DCA_Staff

The ambassadors use a system called a "pipe tour". The device they use looks like a small baton and they must tap this to small RFD tags throughout downtown on a specific route. Its a great system because we can ensure that ambassadors are hitting spots multiple times a day. Its also great because we can prove we were somewhere! The RFD tags look like small watch batteries. If you look around you will see them stuck to everything from street signs to sides of buildings, even front doors. ML

DCA is running its 3rd annual amateur digital photo contest. Just 10 days til the deadline! Check it out, everyone: http://downtowncleveland.com/photochallenge/

Ten days left to submit your best digi photos of downtown Cleveland to our 3rd annual contest: http://downtowncleveland.com/photochallenge/

Doctabroccoli, thanks for letting me know about this. If you do see something like this going down and call the 621-6000 number, an ambassador would not be the one to respond, but one of our off-duty police officers would. Those officers are tied into the CPD radio system so they can call for back-up. Creating a on-call position would contradict the way our dispatching system is set up. If you call the dispatch and they don't respond in a timely manner, please let me know at [email protected] and I will deal with the issue directly. They should respond in a timely manner. They may not be able to catch everything, but if you don't see them in a reasonable time it's something that we would really like to know about so it can be corrected and fixed. Mark Lammon

DCA Announces City Advocates Program for 2010 Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) is seeking new participants for the DCA City Advocate program. Launched in 2009, the program brings together a diverse group of young professionals who are eager to play a role in the revitalization and progress of downtown Cleveland. While volunteering time and hard work to actions related to DCA’s mission, participants emerge as new community leaders and potential candidates to serve on the DCA Board of Directors. The City Advocate program is action‐oriented, requiring participants to become involved in self‐directed initiatives that support Downtown in some way, be it through marketing, business attraction and retention, advocacy or other means. Many City Advocates choose to work on longer‐term collaborative projects, while others focus on actions that can be completed in one day. Some of the actions undertaken by the 2009‐2010 class of City Advocates include: taking suburban friends and relatives on tours of favorite downtown sites; researching the construction of a playground downtown; creating a letter writing campaign in support of state and federal funding for public transportation; helping owners of empty storefronts execute interim uses such as art installations and advertising; creating viral marketing videos about downtown life; and other incremental efforts such as blogging and tweeting about Downtown. The program requires an annual commitment, attendance at monthly meetings and dedication to downtown Cleveland. For more information on how to become a DCA City Advocate, visit downtowncleveland.com/page/CityAdvocates.aspx or contact Laura Kushnick, [email protected], 216‐736‐7799. Deadline to apply is February 26th.

The DCA Clean & Safe Program is funded by a Special Improvement District (SID) that property owners agree to pay based on the front footage of their sidewalk and the value of their building. It is funded by property owners, not businesses or merchants within downtown. ML

Thanks for all of the positive comments about the effectiveness of the ambassadors. I will again pass these along to them. Everyone here seems to have a good knowledge of the issue regarding the Square and DCA. It's still pending what the outcome of that will be. In terms of the cigarette issue, DCA has a program where we will place a cigarette urn by your business and clean it during our daily rounds. Some businesses wanted more containers, others asked for them to be taken away. You can clearly tell whose who. ML

As many of you may know, the downtown Cleveland Special Improvement District is more than half-way through its first 5-year term. DCA is deep in the throes of the reauthorization process, with the hopes that our efforts will result in a new 5-year term for the SID, to begin in January 2011. After collecting copious feedback through forums, meetings, and an online survey, our consultant has drafted a business plan for the new term. He'll be hosting 3 final public forums to give property owners and all downtown stakeholders a chance to review and comment on it. Please come to one of the following forums and join the conversation on the future of Downtown Cleveland! Forum One: Tuesday, September 1st 8:30 – 10:00am Idea Center, Main Board Room, 2nd Floor 1375 Euclid Avenue   Forum Two: Tuesday, September 1st 4:00 - 5:30pm Greater Cleveland Partnership Higbee Building, Main Boardroom, 2nd Floor 100 Public Square Forum Three: Wednesday, September 2nd 8:30 – 10:00am KA Architecture, 9th Street Design Studio 1468 West 9th Street Contact Laura Kushnick at DCA with any questions. Thanks!

DCA City Advocates are reminded that their actions are to be completed as private, self-directed citizens working to make Downtown an ever-better place to be. No mention of DCA, DCA City Advocates, or any version of the DCA logo should be included on flyers, postings or any writings associated with City Advocate actions without prior consent. Thanks! LK

Hi Everyone, This is Laura Kushnick, Manager of Development and Community Relations at DCA for a little over a year now. It's great to see so many people following what we do and taking an interest in Downtown. I wanted to let you know about a couple things: Fun for all-- There's still time to enter the second annual Downtown Photo Challenge!! This a great opportunity to win some $$ and recognition for your amateur digital photos that highlight Downtown. Deadline is midnight on Sunday 8/16. Get more info and enter photos here: http://downtowncleveland.org/photochallenge/ Noteworthy-- You might be interested to know about a new program we have started called DCA City Advocates. This is a great group of passionate young-professionals looking to make a difference and get more involved in DCA's mission. The program requires each Advocate to complete a series of actions of their own design with the goal of promoting, advocating for, and generally bettering Downtown, and at the end of the year they will be eligible to apply for a seat on our board. We are pretty proud and excited about this opportunity to get people fired up about taking action to advance Downtown, and this innovative way of ultimately diversifying our organizational leadership. Read more about it here: http://downtowncleveland.org/page/CityAdvocates.aspx and also follow what each Advocate is up to by checking out their posts on our blog: http://downtowncleveland.org/blog/ Thanks!!

Thanks for all the compliments on the ambassadors. I will be sure to pass these along to them. Judging by the past posts, the group is very familiar with the issues that occurred last year between the City and Local 1099. Until that issue is resolved in either the negative or affirmative, the ambassadors will not be cleaning any city owned park or plaza. That includes Public Square. The Soldiers & Sailors quadrant is owned by the county, which does participate in DCA and therefore will still be cleaned by the ambassadors. This only pertains to cleaning though, the safety ambassadors and our security vehicles still regularly patrol Public Square. So if you call the ambassadors for a safety escort, they are not going to make you walk around the entire square. ML

Hi Everyone, I'm Mark Lammon, Special Projects Manager at the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Some of you already know me, but I wanted to let you know that the staff at DCA has created this account to respond directly to your questions, concerns, or any suggestions you might have for us. We will try to post information on a regular basis.