In March, Capital Crossroad SID’s reauthorization efforts culminated in a petition to Columbus City Council to levy an assessment on property owners to pay for services for the period between January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021. This step followed the required 60 percent of property owners within the SID district boundary agreeing to reauthorize the SID and its services. Both the Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts require reauthorization within a five-year window in order to prevent an automatic termination of services.
The reauthorization ensures that the services that Capital Crossroads provides will continue for another five years. The SID operates Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. During the summer months, the hours are extended to 2 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday night.
During these hours, the SID Ambassadors work to keep Downtown Columbus the cleanest, safest and best place in central Ohio to live, work and play. The Clean Team ambassadors provide daily litter control on sidewalks, curb lines and alleys; graffiti removal; power washing of sidewalks and alleys April through November; snow removal at crosswalks and storm sewer drains during the winter months; weed control; cleaning of public fixtures; and reporting of broken streetlights, traffic signals and fixtures to the City of Columbus. The work of the Safety Ambassadors includes daily safety patrols; support for the Columbus Division of Police as extra “eyes and ears”; intervening to eliminate quality of life problems such as panhandling and public intoxication; offering assistance to the public, including directions, safety escorts and information about retail, restaurants and attractions; and outreach services to help the homeless.
The SID also manages a public/private security partnership, the Security Managers Information Network of Ohio, which connects private security professionals with Columbus police to coordinate efforts. The SID maintains an 800 MHz radio system that connects private security operations, SID staff and the Columbus Division of Police, allowing them handle security issues in “real time.” Other efforts include training, radio drills and quarterly meetings with private and public safety professionals. This partnership has been dubbed a national model and received an award in 2014 from the National Homeland Security Association.
The work doesn’t stop there. Capital Crossroads staff advocate for issues that are important to downtown property owners and tenants; conduct research regarding economic development, housing, commuting and more; keep downtown beautiful by planting and maintaining flowers on High Street, Capitol Square, Gay Street islands and Nationwide Boulevard; and communicate with the public through the DowntownColumbus.com website, social media, and weekly and quarterly newsletters. A favorite SID role in the fabric of downtown life is Pearl Market, which is managed and run by Capital Crossroads, offering a vibrant street market which brightens downtown while allowing entrepreneurs to incubate new business ideas.
Thank you to the property owners in the district for your support. Capital Crossroads looks forward to continuing the hard work which has done so much to make downtown clean, safe and beautiful.