SPOKANE, Wash. — Monday through Sunday, several hours a day, Downtown Spokane Partnership's clean teams are hitting the streets.
"Yeah, we usually walk anywhere from 10-13 miles, usually. A day," said one of the crew as he swept up trash along Riverside.
The City of Spokane is set to give another installation of American Rescue Plan dollars, nearly $470,000, to Downtown Spokane Partnership to expand on the clean-up project. In June, the city council allocated around $719,000 to the partnership for three projects, including more than half a million dollars to the refuse removal effort.
Most of this second installation of federal funding will also go toward the clean teams. "We're going to start with seven days a week, we'll assess on a weekly basis the needs of the area to be able to stretch the dollars as far as we can," said Emilie Cameron, President and CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership.
Stretching those dollars even further south, the crews put in miles in DSP's business improvement district and will now add in the new clean up area between Walnut and Bernard and south to Third Avenue. "To enhance and beautify the area south of the railroad tracks," Cameron said.
Cameron says it's a small but concrete part of bringing business back downtown.
"The foundational element is making sure we have a clean, safe downtown so people can enjoy that full experience," she said. "When we want to create the conditions where business can thrive, it's important the sidewalks are clean, that their customers have a welcoming, positive experience. That their employees can get to work in a safe way."
The new allotment also includes $166,000 to be used to implement the city's 2019 Innovation Alleyway plan, to turn these pass-throughs into go-to's.
"The art and lights and other things that create that experience are what people put on their social media feeds and it's what helps them to enjoy downtown," Cameron said.
Extra lighting and getting people to explore alleys in a new way, or activating them, can increase safety, Cameron said.
The third allocation, $50,000, will fund a DSP-led housing survey to inform the city and private developers on policy changes or strategies to increase the variety and supply of housing downtown.
All this work has to be done by the end of 2026, the deadline for when the ARPA allocations need to be spent. Cameron believes the changes to city streets and alleyways could start to take shape by next year. She says they're ready to work with the community on selecting which alleys to revamp with art, seating, and other features.
"Our goal is to get those dollars to work in 2025 and you'll see great things," she said. "We're excited for the community to see, by this time next year, the work come to fruition."