Among the items on
Agenda
for the September 29, 2021 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of
Directors Meeting is:

… Authorization to Enter into Agreement with Neave Group for Roosevelt
Island Holiday Decoration (Board Action Required)…

Image of 2019 Roosevelt Island Reindeer Sled At Good Shepherd Plaza

According to a September 24, 2021 memo from RIOC Procurement Manager Amy
Firestein to RIOC President Shelton Haynes: 

Need:

Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) is seeking a contractor for
design and installation services for holiday decorations. In 2019, RIOC
partnered with Hudson Related to share these costs and expand the decoration
locations. That partnership ended per the contract term at the conclusion of
the Christmas holiday season in 2019. In 2020, RIOC did not have Island
decorations due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, however, island
residents continue to express the desire to decorate the island for the
holiday season. Therefore, RIOC wishes to procure a vendor to achieve this
purpose in beautifying the Island for the 2021 winter holiday season….

… Recommendation:

Neave Group provided the lowest bid at $75,000 per year for the
winter holiday season starting in 2021. Based on the above, I
recommend the three-year agreement with Neave Group for winter holiday
decorating for a total cost of $225,000 for Board approval….

Below is the full RIOC Holiday Lights memo.
 

As reported in 2017, RIOC and  Main Street Retail Master Leaseholder Hudson Related agreed to:

…  create a joint marketing campaign to draw
pedestrian traffic to the Island’s Main Street. The campaign will
install holiday decorations for the winter holiday season throughout
Roosevelt Island to attract more shoppers to the Island retail
establishments. Various proposals were considered, and it was agreed
that HRR would hire Neave Décor (“Neave”), a prominent decoration
company, to bring a “winter wonderland” experience to Roosevelt Island,
for the holiday season. This experience would include various
decorations such as tree lights, snowflake lights, rain deer, stars etc.
though out the Main Street retail corridor, the transportation hub and
the Good Shepherd plaza, among other areas.

Neave agreed to enter into a three-year contract with HRR at a reduced
price of slightly less than $75,000 per year. HRR would be responsible
for one-third of the expenses (i.e. $25,000 per year) associated with
this project. RIOC would be responsible for the remaining portion and
issue HRR a $50,000 credit on the MSA fees for each of the three years.
If possible, RIOC will endeavor to solicit contributions towards its
share from other stakeholders on the Island….

The agreement expired in 2019. The Roosevelt Island Holiday Lights were cancelled in 2020 due to Covid.

Here are some pictures from the 2019 Roosevelt Island Holiday Lights Display.