By Naeisha Rose
The Sutphin Boulevard Improvement District held its third annual meeting last week at Rufus King Manor, discussing endeavors for this year and the near future, according to the BID’s executive director, Glenn Greenidge.
The major items on the agenda for the Aug. 10 event at 150-03 Jamaica Ave. included a Harvest Festival, an app for the BID, expanding the boundaries of the BID and a Downtown Historical Walking Tour, according to Greenidge.
The Harvest Festival will take place Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. stretching from Sutphin Boulevard and Hillside Avenue to Jamaica Avenue. It will feature musical, cultural, artistic and educational components, according to Greeniedge. Jamaica Reads will give out free books, and Greenidge is working on getting a big name entertainer for the event.
“We’re not just looking to sell sausages and corn,” he said. “We are going to have stuff for the seniors, we are going to have different stuff for the kids, there will be bouncy houses, and we want to really invite people to the Sutphin Boulevard district.”
Greenidge also introduced the possibility of an app for the Sutphin BID to the board of directors. He wants the app to include a map of the BID and include a directory of all the businesses within it, as well as information about sales and discounts for customers to see.
Business owners will “have an electronic way of letting people know what they are up to, and do some more marketing to reach more customers,” Greenidge said.
The BID stretches from Hillside Avenue on Sutphin Boulevard to 94th Avenue. The board discussed expanding from Hillside Avenue to Liberty and down to Archer avenues, where three hotels are in different stages of development and the DOT has proposed a possible streetscape, which might include a park, Greenidge said.
“There is no BID or representation along Archer Avenue and there are three hotels going to be built there with 669 rooms in that corridor,” Greenidge said. “There is also a merchants’ association emerging at Hillside Avenue.”
The Downtown Historical Walking Tour would help to promote the Downtown Jamaica area. It would feature Rufus King Manor Museum, Queens County Court, Grace Historical Church, York College, and the century-old LIRR, he said.
“This area is going to continue to be built up,” Greenidge said.
Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose
