So Fresh and So Clean

Night and day are the words Ahmed Ankouni uses to describe the difference in how clean downtown is today compared to two months ago.

The pharmacist owns the Griswold Pharmacy in Capital Park, which until recently was one of downtown's rougher sections. It was a place where newspapers casually floated by, the stench of urine permeated alleys, shredded plastic bags hung from trees and litter covered sidewalks.

"You couldn't walk without kicking something," Ankouni says. "I had to clean it up from in front of my store every day. Now it's a different world. It's fantastic."

The 30-year-old Dearborn resident noticed a difference almost immediately when the NEXT Detroit: Clean Downtown crews went to work in June.

The crews do everything from picking up litter to power washing sidewalks to cleaning up alleys, bus stops and parks inside the downtown expressway loop. Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit provides workers for the cleaning crews. Those crews work with the city department of public works in various shifts all week. Private sector and foundations provided the initiative's $3-million budget. That covers the cost of employees, management and equipment. It's expected to last until the fall of 2007.

Ankouni says the largest impact is psychological. People are more respectful of the neighborhood. His customers are in better moods. Overall, his business is improving. "Cleanliness is related to peace. Filthiness is related to chaos," Ankouni says. "It just makes everybody feel like the city is moving forward."

That's the impact city leaders are looking for from the Clean Downtown Initiative. It isn't just about picking up litter. It goes beyond spotless sidewalks, full trash cans or how it stacks up to other downtowns.

"A clean downtown is pivotal to attracting new businesses, residents, conventions and visitors to our city," says Roger Penske, chairman of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, which spawned the initiative.

The idea is that a clean downtown makes people feel safer, more comfortable and more respectful of the neighborhood. (Think Toronto.) Hopefully, Clean Downtown's efforts will encourage city residents, suburbanites and tourists to spend more time and money downtown, recreating the vibrancy it once enjoyed.

"It makes a big impression when the sidewalk or the curb is clean," says Paul Howard, owner of the downtown jazz bar Cliff Bell's located at Elizabeth and Park streets. "It's a mark of sophistication for the city."

The difference

Alok Sharma, 26, sees a big difference in downtown since the cleanups started. The computer programmer lives in the renovated Kales Building on Grand Circus Park. He pointed out how the trash and general refuse that once clogged landscaping or floated through the streets is largely gone. Downtown is now "clean by anyone's standards," Sharma says.

The clean streets do more than make people feel comfortable, they demand respect. "It sends the message that it's not going to be a big dumping ground," Sharma says. "If there is trash everywhere people will add to it. If nobody is taking care of it why should I care? That's just human nature."

Jeanette Pierce, a fellow downtown resident, agrees. The 25-year-old event planner has lived and worked downtown for years. In her spare time she helps run a company called Inside Detroit, which gives tours of the city.

She had noticed the amount of trash always increased after a major event. "I kind of felt it wasn't just Detroiters making this mess," Pierce says. She used to apologize to clients about the untidiness during tours, explaining it is just part of being in a bustling city, but she knew the trash influenced her clients' perceptions, and sometimes her own, of the city. It could be disheartening.

Today her tours concentrate on the city's character, history and beautiful aspects. The muddle of litter is now just a bad memory. "I don't have to go through that spiel anymore," Pierce says.

Neither does Dave Frassetto, co-owner of the (PROOF) bar at Woodward Avenue and Adams Street. The cleaning crews are exactly what the area needs, he says: They make downtown attractive, especially to people spending money there.

"To the casual visitor of Detroit or the suburban visitor, it makes a big difference to their perception," Frassetto, 34, says. "And that perception is what counts when it comes to spending their dollars. A clean downtown is a good downtown."

Beyond 2007

The Downtown Detroit Partnership hopes Clean Downtown will segue into the creation of a business improvement district (BID) for downtown. The district would assess a fee to property owners for the services, including the cleaning initiative. A BID would enhance regular city services, and property owners would manage the district.

Ankouni, the Griswold Pharmacy owner, and Frassetto, the (PROOF) bar co-owner, support the idea as long as it's a reasonable price and keeps downtown streets clean. However, Howard, owner of the Cliff's Bells bar, would rather pay more money for a stronger police presence than cleaner streets.

The Detroit resident says safety is the biggest hurdle for downtown. He argues his customers should be able to park their cars or walk the streets of downtown without fear.

"If we could get together and pay for anything, it should be for more police officers," he says.

Obviously, cleaning downtown is just one step. Opinions vary on what should be done next to improve downtown. The ideas range from increasing safety to attracting a large corporate headquarters to cracking down on parking lots.

For the time being, though, many are happy with the cleaner streets. Ankouni says the people behind the initiative need a "pat on the back." He now gets excited when talking about downtown's potential and is even considering moving downtown.

Cher Ketellhut, 49, is also thrilled with the cleanliness. The Dearborn resident and her family regularly visit downtown for everything from Tigers games to operas.

"It's huge because it looks like people care," Ketellhut says. "When you come into a part of the city that's clean and people are walking around, it seems more alive."




Clean Downtown, by the numbers:

• People employed by Clean Downtown Initiative: 50
• Workers on the street: 44
• Clean up crew hours: From 4 a.m. to early evening
• Blocks in coverage area: 100
• Area covered by sidewalk sweeping: 2.4 million square feet
• Days it takes to clean that whole area: 2
• Amount of litter cleaned up in an average day:1/2 to 1 1/2 tons
• Daily calls or e-mails received with advice on where to clean up: 10 to 15



For more information, or to report an area that needs cleaning, visit the Clean Downtown Initiative’s Web site at www.cleandowntown.org.



Photos:

Charla Simmons keeping Grand Circus Park clean

Ahmed Ankouni of the Griswold Pharmacy

Looking up Washington Boulevard towards the Kales Building

A Clean Downtown Truck



All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger


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Read more articles by Jon Zemke.

Jon Zemke is a news editor with Model D and its sister publications, Metromode and Concentrate. He's also a small-scale real-estate developer and landlord in the greater downtown Detroit area.