A disruptive new WTF intrusion from New York State overseer, RIOC, upset countless Roosevelt Island residents early yesterday. Not only without warning, it came after assurances of just the opposite.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Ongoing blunders and screw ups by absentee landlord RIOC might seem clownish, even comedic, were they not so frequently painful.
From destroying Southpoint Park to a budget bloated with low and no show jobs to messing up even crosswalks, RIOC’s a laugh a minute. Until they’re not.
RIOC’s New WTF Intrusion: Dark Fiber for Security Cameras
May 11th, the day after the above photo was taken, RIOC’s alleged Communications Team emailed an advisory: NOTICE OF DARK FIBER WORK.
“Installation of an inground fiber connection, which will strengthen the existing security camera network along the East Promenade, will be taking place on the East Promenade from Blackwell Park to 680 Main Street, now through June. Please note no impact to pedestrian access is expected.”
No problem there. But as we wrote, RIOC’s bumbling may be no worse than clownish incompetence until it isn’t.
Yesterday, June 22nd, this happened, reported on Twitter.
“Mta sucks” is a Twitter tag for a regular contributor who now seems to have recognized RIOC as equally sucky.
East Promenade Closure Due to Dark Fiber Installation…?
But RIOC was all over it, of course.
That is, four long painful hours later, their new WTF intrusion already having screwed residents all along Roosevelt Landings, the state reached out. Sorta. In the half-fast way they have.
An advisory with the above title: “Beginning on Wednesday, June 23rd, East Road, from north of Blackwell Park to Capobianco Field, will be closed due to open trenching work required for the dark fiber installation project. Installation of an inground fiber connection will strengthen the existing security camera network along the East Promenade.”
But the promised “no impact” project had already started, and it was loud. And the advisory failed to note that it completely contradicted the one just a month earlier.
Later that evening, Mta sucks added, “& BTW what on earth is their OBSESSION with cameras?? Community policing is what a smaller neighborhood like RI needs, not hundreds of cameras to record incidents rather than head them off before they happen.”
The Daily adds: But that would require locating a fair number of the invisible PSD officers RIOC’s lists on its payroll.
What’s next, RIOC? What surprises await?
Also from the Roosevelt Island Daily
- A Week Rooted in Community: Daily Life and Neighbor Connections on Roosevelt IslandThis week, daily life and neighbor connections on Roosevelt Island come into focus with stories of parks, transit, public safety, and community rhythms shaping the summer.
- NYC Health + Hospitals Data Breach Lawsuit: What Roosevelt Island Readers Should KnowA proposed class action says millions of NYC Health + Hospitals patients, staff and family members may have had deeply sensitive information exposed. Here is what Roosevelt Island readers should know.
- Queens Community News and Events: How Local Stories Echo on Roosevelt IslandQueens community news and events shape daily life on Roosevelt Island and beyond. From park reopening and fundraisers to public safety and local transit, catch up on the stories echoing across both neighborhoods.
- How Roosevelt Island Connects with Queens This Week: Community, Safety, and Neighborhood CelebrationsHow Roosevelt Island connects with Queens is clear in this week’s stories of community, public safety, celebrations, and neighborhood life in both boroughs.
- Connecting Roosevelt Island Community Life with Local Transit, Safety, and Business InitiativesConnecting Roosevelt Island community life with local transit, safety, and business initiatives, this week’s Beat explores how citywide stories shape our days and routines.
A Different Kind of Bet
For years, Roosevelt Island did not behave like a system constrained by limits. Internally, the budget was often treated less as a boundary and more as a reservoir to be used.
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