DBBA News 10|15|2020

It's been another busy week at the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA), as we worked passionately to increase the vitality of Downtown Bend. ​

We're thrilled about our new partnership with Bend Marketplace, and we'll be working to help our downtown businesses get their products online so that our community is able to continue to shop locally throughout the season - both online and in-person.  As we all know, supporting local this holiday season is of utmost importance.  Each one of us has the power to keep a local Bend family in business through this very difficult year.  Every local purchase matters.

Our Executive Director has been working hard on the Downtown Bend Parking Advisory (DPAC) with the City of Bend and other community members to bring positive changes to Downtown Parking.  You might have seen some of the new education flyers, "Sasquatch Says", aimed to helping community members understand the parking rules that we have in downtown.

​We're also excited about rolling out a new parking validation program for downtown businesses, and we can't wait to announce some upcoming developments for our downtown parking garage.

​​Our staff wrapped up our summer high-pressure/deep-cleaning sidewalk program, getting some final scrubbing in on our downtown sidewalks.  The DBBA works diligently not only to sweep every sidewalk, every morning, 365 days per year - but we also spend the summer months (as temps allow) deep cleaning every inch of our Downtown. 

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we've seen an increase in graffiti, tape, posters, stickers and rubbish in Downtown Bend.  We have staff working throughout the entire Economic Improvement District (EID) every day to keep Downtown clean and inviting.  We sweep every inch of sidewalk, we remove graffiti & stickers, we complete service requests for any larger City of Bend repairs needed, and we contact Bend Police Department about any livability issues.  All this is done before most people even wake up. 

We also met with the City of Bend this week to create a snow management plan for this winter to make sure to keep Downtown Bend, and the new parklets that have been created, snow and ice free.​  Downtown snow management is a partnership between the City of Bend, The DBBA, and business owners in Downtown Bend.  The DBBA owns 2 snow blowers, an ATV with a snow plow attachment and a plethora of large shovels.  We keep all of the sidewalks, the ADA parking stalls and the crosswalk areas free of snow.  We loan snow shovels to business owners, and we help with ice melt in areas that tend to ice over in downtown.  The City of Bend is responsible for keep roadways, parking lots and alleys free of snow and ice in.  Downtown business owners are responsible for the areas in front of their business, their parklet, and outdoor seating areas.

Our team has been working creatively to design holiday events that will adhere to state guidelines and CDC recommendations.  We've reimagined Shop Small Saturday to take place over three weeks instead of one day in order to spread out guests and keep folks safe!  Plus, you'll be able to choose if you want to participate in-person or online!

If you've never participated in our Downtown Bend Shop Small Saturday event - you don't want to miss it this year!! This event is a ton of fun and you can win AMAZING gift baskets filled with incredible local products from our Downtown merchants. 

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Are you interested in learning more about the DBBA or volunteering to help us keep Downtown Bend thriving?  Contact us!

The Downtown Bend Business Association is a small nonprofit dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend.