This year has been a difficult one for the business community, to say the least, but the president of the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District is encouraging member store owners to keep their chins up while the organization adjusts to the changing times.
“We have gone through some changes in the past 18 months, but have emerged with a strong board (of directors) that is cohesive and really ‘into’ downtown,” Don Brown said on Monday.
Brown, co-owner of Charles Men’s Shop on Main Street, believes that the BID has reached a tipping point as far as how to meet its 198 members’ needs and to appeal to younger entrepreneurs.
“BIDs themselves are facing an uphill battle in a lot of ways as some people are down on BIDs, which are funded with property owners’ tax money,” Brown said. “But, when you see sidewalk improvements, downtown flowers and landscaping – that’s all because of the BID.”
He said that the emergence of the Batavia Development Corporation, which secures downtown grants and loans, and the recent $10 million NYS Downtown Revitalization Award has compelled BID board members to rethink their focus.
“We didn’t have those before – grants for storefront rehabilitation and the state throwing millions of dollars at us,” he said. “That’s a game-changer for us.”
As a result, Brown, who has been president for a year and a board member since 2016, said he would like to see the BID promote more events in the City and develop a marketing plan that “lets people know that it is the BID that is sponsoring this.”
“Our common goal should be to market our skill set to the 200 members. We’ve been too rigid in the past and we need to do things to attract the younger people who are business owners to make their downtown better,” he offered.
Brown said that a plan is in place to conduct “meet-and-greet” sessions and work has already started on getting free Wi-Fi downtown.
“Our BID board has resolved to be a more social organization -- having meet and greets a couple times per year to promote more participation,” he said. “Most recently, we contracted (with Spectrum) to have free Wi-Fi installed throughout our downtown district for all the youth. We also want to have music (via speakers at various sites) downtown.”
Previously, Brown and BID Executive Director Beth Kemp spoke to the membership via a video on the BID website that replaced their Annual Meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Things will look different going forward but we will get through these challenging times and will be stronger for it,” he said.
On the video, Kemp announced the agency’s award winners for the 2019-20 year:
- Business of the Year – Freed Maxick accounting firm.
- Volunteer of the Year – Danielle Fleming, an employee of Batavia Downs Gaming.
- Community Partner of the Year – Lisa Casey, confidential secretary for the City of Batavia.
Kemp also reported that Batavia attorney Peter Casey has been elected to the BID’s Board of Directors.
Financially, the agency made a profit of $8,047 last fiscal year and, as of March 31, had total assets of $330,453.
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Per its website: Comprised of property owners and tenants, the Batavia Business Improvement District Management Association Inc., is a nonprofit organization with a mission to finance improvements and services beyond those provided by the City of Batavia, and fund an operational budget for the purpose of revitalizing and promoting business activity.
