When superstorm Sandy hit DC this week, a special detail of the DowntownDC BID’s Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance (SAMs) employees hit the streets. Although the BID office was technically closed, a dozen SAMs braved the elements and overcame transportation obstacles to report to work. They walked the DowntownDC BID area to clear storm drains, report downed trees, empty overflowing trash bins, remove debris from streets and sidewalks, collect broken tree limbs, and reposition overturned newspaper boxes. “This is what we do during emergencies,” said Ron Jones, the BID’s maintenance services manager. “Our goal is to keep Downtown safe and clean, and working along with the Department of Public Works, we were able to cover the entire one-square-mile BID area to ensure that there were no major accidents or incidents.”
The Downtown SAMs number more than 80 and provide a clean, safe and friendly environment for businesses, employees, visitors and residents. The Maintenance Team normally handles emergency details, but because of this storm’s severity, both Safety and Maintenance Team members were approached about volunteering for duty on Monday or Tuesday, or both days, from roughly 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.
We would like to thank and recognize the following SAMs for their tireless effort and dedication to the city and to Downtown: Jose Avelar, Ezra Bryant, Amanda Chavers, Shanita Cowling, Anthony Davenport, Alfreda Mintah, C’Na Robinson, Crystal Saunders, and Patricia Young, as well as SAM supervisors Dion Simmons, Charlie Stevenson, and Michael Williams.
A great job was done by all!