Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation (NYC) Partners with Block by Block

August 8, 2006

One of the most historic neighborhoods in New York City will soon be receiving the expert cleaning services of Block by Block. While known for its superior Asian cuisine and open air markets, Chinatown has also become known for long neglected cleanliness issues such as litter, graffiti, bulk debris and stained sidewalks. In a collaborative effort between the City of New York's department of Small Business Services, NYC Department of Economic Development, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the 9/11 fund and the newly formed Chinatown Partnership, the area bounded by Broadway, Broome, Allen, Madison and Worth Streets will receive assistance to augment the cleaning efforts provided by city's sanitation department.

After evaluating submissions from a wide variety of vendors, a committee comprised of representatives of the agencies involved selected Block by Block to be the cleaning provider for the project. Block by Block was selected for its partnership approach to change the Chinatown environment and it's in depth understanding of providing similar services to improvement districts.

Beginning August 30th, 2006 a highly visible team of approximately twenty-five Ambassadors dressed in gold and purple will be hard at work picking up litter, emptying garbage cans, removing graffiti tags and delivering hospitality to those who live, work or visit Chinatown . A team of Ambassadors will also be assigned to work through the night to power wash stains, grease and odors from area sidewalks. The team of Ambassadors will surely make a positive impact on the area's cleanliness, but will also be an asset in providing directions and assistance for the purpose of enhancing the Chinatown experience.

About the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation

The CPLDC was formed after September 11 th as a way to address some of the devastating effects on the neighborhood both spiritually and economically. The overcharging goal is to make Chinatown a cleaner, safer and more attractive place to live, work and visit. Partnering with community leaders, business people, residents, government entities and private funders, CPLDC is hoping to improve the neighborhood on many different fronts and to give Chinatown its own voice in the broader growth and development plans for lower Manhattan.

In the latter half of 2006 the CPLDC will be embarking on an ambitious ‘Clean Streets' campaign deploying about 20 workers to scrub the streets of Chinatown to clean 7 days per week. The CPLDC will also be developing a system of wayfinding to help visitors navigate Chinatown with maps and signage; initiate a comprehensive community newsletter to inform persons where to find services, goods and events in Chinatown; sponsoring and producing public cultural events in traditional and non-traditional places; providing services to help local businesses; promoting tourism with an international marketing program called ‘Explore Chinatown'; creating a Night Market to bring more varied activity and clientele to the neighborhood; and designing new lighting to enliven the nighttime streetscape and highlight architecturally interesting buildings in Chinatown.

About Block by Block

Block by Block is a division of Louisville based Brantley Services and provides safety, cleaning and hospitality services to downtown improvement districts throughout the United States . All services are provided through Ambassadors, who are hired for personality and trained for skills. The Ambassadors receive training, which gives them all necessary skills to serve in an urban environment.

Safety Ambassadors are trained to patrol the streets on foot and bicycle providing an additional uniformed presence to deter crime, address low level quality of life crimes, and to identify and report unwanted activity to local authorities. Cleaning Ambassadors carry out a wide variety of tasks to improve the outward appearance of cleanliness within the downtown community. These tasks include removing litter, graffiti, handbills, stickers and weeds. Cleaning Ambassadors work to not only clean the environment, but to change the environment. They carry out a wide variety of ‘Special Projects' tasks such as painting public fixtures (light poles, utility boxes, tree grates), landscaping and power washing.

All Ambassadors are trained to meet the public's need for information or assistance and to simply deliver hospitality in the form of a warm welcome to visitors or by engaging downtown workers and residents in order to enhance the overall downtown experience.

For more information, please contact Blair McBride (502) 634-6660 or (502) 664-5590.