The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) staff, family and friends celebrated another year of BID work June 18 with delicious food, face painting for the entire family, games, and even a piñata at the annual BID family picnic.
Great food from Florida Avenue Grill, a Sweet & Cool dessert bar, plus music, games and a waterfront setting at Hains Point provided a memorable experience for the entire DowntownDC BID family.
[Check out photos from the BID annual picnic here]
The BID family expanded this year when the organization hired 23 new Maintenance ambassadors this spring as part of Executive Director Neil O. Albert’s decision to refocus the BID on its core mission of providing clean and safe services for DowntownDC. Work schedules were adjusted for the new ambassadors to enable the BID to offer maintenance coverage from 6am-11pm seven days a week.
The expanded deployment schedule was designed to help the BID meet a growing demand for trash removal and maintenance services after traditional business hours.
The BID worked with closely with city partners and job development programs this year to offer the opportunity to become a Maintenance ambassador to local members of underserved populations. A total of 80 percent of the new Maintenance ambassadors are D.C. residents.
The new class of graduates brought the total number of Maintenance ambassadors to more than 60. The BID also employs about 30 Safety/Hospitality ambassadors, who act as on-the-street concierges, provide hospitality, offer directions, report conditions such as sidewalk repair needs and broken trash cans, add safety and security to Downtown and some ambassadors are trained to help connect individuals experiencing homelessness with support and service providers.
The DowntownDC BID was established in 1997 as the first BID in the Washington metropolitan area.