City tree between 69 and 73 Oakwood has been leaning significantly for a long time. A very large portion of the tree came down and hit car/blocked the driveway at 69 a few years ago. After that, it was marked to be removed at one stage but then just trimmed and remains very unbalanced. It is currently leaning on and putting pressure on utility lines.

The time has come to retire Larkfest. Anyone who walked the area today and tonight saw our streets, sidewalks, tree beds, front yards and stoops destroyed with trash, food, cigarette butts, broken bottles, spilled alcohol, etc. Other than the bars, many of the businesses say Lark Fest actually decreases their business and certainly does not result in increased revenue. On top of that, tax dollars have to be spent on increased police and DGS presence and overtime. The Executive Director of the BID does not live here, so makes decisions without experiencing the ramifications. Larkfest was intended to be a celebration of what we have to offer, but it hasn't been that for a long time. It merely reinforces the stereotype that all this area has to offer is alcohol which further injures the neighborhood economically and otherwise. Then, when the official "Larkfest" ends, even greater problems of noise, drunkenness, public urination, vomiting, fighting, property destruction, etc. go into full swing until after 4:00 AM bar closings. All told this event negatively affects the area for at least 24 hours. The people who live here, and invest in this community every day, are left to manage this mess with no balancing benefit. The BID needs to show the neighborhood, in unequivocal provable data, how this event helps retail businesses and restaurants (whose primary business is not alcohol, pizza, or ice cream), and how the cost for the event (in time, money, effort, manpower, damage, lost parking, lost street access, lost sleep and quality of life etc.) is worth what it does to the neighborhood and its reputation.