The Durango Business Improvement District is busy gearing up for summer. There are several programs and projects in the works to help our downtown and uptown businesses thrive in our busiest season.
The summer months of June, July and August are the best season of the year for local businesses with the influx of visitors to Durango and the area. The BID estimates that there are approximately 1 million tourists in our community each year, with the bulk of them arriving in summer.
The BID is partnering with the Durango Chamber of Commerce again on the Downtown Ambassador program. Ambassadors will work daily shifts in June, July and August, greeting people visiting downtown with a smile and knowledge of the community.
The BID is also partnering with the chamber, as well as the city of Durango, on the annual Downtown Clean Day. Held the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, this event brings out nearly 100 volunteers to help clean downtown so that it really shines. It’s a great volunteer project for local businesses, clubs and organizations; contact me to sign up at (970) 375-5068.
The BID recently purchased a gum-removal machine to help clean our sidewalks. Have you ever noticed how much old gum is on the sidewalks? There is a lot that has accumulated over the years, and now we have a way to remove it quickly and safely. The BID’s goal is to clean every block face downtown by Memorial Day weekend, and we will hire people to use the machine daily in the mornings starting at the end of April to accomplish this. If interested in a part-time morning job, contact me at (970) 375-5068.
BID is in process of revamping our website to make it an even better tool for locals and visitors. Our goal is to make DowntownDurango.org the place to go for any and all information for downtown and uptown Durango. The website has lots of great information, including a year-round calendar of events, a business directory with nearly 400 businesses, information on where to park when visiting downtown, suggested itineraries for families and more.
The BID is also creating a program to help local businesses give the best customer service possible. Hotel front desk staff, restaurant wait staff and workers at our local retail stores are asked questions about what to do, where to shop, where to dine and more every single day. The BID will be distributing a simple training piece to these key employees to help them give accurate information to typical questions they are asked.
The BID has been the owner of the Historic Downtown Durango Trip Advisor page for six months and we monitor the reviews posted to get a sense of how people view downtown. There are currently 1,377 reviews and 93 percent rate us as “excellent” or “very good.” The BID’s programs and projects are designed to keep and improve that great rating.
To keep up with information about downtown and uptown throughout the year, sign up for the BID’s weekly E-News by texting DURANGOBID to 22828 or go to DowntownDurango.org and click on the Communications tab.
timw@downtowndurango.org. Tim Walsworth is the executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District.
