Sun. February 21, 2010
Maintenance Team Provides Safe Passage for Pedestrians
WASHINGTON, DC – In the wake of the region’s largest ever snow storms, a special detail of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District’s (BID) Safety, Hospitality and Maintenance workers, known as SAMs, braved the elements and overcame transportation obstacles to report to work. Armed with shovels and ice breakers, a select crew of Downtown SAMs cleared handicap ramps, sidewalks, crosswalks, storm drains and bus shelters in Downtown where more than three feet of snow had accumulated.
“The Downtown BID always has offered and will continue to offer, supplementary services to those that the city and property owners provide,” said Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID. “During this unusual time, when mounds of snow are too high to navigate safely, we are focused particularly on clearing crosswalks for pedestrians to make their way to work, restaurants, shopping and entertainment destinations without incident.”
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) oversees removing snow and ice from public streets, while private property owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks adjacent to their buildings. The unique challenges of back-to-back, record-breaking snowfalls resulted in the Downtown BID assisting responsible parties by monitoring conditions, reporting hazardous conditions and removing snow at critical locations to ensure pedestrian safety.
With 138 square blocks to cover, the Downtown BID’s Maintenance SAMs prioritized areas with the heaviest pedestrian traffic during the wintry whiteout. Of particular focus was the area around the 7th Street corridor near Gallery Place and the Verizon Center, where visitors and residents who were able gathered regardless of the weather.
On Sunday, February 7, as the first blizzard ended, the Washington Capitals game went on as scheduled at the Verizon Center. Fans streaming in by Metro and on foot, encountered SAMs and community service workers shoveling crosswalks and bus shelters to improve safety conditions for pedestrians. Grateful fans exiting the game congratulated the team as they continued to work, but as Zone Cleaner Timothy Hillie summed it up, “We’re just doing what we do—we’re Downtown SAMs!”
Following the second storm, SAMs continued to work tirelessly through the holiday weekend to clear storm drains and basins, and to maintain safe access for returning workers and visitors.
The Downtown BID’s Safety, Hospitality and Maintenance employees number more than 100 and provide a clean, safe and friendly environment for businesses, employees, visitors and residents. The BID employs about four-dozen Maintenance SAMs, a select number of whom work on the snow-clearing teams. All Maintenance SAMs have been engaged in the cleanup efforts since BID offices reopened last Friday.
“We were extremely happy with property managers’ efforts, who were diligent in removing snow around their buildings,” said Everett D.E. Scruggs, the Downtown BID’s director of operations. “The SAMs partnered with the DDOT, the Department of Public Works (DPW) and property managers to coordinate and share information that led to more efficient and effective clearing and cleaning efforts.”
Even after the city lifted the latest snow emergency Tuesday evening, huge mounds of snow remain on streets along the curb line and on sidewalks. SAMs will continue working with property owners and the city to ensure that storm drains are cleared appropriately to reduce the risk of flooding as the thaw begins. They also will assess damage to trees and parks, clear solar parking meters of snow and continue to monitor critical roadways that have snow piles and report hazards to DDOT.
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