Ready, Willing & Able | The Doe Fund

One among them is the steam-cleaning of the sidewalks.

"It's great news," said Paula Ingram an officer of the BID, in an email. "I just had the biggest thrill.

Coming home from the gym after my 6:30 [a.m.] training I saw the workers from The Doe Fund steam-cleaning the sidewalk in front of Popeye's and McDonald's on Court Street. I went over and spoke with The Doe Fund supervisor, Chuck, and almost kissed him [I didn't], and told him to thank the guys.

"This is only the beginning. Court, Livingston and Schermerhorn will now be clean," she continued. "Now I don't have to go out with my babushka and get on my hands and knees and scrub all the sidewalks to get rid of the years of food stench as I had sworn I would do five years ago if we didn't get this BID approved. Thank you, thank you everyone who has made this possible."

The steam-cleaning was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, which works to bolster the area's growth and oversees the new BID as it already does the MetroTech and Fulton Mall BIDs.

As previously reported, the new BID serves 195 properties in Downtown Brooklyn within the boundaries of Joralemon Street to the north, Flatbush Avenue to the east, Atlantic Avenue to the south and Court Street to the west.

In addition to street cleaning, the BID will provide extra security, graffiti removal and beautification efforts, marketing, promotion and branding programs, as well as advocacy and local government liaison services, working within its first-year operating budget of $765,000.

Commented Fran Schor, president of The Treeline Companies, and chair of the new BID, "This BID is a great thing for commercial owners and residents because it will make the community stronger and ultimately better. It will visually enhance the area and attract new investment to the community. This is a vibrant neighborhood that is important to the economic vitality of the whole borough."