Mt. Airy BID Has Big Plans for the Next 5 Years

As 2013 marches on, the Mt. Airy Buisness Improvement District continues to shape its plans for the next year--as well as the next five years--under the guidance of director Hollie Malamud-Price.

“Our core mission will still be ‘cleaning, greening and safety,’” Malamud-Price said.  “But we also want to continue focusing on projects that will have a positive long-term impact on the avenue.”

The BID already pays for street cleaning five days a week on Germantown Avenue and several side streets, but Malamud-Price wants the BID to focus on other issues facing Mt. Airy.

“As the retail district continues to grow, the lack of parking will continue to grow as a problem,” Malamud-Price said.

Also a problem—money.

Currently, the BID receives the majority of its operating budget through assessments on property owners.  Essentially, property owners contribute to a pot, and then the BID uses that money to fund projects.

“What kind of activities we pursue is directly related what kind of funding we have,” Malamud-Price said.  “I would love to electrify the trees in Mt. Airy like they do in Chestnut Hill, but there’s simply no budget for it.”

Still, the BID does have several projects on its docket that Malamud-Price is excited about.

“We’re working on establishing a pocket park on the corner of Germantown and Carpenter,” Malamud-Price said.  “We’ve also expanded our pole decoration so that the light poles will be decorated pretty much straight through from May until January.”

Malamud-Price added that the BID would also expand the number of planting basket it has between Johnson and Washington, and that they were working with Phillytree.org to increase the number of trees planted in Mt. Airy.

“We want to continue working on projects that have a positive impact,” Malamud-Price said.

In November of 2012, the Mt. Airy BID's contract was reauthorized for another five years.  The organization is under contract through 2017.