ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH: Downtown ambassadors in St. Louis act as ‘eyes and ears’ to spot trouble, offer help

June 23, 2022

To Our Downtown Community,

Downtown St. Louis is in the midst of a busy summer. This weekend alone highlights its busy itinerary with the Grand Pride Parade returning to Market Street, the Cardinals opening a 3-game home series against the Cubs, and free outdoor concerts produced through Blues on the Block. The Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID) is happy to take part in and share news of these community-centered projects.

Downtown’s biggest outdoor lunchtime event is in full swing as we meet the official first day of summer this week. Held in partnership with Greater St. Louis, Inc., Lunchtime Live provides an opportunity to connect with the Downtown community in a relaxed, urban setting. Visitors can enjoy a mixture of food trucks, live music, and yard games every Wednesday from 11:30am – 1:30pm at the Old Post Office Plaza. While there are several food trucks in attendance each week, we encourage visitors to also check-in at our local restaurants near the plaza. Find more information on the schedule of food trucks and musicians here.

The first of five temporary public art installations through InSITE STL is now complete, incorporating new methods for honoring our city’s history while utilizing technology to engage the community. This first installation by artist Jenny Murphy, titled The Department Co., highlights the potential for repurposing large gathering spaces in a non-commercial manner through illustrative window murals on the Laurel Building and the Railway Exchange. Pedestrians can experience the interactive piece throughout the remainder of the year, as Jenny activates the space surrounding the murals with in-person and virtual engagements. See InSITE STL’s website for details on additional installations.

A volunteer effort led by the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) to clear trash from the Eads Bridge walkway takes place this Saturday, June 25^th, at 8:00am. DNA is looking to clean the walkway in preparation for the upcoming July 4^th festivities in Downtown. Trash bags, gloves, and other supplies will be provided. If you would like to sign up to volunteer with DNA, please use this form.

We are thrilled to see Downtown active with classic summer events, along with new activities geared towards improving and reimagining the spaces within our community. I look forward to seeing what initiatives come next.

Sincerely,

Kelli J. McCrary
Executive Director

KMOV: Youth ambassadors help curb teen violence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2022

Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District Develops Downtown Youth Ambassador Program
Programming connects public school professionals with youth in Downtown

ST. LOUIS – The Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID), in coordination with consultant Captain Ron Johnson, will provide a program on weekends that is designed to connect representatives from St. Louis Public Schools, including counselors, teachers, and other professionals, with youth while visiting Downtown St. Louis.

The Downtown Youth Ambassador Program will provide an approachable and authoritative adult figure to engage youth that they observe Downtown in non-confrontational conversation and suggest best practices for enjoying Downtown responsibly.

“The Ambassadors are not here to tell [kids] what to do, they’re here to make sure [kids] can enjoy themselves in a safe manner,” said Captain Ron Johnson, CID consultant and architect of this program.

The program was developed in response to large numbers of youth gathering in Downtown last Summer, not having other activities available to them. Captain Johnson met with Dr. Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools, to discuss how the CID could better serve the youth of our community.

“We need to have people in place who really understand the youth in our community and where they are at this stage in their life,” said Johnson. “Who better than the school’s trained personnel who see them every day … and because of that engagement there is a sense of respect that goes both ways.”

The Downtown Youth Ambassadors wear casual clothing with reflective orange vests as identifiers.

“The connections CID Ambassadors make will serve as another building block for our youth in learning accountability skills and respect for their City,” said Kelli McCrary, CID Executive Director.

The Downtown Youth Ambassadors will be assigned to high activity zones within the CID boundaries on weekend evenings.

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Media Contact:
Gabrielle Cherre
gcherre@downtownstlcid.org
(314) 335-2301

May 23, 2022

To Our Downtown Community,

The Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID) has been very active preparing for the summer season. We are pleased to continue providing our special services through well-established partnerships while developing relationships with new associates. We are eager to see the return of a bustling Downtown St. Louis and are happy to play a role in creating a welcoming environment. 

Along with the sea of Cardinal red and the Blues rallying for playoffs, another sign that summer is upon us is the saturation of CID florals throughout Downtown’s streets. Our landscaping team, SFP Landscaping, began installing 600 hanging baskets this week, containing 5,400 flowers, and will continue planting 2,000 flowers in our 200 corner planters within the next two weeks – a total of 7,400 flowers! This dedicated team of experts will water and care for the plants as St. Louis’ summer heat makes an early return.

In February, we announced the request for proposal (RFP) for off-duty police patrol services. We are pleased to share that after careful review of all applicants, the CID Board has decided to proceed with the proposal from The City’s Finest. This proposal provided the most economical option with the inclusion of increased amounts of technology, equipment, transportation options, and training of security personnel.

Downtown’s famous “Men in Purple”, our Clean Team, have gained a few new members. After over a year of operating under reduced numbers, the team has increased to ten members collaborating on street-level cleanliness within the District. Our two new members, Bill and Clinton, are enjoying connecting with Downtown pedestrians while working to keep our sidewalks clean. Get to know them and the other team members through the pictures and fun facts at this link.

Maintaining services for 180 square-blocks does not come without its challenges. Yet, we address these challenges daily by working alongside wonderful people who share in the same mission of improving Downtown St. Louis. I would like to formally say thank you to our partners, those listed here and the many that are not, for continuously assisting us in our shared goals.

Sincerely,

Kelli J. McCrary
Executive Director

KSDK: ‘Tourism Trash Force’ cleans up downtown St. Louis for Earth Day

April 20, 2022

To Our Downtown Community,

St. Louis is a big, small town – this we know. City-pride and deep-rooted partnerships run far and wide in St. Louis, qualities that the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID) shares. As communities across the nation look to reconnect and improve their neighborhoods, it is clear that we can accomplish more together. The CID takes this to heart as we look to collaborate with our partners when enhancing the Downtown we all share.

Downtown St. Louis is coming together to support our community and tourism partners in an exciting new way. In collaboration with Explore St. Louis and our hospitality partners, the CID is happy to present the first all-volunteer Tourism Trash Force event. This volunteer-led event will take place on Earth Day, April 22, 2022, with volunteers picking up trash along Downtown streets and entertainment spaces. The Clean Team will assist in surveying the pick-up areas, monitoring supply needs, and picking up full bags of trash. We are incredibly grateful to all the registered volunteers who plan to invest part of their day in refreshing Downtown.

The CID’s annual Spring Property Owner meeting is just around the corner, on April 25, 2022 at 5:30 PM. Held virtually, this meeting will review the CID budget and operations, along with community updates. As we will be sharing plans for the District, we encourage attendees to submit questions and feedback during the meeting so that we can assess what the community is thinking. We ask that attendees please register for the meeting in advance, here. Once registered, you will receive a personalized link to join the meeting.

Downtown partners are bringing a new street festival, City Social, to Washington Avenue on Friday, April 29, 2022. The event will close off Washington Avenue between Tucker Boulevard and 14^th Street for a springtime block party. Guests can enjoy live music, food and beverage from local vendors, view art installations and more.

Another avenue in which feedback is being requested is through the City of St. Louis’ ARPA Community Needs Survey. City residents are encouraged to share their thoughts on how to allocate the remaining $250 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The Downtown community is continuing to make connections with those who live, work, and play in the District. If you have a suggestion as to how the CID can collaborate on an initiative to improve Downtown, please do not hesitate to contact me at kmccrary@downtownstlcid.org or (314) 335-2307.

Sincerely,

Kelli J. McCrary
Executive Director

When: Friday, April 22, 2022 from 10 am – 4 pm

Where: America’s Center’s 8th & Washington Avenue entrance

In collaboration with Explore St. Louis and Downtown St. Louis tourism partners, the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID) is excited to present the first all-volunteer Tourism Trash Force event to pick up trash in the Downtown core! Held on Earth Day, April 22nd, volunteers will pick up trash along Downtown streets and entertainment spaces.

Volunteers will meet in front of America’s Center, at the 8th & Washington Avenue entrance, and disperse to various locations in Downtown. Trash bags and disposable gloves will be provided, along with a Tourism Trash Force t-shirt while supplies last. Volunteers are asked to wear comfortable shoes, dress for the weather, and bring gardening gloves if they prefer.

Members of the CID Clean Team will assist in surveying the trash sites and picking up full trash bags.

There will be two shifts available for volunteers: 10 am – 12 pm and 2 pm – 4pm.

Volunteer registration is now closed.

Thank you for your help sprucing up St. Louis!

KSDK: SLMPD rolls out summer safety plan

February 22, 2022

To Our Downtown Community,

As you may know, last July the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID) contracted former Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson to evaluate Downtown’s safety operations. Since his initial analysis was completed, he suggested several action items that were implemented Downtown in coordination with the City of St. Louis and SLMPD. I would like to share a brief status report from Captain Johnson detailing his recent findings and collaborative plans for upcoming Spring and Summer activities in Downtown St. Louis.

Please click this link to view the report. While this is not a complete summary of Captain Johnson’s work, it does outline his current objectives for Downtown in respect to long and short-term goals. His report mentions the following:

• Youth Behavior Downtown
• Support for the Unhoused Community
• Sustainable Traffic Solutions
• Safety and Security Solutions

I am looking forward to seeing how these initiatives and conversations develop in the upcoming weeks. Spring is just around the corner and with it brings more activity and traffic to Downtown. We are pleased to share in addition to the co-led initiatives with Captain Johnson, the Community Improvement District has refreshed its Park Smart campaign with new graphics displayed on the IKE Kiosks throughout Downtown. I encourage you to share these graphics within your network to remind visitors, residents, and employees of the simple steps to secure one’s vehicle.

Moving forward, we will share routine updates on Captain Johnson’s plans and results when available. If you have any questions in the interim, please contact me at kmccrary@downtownstlcid.org.

Sincerely,

Kelli J. McCrary
Executive Director