The broken AVAC residents have dealt with since May got another spray of cryptic messaging from RIOC. Cryptic because each message contradicts something before it, making the whole mess a mystery of excuses.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Six Months with a Broken AVAC and Chaotic Messaging

While four west side housing complexes have been spared, the broken AVAC has brought smelly refuse rooms and unsightly piles of trash to much of the Island, some of it since May.
For the first two months, RIOC’s acclaimed, four person Communications Team huddled in the corporate bunker. Only after complaints and media reports flushed them out did the state agency cough up a story. A few buildings were inconvenienced, they said, by a bed frame someone jammed down an AVAC chute.
Remember that one? That damnable bed frame was dislodged in August, according to RIOC. They patted themselves on the back for their efforts but strangely never produced any evidence. Not a single photo of the alleged bed frame or of feet on the ground. Who cared, though, as long as it was fixed…?
But, of course, it wasn’t. Much of Southtown has continuously been out of service for six months, putting the lie to the bed frame alibi. Then, as the broken AVAC effect crept north into Westview, RIOC’s alleged Communications Team hunkered down in silence. Until last week, no further excuses were offered nor did they apologize or get off the bed frame.
RIOC News Takes a Game Stab at It
In an aside titled PROJECT UPDATES / AVAC REPAIRS, a whole new twist sprouted.
RIOC News, 11-04-2021
The east and west lines of the AVAC system will be undergoing major repair work. A specialized team from Spain is making their way here, to Roosevelt Island, to address the damaged piping and flooding that have been the source of the issues. We’ll be sure to update the community as the team progresses through the repairs.
Gone was the bed frame, replaced by “damaged piping and flooding,” but where and how were still missing. A long broken AVAC was reduced to issues. RIOC’s vaunted Communications didn’t even try patching over the contradictions.
Then, yesterday, the state agency’s brain trust came up with this: “The AVAC system will be under assessment and undergo service repair for the next 10 days starting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 9th. Service updates will be provided as they become available.”
“What? WTF does that mean in general? And to all the apartment buildings?” fumed a frustrated resident.
As usual, RIOC left a widening gap of unanswered questions big enough for a whole new load of distrust to march through.
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily
- RIOC Board Meeting, May 2022: A New Exercise in Bunker ModeBunker mode fits as well with New York’s Open Meetings Law as a whale on a shrimp boat. They’re antithetical. One reveals things; the other hides them. But controlled by an irresponsible governor and a
- Sunset Park, Brooklyn: A Neighborhood, History and a FutureSunset Park in Brooklyn is a neighborhood located in the western part of the borough. It has a rich history that can be traced back to the 1800s. What makes Sunset Park unique is its
- Reduced Fare Taps Coming Soon for MTA Buses & SubwaysThe Metropolitan Transit Authority is preparing to bring reduced fare customers – seniors, disabled, etc. – into the OMNI system soon. You will be able to tap and go, just like everyone else – not
- Another One Bites the Dust: Markus Sztejnberg Exits RIOCMarkus Sztejnberg, the latest domino to fall in a row of RIOC executives, left recently after just a few months on staff. He “…is the latest RIOC executive to resign,” an informant tells The Daily.
- Special Master Carves Up New York’s Congressional and State Senate Seats With New MapsRachel Holliday Smith, The City This article was originally published on May 16 6:34pm EDT by THE CITY /Sign up here to get the latest stories from THE CITY delivered to you each morning. The Roosevelt Island Daily News
- Losing Maloney, Maybe. Serrano for Sure. Final RedistrictingFinal redistricting by a Special Master appointed by a Steuben County judge guts the voting map approved by Democrats. The same judge threw them out as unconstitutional, and New York’s highest court agreed. Big change