Rain, Rain, Go Away

When you think rain and flooding, it’s hard not to think of poor 4th Avenue. But during a bad downpour, and at this time of year when the leaves start falling and collecting in storm drains, 7th Avenue has its own share of difficult crossings as the water rushes downhill. Such was the scene this morning.

The corner of 7th and President, with a drain completely blocked by leaves and trash.

The corner of 7th and 2nd St, also caused by a blocked drain, but made worse by the dip in the pavement.

The solution is, of course, to keep the street clean, so the drains don’t get blocked. But if shop owners and residents aren’t doing it now, maybe it’s time once again to ask how a 7th Avenue Business Improvement District could be useful.

With a BID, could they afford to reinstate extra cleaning of the avenue by the Doe Fund? 5th Ave has a BID, and has the extra, paid, street cleaning–how does it compare to 7th these days? Are blocked drains and trash enough of a problem that a BID could be useful?