By LAWRENCE HELLER

At the Escape Restaurant, the newest eatery in the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District, the BID’s Board of Directors held its annual meeting on June 10 to outline its hits and future ambitions. 

Those present at the meeting included the BID’s board members, merchants, and community leaders. The keynote speech was delivered by Councilman Andrew Cohen of District 11. He spoke about the importance of the BID and the key role it plays in sustaining the Jerome-Gun Hill commercial corridor, from providing sanitation services and security to attracting shoppers with its extensive marketing campaigns throughout the year.

Among the invited guests were 52nd Precinct Inspector Nilda Hofmann and Senior Director of Community and Government Relations at Montefiore and Executive Director of Mosholu Preservation Corporation that manages the BID, Roberto Garcia.

A Year of Accomplishments
Board members heard from its longtime BID president Alice Kulick, thrilled to spread word of newly-installed security cameras peppering the BID to help deter crime. Kulick also discussed the successful launching of the Montefiore Associate Discount Program, where Montefiore Associates are offered discounts when they shop within the BID.

Other BID accomplishments included its 12th Annual Fall Festival, its extensive marketing campaign throughout the year, and most recently, collaborations with the Friends of Williamsbridge Oval and the city Parks Department to host an Easter Egg Hunt for Norwood residents.

The BID’s secretary, Dennis O’Brien, noted that security cameras have produced a “vast reduction in the amount of graffiti,” a positive signal for the cleaning up of the neighborhood. “We’ve accomplished a lot,” said O’Brien, also a property owner in the BID. “In the ‘80s, the neighborhood was nasty. Look at it now.”

Those at the meeting took time to thank the BID board members and the BID’s Executive Director Marcia Cameron for their hard work. Garcia remarked over Cameron’s “tenacity, leadership, and passion” for the BID while Kulick also thanked Cameron for “all the hard work she does for the BID.”

Combating Street Vendors
And as improvements continue, Kulick remains vigilant over the unlicensed street vendors who have set up their carts or tables around the BID. In many instances, violators hawk accessories and other knickknacks, siphoning potential business from brick and mortar stores. “Once a legal vendor sets up, it’s tough to distinguish a legal from an illegal vendor,” said Kulick, speaking to an audience that included merchants old and new throughout the BID. One merchant balked at street vendors since many sell the same exact product at a fraction of the cost that an established store would sell.

The 52nd Precinct has stood on top of the situation, according to Hofmann. Officers have routinely issued tickets to street merchants, though their presence lingers. Hofmann, however, wouldn’t turn down the idea of extra eyes in the sky. “We could still use more cameras,” she said. “There are never enough cameras.”

Sally Caldwell, a resident of Tracey Towers and a board member, has monitored all improvements around the BID. She hopes that the BID could entice more businesses that “caters to certain age groups.” 

The Birth of a BID
The premise of the BID began with an idea–“Why travel when you could buy it right here?” The Jerome-Gun Hill BID was established in January of 1997, and was one of the first BIDs in the Bronx. The BID’s L-shaped corridor, beginning at Mosholu Parkway and Jerome Avenue, running along Jerome Avenue to Gun Hill Road, then along East Gun Hill Road to Webster Avenue, comprises over 200 businesses ranging from retail to medical offices. The Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC), a community nonprofit in Norwood, helps manage the BID.

The BID was established to beautify the commercial strip, making local shopping inviting to residents. Funding from the BID comes from a special property tax assessment bill to property owners, who were in agreement to the tax before it was signed into law. Work is done to try to improve the image of the neighborhood, such as cleaning garbage from the streets and removing graffiti.

As for a summation of the BID’s status, Cameron notes, “Working with our Board of Directors, property owners and merchants, we have been able to transform the Jerome-Gun Hill BID into a quality shopping district attracting new and exciting stores.  The BID has limitless potential. Let’s work together to capitalize on our assets and make smart investments to ensure future success.”