I read with interest the letter written in reference to our Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue, and as president of the Woodhaven Business Improvement District (WBID) responsible for Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue, it is incumbent upon me to respond.
The letter refers to the appearance of our avenue after the two major snowstorms. To judge any area after this unusual weather places us at a disadvantage.
The bird droppings referred to on the sidewalk and near our “J” line elevated stanchions are power washed periodically. The snowstorms made them inaccessible and the power washing — chemicals freeze in the cold weather, so they could not be cleaned. This accumulation will be power washed this month.
As to the litter baskets “overflowing with garbage" – after the snowstorms the garbage from the wire baskets was not picked up. This also occurred on our residential streets and throughout the city.
During the snowstorm our WBID cleaners cleared paths and the corners of snow for our avenue pedestrians.
After the trash was picked up, the garbage in the wire baskets, which included illegally-deposited household garbage as well, was bagged, and the baskets lined. This is done twice a day, seven-days-a-week.
The “trash tossed in the street” issue on Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue is addressed by the sweepers cleaning twice a day, seven-days-a-week. Our cleaners sweep the avenue and the curbs all along our 25 blocks.
These cleaners which the letter refers to as “one man with a Rubbermaid trash can on wheels with a broom,” do the job well, as the Sanitation Department did and did well with their sweepers many years ago.
These hard-working people clean our avenue very well and our streets have been rated very clean by the Sanitation Department.
Also, the community is happy with what they do. I would want you to consider what our avenue would look like if it were not for their sweeping twice a day, seven-days-a-week.
As to the referenced “empty storefronts” – a recent survey has proved, we have a very low vacancy rate with some “closed stores” not available to be rented and used for only storage.
We have been notified by the city that our “J” line Jamaica Avenue elevated train structure and stanchions will finally be painted and repaired.
This is a project which the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation and the Woodhaven Business Improvement District worked for over 18 years to get accomplished.
Also, more improvements are planned after this project is completed.
Now that the spring weather will be upon us, the WBID will be sponsoring our free pictures with the “Easter Bunny” and other activities along Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue from Dexter Court to 100th Street.
There will be many other promotions throughout the year, the biggest being our “Holidays in Woodhaven,” Weekend Menorah and Christmas Tree Lighting and Holiday Parade.
This is what we do here in Woodhaven, and I would suggest anyone with this letter’s concept of Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue go along Jamaica Avenue to the adjoining communities in Queens and Brooklyn. There they will find that the differences are obvious. We stand out as a clean, graffiti- and vandalism-free commercial strip.
The members of our WBID Board are committed businessmen and storeowners. In addition to paying assessments, they give their time to work for our commercial strip.
This is why we were honored with the “Award for the Best BID in N.Y.C.”
Our WBID has the smallest budget for the length of 25 blocks in the city; however, despite these limited resources we accomplish a great deal, but for those who want everything – we can and will not ever satisfy you.
Mathew Xenakis is president of the Woodhaven Business Improvement District
