LIbrary Location and Delaware Avenue Development

I have heard recently from a couple of sources and I understand it was discused at a Library meeting last evening that the new proposed location for the Delaware Avenue Library will be the Chicorelli Funeral Home building. I understand it still has to be approved, perhaps by a public vote later this year, but plans are well in place. That will be a real boost for the Barclay, Hurlbut, Bertha, Federal section of Delaware Avenue.

It is my understanding too that a committee has been appointed by the Mayor to oversee a plan for physical attention to Delaware Avenue. This will include lighting and walk ways and a host of other issues. The committee has not met yet nor made an announcement of its presence but this has great importance to the Neighborhood Watch and its development of a strategic plan. It is important that ideas be formulated soon and thoughtfully so that these ideas can have an impact on other planning that may be going forward.

I have also downloaded the BID material. I have also discussed the idea with several people. While the idea meets with general approval there are a ton of issues that make it less attractive. The first, of course, being the tax that would be required to support it. There are no where near the number of businesses on Delaware Avenue as there are on Central Avenue or Downtown. Such a tax would have to be high to create an effective pool of funds to create even the most basic aspects of a BID entity. High additional taxes are never a good idea and can be a discouragement to businesses. It is my understanding that it would need to be created by the Common Council which would have some challenges. Depending on how the BID is styled it might be entirely in one ward. While brining some resources to the table it is important to note that generally resources are scare. A BID organization would be another layer of bureaucracy around some issues. It would seem that the shortest way to some of the goals that a BID might want to address would be to create a Neighborhood Business Association or a Business Committee of the Neighborhood Association. This is not much of a stretch because a BID board would have to address many of the questions that such an association would address but without the overhead or mandatory taxes. A voluntary membership fee that would be attached to tangible results and benefits would encourage membership.