What's Happening This Week in Downtown Jamaica

Queens Youth Justice Center (QYJC) Partnership We are excited to announce a new partnership with one of our neighborhood nonprofits, the Queens Youth Justice Center to remove litter from our downtown. Every Saturday, starting this month, youth enrolled in workforce development programming at the Justice Center will help sweep litter from north-south cross streets bisecting Jamaica Avenue between Sutphin Boulevard and 169th Street. The youth will also remove litter from a portion of Archer Avenue. Litter collected by the youth will then be transported out of the district by our own Jamaica Center BID Clean Team (which cleans Jamaica Avenue from Sutphin Boulevard to 169th Street seven days a week.)

Soon to be cleaned up - Stay tuned! The partnership is expected to provide an additional 2,430 hours of community benefit services to Jamaica’s downtown over the next three years. You can read our joint press release with QYJC here.

Announcing JBID Alerts Whether it’s a steam pipe explosion, multi-block fire, water main break or another serious outbreak of Coronavirus, in times of emergency, our BID needs a rapid-fire way to communicate with businesses beyond email, store visits, or calls to store landlines. Enter our new emergency alert system, JBIDAlerts! When a business owner or key manager provides our organization their cell phone number, we can now send up-to-the-minute emergency blasts directly to their cell phone. As of last week, 80 of our local businesses had already positioned themselves to stay in the know about City assistance, emergency grants, or corridor-specific government emergency directives by providing us their cell numbers. If you’re a business owner within our BID boundaries that would like to be enrolled in this program, please contact Trey Jenkins at tjenkins@jamaicacenter.org. We will never share your cell information. We will only notify you with critical information that we feel is time sensitive and important to your business’s survival.

Property owners—we would also like to provide this emergency alert service to you, building supers and building managers who want to be alerted of downtown emergencies (water main break, fire, etc). Please reach out to Trey Jenkins if you or your building staff wish to enroll in these alerts.

Open Air Dining Begins to Pop Up in Downtown Jamaica   We’ve noticed that several eateries on Jamaica Avenue have embraced the al fresco dining trend. Along with its reopening, Rincón Salvadoreño (92-15 149th St) has revealed a festive open air seating area right by its mural. El Salvadorean restaurant La Playita (149-23 Jamaica Ave) across the street also has outside seating. On the quick service front, McDonald’s (159-01 Jamaica Ave) recently placed tables outside of its storefront at 159-01 Jamaica Ave.

And don’t forget all of the many restaurants that have adapted to this pandemic by offering easy online ordering and “to go” options. Hook & Reel (161-21 Jamaica Ave) has been an excellent addition to the neighborhood and their frozen to-go lemonades and seafood boxes are everything! Regarding pizza, people looking for a quick bite can still grab a slice from the pizza staple Margherita Pizza (163-04 Jamaica Ave).  Speaking of restaurants, we spotted an ‘opening soon” sign for the new restaurant Aloha Krab Cajun Seafood Boil (166-26 Jamaica Avenue) offering more seafood favorites like hush puppies, shrimp po’boys, fresh fish, crab legs, crawfish and more. We're excited to welcome another restaurant to the east end of our district soon! Please find a link to their website here.

Business News

Make Sure You're Prepared This Hurricane Season From gas leaks and fires, to major hurricanes, flooding, and blackouts, NYC business owners face many challenges that can impact your operations and assets. The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is here to help guide you through the start of a business continuity plan.   Join SBS for a webinar to learn how to:   Stay in business: Identify your key business functions, employees, and documents   Protect your investments: Understand how to protect your assets and navigate insurance processes   Be ready for action: Create a business continuity plan for your business  These webinars happen throughout the year. The next will occur in October. Review the schedule and RSVP here. And don’t forget—one way to ensure you’re prepared for a disaster is to ensure you’re able to receive up to the minute emergency notifications from our BID. As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, please email Trey Jenkins at tjenkins@jamaicacenter.org to enroll in our new emergency business cell phone alert service—JBIDAlerts!

Are you a minority or woman business owner? Get certified  The City spends up to $17 billion per year on goods and services. Getting certified as an M/WBE will help you compete for these opportunities and access exclusive programs to help your small business grow.   On 9/28, Senator James Sanders, with Senator Leroy Comrie and Assembly Members Alicia Hyndman and Clyde Vanel will do a Facebook Live event with NY State’s Division of Minority and Women’s Development Department to address how to get certified, benefits of being certified, necessary documentation and more.

Updates for Restaurants   If you operate a restaurant, be sure to get caught up on the City’s new COVID surcharge bill and regulations around the transition to indoor dining within city limits.  COVID surcharge bill: Now restaurants can use a surcharge from the law's effective date until they may operate at maximum indoor capacity and 90 days thereafter. Restaurants must call it a "COVID-19 Recovery Charge" and clearly disclose the amount of such surcharge to the consumer before any item is ordered by placing it at the bottom of each menu page supplied to the consumer. The surcharge may not exceed 10% of a consumer's total bill and the written disclosure must be explicit that it is not a gratuity for employees. If you are one of the restaurants/bars interested in using a "COVID-19 Recovery Charge" please visit here to read and understand all the provisions and requirements of this legislation.  Indoor Dining: Additionally, with COVID-19 positivity rates hovering at or below 1% for over a month, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio announced that restaurants will be able to offer limited indoor dining beginning on September 30. Some requirements for restaurants include:  Serve customers at a maximum of 25% capacity   Conduct temperature checks at every front door   Collect Test & Trace data from at least one customer at each table   Close bar tops for seating   Offer COVID-19 protections like PPE for employees   Space tables six feet apart   Please continue to watch for our E-newsletters and COVID-19 website page as more information will be shared in the coming weeks leading up to September 30. If you don’t already, we also recommend following the New York City Hospitality Alliance, which is tracking and communicating all restaurant related legislation very clearly.

Restaurant HVAC Best Practices for a Post-COVID World  The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) is having a seminar for restaurateurs on 9/30 on how to be compliant with the new HVAC guidelines, and how they help reduce the spread of COVID-19.  To register for the seminar visit the QEDC website here.

COVID-19 Updates from the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection  Join the Commissioner for NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Lorelei Salas for a live discussion on business guidelines and programs regarding COVID-19.  As more businesses begin to reopen, the guidelines on how to do so safely will be explained on 10/6 beginning at 2:00 p.m.  You can register for this event online here.

Business Grants & Loans

Downtown Jamaica Storefront Improvement Grant Applications Now Open We are happy to share that NYC’s Department of Small Business Services “SBS” Phase 2 of the Downtown Jamaica Storefront Improvement Grant applications are now open. If you are a small business or property owner in the Downtown Jamaica area who is interested in this grant opportunity, please visit the Downtown Jamaica Storefront Improvement Application & Guidelines pages. You can find more information about the program on the SBS website here. If interested, please direct all questions to storefronts@sbs.nyc.gov. The deadline for this grant opportunity is 9/30.

Queens Chamber PPE Funding Still Available  Our friends at the Queens Chamber of Commerce have asked to to spread the word that there remain some funds available for their PPE & Infection Prevention Micro Grant Program and that applications will be accepted through next week. This grant provides funds to assist small businesses in purchasing PPE and other infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, including sanitizing services. Businesses in CB12 are especially encouraged to apply.   To apply, please visit this link (password “Queens#1).

LISC NYC Grants Now Available LISC NYC recently announced a new round of Small Business Relief and Recovery Grants to New York City Minority-Owned Small Businesses. Applicants who have been affected by COVID-19 have the opportunity to receive up to $10,000, which can be used to meet payroll expenses, rent, marketing, and technology upgrades.  Round 1 is open from Monday, September 14th at 9 a.m. EST through Friday,10/2 at 11:59 p.m.  Round 2 is open from Monday, October 19th at 9 a.m. EST through Friday, 11/6 at 11:59 p.m.  To learn more about this opportunity visit LISC's website here.

General Community News

Fill Out Your Census  The U.S. Census is a once in a decade opportunity to make sure our communities receive the resources we need from the federal government, but that won't happen unless we all do our part and fill out the form.  The census only takes five minutes to fill out and you can do so online here or mailing back the form that was sent to your house. The deadline to fill out your census is Wednesday, 9/30.  If you have any questions you can call the Census Bureau, in the language that you are most comfortable speaking, with the numbers listed on their website here.

Request Your Absentee Ballot: Deadline 10/27/2020 The 2020 election is less than two-months away and if you have not already, make sure to request your absentee ballot. The deadline to do so is Thursday, 10/27 and it can be done either online, email, or fax.  To learn more about how to request your ballot visit the NYC Board of Elections website here.

For More Coronavirus Information from the City of New York If you would like to receive regular text alerts from City government regarding the novel Coronavirus, you can sign up by texting COVID to 692-692.

About Business and Event Promotions in this Newsletter: Businesses and organizations located in the Jamaica Avenue Commercial District between Sutphin Blvd and 169th Street are invited to submit promotional information for possible inclusion in our newsletter. Events happening near or immediately adjacent to the Jamaica Avenue Commercial District may also be considered for inclusion on a case-by-case basis. We reserve the right to reject or edit materials for length, style, timeliness, and appropriateness. This newsletter serves to inform our community about events, opportunities and commercial activity in Downtown Jamaica, within specifically the Jamaica Center BID boundaries.

STAY CONNECTED ‌ ‌ ‌ The Jamaica Center BID - 161-10 Jamaica Avenue, Suite 419, Jamaica, NY 11432 Copyright 2020 Jamaica Center BID, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this e-mail as a member of the Jamaica Center BID distribution list.