A commercial district as active and distinctive as the Broadway Special Improvement District (SID) certainly has plenty of responsibilities on its plate—but where maintenance is concerned, that's one responsibility where almost everyone seems to want to chip in. It's what SID president Bob Beshlian calls “a mind-set that catches on. Once a few people help out with maintenance and beautification,” he says, “a lot of other people see the good it does for the district and eagerly hop on board.”
The Broadway maintenance program, now in its second year, is a twelve-month endeavor that is currently gearing up for the busy spring and summer seasons. The effort effectively unites the work of the SID with the district's business community, property owners and residents. Combined, that adds up to many dedicated individuals keeping an eye on everything from cleanliness to safety, and that speaks well for everybody in one of Fair Lawn's most progressive and vital commercial districts.
“We get many calls from business and property owners asking how they can pitch in,” says Beshlian, who is also president of Beshlian Properties. “We appreciate that very much, because it makes our extensive efforts just a little bit easier, and worth every minute. We owe a great deal of thanks to the community volunteers—George Bate and Irene Kapotis—who walk the district each week with Operations Manager, Chris Bernardo to identify maintenance tasks and prepare a report to the board members of their findings and recommendations.”
The Broadway Special Improvement District (SID) is the management organization approved by the Council in June of 2005. The Broadway SID is a nonprofit corporation registered with the State of New Jersey which includes businessmen, property owners, and residents with a planned goal to improve the Broadway SID.
Ongoing weekly maintenance activities in the Broadway district include emptying and washing existing containers, sweeping all public spaces, and removing gum and graffiti. But Broadway SID volunteer board members go much further than that. They are also consulting with property owners on ways to enhance the visual appeal of their properties, actively discussing streetscape improvements, and coordinating notices of violation with the Fair Lawn Zoning Officer whenever necessary.
In addition, Broadway business owners can apply for sign and awning grant, and the Design and Review Committee of volunteers, after review and approval, will process the grants. Call the District Administrator at 201-797-3442 for more information.
While maintenance efforts are important all year long, the spring and summer seasons always present the Broadway SID ‘clean teams' with a slightly higher level of work to do because with the arrival of warmer weather more people are outside longer and, as a result, leave behind larger amounts of litter. Also, spring cleanup activities uncover many items that people want to discard as quickly as possible.
It is well documented how Broadway owes much of its recent success to the efforts of business and property owners who have demonstrated a commitment to the district for many years—a commitment that led directly to the creation of the SID last year. It is the same kind of commitment that makes the maintenance program successful, using funds collected through the SID to accomplish the work that needs to be done.
In addition to the scheduled activities, the SID has several recommendations that the community can take under consideration for the continued maintenance and beautification of the district. These include washing windows on a regular basis; appropriately discarding winter trash, leaves and broken glass; sweeping not only in front but also at the sides of all properties; painting weathered exteriors (including trim and doors); repairing gutters, leaders and sidewalks; and properly recycling bottles, cans, newspapers and magazines.
The SID also recommends to all retail managers to keep all storefronts attractive and well lit, to keep window displays simple (and to not allow the displays to block views into the store), and to change the displays and other store advertisements often.
The Fair Lawn Recycling Division reminds all residents and businesses to properly recycle during the spring. The improper disposal of recyclables in the garbage adds unnecessary costs to the Borough in disposal fees and reduces revenue from the sale of recyclables. All business owners are required to recycle in the same manner as residential homeowners. Businesses are required to file a “business recycling registration form” each year, as well as to report annual recycling tonnage to the Recycling Coordinator. Businesses should contact the Recycling Division at 201-794-5366 for additional information.
The Borough's litter ordinances 140-3 through 140-15 include the prohibition of (1) placing litter in public receptacles or in authorized private receptacles without methods in place to prevent the litter from being carried or deposited by the elements onto any public or private property and (2) throwing or depositing litter on any open or vacant private property, whether owned by such person or not. They also direct persons owning or occupying property to keep areas in front of or upon their premises free of litter.
Maintenance is a varied and encompassing entity: it's not just the litter that collects under bushes over the winter months that requires our efforts, but also the district's overall appearance and impression. That's what attracts shoppers and new commercial partners to our district and gives them a good reason to stay.
