Greater Downtown - Perp Walk
Despite the cost and concrete, the new city plaza seems to be a big hit with more than the usual coterie of the residentially challenged that inhabited the previous plaza. People predicted that the lack of shade, the thousands of yards of cement, and the "big city" design would discourage folks from visiting, but they were clearly mistaken. On any given weekday, you'll find working folks, families, seniors, and lots of kids hanging out, having lunch, frolicking in the fountain, admiring the mural, or just lounging on the raised lawns. Hell, I've even seen people playing chess.
Last night at the Thursday Night Market, there must have been hundreds of people enjoying the casual intimacy that relative strangers indulge when they're in a public square. And it isn't hard to understand why. Just look at it; it's clean.
This is is stark contrast, alas, to the rest of the pedestrian space in Chico. Compared with the sidewalks in most of the district, the streets themselves are clean enough to eat off of. It's no wonder, then, when people are asked why they don't come downtown, that one of the first complaints (after parking; a perennial #1), is the filthy sidewalks.
Not all of the sidewalks are dirty, of course. At right is an example of a well-kept sidewalk, in front of a popular fine dining establishment that understands that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.
It doesn't really take that much effort to maintain a clean front walk. If you visit the downtown area early in the day, before most stores are even open, you will find solitary figures, hose in hand, giving their respective stoops a good rinse. Because this water flows to the creeks, use of cleaning chemicals on the sidewalks is prohibited, which doesn't make it any easier, but regular, frequent hosing down keeps the grunge down to a faint patina. In addition to Christian Michaels, properties that regularly wash their walks include Third & Main, Pluto's, and Mayo Law Clinic. Bill Mayo hoses the sidewalk in front of his building every Saturday morning, and often continues up the street past his property line. That's civic involvement at the street level, folks.
Unfortunately not every business owner or property manager shares this sense of public duty. Maybe they can't see it. Maybe they don't care. But this mess at left is not an isolated example. A brief stroll around the businest streets in downtown reveals numerous locations that have spilled food, dog crap, cigarette butts, litter, dead leaves, and a thick, sticky layer of just plain old garden variety crud. On weekend mornings, especially, there is a variety of food and beverage products abandoned on the sidewalk, sometimes partially digested, sometimes fully, sometimes not.
I've heard a number of people say that they think the city, or the DCBA, should take care of this problem. As it happens, the city does, from time to time (maybe twice a year, budget permitting) hire a water blasting contractor to pressure wash the surface. Again, they can't use any chemicals; it must be clear water only. But hot water at high speed will take off that top layer of oily muck, and even dislodge the occasional spoor of chewing gum. Gum removal is a separate operation, requiring extra effort on the part of the contractor, and additional fees. This comprehensive cleaning took place just last spring, although you wouldn't know it to look at it now.
The specific scope of the DCBA's mission does not include maintenance of the public way. It has neither the authority nor the resources to wash the sidewalks. The DCBA does manage a litter control effort on weekends. The unflagging RIchard Elsom leads crews of people sentenced to public service around the downtown with brooms and dustpans to sweep up the detritus of urban life each week. Right now he's also conducting a more comprehensive sweep of the downtown with a group of young people in the Upwardly Bound program. More than once I've seen Richard pull up in his pickup with a shovel to scrape up somebody else's dog poop. And the DCBA manages the planters downtown, keeping them colorful and weed-free, as well. So the city and the DCBA do what they can, but ultimate responsibility for keeping a clean walk rests entirely with the street level shop or restaurant.
Maintaining an attractive appearance is not simply a matter of hosing down the walk, either. Blight comes in many forms. Things get boisterous in downtown, and sometimes windows get broken. While it may take a couple days to get it repaired, leaving it unattended for weeks at a time is simply unacceptable. It makes the entire streetscape look seedy and run down. The photo at right is but one example of deferred maintenance blighting what by rights should be a showcase. Certainly the efforts of the aforementioned Mr. Mayo and the guys who built that fine-looking facade for the Banshee deserve better.
That said, it may be that the Beach Hut folks think this is just business as usual. The truth is that that corner property sat untenanted for quite some time, and it became a refuge for all sort of debris. Neither the property owners nor the management company took pains to keep it swept and neat-looking, which may explain why it was vacant for so long. But considering what it looked like when the sandwich shop saw it the first time, they may well believe that the broken window is "no big deal".
Similarly, the photo at left is in front of the old Oser's building. The windows are filled with For Rent signs, but the walk out front practically screams "Do Not Enter". You'd think that someone eager to sign new tenants would do more to make it look inviting. A garden hose, and fifteen minutes, would make all the difference in the world.
It's the little things that make a city look nice. It doesn't take all that much time to sweep the sidewalk, wash the windows, replace burned out bulbs, and keep their signage and awnings clean and in good repair. But it does take giving a damn about how your storefront looks to the rest of the community. Perhaps further motivation is needed. Last year, a new ordinance was passed to require downtown shops to bring in their garbage cans by 9 AM. It seems a couple of places were leaving their bins on the sidewalk all day, and it took passing a law to get them to change their practice. Perhaps what is needed is a public nuisance ordinance requiring tenants -- or in their absence the property owners or managers -- to maintain a reasonably clean sidewalk in front of their premises, as well as keeping their windows, awnings and signage clean and in good repair. Instead of saddling the city with additional costs to maintain a decent downtown, make it a code enforcement issue, and maybe even generate some new revenues in the form of fines.
Here are a few more examples of downtown Chico's "Walk of Shame".
Comments
I've thought for years that downtown businesses should chip in and buy a communal pressure washer and pay some enterprising student to run it every Saturday morning around the various shops.
I've been so disgusted at times that I've thought about bringing my own pressure washer down some Saturday morning and "just doing it".
But alas, I don't go downtown much anymore because between the parking problems, panhandlers, filth on the sidewalks, and traffic issues downtown has just lost attraction for me.
Posted by: Anthony Watts | June 29, 2007 04:44 PM
Anthony--
The idea of a communally owned pressure washer and hiring some kid to drive it is not a new one, but it requires someone to take the initiative to pull that together. We all have businesses to run, and thus nothing gets done.
I think there's a significant business opportunity here for someone, and I think I know who. There's a guy who has been operating a window-washing service for about ten years. His name is Nate Allen, and most folks who spend any time downtown know him. He has quite a number of accounts in the downtown, and he does a great job.
I spoke to him this morning about broadening the scope of his business. In my strategic planning consulting practice, one of the standard pieces of advice I give to companies wanting to grow their business is "get new products/services for existing customers, and new customers for existing products/services." I pointed out that businesses that are willing to outsource window maintenance demonstrate a desire both to present a good appearance and to hire the work out. Moreover, businesses that don't hire a window-washer might hire a sidewalk-washer, and add window service as well. There are also opportunities to clean awnings, and maintain signage.
He's definitely interested in doing this. Anyone interested in contacting Nate about facade maintenance can reach him at 828-8049.
Posted by: Alan Chamberlain | June 30, 2007 10:16 AM
State law kicks in when you hire a service to perform sidewalk cleaning. the water has to be sucked up before it enters the waterway.
The hole in the law lets business owners or employee's hand hose.They ask that a 1/2" screen be placed over the Street inlet.Pressure washing is also outlawed by the state but is overlooked for now. If everyone swept once a day and hand hosed once a week most of the problem would go away.
Bulbed intersections and crosswalks need a little outside help. everything else belongs to the building management and the street level business.
Whats interesting about the building with the broken window. Its one of the worst in the downtown. Notice the property manager has no sign on it. Its probably some fancy outfit that cares nothing of downtown.
But it looks and smells good compared to LaSalles
Mike
Posted by: Mike Trolinder | June 30, 2007 07:33 PM
I'm cheating - this should be included in one of your earlier blog entries but in the interest of exposure I'm putting it here.
You mentioned a downtown streetcar in an earlier reply to me.
We're talking vision here so we don't need to be concerned with realistic chance of implementation but what route(s) do you have in mind?
Notes about three other cities:
- Portland has a very successful streetcar operation - separate, mind you from the wildly popular light-rail lines - that loops through downtown Portland and will be expanded soon.
- Sacramento and West Sacramento are in the serious discussion phase of a streetcar line that would connect the burgeoning area of east West Sacramento (sounds oxymoronic, doesn't it?) with downtown Sac, using the Tower Bridge to cross the river.
- Galveston, Texas (yes, Texas!), a Chico-sized city operates an historic trolley service that connects downtown with the University of Texas Medical Branch.
-- Greg
Posted by: Greg Fischer | July 1, 2007 06:18 PM
A liquor license has responsibility attached to it. One of those responsibilities should be to keep your patrons from releasing their body fluids in the street after you've overloaded them. It all gets washed into our precious creek along with the cigarette butts and bits of food from Pluto's kitchen floor.
Maybe its all just chum for the trout and of minimal impact but it is pretty hard to tell my friends from out of town that we are a Green City when we walk to Saturday market through the steamy stench that defines La Salles or the rancid oily sidewalk at Pluto's backdoor.
The cheap bars are abusing their privileges and we are letting them do it. They are dragging down their entire block. I wouldn't get very excited about washing my business sidewalk if I had to clean up after their profitable night either.
They operate under the cover of darkness and contribute little to the economy of the downtown, not even any parking meter revenue. They are like having "Animal House" move in next door to you. Their negative impact on the street rivals that of the trash from fast food chains and they definitely benefit more from the downtown than they contribute except for the sales tax. But, I wonder how much revenue is lost to the other merchants who lose customers throughout the day because of the remains left over from the night before.
They are a blight to the downtown and if they can't appreciate that, then they should have their licenses revoked in the interest of public and environmental safety.
Then we can use RDA money to improve their blighted buildings to safer standards. Isn't RDA all about blight? If that blight wasn't so damn successful every night we might have a better chance at cleaning up the downtown and recapturing that small-town feel everyone keeps talking about.
I am not usually a proponent of vigilante greenism, but this is obvious, flagrant and historic disregard. We should appreciate that being Green is not always clean or easy. It might require exercising stronger available resources before spending more money continuing to clean up after them and letting them carry on with their practice of deadbeat landlording.
In my opinion, more than half of the reputation of the downtown as "dirty" is the result of only 3 or 4 bars downtown. You get them to respect the sidewalks and their image and you will go a long way to rally other merchants to re-engage their rightful ownership of the sidewalk.
Posted by: tj | July 2, 2007 12:04 AM
Greg--
Thanks for the comments, and it's okay to leave them here, although you can still post comments to the previous post where we mentioned trolley service.
I'm going to get into transit more comprehensively in a future post, very likely this week, so keeping checking back. I welcome your observations; keep them coming.
TJ--
You're absolutely right, of course. The truth is we have too many bars in downtown that cater to the party-as-a-verb crowd. As a planning priority, we should be redeveloping the block I've come to calling the "Historic Seedy Tavern District". It's not as bad as it once was, but it's still a dicey area at night. At least Duffy's hoses down it's floor mats every morning, and gets the sidewalk, as well.
As you rightly point out, it's just a few locations that are incurring so much of the damage, and the city really should raise the bar. That's one of the reasons why I think public nuisance legislation is an important part of the solution. Let them pay a few fines and see if they don't discover a renewed sense of civic duty.
And yes, if they continue to overserve patrons to the point of emesis, take away their license to operate.
Ideally, bars that target students should move out of the downtown and over into the south campus area, or along the Nord corridor. Bars that cater to the chronically inebriated market segment should likewise be strongly encouraged to operate outside the urban core. We don't permit businesses that cause pollution to operate downtown, and that's what these bars do.
I'm not suggesting that all bars are culprits. I have to commend those pubs that understand why a clean sidewalk is their welcome mat to the world. These tend to be places that are open during the day, as well. The ones that are only open at night are really the problem children.
Posted by: Alan Chamberlain | July 2, 2007 10:07 AM
A state law prohibits pressure washing. Ok how are we ever going to get the sideswalks clean again? Sweeping and hose by itself won't do it.
Hmmm. Some places that have urine, feces, vomit, and pigeon droppings represent a health hazard.
I say this a perfect case for some simple civil disobedience. Clean your sidewalk, and wait for somebody to come cite you.
Heck, I may just show up at Duffy's some morning with my PW and wait for the screaming to start.
"HEY LEAVE THAT VOMIT ALONE!"
Sheesh...
Posted by: Anthony | July 2, 2007 03:44 PM
Actually, Duffy's isn't that bad. They schlepp their floor mats out to the sidewalk and hose them down. In the process, they hose down the rest of the sidewalk. That whole block could be much worse than it is.
Posted by: Alan Chamberlain | July 2, 2007 06:55 PM
Here is a paradox for you. I own a downtown business and the sidewalk outside my store was clean until a garbage can was put there by the city. Now my front door is surrounded by food debris, cigarette butts, and gum from people that are obviously crap at basketball.
Posted by: Alan Rice | July 20, 2007 12:56 PM