skip navigation
Mpls Downtown Improvement District Ambassador street sweeper

COVID-19 April 20: Update on Mpls DID services

04/20/2020, 4:30pm CDT
By Mpls Downtown Improvement District

Update on Mpls DID operations and how we are continuing to keep downtown clean and safe.

April 20, 2020

 

Dear DID Stakeholder,

Due to these extraordinary times and the knowledge that many of you may be working remote and not able to observe the work that is being done, we want to provide you with continued updates on the work that we are doing to keep downtown clean and safe. 

Ambassadors
Over the last two weeks, we have brought back the Ambassadors to work on various projects and tasks to ensure Downtown Minneapolis is ready for businesses to re-open and for everyone to enjoy all that we have to offer.

With roughly half of our Ambassador team on the streets, we have been able to accomplish a great deal of work that is difficult to accomplish due to pedestrian traffic. In addition to the statistics listed below we have been able to deep clean the bus stops on Nicollet, clean out tree grates throughout the district, and assist in cleaning up the road grit from sidewalks throughout downtown.

We will continue to work on these projects and more in the coming weeks as we eagerly await the re-opening of our downtown economy which lies ahead.

April 6-19, 2020

Graffiti removed (tags) 285
Power washing (block faces) 36
Sentinel (block faces) 310
Trash removed (bags) 434
Trash cans cleaned 134
Livability contacts 38
Mpls DID cleaning Ambassador Nicollet Mall
Mpls DID Ambassador pressure washing 1st Ave N

Safety programs
Throughout this past week, our work with MPD began, providing a dedicated homeless engagement officer downtown as well as starting the Minneapolis Police Reserves walking beats along Nicollet from 4:00 to 9:00 pm three days/week.  The homeless engagement officers will coordinate with our Livability team to help to make the work of both even more effective.  Next week, you will also start to see the Nicollet Beat officer back on the street.

Maintenance and Greening
Hennepin construction project continues to move forward, and our team is continuing to stay close to this process. Visit the project website at hennepindowntown.com for more information.

Plans for summer greening are continuing.  Look for summer planting to begin throughout downtown starting May 11th. 

Activations
While on-street Nicollet activation has been postponed until after June, our team is working to present virtual options for our stakeholders and the downtown community, including an online edition of our Street Show performer program, a virtual Nicollet Makers Market (available at nicolletmakersmarket.com/artist-shops), and an update on our online tour content.

Planning for this year's Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival in August continues, and we are considering how to present the festival while keeping the public safe should restrictions on gatherings in our communities continue to be necessary later in the summer.

Through this all, we are in regular contact via direct calls, webinar attendance and zoom conference chats with colleagues and other placemakers across the country and world to share strategies and innovations for the future

We will continue to keep you informed of the services we are providing and how they may be adapted to comply with recommended guidelines as they are issued. 

Take care, stay healthy, and see you soon!

 

Steve Cramer                                                      Kathryn Reali
President & Chief Executive Officer                Chief Operating Officer

 

 

Tag(s): News