Security, Parking, Cleanliness Better, Downtown Group Told

Downtown Spokane’s self-taxing district met with its members Friday to explain how their money was spent last year.

“The mission of the district is very specific - security, maintenance, transportation and marketing,” said Karen Valvano, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, manager of the business improvement district.

“We need to keep true to that mission and just keep getting better,” she said.

The improvement district was formed by a unanimous City Council vote in June 1995. The money the district raises, by taxing downtown businesses, properties and organizations, is used to market downtown and make it safer, cleaner and more accessible.

Valvano spoke to about 20 people at Auntie’s Bookstore at Main and Washington Friday morning. It was one of four annual meetings held town-hall style this week, designed to update ratepayers on the district’s activities.

Among the accomplishments:

The district’s security ambassadors began patrolling downtown streets in May. The security crew has done everything from give directions to tourists to help reduce panhandling.

The ambassadors’ regular presence around parking lots also has helped reduce car break-ins, said Larry Soehren, chairman of the district’s ratepayer board. The number of “parking lot” incidents declined from 118 in September 1995 to 16 in September 1996, Soehren said.

Easy Pass, a new parking validation program started by the district in October, combined downtown’s two previous parking programs, and helped reduce consumer confusion, Soehren said.

The number of businesses participating in a parking validation program has tripled since Easy Pass began, Soehren said. Businesses have provided parking validation for more than 85,000 customers since October.

The Clean Team, a work crew that roams the streets removing litter and wiping out graffiti, also has been effective, Soehren said. The workers began with a 12-block area and recently expanded that to 30 blocks.

Some of the people at the meeting praised the partnership for the success of the security ambassadors, but criticized the perceived amount spent on the multicolored annual report.

One woman asked that more mention be made of downtown’s historic buildings. One man said that although the security program is a success, the district’s summer concert series was not.

Representatives of the Downtown Spokane Partnership said the district’s programs would be modified over time, depending on their success.

“Anything that’s not working, we’ll change it,” said Annie Matlow, marketing director.

The improvement district got off to a slow start in 1996 because the majority of its budget - tax assessments on participating business and property owners - was withheld pending the outcome of a lawsuit.

Attorney Steve Eugster sued the city shortly after the district was formed, saying it was unconstitutional.

The city won the lawsuit in March. Eugster’s appeal is pending.

, DataTimes