The RIRA Column

Steve Marcus, President Roosevelt Island Residents Assn. e-mail: SteveAtRIRA@verizon.net

Having been abroad for most of the past month, I’ve had to view the great Tram escapade through the prism of media coverage on the Internet. From that distance, one loses sight of the very real suffering of our neighbors suspended for hours on end in the confines of a small cabin without any food, water, or sanitary facilities. I frequently dedicate this column’s focus to how poorly we are served by RIOC, and to shine a light on their indifference and poor decision-making, in an effort to embarrass then into improvement. In this case, however, I’ll try to take the "high road" since RIOC’s shortcomings and transparent backside-covering should be apparent to one and all. As for my own backside, after the September mishap, when riders were trapped for several hours, I checked with RIOC Board Member Mark Ponton, who heads their Operations Committee. He told me that in several interviews with Tram operations personnel he had been assured that a safe, frequently well-rehearsed method of rescue was in place and ready to be used at any time. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the last resort was the high-wire act we witnessed last month.

But let’s not confuse the safety of the rescue effort with the safety of the Tram. There was never any danger that people would get hurt because of the Tram stoppage itself. The cabins and the cables were then, and are now, absolutely safe and at no time was the Tram in any danger of falling or crashing into anything. Obviously RIOC needs to work on fixing the electrical issue that caused the Tram to stop, but equally important, we’re hoping this was a wake-up call that our rescue procedures are what need to be overhauled. We all want the Tram back up working as quickly as possible. We believe the Tram is safe, but as with any system like this, we need a working backup procedure, and reasonable and timely rescue procedures. Let’s hope RIOC is focusing on that and let’s also hope that the tests currently being conducted are being done by independent companies who have experience in this field.

As of this writing, there has been a virtual blackout of information on what the plan is to restore reliable service. I hope this issue of The WIRE will have more details. Clearly, a reasonable plan takes some time, but I call on RIOC to explain their general game plan. A few of the questions to which we need answers are:

• Can they resume service before the backup generator is in operation?

• When will the generator be functional?

• Is the existence of a backup generator enough to insure that riders can get to solid ground in a timely manner if another power problem occurs in the main circuitry?

• What will be done to correct the problem that caused so many "mini-short circuits" that were reported to have taken place over the last several years?

Again, perhaps it is premature to expect all the answers today, but it is more than reasonable to expect a timeframe for these issues to be addressed.

Ever since the blackout of August, 2003, when hundreds of residents had to shlep over the Queensboro Bridge by foot in oppressive heat, the Residents Association has lobbied RIOC to permit their Red Buses to leave the Island during times of emergency. RIOC has consistently invented any number of silly reasons why this was impossible. Perhaps the only benefit of the Tram mess is RIOC’s immediate abandonment of this policy. Residents who cannot or prefer not to take the F train should avail themselves of the Red Bus service to Manhattan – see the RIOC website, or call them, or call Public Safety for details.

Judith Calogero, Commissioner of DHCR, and the one who really calls the shots at RIOC, agreed to meet with some of the members of the Residents Association last week. This was a rare opportunity to allow these two opposing sides to explain their positions. Ms. Calogero requested that the details of the meeting remain off the record, and perhaps improperly, we agreed to such a stipulation, since we were anxious to have a dialog with her. However, I appreciated her candor and the time that she spent with us, and perhaps we were able to convey to her some of the concerns that we have been hearing from you.

I’m happy to report that Roosevelt Island Housing and the Youth Center are sponsoring Roosevelt Island Day on June 10. Also, the first CERT class is graduating the first week in June and, if there’s enough interest, another one will be formed.

The seniors are inviting Gifford Miller here on June 13 to give him a plaque thanking him for all he’s done for the Island. You can swing by the Senior Center and thank him as well.

On another note, RIRA will be holding a Greek Wine Tasting on Saturday, June 17, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Gallery RIVAA. Please save the date and plan to attend this event. We’ll have several different types of wine, including dessert wines, plus Greek appetizers and music. We’re hoping to have a fun night and to raise some money for our treasury so that we can continue to support Island activities over the next year.

Finally, if you see activity at the former site of Julie’s bar, we aren’t getting donuts. It is being used as headquarters for the MTA for the project to put new escalators in our subway station.