Reporting the AVAC system down became common over the last few years The only difference, this time, is that RIOC notified the public instead of sitting silent in Blackwell House. While we applaud that openness, they’ve been far from fully transparent with residents… as usual.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Update: As of 4:40 yesterday afternoon (January 3rd) the AVAC system is back in service, according to RIOC.
“The AVAC system remains offline due to ongoing maintenance issues,” RIOC said in an advisory last night (December 30th) at 6:25. Reactions were immediate.
“ … remains offline … “ a resident noted. “When did this start? Only telling us now?”
But there’s more. The situation appears much worse than that, raising frustrations over RIOC secrecy again. Later, we obtained a copy of a notification Rivercross residents got from their management.
“I am sorry to inform you that our Trash Chute Doors will remain locked until further notice,” the thoughtful resident manager informed them.
“As per AVAC’s engineering department, some complicated electrical issues have occurred at the central plant. There is a strong possibility that the entire AVAC system will be out of service until the end of next week.”
Although this isn’t much, it’s far more than RIOC told Roosevelt Islanders in its advisory. Why wasn’t as much information shared with residents?
Is this just another obnoxious instance of withholding the truth, soft-pedaling maintenance failures?
The AVAC System Down In Context
The Daily’s first article covering an AVAC failure filling Southtown corridors with disgusting odors was Memorial Day weekend in 2021, two and a half years ago. RIOC never explained, and in the meantime, there have been more than a dozen instances, mostly unaddressed by the floundering state agency.
Occasionally, RIOC tried tossing out excuses for the failures, none of which ever included the slightest fault on its part. Here are a few favorites in order of dishonesty.
- A lightning strike hit the facility one Saturday afternoon. But there was never any storm, and an investigation showed not a single recorded lightning strike within a hundred miles of Roosevelt Island. No external signs of an electrical strike were visible at the facility.
- A swampy area near Rivercross that evolved from tubes broken down over time. RIOC never explained why no ongoing maintenance detected it for months.
- One of our all-time favorites was trotted out to blame residents. A whole bed frame, RIOC claimed, had been chucked down a chute, blocking the whole system. But no evidence showed up, not even a photo of the recovered bed frame. And we’d challenge the state agency that always gets it right to show us any chute large enough to accept a bed frame.
Suspicions are unavoidable that RIOC simply has not maintained the system for years, and now it’s falling apart.
A Systemic Problem
As recently as the summer of 2022, plans were in progress for updating and redesigning the AVAC systems. Years of use and expansion took a toll, but RIOC did nothing. The urgency is now compounded by accumulating upkeep failures and a financial picture so dire that there isn’t money for even the worst of it.
Without any apparent concern from its dysfunctional board, RIOC’s cash position fell by $5 million in the past year. This is where money for infrastructure and other updates is drawn.
Without that cash available…
The East Seawall – in danger of “catastrophic collapse” – will not be addressed for at least another year and a half.
Broken and pitted, Main Street has barely gotten attention despite the toll it takes on cars and buses while discouraging local business investment.
As many have experienced, the swinging and swaying Tram needs immediate attention and fixes.
RIOC Red Buses break down so frequently that routes are cancelled, and replacements are at least a year away because the the older vehicles have been pushed too far.
The once internationally admired Girl Puzzle installation in Lighthouse Park is in poor shape because of faulty original concrete work and maybe headed into a lawsuit.
Make no mistake. The AVAC System being down is not an isolated occurrence. Maintenance failures of one kind or another are everywhere. Expect more breakdowns from the Negligence Я Us state agency.
“I Can Ask”
Chair Fay Christian opened the Operations Advisory Committee on February 12th, reading out member names from a prepared sheet that omitted Melissa Wade. It didn’t feel intentional, but it struck me as odd precisely because it came from something prepared. Lydia Tang gently corrected her, noting that Wade was, in fact, a member of the committee. Wade met the moment with grace, or perhaps she simply wasn’t bothered by it.
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