After eight years of reviving a major Norwood commercial area, the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID) has been granted a five-year contract by the city to continue its work.

The city had last given the Jerome-Gun Hill BID a three-year contract that expired in June. "The five-year contract that we have received is unprecedented," said Roberto Garcia, the BID’s executive director for the past two years.

The BID is funded through assessments to property owners on Jerome Avenue, Gun Hill Road and parts of East 208th Street and Mosholu Parkway North. Property owners and merchants comprise its board of directors. Mosholu Preservation Corporation, the nonprofit group that publishes the Norwood News, is employed by the Board to manage the BID.

The city’s 45 BIDs are given either a one-, three- or five-year contract. "The time periods are awarded based on the BID’s performance," said a spokesman for the Department of Business Services. "If the BID does well, it increases its chances for a longer contract. The Jerome-Gun Hill BID has shown a lot of improvements."

And those improvements have come particularly in the area of sanitation. Two years ago, according to Garcia, the BID received below 50 percent on city sanitation scorecard ratings.

"The BID has made a comprehensive and cooperative effort with contractors, property owners, merchants, and the city to work with the DOS to start enforcement and to educate the community," Garcia said.

Complementing its three-man cleanup crew, which sweeps the sidewalks seven days a week, the BID has distributed fliers, reminding residents and merchants of refuse pickup dates, and offered seminars on sanitation issues such as proper dumpster location. That focus has shown significant results. The area received 100 percent on last year’s sanitation scorecard ratings.

The BID’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by local merchants. "I see a difference in the stores around here," said Hwasook Kim, owner of Eden Flower Shop on Gun Hill Road. "The workers come by cleaning the area and more flowers have been planted. It looks good here."

"There is a significant difference in the area," said Hector Malpica, assistant manager at Payless Shoe Source on Jerome Avenue. "In the past year that IÕve been here, the graffiti has been cleaned, and the sweepers come by every day. The responsibility of cleaning the street is no longer on us."

But there is still room for improvement, BID leaders say. Dennis O’Brien, secretary of the BID’s Board, pointed out that more enforcement is needed and local residents need to take some responsibility for the area’s condition.

"There is more awareness of the strip, and that creates more visibility for the Norwood businesses," O’Brien said. "But the two most common reasons that I hear for people and businesses leaving the neighborhood are the dog feces and the individual garbage that are left in the streets."

Security is the other critical issue the BID seeks to address. In his first two years at the BID, Garcia oversaw the implementation of a 24-hour computerized surveillance system that monitors streets in the BID. Garcia said that loitering on Mosholu Parkway and 208th Street has stopped since police began monitoring the area with the cameras.

"About six months ago, after viewing the camera footage, the police tracked the offenders and assigned officers to patrol the area," said Garcia. "This police presence served as a deterrent to criminal activity and put an end to the loitering there."

The computerized security system is tracked by both the BID and the 52nd Precinct. The servers hold a week and a half of memory.

Despite the high-tech innovation, one merchant said he’d like to see a greater police presence. "The police need to enforce this area better," said Ed Greenspan, owner of Mosholu Optical on Jerome Avenue. "All day long, there is a group of people who roam around the stores, sometimes looking for trouble, and they keep customers away."

Garcia also plans to stress the appearance of the area. In the coming months, the BID will be adding hanging plants, information kiosks and maps, and decorative banners to the streets. In addition, the BID will work with the Department of Transportation and the MTA to install islands at the heavily used bus stops.

"Aesthetically, people want to come to an area that looks good, smells good, and is clean," said Garcia. "We want people to think of BID as a good place to come shop and not a thrift area."

Garcia said the quality of stores in the district has also improved "We’re seeing less of the 99-cent stores and more quality businesses that come here for growth," said Garcia.

Merchants say Garcia is in no small part responsible for recent BID accomplishments. "He’s been fantastic," said Tony Brea, owner of Most Wanted Wireless, which is now opening its second store on Jerome Avenue. "You see the improvements in the area. You can feel the BID."

Ed. note: For more information on the BID, call (718) 324-4946.