“This building is in a landmark district, so it’s difficult to improve the store,” owner John Rapp said. “The BID and Commissioner Walsh did that for me. They tied me into a city program. I spent $120,000 on the project and I got a $10,000 rebate. That way I didn't have to raise the rents on my tenants.”
82nd St. Partnership Shows Pride in Project | TimesLedger
Up to $100K in Grants Available for Creative Initiatives to Enhance Local Commercial Districts
Last year, 37 BIDs across New York City submitted project proposals for the BID Challenge. Seven BIDs were awarded grants of up to $75,000 for innovative projects including storefront improvements, district marketing campaigns, and public art installations. These winning programs and initiatives are currently being implemented in business corridors across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
This year, Neighborhood Challenge will expand its competitive reach across neighborhoods throughout New York City by accepting proposals from LDCs and BIDs with larger assessment budgets. The three to four boldest ideas will receive larger grant awards, ranging up to $100,000. These projects will solve bigger district challenges, generate greater community impact, and receive increased local recognition upon implementation.
Please click here to download the Neighborhood Challenge Program Guidelines.
Neighborhood Challenge Applications must be submitted online no later than Tuesday, October 15th, at 11:59 p.m. in order to be considered for funding. Neighborhood Challenge Awardees will be announced in early November.
Please e-mail us any questions you have about Neighborhood Challenge.
Stefan was in yet another one of his ripper phases and he was loving every minute of it. Every single drop of blood that he drained from someone's body was euphoric to the vampire. The screams, pleading and the tears only made things even better for him. He loved the chase more than anything. His blood pumping throughout his veins, watching the girls run and scream while they pleaded for their life. Sometimes he would make sure they didn't hurt as bad but most of the time, he loved causing them pain. It was the fear in their eyes that made him come back time after time. Although, he loved his ripper moments, his emotions were threatening to make light again. He wasn't ready to face those emotions again afraid that whatever he would feel would ultimately be the death of him. Every single time he turned them back on, the emotions killed him more inside than before and it wasn't something that he wanted at the moment.
Every time those emotions threatened to come out, Stefan went on a binge. That's what he was used to and in his mind, it was the perfect time. As he made his way toward a small town, he made sure that he actually listened to his surroundings hoping that he would find the perfect victims. A sadistic smile appeared on his face as he heard a couple of girls from the house on his left. Probably having a sleepover, he figured. Fixing his shirt, Stefan walked over to the house and rang on the doorbell. He waited a few minutes until he saw a petite blonde open the door. Immediately, his eyes fell to her neck before he shook his head and put on his most charming smile. "I'm so sorry to bother you, Miss. I'm not from around here and I was trying to find a friend's house when I got lost. My cell phone died and I was wondering if I could come in to use your phone." He leaned against the side of the door and waited for her answer. He could hear the hesitation in her voice but after a few minutes, she had invited him in. His own heart began to race as he followed her through the house to the kitchen.
Faking a phone call, he leaned against the kitchen counter as he looked at her for a moment. The girl was undoubtedly pretty and he knew that this bunch was going to be fun. His attention was averted when he saw a couple of girls coming downstairs to see what was going on. He looked at the three girls and tried to figure out which one would be best to kill first. As soon as that thought filled his mind, he turned to the brunette that was in the middle of the group, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. He moved her hair from her neck as his fingers glided over her jugular. Growling at the girl, his fangs protruted causing the other girls to start to panic. The girl in his arms tried to get away but his fingers that were holding her tightened as he moved his head and bit down into her neck, taking a chunk out of her before feeling her lifeless body in his arms. A sadistic laugh left his lips as he watched the other two run from him. Of course he was much faster than either of them, stopping the other brunette from escaping. This one he ripped her limbs from her arms, feeling the blood rushing onto his body and all over the front of the house. He heard the blonde's footsteps running through her back yard.
Another laugh escaped his throat; he loved the chase. As he ran after her, he caught up with her, holding her arms. As she cried to him, he ran his fingers through her hair. "You're going to die. I can make this easy or I can make this hard. Your choice" he snarled. Once she tried to escape from him once again, he bit into her neck and started to drain her blood. The taste was something so sweet and he could feel her becoming weaker in his arms. That was another thing that he loved was feeling the life leaving their body. With this one, he didn't drain her of her blood completely wanting her to still be alive for his finale.When he was done with her, Stefan dragged her body into the house and set her with her two friends before he walked out into the garage and grabbed a can of gasoline. He normally didn't mask himself but with these girls, he wanted their bodies to burn and he wanted to see it happening. As he poured it over the girls, the blonde was the only one that could see what he was doing. With another smile, he flicked the match on the girls, watching them burn. His eyes stayed on the blonde as he heard her scream. As he watched, he almost wished he had some popcorn with this. Deciding that enough was enough, the vampire left the burning house, and headed down to the bar that he had seen earlier.
characters involved → elena gilbert, mentions of others.
notes →so i just whipped this out because idk how much time i'll have this next week, and i didn't proof read sO OOPS.
The sensation of drowning was a strange one. Losing something as basic as one's breath -- water filling your lungs, and consciousness quickly leaving you. It was a silent struggle. You could bash your arms around and scream as much as you like, but in the end no one could hear you, and that only expedited your untimely death. Elena hadn't struggled when she went over the Wickery Bridge, but instead watched her father battle to open the car down, which had been weighed down by the increasing water pressure. Her mother was already unconscious -- having hit her head on the car dash board. Blue, merky water was everywhere, completely surrounding the submerged car. The door wouldn't budge, and the seat belts wouldn't unbuckle.
That was it. They were going to die. Drowning at the bottom of the old Wickery Bridge. And yet Elena wasn't afraid. As her father turned to face her, and took her hand, shaking his head, Elena was suddenly filled with reassurance that everything would be okay. Whatever happened, they'd be together, have each other. Katherine and Jeremy would have each other, and she'd have their parents. She was young, her life was just beginning; she'd be seventeen in a little over a week. She was too young to die; she shouldn't have been ready, and yet she felt okay. Elena had never been very religious, and only attended church on Easter Sunday, but there had to be something else out there? A higher power? There had to be more than just the life she was granted. And rather it was death or reincarnation, she held onto her faith in those final moments that there was something else following death. She'd see her parents again -- one way or another.
And so she remained calm, accepting the inevitable. Accepting that this was the hand that fate had dealt her, and accepting the fact that it was her fault. Her choices had lead to this. If she hadn't of attended that stupid party, and needed to be picked up early, they wouldn't be there at the bottom of the river right now. Life was interesting that way -- how it had all these twist and turns, and how one decision could change and effect everything forever. Much like a river; always moving, always changing. She never got to say goodbye, or I love you to her parents, but they knew -- they had to of known. There was so much to say, and no way to say it. Elena's life flashed before her eyes -- her regrets standing out. Not that there was anything she could do about them now -- there was no point in holding onto guilt or the past in one's final moments. And so Elena closed her eyes, and silently waited, letting the water take her.
But it didn't. Death spat her back out, and she awakened in the hospital, initially thinking the bright, white lights were the gates to Heaven. But instead of angels, the men in white coats were doctors, taking her blood pressure, and shining flash lights into her eyes as they checked for a concussion. She was alive -- against all odds she had survived, and she didn't want to be. It wasn't fair that she got to live, while Miranda and Grayson didn't. She had been ready to die -- accepted it, and now everything had been undone.
The sensation of drowning had returned, only this time not from water so much as her emotions, and the people surrounding her. She wanted nothing more than to disappear, fade away back into oblivion. The peace was gone, and it's place had grown a steady, roaring overflow, that never seemed to end.
Life was passing her by, and she was caught in the riptide -- unable to break through the current. She wanted to forge her own path, to control her own fate, and yet, everything felt so pre-determined. She shouldn't have gone to that party, she shouldn't have called up her parents, they shouldn't have been on that bridge, and they shouldn't have died. And she certainly shouldn't have made it out alive, if they couldn't. Why her? Why hadn't death kept her as it's own?
She had survived a tragic ordeal -- came face to face with Death, and yet she was still standing. And she hated it. Her life had been less than exciting prior to; something she had only just become aware of. It was as if Life were giving her a second chance to do it right -- to take care of all that she needed to, to end relationships that she was only in halfheartedly. She had so much to be thankful for, and yet she was simply wallowing. Watching as the days passed by, remaining apathetic to all of it. Nothing mattered any more. And she hated that too. She hated the state that she had entered -- that she had no will to fight it, that she only brought those around her down. But there was little Elena could do to change that.
Nothing but wake up, and take control of her life for what is is.
