Apr 3, 2012

The New Downtown Berkeley is Launched

Three Month Cleaning Blitz and Landscaping Now Complete!

Enhanced Ambassador Program to Assist Residents and Visitors Announced

New Berkeley Marketing Campaign: "Taste, Create, Experience" is Launched

 

This morning at 9am, April 3, 2012, at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, the DBA announced the launch of the New Downtown Berkeley, with hundreds of property owners, business owners, merchants, civic leaders, and citizens in attendance. 

The new Downtown includes the completion of the three month cleaning blitz, 

launch of an expanded Ambassador program, and a new marketing campaign for Downtown Berkeley. All new services are funded by the new Downtown Berkeley Property-Based Business Improvement District (PBID) approved by property 

owners in June 2011.

 

After a three month blitz the Downtown Berkeley Cleaning team, under the leadership of Operations Manager Lance Gor�e, has completed the deep cleaning and landscaping of Downtown Berkeley. High lights include power washing 3.6 

miles of downtown sidewalks, removing over 25,000 gum stains, painting hundreds of light pole and other fixtures, and hanging 180 flower baskets, and landscaping 8 large planters on Shattuck Avenue. Details are as follows:

 

TASK

DONE

TOTAL

%

Trash Removed (est. lbs.)

8,500

 

 

Power Washing (Linear Feet)

18,900

18,900

100%

Painted Fire Hydrants

71

71

100%

Painted Traffic Poles

232

232

100%

Painted Light Poles

194

194

100%

Painted Utility Boxes

34

34

100%

Painted Trash Bins

92

92

100%

Painted Postal Boxes

18

18

100%

Cleaned/Painted News Racks

92

92

100%

Tree Wells Weeded/Graded

307

307

100%

Hang Flower Baskets

180

180

100%

Hang Downtown Banners

88

88

100%

  

The Cleaning team will now transition to ongoing cleaning and maintenance of Downtown. 

 

Moreover the Cleaning team and the prior Host Ambassador Team are now combined into an expanded 16-person Downtown Berkeley Cleaning and Hospitality Ambassador Team. (The Host Ambassador team was established in 2008 as part of Berkeley's "Public Commons for Everyone," focusing primarily on social service outreach.) The new team members will be specialized, but cross trained in key functions. Every Ambassador is a greeter to the new Downtown and picks up litter and debris as they move around the Downtown. All Ambassadors will be dressed in distinctive new uniforms, including lime green shirt, black pants, and new yellow jacket and caps.   Moreover Ambassador will also use new lime green Segway for patrolling Downtown, service truck for ongoing maintenance and landscaping. Please see photos of the team below in their lime green shirts and yellow neon jackets.  

Ambassadors in green shirts
 
Ambassadors in yellow jackets
 

Also, at the launch the DBA unveiled the new "Downtown Berkeley - it start here-taste, create, experience" marketing campaign, which include a logo, 88 hanging banners throughout Downtown (see below), and website and brochures. The DBA will be working with merchants, property and business owners to get the story out about the new Downtown, and bring more visitors, residents, and workers to Downtown Berkeley. 

Street Banners 2012 It Starts Here 
 
 
For full details of the Launch event, please visit our new website at  
 
email: [email protected]web: downtownberkeley.com Tel: 510.549.2230