Has ANYONE noticed people in green outfits CLEANING 3rd ave? The company is known as Wildcat: The Power of Work. They rehabilitate people leaving prison – they give them paying jobs – BRAVO. I spoke to several of these people on the avenue – they all are grateful for the job.
Would not a BID cleaning services cripple the opportunity of these people to be productive citizens!
When you see these people cleaning the avenue – thank them and Say NO to the third avenue BID!
Comments from a 3rd ave merchants:
The 5th ave bid is a SCAM!! You either agree with us…or leave
The 3rd ave merchant association has, as of today, locked our comments to be reviewed – they took public money, this is a public forum, they want to silence the dissent – WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF!
Make it known, get the word out – WE THE PEOPLE OF 3RD AVE WILL – NOT BE SILENCED – we want our voices heard!
BID July 25th Meeting Debacle
“You can leave” was the bullying taunt by James Ellis, the consultant from the PERCH group – the firm paid to create a BID on 3rd ave.
We offered to take over the merchant association and “make it great again”
We have a plan that does not include an expensive TAX on us
The existing leadership of the Merchant Association need to hand over their control to the people with the drive, determination, technical ability and vision that they have lost over their 30+ years
Their time has passed, time to look to the future
The failure of the association is theirs, their perceived decline of 3rd ave is on their shoulders – Yet they hold on to their power and want to force us to pay for their failures.
Step down and turn over control to US!
Post this on all your social media – get the word out!
The 3rd Ave BID is a Secret Society that pretends to work in the best interest of all – this is the most dangerous type of group.
For success – it is important ALWAYS to hear both sides in order to get to the middle – a collaboration, a consensus and full transparency if required.
If this is how collaborative Perch and the steering committee of the proposed 3rd Ave BID will be – it will not get better after they are put into power. If past is predictive of future…
“You can leave” was the bullying taunt by James Ellis, the consultant from the PERCH group – firm paid to create a BID on 3rd ave.
He got into several spats with attendees, annoyed by questions from small business owners when asked for DETAILS regarding where the money was coming from and where it would be going.
The PERCH group with secret planning meetings that were not advertised openly to ALL business & property owners, tenants – open only to inner circle of supporters. Council member Justin Brannon even gave them $36,000 to get them started.
He should have considered a line item in the budget for Third Ave Merchants to cover the special events that have been cornerstones of our neighborhood. I don’t remember being asked or informed of this.
If this is how they treat our fellow Bay Ridge 3rd Ave residents now, imagine after they form a BID and get our money!
They don’t want to call it a tax but it will behave like one and you will be REQUIRED to pay it – otherwise a lien will be put on your property and it is collected exactly like a tax.
BID Startup Costs:
$36,000 was already spent for the BID!
That’s 1 year of lights on 3rd ave!
We know a BID costs over $150,000 to begin – When have you made $150,000 profit?
Who will pay for the BIDS startup?
Was anyone aware that this was taking place and $36,000 of OUR tax money spent?
Why are people with No businesses, No real-estate or Living on 3rd making these decisions? These people have no “skin” in the game – the BID never reaches into their personal pockets!
Who is helping start the BID? Has the association gotten 3 quotes from 3 companies and chosen the best?
Who will manage the BID?
The people that “have the time” will run it!
The “old guard” who want to maintain their relevance
The BID will be run by the same people that have failed the 3rd ave Merchant Association.
These same people, want to be rewarded with $560,000 a year of our hard earned money.
Are the holiday lights that important? If we had no lights would it affect any of our business?
Is the festival that important? Are most LOCAL businesses participating?
How much money do you really make during the festival and walks? Enough to offset the costs?
Do you pay your merchant dues every year?
Do most retail operations benefit from the 3rd ave association or JUST a select few restaurants?
If we took the lights, festival and walks away – will they be quickly forgotten and not missed – be honest with yourself on this.
Did anyone push back against the over 100% increase in parking meter rates?
Service is the new retail – Studies done show that retail is migrating away and stores require a much smaller footprint – service is key – hence, how can a BID change market factors and trends?
Does a preponderance of nail salons, bagel stores and other similar businesses breath new life into our avenue? – look around at the stores being opened, is there a trendy variety? Are these same businesses attracting NEW people or diluting the current businesses? Will a BID address this?
Does 86st’s large retailers help or destroy the smaller retail shops in the area? Has anyone asked? Done a study in other areas?
Did the 5th ave BID after spending over $2.5 MILLION dollars, create a better retail environment? Think about what we purchases on 5th: 2 maybe 3 restaurants, 99cent stores a few hardware stores and bakeries – do we really spend a lot of money on 5th ave shopping as a whole since the BID?
Repeating “IT WORKS – IT WORKS” does not make it so. We need specifics on exactly what we are paying for and how we can determine if the BID is an actual success. Each item that is proposed for the BID must have, in detail, the costs & services we will receive and HOW it will be measured for success. Read More
How can we stop a BID after its in place?
You can’t – its almost impossible to remove the assessment tax
What WE need is an asymmetrical solution – a new generation with a whole new explanation tempered with historical perspective and leveraging technology to make 3rd ave great again! Read More
