress is not only good public policy, but good business as well.

So Happy New Year. The future is now.