Translating NYU Roosevelt Island Real Estate – Speak

First off my apologies to NYU but I could not resist.

A little background information. NYU has recently purchased I believe 58 apartments in Riverwalk Court (425 Main Street) which is now under construction to be sold internally to interested faculty. It was reported earlier this week, by the Roosevelt Islander, that NYU was not aware that the Tram would be taken off line in 2009 for several months for an overhaul and upgrade of the system.

Today’s Angry New Yorker (via the NYT City Room daily “BlogTalk”) posted a piece regarding translating what realtors say and what it really means. My entry, in regards to the above NYU purchase, was as follows:

Realtor to NYU Professor Looking at a Riverwalk Apartment:
“I am not that familiar with the Roosevelt Island Tram but it has the best views of Manhattan.”

Translation:
I know the Tram is being taken off line for several months in 2009 but at that point my finder’s fee will just be a memory.

[Note: Earlier today I misreported that the NYU apartments were in 415 Main Street in error.]

Octagon Residents Report Increased DEP Activity at NYC Water Tunnel #3 Site

According to postings on the Octagon residents’ bulletin board it appears that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) may be gearing up its operations here on Roosevelt Island. The island is host to Water Tunnel # 3, Shaft 15B. For anyone familiar with the project the site is somewhat controversial as it will be acting as chlorination point for at least the segment of the water tunnel that proceeds under our Island.

“I’m just curious and I may just be in the dark completely cause I don’t read the news- but what is about to be built by those trailers in the back by the church(south)- it looks like they are finally about to start building something.”

“at least six of the blue rectangles are large portable liquid tanks, and they are being bolted up to a set of big pipes and valves. in addition, it looks like they are grading the ground for the truck access road. so it would seem they are getting ready to store sodium hypochlorite over there- I have a call in to the DEP to confirm this, but haven't heard back.”

“i;m mainly curious if they still plan on installing large light towers along the fence, and how often and what times of day they plan on large trucks rumbling by the building. i'd also like to know what they are doing to contain any spills - besides let it run down our driveway into the playground!”

The two most recent Main Street WIRE articles regarding the site dealt with safety issues (December 2, 2006) and with the size of the land required for security reasons around the entrance shaft (July 1, 2006). The above map is courtesy of the WIRE and is from the July 1, 2006 issue.

Update: 1:00 pm

Timing is everything. Apparently RIOC visited the DEP site this morning and they also saw this blog. According to RIOC President Stephen Shane:

"The project is to be able to pump excess water from the tunnel as it leaks in from groundwater sources, treat it for salinity and turbidity so that it is suitable to discharge into the river. It is not a superchlorination site."

Mr. Shane indicated that the DEP is sending RIOC a project description which once received will be made available.

Now I must admit I am confused as the WIRE articles, linked above, did refer to the site being used for chlorination purposes. This post was certainly not made to raise the alarm bells but merely to report what our neighbors up at the Octagon noted in their back yard.

Temp. Hits 50˚ Time to Talk Playgrounds

The temperature has been hitting 50˚ and this weekend we push the clocks ahead one hour. Spring is in the air so it is time I start posting about the state of Roosevelt Island’s playgrounds.

I must admit I have not made the rounds yet of the 4 major playgrounds (Riverwalk, Al Lewis, Manhattan Park, or the Octagon) so I can not say yet what needs repair or replacement and to be fair to entities responsible for each they probably have not yet scheduled their yearly pre-season maintenance.

So what am I left to discuss? My continuing obsession whether the planned Riverwalk building to sit opposite current 475 Main Street will result in the demolition of the current toddler playground and if so whether that playground would again be built subsequent to that building’s completion and if so where?

Based on the aerial picture above of the site I still don’t believe the playground can survive despite assurances that it will. My bet is still that after the former Castle playground is demolished (has it been yet?) and rebuilt that it is seen as providing sufficient coverage for kids living in Southtown. My problem with that answer is that the current Riverwalk playground is specifically built for toddlers and the Castle playground site has always been for older kids.
So the story continues.

What would be your playground wish list for Roosevelt Island ?

Could They Have Switched the Escalator's Direction?

This morning as expected the only remaining escalators were running up to the street when the majority of the rush hour traffic was heading down to the platforms. It was a royal pain and I was carrying a 3 year old down all four flights of stairs. My back is not happy.

Upon arriving at work I found a message from RIOC President Steve Shane which included the following information:

"MTA's Alissa Kosowsky, Assistant Director of Government & Community Relations as a follow up to my meeting with them:

"Here is the information on the escalator replacement:

NYC Transit is in the process of replacing eight escalators at the Roosevelt Island F station. This contract was awarded for $15.3 million on September 15, 2005 with a duration of 39 months. The contractor, Skanska Mechanical, is on schedule. As of this time, four escalators are completed. The remaining four escalators - two platform escalators and two street escalators are scheduled for completion by the end of 2008. We appreciate the community's patience as we complete this work.""

My back does not hurt any less. And somebody should tell Ms. Kosowsky that this station has ten escalators. I guess two of them are either not being repaired / replaced or they are just being left alone.

Launch of Sister Blog: Roosevelt Crusoe

The purpose of this new blog, Roosevelt Crusoe, is to focus on the transportation issues including but not limited to evacuation plans that exist but which are not public knowledge which could lead to Roosevelt Island residents being stranded on this island in case an emergency hits.

Thank you to Duncan at NYU Inc. for giving me the idea by how he started his post about the NYU apartments here on Roosevelt Island.

Escalator Update: ES 413 and ES 416 Out of Service

As of early this morning the MTA is reporting that both escalators ES 413 and ES 416 are out of service in addition to those scheduled as under construction. These two are the escalators closest to the Manhattan bound elevator that run from the street down to the lower mezzanine. The full station escalator mapping can be found here.

If this is still the case during the morning rush hour and you are coming back to Roosevelt Island plan to take the elevator as otherwise you will be walking up the stairs if the ES 411/ES 414 pair are running down to the lower mezzanine.

RIRA Meeting - Tonight - March 5th at 8 PM

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association will be holding its March meeting tonight at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd starting at 8:00 pm.

Rendering of Riverwalk Complex - Southtown

Earlier this evening I had been replying to a number of posts on Wired New York where I posted the above image of the Southtown Riverwalk Complex. I thought I might as well share it here as well. I was responding to a request as to what are the names / addresses of the buildings closest to the Tram. Double click the image to enlarge it.

You have to admit the complex as itis shaping up is quite impressive and the plaza behind the subway station is becomming the new center of the Island from a retail / culinary perpective.

New Amsterdam Premiers Tonight: Can You Find the Scenes Filmed on Roosevelt Island?

Back in October, I posted about the new Fox TV show New Amsterdam. You may recall they filmed a few scenes for the show on the Island at that time. Well the premier is tonight on Channel 5 locally at 9:00 pm. Watch and see if you can spot Roosevelt Island or was it Mannings Island at that time? After all the central character John Amsterdam has been alive since 1642.

Geography Defined Typographically

This image of Manhattan (apparently below 96th Street) and Roosevelt Island is from FFFFOUND and was found via today's NYT City Room Blogtalk posting.

I cannot decide yet if our island looks lonely hanging out off to the right like that. I guess we shoudl be thankful we were invited to the party.

A Sneak Peak at Roosevelt I. Musical Theatre

The above YouTube video by MSTD&A is a sneak peak of a Musical Theatre Workshop from the Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance.

MTA Roberts to Roosevelt Island: No Increased Service Coming Your Way

MTA NYCTA President Howard Roberts issued a reply, dated February 11, 2008, regarding the call to examine and increase subway service to Roosevelt Island. The reply was in regards to a January 20, 2008 request to President Roberts made by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Jose Serrano, Assembly Member Micah Kellner and City Council Member Jessica Lappin.

In short the letter reads that the ridership levels are within capacity and that the request to extend the Q Train to 21st Street / Queensbridge would only slow down the overall system as it would interfere with existing F, E and V Train service.

Please let us know your comments as they are being reviewed by our elected representatives.

Five ? of Ten Roosevelt Island Escalators Now Under Reconstruction

Upon reviewing the NYCTA Escalator and Elevator status page it is being reported that a fifth escalator ES 413 has been recorded as "Under Construction". We already been dealing with the center escalators being out (ES 412 and ES415) but the addition of ES 413 at this time is a surprise as it effectively renders ES 416 worthless as a dead end.

The construction boarding of ES 412 and ES 415 does not allow commuters using ES 413 and ES 416 to exit to another path of egress from the Center / Upper Mezzanine. ES 411 and ES 414 have the option of allowing riders to exit either onto the stairs at the Center / Upper Mezzanine. I will investigate tomorrow morning and report what I find here. If anyone has been at the station in the last day and can update us here that would be great.

UPDATE: 11:21pm

As of 9:52 pm this evening the MTA page changed the additional elevator out of service from ES 413 to ES 416. Same end result. Both are useless if one is blocked off for construction.

Nursing Education Has Returned to Roosevelt Island

This past October 2007, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Goldwater Hospital to celebrate the opening of a new on-site nursing program. This past week Judy Berdy and the Roosevelt Island Historical Society visited the program and found the young women not dressed in scrubs but in uniforms similar to those worn by nurses of years ago.

An article is posted on the RIHS website describing the visit in detail. The above picture is from a set of four available on Flickr and within the article. The book pictured below can be ordered via the RIHS website.

The article begins as follows:

"A new Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) initiative created the Nurse Career Ladder Program for 400 mainly poor and low-income New Yorkers to enter and advance in the nursing profession over the next four school years. The program fills two needs: it creates a career ladder program in a growth industry, and it provides healthcare facilities with nurses who are currently in short supply. Ten of the students at the new school already work for the municipal hospital system and are advancing their careers to become LPN's."

EKGs Taking In the Winter Sun

It was such a sunny day that even these EKG machines took a break to bask in the Winter sun here on Roosevelt Island.

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The original picture taken on February 29, 2008 by Thomas R. Stegelmann can be found HERE on Flickr. This view is facing East and Long Island City from Roosevelt Island.

CB8 Meeting March 6th - How Do You Want Your Views of Southpoint Park?

It's all about the views in my mind. If the FDR Memorial planned at Roosevelt Island's Southpoint Park blocks those views the park will be ruined for me.

Please join me and others who have views about this issue at Community Board 8's Park's Committee meeting this Thursday March 6th at the NY Blood Center at 6:30 pm at 310 East 67th Street.

Reminder: No F Train to Manhattan This Weekend and Fare Increases

Just a reminder that there is NO subway service (F Train) directly from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan this weekend and that fare increases go into effect tomorrow March 2, 2008.

Additional information regarding "hoarding" of unlimited fare cards purchased prior to March 2, 2008 can be found at Second Avenue Sagas and on a poster the MTA has released on the issue.

Also the MTA has already announced next weekend we will as always be losing service in one direction. Next week no Queens bound service from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island. This announcement raises the tally to 8 weeks of service disruption out of a total of 10 weeks this year. Remember we got a break last weekend when they cancelled track work due to the snow.

I can’t even fathom how we will do this when the Tram is out. Red buses to Queensboro plaza I guess.

How Would Roosevelt I. Change if Keyspan Plant Sold to Developers?

There is an article in today's NY Daily News , February 29, 2008, that included the news that the Ravenswood Keyspan Plant is up for sale. As stated in the article if it would be sold to real estate developers it is possible the plant could be taken down.

This is highly unlikely as the plant is one of only a few plants generating power for NYC. But can you imagine if the plant were dismantled and this area of Long Island City developed for residential use how it would impact Roosevelt Island?

The change in views alone would alter the real estate desirability (and affordability) of the island not to mention severly increase the air quality of the island and all of Western Queens.

"A Necessary Music: a film about Roosevelt Island"

Tonight artist Beatrice Gibson and Composer / Musician Alex Waterman will officially kick off their project to film a movie about the music of Roosevelt Island. The project announced within a WIRE article (page 8, Sat. 2/23/08) and an insert where multiple questions were posed to residents sounds interesting enough for anyone looking to participate and to learn more to show up at RIVAA tonight to do just that ... learn more.

Roosevelt Island's Main Street: A Traffic Minefield

Living on Roosevelt Island as any resident knows has its pluses and minuses regarding traffic. We have less car trafic than many NYC streets but at the same time we know if we get too comfortable with that fact we risk crossing the street without looking and possibly being hit by a car or other vehicle.

Due to the uniqueness of the Island we also have traffic rules set by State law and a multitude of yield and stop signs that very often confuse drivers such that they start and stop and occasionally miss a road sign and not understand how to react to others. At intersections here the pedestrian takes priority such that drivers are supposed to yield. But as residents know they don't always do so.

Later today I will post a poll asking how well do you think drivers on the island pay attention to the road signs.