Moving Forward in the New Year
by Trish Watlington, president Mission Hills BID
Happy 2015! I’m grateful and honored to have been re-elected president of the Mission Hills Business Improvement District (BID) and am looking forward to the year ahead. Joining me on this year’s board of directors are: Vice President Tom Curl of Ascent Realty; Secretary Krista Lombardi of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services; Treasurer Patti Yap of Chase Bank; Terry Parks of Washington West Hair Design; Stuart White of Stuart White Design; Anthony Nyikos of Perfect Space; and Troy Curnett of One Mission Realty.
Our charming and historic neighborhood has undergone some real growth and development in the last year and I am excited to see that continue in 2015. Whether new shops, new spas or new restaurants, businesses are popping up all over Mission Hills. We are also growing and developing with new services like the newly installed deco bikes, thriving events like the Taste of Mission Hills and new amenities like the Town Council’s Combat Arts Veterans Mural.
One part of our mission is to create partnerships between business and property owners that promote economic revitalization and combat deterioration within the BID boundaries. To that end I will be encouraging the BID, in direct collaboration with the businesses, the Mission Hills Town Council and other neighborhood organizations, to develop a more integrated approach to promoting and developing our community.
Possible projects might include expanded sponsorship opportunities for Concerts in the Park, a more strategic focus on Small Business Saturday, a holiday shopping event that could dovetail with Holiday in the Hills, a coordinated approach magnifying the Mission Hills Garden Walk or even a “progressive restaurant dinner” that brings together many of the neighborhoods’ new and established dining spots.
Does any of this sound exciting? Are there any projects that you’d like to work on, concerns you have or inspirations you want to share? The Mission Hills BID committees meet the first Wednesday of every month. These meetings include Promotions, Economic Development, Design, and Mission Hills Parking Advisory committees. They’re open to residents and business owners and are the place to bring your energy and willingness to pitch in on a project that would enhance the business district and improve the neighborhood.
The third Wednesday is the meeting of the full board of directors where information is distributed and decisions are reached that impact the BID membership. All meetings start at 3:30 p.m., take place within the boundaries of the BID and are open to the public. Locations are posted on the BID’s website.
Our membership includes those persons (including corporations and other associations) holding business tax certificates, paying business improvement district assessments within the boundaries of the Mission Hills Business Improvement District. All such Members have the right to vote on all matters requiring a vote of the membership. And any may seek to be on the Mission Hills BID board of directors.
A wise woman once told me that people volunteer because “they can, they care and they were asked.” As BID president, I’m asking. With your help we can make 2015 an exciting and productive year in Mission Hills.
Please visit the Mission Hills Business Improvement District’s website at www.missionhillsbid.com and consider how you might become more involved in 2015.
Category: Business, Local News
