Armed with brooms, litter bags, shovels and determination, the Flatiron BID's Clean Team swept into action on November 1, 2006, and the results were immediate (click here for before-and-after pictures of the district). Since then, the team has kept the neighborhood looking good, expanding its scope in 2008 to the new Public Plazas at the intersection of Fifth Avenue, 23rd Street and Broadway.
Easily identified in their uniforms and caps with the distinctive Flatiron Partnership logo, the Clean Team works seven days a week, regardless of the weather, keeping the district as litter-free and graffiti-free as possible.
Clean Team workers cover the district starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. One night per week, a specialized crew with power-washing equipment scrubs sidewalks and removes graffiti in areas throughout the district.
Supporting the Clean Streets Program
The Partnership has placed nearly 200 high-end BID and sponsor-branded litter receptacles throughout the district.
Pre-BID Litter and Graffiti Assessment
Before the Clean Streets Program started, to establish and evaluate where problems might be most acute, the Partnership utilized a technology called ComNET (Computerized Neighborhood Environment Tracking). This comprehensive assessment allowed the Partnership to document exactly where graffiti, litter and conditions such as "ponding" were most prevalent.
In May 2011, the data was updated in order to compare conditions after five years of the BID's services. Click on the links below to see the improvements from 2006 to 2011:
- 2006 Graffiti Map ---- 2011 Graffiti Map
- 93.8% decrease in graffiti from 2006 to 2011
- 2006 Bills/Stickers Map ---- 2011 Bills/Stickers Map
- 98.8% decrease in bills/stickers from 2006 to 2011
- 2006 Litter Map ---- 2011 Litter map
- 97.9% decrease in litter from 2006 to 2011
