RIOC’s finally got the Blackwell Sidewalks right, months after work started on them and Blackwell Plaza. It took a while.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Over a period of weeks, late this summer, a RIOC contractor sent pedestrians, wheelchairs and baby strollers into Main Street, forcing them away from construction. What made it worse was its location directly in front of RIOC president Shelton J. Haynes office and across the street from his dedicated four-spot parking areas.
But now, after repeated complaints, the state agency that never makes a mistake seems to have gotten the message.


Credit where credit is due, especially as it regards public safety. Here’s one of the previous dilemmas in the same ares.

Maybe they learned something, and residents as well as visitors will be safer.
This article is dedicated to David Kraut who says that Roosevelt Island media never gives RIOC credit when they get it right.
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily
- Octagon Park Lecture Nov. 16: Was the Park’s Plan a Success?Octagon Park lecture: architect John di Domenico revisits how the park was planned 35 years ago and whether it worked. Free, Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m., island library.
- Friday’s PSD blotter: two theft reports at 425 Main, three hospital runsRIOC’s Nov. 13 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents, all on Main Street, including two petit larceny reports at 425 Main Street, three hospital transports and five entries at 546 Main.
- Variety Boys and Girls Club Sale: Astoria Property Sells for $28 MillionThe Variety Boys and Girls Club sale brings $28 million for its longtime Astoria property. Questions remain about the building’s future and youth programs.
- Fall Prevention for Seniors: Make Your Apartment Safer, Nov. 20Fall prevention for seniors: Sen. Krueger’s Nov. 20 virtual roundtable tours a typical NYC apartment, with tips on landlord changes and balance. RSVP on Zoom.
- Thursday’s PSD blotter: two hospital runs, a trespass summons at 888 MainRIOC’s Nov. 12 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents: six medical calls, two alarms at 546 Main Street, and a late-night trespass at 888 Main Street that ended with a summons.
Can the Lawsuit Reach the Stacks in Time?
The underlying record remains largely hidden. Now two residents have taken the question somewhere government cannot manage quite as easily: a courtroom.











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