Maintenance
DOWNTOWNDALLAS works every day to improve the quality of life for Downtown Dallas workers, visitors and residents, which includes maintaining and beautifying the streets Downtown to the highest of standards. In fact, the number one compliment received from visitors is about the cleanliness of the streets and sidewalks in Downtown, thanks to more than $1.5 million of maintenance and capital improvement projects performed by the organization each year. The DOWNTOWNDALLAS Maintenance Committee, chaired by Jim Greer with Oncor, is comprised of a group of Downtown stakeholders with a passion for improving the quality of life in Downtown by providing programs and services for beautifying, cleaning and repairing Downtown public space.
MAINTENANCE programs provided by DOWNTOWNDALLAS include:
- DOWNTOWNDALLAS Clean Team — The second largest program provided by DOWNTOWNDALLAS includes 13 full-time employees, working seven days a week to keep the streets and sidewalks clean by picking up litter, removing graffiti and assisting with many public improvement projects in Downtown Dallas.
- Recycling — In the spring of 2006, DOWNTOWNDALLAS partnered with the Abitibi-Consolidated to create the first public paper- recycling program for Downtown Dallas. In the fall of 2006, DOWNTOWNDALLAS partnered with the City of Dallas to create the first single-stream recycling program for Downtown residents and small offices.
- Downtown Seasonal Color Program — Flowers are changed 4-6 times per year in flower beds of various locations Downtown including: Dealey Plaza at Main & Houston, the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center, Field Street medians between Ross Avenue and Woodall Rogers, Pearl Street median south of Woodall Rogers and the Betty Marcus Garden.
- EarthFest — Each year, DOWNTOWNDALLAS coordinates and provides supplies for a spring clean-up. On the Friday before Earth Day, hundreds of volunteers dedicate their afternoon to clean up and improvement projects in Downtown including: window washing, painting, litter removal, flower planting and cleaning DART bus stops to name a few!
- Sidewalk Improvements — DOWNTOWNDALLAS provides on-going services for Downtown sidewalks including: power-washing, trash can repair, weed control, cigarette litter prevention and traffic signal painting.
- TxDOT Right-of-Way Projects — DOWNTOWNDALLAS provides supplemental maintenance and landscape enhancement projects for areas in TxDOT right-of-way adjacent to the freeway loop surrounding the Central Business District of Downtown.
Tree Well Upgrades and TxDOT Improvements — DOWNTOWNDALLAS provides hundreds of landscape enhancements to public space in Downtown each year. Most of the plants used for these enhancements are Texas native, drought tolerant needing very little to no water for survival. By using these types of plants, we are able to beautify the public space in Downtown without using additional, valuable water resources.
Tree Planting, Trimming and Fertilizing — DOWNTOWNDALLAS works to improve air quality and greenspace in Downtown by planting many trees in the public space, resulting in temperature reduction, removal of air pollutants, emission of volatile organic compounds and better energy efficiency for buildings. In addition to planting trees, DOWNTOWNDALLAS keeps existing trees healthy by trimming and fertilizing hundreds throughout the year.
Downtown Lighting — In 2007, DOWNTOWNDALLAS replaced thousands of incandescent lights in sidewalk trees and overhead Main Street with the latest technology LED lights. By changing these lights, DOWNTOWNDALLAS retains a well-lit, safe environment while reducing the energy needed to power Downtown lighting. DOWNTOWNDALLAS is also working with Oncor and the City of Dallas to incorporate new LED lighting for streetlights and parks in Downtown.
