June 27, 2017
Dear LIC BID Members & Businesses, 
 
We are excited to share with you some terrific updates regarding the newly expanded LIC BID.  
BID Expansion Official!
 
This past February, with the leadership and financial support of City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, and the hard work of so many, including the BID Expansion Steering Committee, and its co-chairs, Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, Angelo Ippolito and Paula Kirby and the LIC BID Board of Directors, the LIC BID was officially expanded to include Jackson Ave from Court Square to Vernon Blvd., Vernon Blvd. to 44th Dr., and 44th Dr. to Jackson Ave. This has been an immense undertaking, years in the making, and we are excited to welcome the new businesses, properties , people and public spaces to the LIC BID !
The BID is now organized into two areas, the North and South Subdistricts, and we look forward to providing services tailored to each, while also working to knit the areas together.
Below are updates regarding expansion services, as well as info on the current state of the BID.
Stay tuned for more information regarding a special kick-off event to celebrate!  

BID Staffing Updates

In preparation for the expansion of services, we hired Dan Benjoya in the new position of Director of BID Field Operations. Dan joins Sam Wynne, BID Operations Manager and Ambassador, both of whom will be out in the District, supervising our contractors, checking up on street conditions, checking in with BID Businesses and interacting with anyone who needs help or directions on the street. Be sure to say Hi if you see them and feel free to contact the team at dbenjoya@licpartnership.org and swynne@licpartnership.org.

Dan Benjoya
Director of BID Operations 
Sam Wynne
BID Operations Manager & Ambassador
Expansion of BID Services

We've been hard at work preparing for the full roll-out of services in the expansion area on July 1st ! Through our contractor Streetplus we will provide supplemental sanitation services throughout the entire BID including graffiti removal. In both the North and South Subdistricts, look out for a special upgrade to our streetscape in the coming month as well! 
 
 
Volunteer Days in the BID 

This past April, the LIC BID was proud to partner with JetBlue Airways for their JetBlue for Good campaign. Every Friday in April, volunteers took part in a community project, such as cleaning up Dutch Kills Green park, installing fence artwork on Queens Plaza North, and planting begonias in the tree pits along Queens Plaza. Over 200 volunteers took part in the campaign.

Thanks to JetBlue, McNulty Outdoors, Lina Montoya, NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation for their support in the volunteer projects. Thanks also to our watering partners for our begonias: Metlife, JetBlue, APEX Technical School, QLIC, and Silvercup Studios.



Long Island City was also well represented in Tishman Speyer's annual Day of Service on Thursday, June 22 nd. This year, 26 volunteers were out in Dutch Kills Green planting and cleaning up the park to continue being an amazing community asset. Over 500 plants were planted, 85 bags of garbage were collected, and 1.5 cubic yards of mulch were laid in the park. Thanks to Tishman Speyer, NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation, Hilton Garden Inn LIC, and Bartleby & Sage for making the Day of Service a great success!



If you or your business is interested in volunteer opportunities within the LIC BID, please reach out to Sam Wynne, BID Ambassador & Operations Manager.   
Rafferty Kiosk Returns 

The damaged kiosk at Rafferty Triangle was repaired pro-bono by a local company, Titan Machine, and has returned more securely to its regular location. 

July 4th in LIC

LIC is once again honored to host the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks. See the flier below from the 108th Precinct regarding street closures, parking and traffic on July 3rd & 4th.



Assessment Billing Update

For Property Owners, your July 1 real estate tax bill will reflect a couple of changes (see the map above for reference):
  1. If you are in the newly expanded South Subdistrict (green), you will now see the assessment for BID services, and on this bill only, it will include a small retroactive amount as well for work done prior to July 1st.
  1. For those in the North Subdistrict BID (dark blue) ("original BID"), this bill is the first to reflect the new Assessment Formula previously approved and made effective also in February along with the expansion. The new formula allows for more equitable distribution between fully commercial and mixed-use properties.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Dan Benjoya, Director of BID Field Operations. 

BID Board Update and Member Registration
 
With the expansion, we've added interim directors to the board from the South Subdistrict and are preparing for the next Annual Meeting, to be held in October, when our new BID members will vote in the South Subdistrict board representatives. For a full list of current board members, click here. Thank you again to our Expansion Steering Committee for all your hard work getting us to this point!

If you are located in the BID, in either subdistrict please make sure to register as a Voting Member  with the LIC BID. This allows you to vote at our Annual Meeting this fall and ensures you receive important BID updates and service notices.
As a reminder, for any issues regarding your BID business, the LIC Business Assistance Team is here to help.
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