Blizzard Hits Roosevelt Island's Main Street

Mon. 12/27 7am

Sun 12/26 315pm

Sun 12/26 3:15pm

Riverwalk Bar & Grill Opens TODAY

The Riverwalk Bar & Grill opens today per their new website which is worth checking out itself.

According to the Feed Blog on Time Out New York:

Co-owners and brothers Jonathan and Salvatore Hoo hope to fill a void in Roosevelt Island’s dining scene with this casual bar and eatery. Alfonse Dicioccio—who owns nearby Nonno’s Focacceria—is also involved, but you won’t find much pizza here: The staunchly all-American menu sticks to burgers, hefty salads and fried finger food. 425 Main St between Road 5 and West Rd (646-833-7050)

I am expecting like many island residents that this new entry to the few available establishments on the island to be warmly and enthusiastically received.

Will the bar regulars at Trellis migrate to this new watering hole? We shall see. Will a younger crowd claim the Bar & Grill as their own? Will families flock to it? Will this new bar entice Zog Sports teams to stay a bit on island after their games? Is that a plus or minus to residents?

All in all we all hope it succeeds as it will add choices and push competition all to improve the local fare which can only benefit everyone.

Tony Vita Island Posters on Sale at Visitors Center

For all you residents and visitors alike that were blown away by Tony Vita's paintings that were made into the promo banners that are hanging up and down Roosevelt Island's Main Street you can now buy the posters at the Roosevelt Island Visitors Center kiosk by the island Tram station.

You can also contact Tony Vita directly at TonyVita@Earthlink.net. Tell him you got his address from the poster here at RI 360.

Do We Need FedEx and/or UPS Drop Off Boxes?

Fellow twitterer "getezra" tweeted this morning about his desire that FedEx and UPS install "drop off" boxes somewhere here on Roosevelt Island. Per their websites we each confirmed there are no such boxes hiding anywhere within Zip Code 10044 that we did not know about.

I spoke with FedEx this morning and the rep I spoke to indicated there are several factors that go into a decision to install a new "drop off" box which include (a) will the box bring in business? (b) is there enough volume in the zip code? (c) factors affecting the pick up time ? (driver routes etc) and among several others (d) would / does the requesting party have control ove the site wher the box would be installed and would they act as "owner" of the box in essence?

I indicated to the rep that several buildings on island have door stations that can receive packages and hold packages for pick up so those buildings are somewhat covered but that there several buildings whose residents do not have such an amenity that would benefit from a local drop off box.

What are your thoughts? Would you use a drop off box if one was installed? I am guessing RIOC would need to be the requesting party.

For safety reasons the box coud be installed say outside the reconstructed PSD offices or outside Trellis as that site is in direct view of PSD. I believe there are USPS boxes around the island which are just as safe so perhaps that is not an issue.

Again would you use such a box?

Kellner Helps Assure Stability of New Bank

State Assembly Member Micah Kellner according to his website has confirmed that the planned entry of Amalgamated Bank will lead to a long turn relationship on Main Street by pushing for Roosevelt Island to be designated a Banking Development District which means $10 million of state money will anchor the new bank here

Read the whole story HERE. Congrats to Micah and to RIOC for ensuring that banking services are available to local residents and businesses.

According to a news release issued by Amalgamated, the current NYNB will stay open until July 17th. The new branch expects to open on July 20th and will be taking applications at the current NYNB branch with an Amalgamated representative for new accounts prior to that date.

Amalgamated certainly has a history with Roosevelt Island sponsoring or co-sponsoring past events on the island including the annual Halloween Gala for the kids at PS 217, the annual tree lighting at Blackwell House and its involvement at the recent Health Fairs. And you can't notice the basketball backboards at the courts adjacent to Capobianco Field.

Repainted Crosswalks and Yield Signs Along Main Street

I got to give the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation credit as somehow with all the rain these past few weeks they snuck in, as they had reported they would, the ability to repaint the street crosswalks and on street yield signs.

Makes a difference. Whether the cars, buses, trucks are paying attention is another matter.

Now Three Fire Call Boxes Out in a Row: Reason for Concern ?

As of this morning three Roosevelt Island Fire Call Boxes are out in a row. Perhaps more but I have seen only three. Yesterday I posted about Box 1915 and now Box 1948, just North of 1915 and which was pictured at the bottom of yesterday's post has a "temporariy out of order" sign. Box 1948 lies on the edge of Rivercross Lawn facing South.

And as pictured above Box 1924 which faces the Tram plaza with its back to new Riverwalk building 405 Main Street has been tagged as well as out of order. It is thought that the issue may be the telecommunications circuit that may connect all three causing the problem. This is not confirmed.

With all three boxes out that means there are no street call boxes from the Tram up through Blackwell House with the first working box being across from 504 Main Street, where PSD currently has their temporary offices.

Our Street Fire Boxes: A Vanishing Necessity ?

For some reason since I moved to Roosevelt Island I have been fascinated with our street Fire Call Boxes. It probably has to do with the fact that years ago I survived a fire in the brownstone I lived within while living in Brooklyn. That's another story. Anyway yesterday I noticed that Box 1915 which sits almost behind 465 Main Street, facing Manhattan and the East River, has been tagged as "temporarily out of service".

Last year when I traded emails with Public Safety Director Keith Guerra about the three stumps of former fire boxes, that sit in front of 415 - 475 Main Street, Southtown, he confirmed that usually when boxes go out of order tat they are removed. Per e-mail discussion threads on NYCFire.net I learned that the "stumps" are kept as the circuits run through them on their way to working boxes so the stumps remain.

It would appear then that 1915, which in addition to being on of the few boxes on that side of Riverwalk, may be headed for partial removal. I always iked this box as it was the classic design as opposed to the ugly grey boxes we have further up Main Street. Putting the aesthetics aside I do believe these boxes still serve a purpose. Even though cell phones are virtually everywhere there are still instances where individuals don't have one and these individuals may find themselves needing to report an incident, fire or otherwise, and these boxes are a link to our emergency services on and off the island.

What Road Markings or Signs Make our Main Street Safer?

It has been said that Main Street on Roosevelt Island has too many signs by some and others want to replace the pedestrian yield signs with more stop signs? Which is safer for pedestrians I am not sure. Certainly requiring drivers to make a full stop would seem the most sensible.

Drivers who frequent Main Street at this point are well acquainted with the Yield to Pedestrian signs that sit in the middle of Main Street at most pedestrian crossings and which sometimes I believe many residents, foolishly, take to mean they have right of way no matter what.

I have also noticed that the painted street markers, from the street crossings themselves to the painted yield signs have faded at many locations and are in need of repainting. According to RIOC President Steve Shane the repainting of these markers is "RIOC's responsibility" and they have started a program to repaint the faded markers but they "need 2 dry days in a row to advance the whole project". Well I believe this week they are actualy projecting dry weather so maybe soon we'll see this repainting come to fruition.

Fading Pedestrian Crossing at 510 Main

As a parent with young kids, the older of which is clamoring to be given more freedom to run around with less supervision I am hoping the signage is enough to protect him from himself and all our neighbors. I have never heard of any serious incidents along Main Street and I hope it stays that way.

Well Painted Pedestrian Crossing at PS 217 (above)

Faded Pedestrian Crossing at 580 Main Street / Deli Bus Stop (below)

New Juice Business for Roosevelt Island

A new retail business started up this week on Roosevelt Island and it again is in Southtown / Riverwalk escaping the public authorities issues surrounding the empty storefronts on Main Street.

The business will be starting slow, opening a few days a week, and only a few hours each day. It’s young owners are balancing their education requirements as well as family life so you can forgive them if they start small. You will find their stand at the East end of Riverwalk Commons between the small bike rack and the Japanese restaurant. As noted on the shirt of one of the owners their location is right off the F Train.

They will be open, as per their original business plan, on Wednesdays and Friday evenings from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and all day on Saturdays. All hours are contingent on the prevailing weather that day as well as who has not finished their homework at least until the school year officially closes.

The business has yet to decide on one name but they will be offering Sweet Lemonade or Slightly Sour Lemonade depending on that day's lemon shipment. Juice will be offered at $1 a cup but this blogger bets they will negotiate depending on the volume purchased.

No word yet how the young entrepreneurs expect to spend their profits or rather if they plan to reinvest in the business perhaps at an additional location further North on the island.

The youngsters probably recognize they are not the first to start a lemonade stand on Roosevelt Island so they may or may not realize this is a purely seasonal business. So if you are thirsty stop on by now while the stand is open.

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Note: The blogger is not related to this new business or its owners in any way and himself found the stand by accident and through his own thirst for a good cup of lemonade.

No More Main Street Bicycle Storage

5/15 update at 430pm See new post.

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Update: Re Roosevelt Island Impounding of Bikes Left Out Overnight:


5/15 330pm:

What I have been told is that the complaint has been that the racks are being used as long term storage by residents who don't want to take their bikes inside and that those bikes are preventing commuters and others from using the bikes on a daily short term basis.

There is some logic to this.

-----Original Message-----
From: RIOC Advisories
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 3:27 PM
To: RIOC Advisories
Subject: Bicycle Storage Addendum

While we wish to encourage residents continuing to ride their bicycles as it is a healthy activity, we wish to discourage residents from storing their bicycles overnight on the bicycle racks throughout the island.

Bicycles will be removed by the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. and stored at Public Safety for a period of 48 hours. If the owner retrieves their bicycle during the 48 hour period there will be no charge for storing their bicycle. If the owner does not retrieve their bicycle during the 48 hour period it will be donated to the Thrift Shop.

Storing the bicycles on the bike racks has been a quality of life issue for many residents, thus we wish to address this quality of life issue.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.


Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group



PSD Advisory: Roosevelt Island PSD to confiscate bikes left on racks overnight.

Original Post:

No word yet on where the bikes will be impounded to or whether a fine will be levied to get the bikes back or whether unclaimed bikes will be sold, auctioned etc. More later.

----- Original Message -----

From: RIOC Advisories
Sent: Thu May 14 14:49:34 2009
Subject: Bicycle Storage

Please be advised effective Monday, May 18, 2009 there will be no bicycle storage on the bicycle racks island wide between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. (overnight).

Any bicycles found in violation will be removed by the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Sincerely,
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

Please visit us on the web at http://www.rioc.com/

Is Increasing Main Street Parking Rates the Answer?

Is the answer to Main Street's parking woes raising the parking rates so parking on the street is more expensive than parking in Roosevelt Island’s Motorgate? This was one of several proposals put forth by the students that participated in the Columbia Transportation studio. See the April 18th Main Street WIRE, for detailed coverage of the proposals. In theory I can see how this can make sense with respect to individuals who are looking to park for several hours.

I am not disagreeing with Frank Farance, our RIRA President, in his argument within this week’s May 2nd dated Main Street WIRE, that increasing the rates would be unfair to short term parkers who are loading or unloading etc. But to be honest many of those individuals from what I have seen double park or park in no parking zones for the short period they need and while a number are told by PSD to move their vehicles many finish their loading / unloading without incident. I do think Frank missed the Columbia student’s point that it is the long term parkers that they were trying to target. But to fair to his point, the students may not have been familiar with the short term parkers.

According to today’s Gothamist, the NYC Department of Transporation, started a pilot program in Park Slope, Brooklyn, of increasing parking rates during peak hours only. Perhaps that is a compromise that would work on Main Street? Your thoughts?

[Image from Gothamist.]

New Artistic Banners Highlight Island Landmarks

You may recall the images on the new banners posted around Roosevelt Island from a showcase earlier this year of the original artwork in the Rivercross Window Case (see earlier Nov. 6th post). They include images of the Tram, the Lighthouse, Good Shepherd Community Center, among others.

What you may not know is the artist's name Tony Vita. He was profiled in the Main Street WIRE some years back and you probably have walked by him on Main Street or sat by him at Trellis.

Reports that Roosevelt Island's Only Bank to Close

[Updated at 3:00 pm for the addition of the second paragraph and the revision of the fourth.]

According to a reader of this blog a letter has been sent to depositers at the Roosevelt Island branch of New York National Bank (a subsidiary of the Husdon Valley Holding Corporation) announcing that the branch is scheduled to close this June. I have not seen a copy of the actual letter and based on the above picture taken last night no public signs of the claimed closure are apparent.

Stephen Shane, President of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, confirmed the expected closing as RIOC received notification from NYNB as its landlord and as a depositor of the branch. According to Mr. Shane "neither the residents nor the merchants used it enough to make it economically viable [to NYNB]". RIOC has contacted Amalgamated Bank about the location but Amalgamated apparently does not want to repeat the failures of the former banks at that location.

As per this reader: This would be a terrible loss for the island since:
(1) It is the only bank here with full service,
(2) It serves the island businesses, seniors, disabled and those who cannot leave the island, and
(3) If the store is vacant will it be yet another storefront that RIOC would leave empty.

If the branch closes, the only bank ATMs on the island would be the two Chase ATMs and te ATM at Gristedes. The Chase ATMs are located at the Octagon and at the Duane Reade. It is unknown to this blogger if there are other ATMs at either Coler or Goldwater Hospitals.

My understanding is years ago there was an actual Chase Branch on the island and that only after a letter writing campaign to the State Banking Commission was NYNB found and brought to the island. It would appear that another grass roots effort may be needed if NYNB actually does close this branch.

French or Italian View of Roosevelt Island?

Apparently the text on this short 44 second video of Roosevelt Island is either French or Italian. The first sentence apparently describes the length and width of the island. The second island mentions something about the hospitals but I am unsure if it is saying there was or still is a penitentiary on the island. Amusing.

Direct YouTube Link by stephtraveler

First Snow of This December

Lilian C. Moreira has posted on YouTube a short one minute video of the first snow from earlier today here on Roosevelt Island. Lilian has a number of Roosevelt Island videos posted on YouTube that are worth checking out.

Rescheduled Main St Tree LIghting Monday Night

RIOC rescheduled the Roosevelt Island yearly tree lighting to this Monday (Dec. 15th) night at 7:00 pm due to last Thursday's rains. Santa, however, has already been spotted on Roosevelt Island's Main Street, singing and dancing in the beauty parlor.

The "Kings" of Roosevelt Island

Parking is a bit messed up today on Roosevelt Island's Main Street due to filming associated with the new NBC show "Kings" expected to air in March 2009.

The show is "a modern-day reimagining of the historical story of King David featuring a young heroic soldier who winds up dethroning a corrupt monarch to become king of a great and powerful city." according to Yahoo TV and stars Ian McShane and Chris Egan. Deadwood this aint.

Main Street Showcase: Fantasy Paintings

The above photos, taken via cell phone today Nov. 5, 2008, don't do justice to the paintings currently on display in the showcase along Main Street just South of the hair salon at 523 Main Street. I am not sure who the artist is but I would love to see a giant apple up at Lighthouse Park.

Fire at 546 Main St.; One Death Reported

According to televised news reports, a fire on Roosevelt Island early this morning, at approximately 5:30 am, resulted in one death on an unnamed resident. The fire at 546 Main Street was initially reported to have been in a Ninth Floor apartment but later reported as the Eleventh Floor. A partial sequencing of the FDNY response is as follows:

Phone Box 1940 - Report of fire on the 9th floor @ 540 Main St.

Engs. 260, 262, 258L116, TL115Battalion 45(*Rescue 4, normally assigned on RI structural boxes, unavailable due to Queens 3rd alarm Box 4675)

05:32 hours10-12 (1st due units give preliminary) for Battalion 45.

10-77-1940 - 05:35 hoursE263E14 (High Rise Nozzle Engine Co.)E259 (Lobby Control Unit)E39 w/ High Rise 2TL117, L16L2 is the FAST truckBattalion 8Battalion 10 (Safety Officer)Division 14Rescue 2 S/CSquad 252 S/C(*multiple special units unavailable due to Queens 3rd alarm Box 4675)

CIDs for 540 Main St:.MD 19 story 50x250. Home for senior citizens. Multiple disabled throughout. No duplex apartments, interconnected with 538 and 546 Main Streets. Oxygen throughout.

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05:56 hoursEMS reports they are on scene, request location of the Aided.BC45: Aided is in front of the fire building.

06:08 hoursE58 is switching to Queens, relocating to E262

06:10 hours - Duration 43 minutes.Division 14: Box 1940, main body of fire has been knocked down, primary searches are complete and negative, secondaries are in progress. Fire is Probably Will Hold. We need the fire marshals to respond, the 10-45 is a code 1 (Black Tag, Deceased). Mixer-off message.

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06:14 hoursMarshals are en route

06:15 hoursDC14: Box 1940, we're going Under Control at this time, secondary searches are complete and negative at this time.

06:23 hoursDC14: We have a correction on the fire apartment, corrected apartment is 11-06, it's the 11th floor.

The details of the fire and the sequencing of the FDNY's response were be found on NYCFire.net. The top photo of Ladder 116 was not taken this morning. By 8am no fire trucks were remaining on Main Street South of Good Shepherd Church and all that remained were the various news trucks covering the tragedy.

Update: 9:52am

According to local ABC news affiliate Eyewitness News"[t]he victim, a woman in her 70s, was rushed to the hospital where she died. "