Chilliwack – Have you ever wondered what the City does downtown? The downtown core is at the heart of our community, and City staff work regularly and collaboratively in the downtown alongside the Downtown Business Improvement Association (BIA) to keep the area beautiful.
Revitalizing the downtown and keeping it clean has long been a Council priority. A dedicated downtown City cleanup crew has been assigned to the downtown core since 2014, picking up litter, and cleaning debris and graffiti Monday to Friday. This crew works with a graffiti specialist as needed and stays in contact with Bylaw patrols and the BIA to identify messes on public property, while the BIA and Bylaw staff work with property owners to address issues on private property and bring them into compliance.
Long-time street cleaner with the BIA, Harold Zinke has been an integral part of the BIA’s downtown cleanup efforts for 21 years. He and Serena work tirelessly to brighten up our downtown. The City supports Harold, Serena, and the BIA with wet weather gear, washing doorways, picking up abandoned furniture, and answering any calls for messes too large or too dangerous for their team.
“The BIA was created to work with local government, property owners and local organizations to make a stronger Chilliwack, and we have an excellent relationship with the City of Chilliwack,” said Kyle Williams, Executive Director of the Downtown BIA. “Revitalizing and enhancing downtown Chilliwack takes a cooperative effort, and we deeply appreciate the City’s support of our efforts.”
“The City of Chilliwack is absolutely invested in our downtown,” said Mayor Popove. “Crews are on-site throughout the week and respond to calls to collect items from furniture to food and everything in between.”
The City of Chilliwack supports community cleanups in all areas through the Adopt a Road, River, Trail and Park programs. These programs provide residents keen to help keep Chilliwack clean with the necessary supplies and free tipping for collected garbage. The City provides the BIA with the same support, so any community cleanup efforts downtown coordinated by the BIA could make use of these supplies.
“There are over 90 community groups in just our Adopt a Road program who volunteer their time to help us keep our city clean and green,” said Mayor Popove. “We are grateful to each of those groups, and all the others, and we are always happy to help when a group reaches out, if possible.”
For information about the Adopt a Road, River, Trail or Park programs, visit chilliwack.com/adopt.
