Business owners and residents will share ideas at a town hall Tuesday about how to tackle panhandling downtown over the summer.
“What we hope to accomplish with the town hall is to gather ideas for what to do about those people who have chosen panhandling as a lifestyle,” Tim Walsworth, executive director of the Business Improvement District, said in a statement.
The Durango Chamber of Commerce, Local First and BID are hosting the event to combat the perceived negative impact of panhandlers on the community’s allure and charm, the release said.
“The behavior of panhandling is affecting our businesses’ ability to thrive,” Walsworth said in an interview.
The groups will ask business representatives to vote on ideas, and they plan to put the most popular 10 to 15 into action to attack the complicated issue, Walsworth said.
“It’s going to require multiple ideas all working towards a similar goal,” he said.
Ideas that can be rolled out quickly, such as adding more outdoor seating along the sidewalk to limit sidewalk space, will be implemented immediately, Walsworth said.
There may be some ideas that require more time, and the groups are open to those as well.
Walsworth plans to present some ideas, such as more downtown lighting and increased walking police patrols.
To help guide the discussion, he expects to cover the laws that govern panhandling.
The First Amendment protects the right to panhandle, but a local ordinance prohibits aggressive panhandling. Panhandlers cannot touch, follow or block anyone or speak fighting words, under local law.
In addition to exploring new ideas, the BID plans to continue the downtown ambassador program and the Make It Count campaign started last year to help preserve downtown’s image.
The BID hired ambassadors to greet and guide visitors in response to complaints about panhandling.
The ambassadors worked until Labor Day last year, and this year, the BID will keep them on the streets during weekends in September and during the Christmas season.
“The point of the ambassador program is to make people feel welcome and get them into our businesses,” he said.
The BID launched the Make It Count campaign to encourage community members and visitors to give to nonprofit organizations instead of panhandlers. The group distributed small donation boxes to business and nearly $1,000 was raised for the Durango Community Shelter.
“The idea is that if we eliminate their income stream, they will either find real employment or move on,” Walsworth said in a statement.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
If you go
A solution-focused town hall about panhandling will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave. The meeting is open to the public, but only business owners can vote.
