www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY May 24, 2020 2
BY JASON COHEN
In January 2020, the
Throggs Neck Business Improvement
District (BID)
was established and a
month later appointed its
executive director Bobby
Jaen.
Before Jaen could
even get the ball rolling
COVID-19 arrived. The former
Throggs Neck Merchants
Association President
and longtime Throggs
Neck resident had his feet
thrown right into the fi re.
“We get the BID up and
running and look what
happens,” Jaen said.”They
threw us in the deep end of
the pool.”
But, Jaen did not let the
coronavirus prevent him
from doing his job. One of
his goals as director was
to make the community
clean.
He arranged for private
sanitation services to supplement
NYC’s Department
of Sanitation and they have
cleaned every Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday and
Sunday and kept the streets
tidy during the pandemic.
In fact, the BID offi ce has
received an extensive number
of compliments on how
litter-free the neighborhood
has become.
Owners of over 22 local
businesses, including
places such as the Crosstown
Diner, Sisto Funeral
Home, Cousins Pizza and
Power Express Realty have
expressed their satisfaction.
“Everyone has raved
about how clean the neighborhood
is,” Jaen said. “We
wanted to make sure our
sidewalks and streets were
as clean as possible.”
Jaen also spoke to the
Bronx Times about how
the community has been
affected by COVID-19. He
noted that the majority of
the businesses, outside of
supermarkets and places
that can offer takeout or delivery
have been closed.
Clean streets in Throggs Neck thanks to the sanitation company hired by the BID.
Photo Courtesy of Frank Vernuccio
Many are struggling and
Jaen hopes the governor
rules the city can reopen
soon. He has been in touch
with people who are a few
months behind in rent or in
arrears to Con Edison.
According to Jaen, people
want to reopen, but
there’s so much miscommunication
amongst the government
that no one knows
what’s going on.
“I truly believe that
people in government really
don’t know,” he said.
“I think they’re throwing
stuff at the wall and seeing
what sticks.”
While he realizes some
stores may be forced to
close due to COVID-19, he
is hoping to attract businesses
that shutter in Manhattan
and try to get them
to relocate to the borough.
Jaen noted there are
places, which he would not
name, that do not plan to reopen
and even his barber of
25 years, has shuttered permanently.
Ultimately, it’s his goal
to support the merchants
during the crisis. Whatever
they need, he is there to
lend a helping hand.
“We’re trying to give
some type of normalcy,” he
said. “We’re trying to keep
our neighborhood fed. This
is a team effort.”
This is a team effort:
Throggs Neck BID
keeps streets clean
during COVID-19
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