Keep downtown safe and clean

This letter is to address concerns my family and friends have about the streets in downtown Whitefish.

Whitefish managers and business owners in town have done outstanding planning and development to make Whitefish a friendly, beautiful and viable place, so this letter comes with accolades as well as some criticism.

I am a downtown business owner with property located in the historical Railway District, so I also have a vested interest in how clean, safe and beautiful our downtown is developed and maintained. It matters for people who live here and for the visitors we attract.

What is the issue?

The main street and ancillary streets to downtown Whitefish are often trashed with vomit, cigarette butts, beer bottles, cans and other containers. Other odd appearing spills and stains are present and spills over the curbs. If I had a child toddling down the side walk who took a spill into one of the vomit spots I wouldn’t be very happy. An otherwise quaint, attractive downtown is trashed regarding safe and clean sidewalks.

Here is my analogy: dress someone up in a beautiful suit and then have that person put on dirty scuffed up loafers covered in foodstuff and sticky spilled soft drinks with cigarette butts stuck to the bottom of the loafers. Ruins the suit, don’t you think?

Here is one possible solution. I called the city of Portland, Ore., to find out what they do. I like visiting downtown Portland — it is clean.

They have formed the Portland Business Alliance. Portland renders a business tax for the identified downtown area. Couldn’t some of our resort tax go toward this?

Portland identified the geographical area that falls under the tax and jurisdiction area. The Portland Business Alliance then contracts with a service called Downtown Clean and Safe Services.

In Portland, they have a large transient population, so the Downtown Clean and Safe Services Program provides cleaning, security and community justice services by partnering with Portland Business Alliance, Portland Patrol INC (PPI) and Central City Concern.

Central City Concern does the Clean part and PPI the Safe part. PSA administers the funds and oversees the entire program. Clean and Safe issues exclusions in smart park garages and parks. All other such tickets are issued by Portland police.

In other words, Portland has developed a team including business owners, chamber of commerce, law enforcement, civic groups and private services to maintain a safe and clean downtown.

Portland looks like a good role model to me, and any information gleaned could be tailored to our rural Montana town of Whitefish. However, I believe they have the right idea. Premise being that safe, clean and beautiful is valued and goals can be achieved with collaboration and dedicated resources.

I am in. Anyone else?