Current MID Service Hours

Update: Monday, September 21, 2020

Air quality has improved and ambassador hours as of Sept. 21 are:

• Clean Team: Monday-Friday, 6 a.m-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday and 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Safety Team: Monday-Wednesday, 7:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
• Parks & Public Spaces Team: Sunday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Outreach Team: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Update: Sunday, August 2, 2020

As our city and region grapple with the public health and economic impacts of coronavirus, we at DSA/MID continue to adapt on a daily basis to serve downtown property owners. The Seattle area was one of the first to be impacted by this virus, and downtown Seattle — as the region’s jobs, tourism, retail and cultural hub — is feeling the brunt of the economic impact.

We continue to follow public health guidelines as we ramp back up MID-funded ambassador operations. As of Aug. 2, our hours of operation will be:

• Clean Team: Sunday-Saturday, 6 a.m-2:30 p.m. and 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Safety Team: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; starting Aug. 9, Safety Team hours will be 7:30 a.m.- 7 p.m.
• Parks & Public Spaces Team: Sunday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Outreach Team: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Our ambassadors are attending to cleaning, customer service, outreach and public space needs while distancing from each other and the public. We anticipate this being our approach for the foreseeable future pending guidance from local and state officials. We will continue to review operations and staffing levels with the MID ratepayer advisory committee, which is composed of downtown property owners.

Update: Thursday, July 16, 2020

In March 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of our employees and customers, we modified our MID-funded clean, safe, outreach and park services. With safety measures now in place and stay-at-home orders lifted, we are scaling back up our ambassador services in the following manner:

Clean Team:

Effective July 12, our Clean Team will be in the field seven days per week from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., with a focus on:

• Graffiti removal
• Trash and litter pickup
• Human/animal waste (biohazard) removal and disinfectant
• Alley cleaning
• Needle pickup and disposal

Safety Team:

Safety Ambassadors will return Aug.1, working Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and will resume seven-day-a-week service by Sept. 1. Areas of focus will be:

• Customer service
• Re-establishing protocols for people experiencing homelessness
• Encouraging people to socially distance and wear face masks

Outreach Team:

On July 27, Outreach Ambassadors will resume efforts Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m, as they work to connect people experiencing homelessness, mental illness and substance use disorder with services.

Parks & Public Space Team:

Beginning July 13, Park Ambassadors will provide service Monday-Friday from 10:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. in various DSA-managed parks and public spaces. Areas of focus will be:

• Cleaning and sanitizing furniture
• Coordinating food trucks in Westlake Park
• Providing concierge services and encouraging physical distancing

Park Ambassadors will resume service seven days a week on Aug. 1.

Update: Monday, April 6, 2020

In response to growing demand for a clean and disinfected downtown, the Metropolitan Improvement District will expand service hours to Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday, cleaning operations will focus on:

• Graffiti removal
• Trash and litter pickup
• Human/animal waste (biohazard) removal and disinfectant
• Alley cleaning
• Needle pickup and disposal

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, clean teams will respond to biohazard cleanups and challenging areas in need of daily cleaning. Please continue to submit requests via phone at 206-441-3303 or through our online form.

We hope to be able to continue to provide this service until we are fully operational, but will adjust if directed by our public health officials. If you have any questions please direct them to Dave (davew@downtownseattle.org) or Jenn (jenniferc@downtownseattle.org).

Original post: Thursday, March 19, 2020

Dear MID Ratepayers,

As we grapple with the spread of coronavirus across our region and country, we are adapting on a daily basis. The Seattle area is out in front on this crisis — both in terms of the spread of the virus and the economic impacts on businesses. Downtown — as the jobs, retail, tourism and cultural hub of our region — is feeling the brunt.

The health and safety of our employees is our primary concern. On March 4, I directed all DSA staff who could work from home to do so, while continuing our Clean, Safe, Outreach and Parks operations to serve our MID ratepayers and members and keep a sense of normalcy downtown. We adapted our MID operations and changed deployment practices to support social distancing guidelines.

However, given new guidance from Governor Inslee, including restrictions on bars and restaurants, new rules on gatherings, the statewide closure of schools, and the decrease in worker and visitor foot traffic downtown, we began temporarily suspending all Clean, Safe, Outreach and Parks services starting March 16. As information about the spread of this virus and its transmission becomes better known, we’re very mindful of our staff who are in the vulnerable populations and heavily reliant on public transit, which puts them at higher risk.

We anticipate this being our approach for the foreseeable future, until guidance from local and state officials warrants a different approach. We are evaluating the option of deploying a small ambassador team on a weekly basis to address critical issues downtown, using an operational approach in keeping with the intent of public health guidelines. We will provide updates on this effort in the coming days.

The MID plays a crucial role in keeping downtown Seattle healthy and vibrant. We will continue serving ratepayers through these challenging times by:

• Working closely with federal, state and local officials to address both the public health and the economic impacts of this crisis on downtown;
• Gathering critical economic impact data to share with officials and policymakers;
• Continuing to be a key partner in connecting ratepayers to available resources and new information; and
• Ensuring extra private security patrols in Westlake Park and Occidental Square.

These are challenging and unprecedented times, and I appreciate your support. You may reach out to me via email anytime with questions or comments at jons@downtownseattle.org.

Sincerely,

Jon Scholes
DSA President & CEO