SPOKANE, Wash. — The Downtown Spokane Partnership is hoping to make the south side of downtown a little cleaner starting at the end of this month.
It hopes making this area cleaner will make it more welcoming and business-friendly.
DSP said there is a lot of demand for cleaning up graffiti and trash downtown. As a result, it is expanding its clean times.
The clean team already works seven days a week cleaning and pressure washing sidewalks around downtown.
The team has been working in the downtown area for the past 30 years. Now, it’s receiving funding to send the clean team to the south downtown area as well, something DSP said it hasn’t been able to do in a long time.
“You see a visible difference when you’re in the Downtown BID versus not,” said Downtown Spokane Partnership CEO Emilie Cameron. “Looking at how we partner with the City of Spokane to extend those services south will help as we look at how we revitalize and restore downtown.”
The contract for cleaning this area runs through February 2025. The funding for this expansion is coming from $250,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Spokane City Council.
“There is a definite need for litter abatement, graffiti abatement. Looking forward to cleaning the alleys and other activities that we’ll be bringing to the area for the first time for probably a long time,” said Cameron.
On top of cleaning up graffiti and garbage, DSP’s clean team will be cleaning and sanitizing alleys and clearing snowy sidewalks in the winter.
“That foundation element is being clean, safe and welcoming. We look at this as an opportunity to restore and further enhance all of the areas of downtown,” Cameron said.
Cameron said the city is also in the beginning stages of contracting with another company to clean the area east of Bernard Street.
The City Council also provided $65,000 in funding for DSP to find ways to address Spokane’s housing crisis.
“Where are the opportunities, not just the buildings that are ripe for conversion from office into residential but how can we comprehensively create more opportunities for people to live in downtown?” Cameron said.
Starting September 30, businesses and residents in the newly contracted cleaning area will be able to report any issues to 311.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
