Our Mission
We stand for Downtown San Rafael businesses. Supporting San Rafael's downtown is the BID's only job. Join us as we build community, advocate for our member businesses, and promote the eclectic retail, restaurant, arts and professional companies that call downtown home.
Download our 2018 Downtown Toolkit:
Resources and Support for your experience downtown.
The BID Annual Meeting was held on
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Generously hosted by Annie Bowman and Staff at Sunrise Home.
Members mingled with neighbors and Board Members and heard the BID Annual Report highlights as well as
Presentations by:
Director of Homeless Planning, Andrew Henning, https://www.
City of San Rafael, Sgt. Carl Huber, Supervisor of the Downtown Foot Patrol, SRPD
Karen Strolia, Director Marin County Downtown Streets Team
Board & Staff
Board of Directors
President:
Jaime Ortiz
Bank of Marin
Vice President, Block Captain:
Joanne Vosmek
Copperfield's Books
Secretary, Block Captain:
Bonnie Ayers Namkung
Bonnie Ayers Namkung Marketing Communications
Treasurer:
Jed Greene
Five Corners Consulting Group, LLC
Social Media Director/Block Captain:
Erika Bowker
Pleasures of the Heart
Block Captain:
Adam Dawson
Mike's Bikes
Block Captain:
Jeff Brusati
T&B Sports
Staff
Meetings & Agendas
BID members, you're invited!
Come to our standing board meetings. Find out what's happening and share your thoughts!
Monthly BID Board meetings
3rd Thursdays, 8 - 9 a.m., Bank of Marin
Conference room, 1101 4th Street, San Rafael
Click to open BID meeting Agenda2018-5-17
2019 Agendas & Meeting Minutes by Month
Month Agenda Minutes
January 1/17/19 Agenda 1/17/19 Minutes
February 2/21/19 Agenda 2/21/19 Minutes
March 3/21/19 Agenda 3/21/2019 Minutes
April 4/18/19 Agenda
4/18/2019 Minutes
May 5/16/19 Agenda
5/16/2019 Minutes
June 6/20/19 Agenda 6/20/2019 Minutes
July 7/25/19 Agenda 7/25/19 Minutes
August 8/15/19 Agenda 8/15/19 Minutes
September 9/19/19 Agenda 9/19/19 Minutes
October 10/17/19 Agenda 10/17/19 Minutes
November 11/21/19 Agenda 11/21/19 Minutes
December 12/19/19 Agenda 12/19/19 Minutes
Panel Q & A from February 28th Downtown Beautification Mixer at T&B Sports
DST Jesse Taylor-Vermont
Project Manager • Marin County Downtown Streets Team
DST's cleaning schedule: Fourth Street, D to Hetherton, M-F 8am-noon, Special Projects on Fridays.
West End and Under Freeway, rotate to clean 1 or 2 times per month. Pick up 5,000 gallons of debris per week, 1 million cigarette butts since started in San Rafael in 2013.
25 team members, Teams of 3-6, Peer-led to learn management skills, they don't go out in rain for safety issues. DST serving over 5 years with 112 folks placed back into the workforce and 86 in housing - Success!
Mobile On Demand? Visit http://www.dstclean.com/ send a picture and directions to debris and DST will attend to it as soon as they can.
Please contact Jesse Taylor-Vermont, Marin Project Manager at jesse@streetsteam.org for any questions about Downtown Streets Team.
San Rafael Clean: Cory Bytof
Created almost 10 years ago with 200 members.
Currently has 100 SR Clean Businesses, so they're planning to reinvigorate the program.
Take the Clean Business pledge here:
https://sanrafaelvolunteers.org/home/volunteer-opportunities/san-rafael-clean/
San Rafael Clean achieved litter reduction by placing the Downtown receptacles for cigarette butts, the Purple "Put Your Change To Work" Meters, and Oscar the Coaster, which reminded smokers to properly dispose of butts.
(Cory stated that San Rafael has the lowest smoking rate in the state!)
Public Works Department: Bill Guerin, Director
Schedule of Steam Cleaning of Sidewalks:
Done 12 times per year, usually before events, at 4am. Dates will soon be published on PW page of SR City Website.
Tri-Color is the Contractor. Ghilotti Brothers offered to do additional 3-4 times per year.
Mark Wright, Facilities Maintenance, supervises
For cracks and tripping issues, Precision 6 is doing Sidewalk Shaving and Van Midde is doing the concrete work.
Report an Issue on the Public Works page: https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/report-an-issue/
Bill Guerin, the Public Works Director wants feedback from our businesses.
Would Downtown folks like to keep/replace the Tree lights or do you prefer the Overhead lights like the new ones in the West End?
Trash can redesign to address rats and homeless, planter design on corners.
Plan/status of Landscaping - Street Trees: The City is planning a 10-year tree replacement program on 4th Street.
The corner trees are getting old and tearing up sidewalks/accessible ramps and making planting areas rootbound so they need to be taken out and replaced.
The mid-block trees are younger and will last for awhile. Considering tree grate replacements.
Marin Sanitary Service: Jennifer Grenier Selvig | Commercial Recycling Coordinator
Schedule of Garbage pick up: No set time, but per MSS contract with the city, they empty the city-owned garbage cans 6 days a week all over Downtown. The city provides, fixes and may have to buy lids for these cans, not MSS.
For missed Garbage pick up contact: Customer Service Commercial Dept 415-456-2601
"Recycling is the Law", businesses can call or make an appt. with Jennifer to help understand recycling and the upcoming Organic Laws like AB 1826 (rats). Attached is basic info on laws affecting businesses. Reach Jennifer at: 415-458-5542 or jennifer.grenier@marinsanitary.com, https://marinsanitaryservice.com/
Businesses can call for extra cardboard pick-up at no extra fee Call: 415-456-2601, if they have garbage service with us! Cardboard recycling service costs are included in your garbage rate.
Additional services available? Additional garbage cans/lids? Additional Costs involved? We have some locking carts available for a fee. We offer steam cleaning of our carts for $15/each cart. We can pick up extra trash or bulky items for a fee. Commercial composting has been available to businesses since 2015, and our Food to Energy program has been available to restaurants and grocery stores since 2014. There is a small fee but it is half of what it would be if it was landfill service.
GET INVOLVED!
The Downtown San Rafael Business Improvement District is looking for engaged, passionate BID Members who are interested in serving on the BID Board of Directors and/or on a Committee. If having your finger on the pulse of the community and creating new ideas and initiatives for downtown sounds like something you’d like to be involved in, get more information and an application here.