Mike Schirling gave a report on the activity of the Downtown Action Group at our State of the BBA event in March. This reported included updates on recent discussions and activities. The DAG meets monthly to discuss issues in the downtown core and how they impact businesses.
The group has identified troubling behavior on the street level as a major factor. As a result the group has been proactive in initiating some responses including:
- Hot mapping security cameras in the downtown core so that merchants and the Burlington Police Department can more easily track retail theft
- Creating an online file to document concerning behavior and ordinance violations that are having a negative impact on businesses
- DAG has been active in tying in representatives of various social services (Howard Street Outreach Team, COTS) as well as individuals on the political level (Mayor Weinberger) in an effort to discuss and coordinate our efforts
- DAG launched an “Adopt Your Sidewalk” initiative in conjunction with Green-Up Day to help the streets in the downtown core look clean, vibrant and well taken care of. Read more about this event here.