The Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District (BID) accomplished a great deal in 2021 in order to make Downtown Worcester a premier destination for visitors and locals alike. Quantifying the BID’s progress is a monumental task. This month, we’re taking a pause to look back and reflect on our Ambassadors' impressive contributions and our other activities by the numbers. |
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Cultural Placemaking & Beautification: The BID installed 126 hanging baskets and 36 ground planters on light poles and sidewalks Downtown. We commissioned 8 eye-catching window displays in Downtown storefronts and paid local artists nearly $16k for their creative contributions. We purchased and installed 3,000 feet of holiday lighting to bring 25 trees to life Downtown. Ambassadors supported 25 events. We built one parklet and provided outdoor dining tables and chairs to serve three Downtown restaurants.
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Marketing & PR: Our “When in Worcester” campaign drew nearly 23k page views for our digital “passport” and 981 sweepstakes entrants, showcasing The Hanover Repertory Theater’s performance of Julius Caesar with up to one-third of attendees estimated to have rarely or never visited Worcester. We posted more than 130 times on Facebook reaching an audience of 284,395. We also shared 275 posts on Instagram, reaching an audience of 24,732. We sent out 12 monthly newsletters and hosted 10 community meetings to keep everyone informed.
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Maintenance, Hospitality & Safety: We installed 20 sidewalk recycling canisters for cigarettes and 7 dog waste disposal canisters. Our Ambassadors disposed of 20,484 lbs of trash, removed 136 graffiti tags from street furniture and public-facing buildings and gave over 1,958 directions to visitors of Downtown Worcester.
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Advocacy, Policy & Administration: We produced two comprehensive plans for Downtown Worcester to ensure our continued success far into the future. We received more than $130k in grant funding for placemaking, beautification, and marketing projects, including our “When in Worcester” campaign.
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This year, you can expect continued beautification efforts to help activate vacant storefronts Downtown. Keep an eye out for more artist-designed window displays from our call for art titled, “Through the Glass,” outlined in detail below. We are currently looking at a variety of creative ways to enhance visitors' experiences and make it easier to navigate Downtown including the addition of sidewalk and window decals as well as street banners. That’s not all. In 2022, we hope to illuminate the facade of a prominent building Downtown. Can you guess which one it is? Stay tuned for the launch of a new website featuring our Downtown events calendar, itineraries for those who are visiting or new to the area, and resources for local businesses. And of course, you can continue to expect flowers in the spring, events in the summer, snow removal in the winter, and sidewalk cleaning year-round courtesy of our team at the BID.
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The BID is proud to announce our latest call for art titled “Through the Glass.” Local artists are encouraged to submit their installation plans detailing window displays based on the theme “Through the Glass” for at least two vacant storefronts on Main Street. The BID’s mission is to make Downtown Worcester more welcoming for all. As such, information is currently available in three languages: English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The submission deadline is February 20, 2022. Submit your application today.
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Go for Gold at the WOOlympics |
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The BID is hosting Worcester’s first-ever “WOOlympics” on Saturday, February 5, 2022. Downtown’s own version of the winter games will include ice skating, outdoor competitions, food, and prizes. Sponsored by the software company, ComputerVault, the event is geared towards families, but all are welcome! Join us for the opening ceremonies at the Oval on February 5th, from 1 to 3 p.m., and skate for free when you bring a non-perishable item to donate to the Worcester Community Fridges. Those who bring an item also will receive a coupon to redeem for a free hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookie and automatically be entered into our Railers ticket giveaway. Competitive events include cornhole, an obstacle course, and more. Some of Worcester’s favorite mascots will be on hand, including Orwell the Polar Bear serving up Polar’s newest flavors. By order of the City of Worcester, masks are required. |
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Brian Paquin has played an integral part of the Downtown Worcester Ambassador team since June 2021. His strong ties to the Worcester community give him great pride in not only his physical work with the BID but also the relationships he builds with people Downtown every day as a result. As a valued Cleaning Ambassador, Brian is responsible for the collection and removal of loose litter and debris, graffiti removal, weed abatement, pressure washing, snow clearing, leaf removal, watering, touch-up painting, event support, and hospitality. Outside of work, Brian enjoys playing semi-pro football.
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Winter is upon us. With three inches of December snowfall, our Ambassadors set to work shoveling more than 80 blockfaces and 140 curb cuts. In addition, they spread 3,400 bags of ice melt—each one weighing in at 50 pounds. The snow couldn’t stand in the way of their usual efforts to keep Downtown clean, safe, and friendly. Also, last month, the Ambassadors collected more than 2,300 pounds of trash and conducted over 675 business checks. |
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Save the Date:
February Community Meeting
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Join us virtually on Friday, February 11, from 9-10 a.m. for our monthly community meeting. Our meetings are always free and open to all. Closed captioning is available upon request at least 24 hours before the meeting. RSVP here.
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The focus of our Instagram page is to highlight the businesses and people of Downtown Worcester. Follow our page for our shop local/eat local series, community event announcements, did you know facts, and Downtown history.
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