The Architectural Community Alliance of Roosevelt Island report:
Hey neighbor – please help us stop the demolition of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant!
Join our rally on Saturday, March 7th, from 11am.
Firefighters Field (405-425 Main St, New York, NY 10044), across the street from the Steam Plant.
What is happening?
The demolition of the RI Steam Plant has begun without disclosure of testing or remediation plans for asbestos, lead, and other toxic materials commonly found in historic industrial buildings—directly endangering residents, workers, and our environment. We need your help to stop it.
Kalin Kresnitchki and Zora Boyadzhieva of the Architectural Community Alliance of Roosevelt Island describe the efforts to pause the demolition of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant and to save the building for an adaptive re-use of the structure during the February 14 interview below. They also express concerns about potential environmental safety hazards involved in the demolition of the building by NYC Housing & Preservation Department and the lack of transparency in regard to the demolition process by the City Of New York.
On March 4, I asked the office of Roosevelt Island’s NYC Council Member Julie Menin, who is also the City Council Speaker:
I’m preparing an update on the status of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant demolition.
I’ve been trying to get a comment from Speaker Menin for at least a month about the issue.
Is there going to be any statement from Julie Menin about the health and safety issues caused by the demolition of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant raised by residents and what residents say is the lack of response by NYC HPD and elected officials.
A spokesperson for Speaker Menin replied:
We are working closely with RIOC and government partners to ensure that daily life for Roosevelt Islanders is impacted as little as possible.
Our office has requested that HPD apply rigorous safety and environmental standards throughout both disassembly and reconstruction, with strong oversight throughout the process
On March 2, I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Assistant Vice President of Communications and Goverment Affairs Bryant Daniels:
Any comment from RIOC about status of steam plant demolition and RIOC President BJ Jones’ conversation with HPD or anyone else on the matter?
Mr Daniels replied:
Following the Operations Committee meeting, President & CEO Jones reached out to the Department of Buildings (DOB), Department of Environmental Protection (DEC), and Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to share the community’s feedback. In partnership, DOB, HPD and DEC are working diligently to provide additional information and to remediate the site while prioritizing the community’s safety and needs. We have also set-up a page on the RIOC website where we can share information that we receive from the different agencies regarding the demolition work, which can be found at https://www.rioc.ny.gov/news-and-events/steam-plant-demo.
Here’s the RIOC Operations Advisory Committee meeting discussion about the Steam Plant demolition.
More info about the Architectural Community Alliance of Roosevelt Island at their website.