Mar. 23—The time has clearly come for the Bakersfield Downtown Business Association.
One speaker after another stood up at the group's annual State of the Downtown breakfast Thursday morning to remark on accomplishments past, present and future, from cleanup and security operations to plans this year for reintroducing events like Third Thursdays and Taste of Downtown.
"It's time to celebrate. It's time to have fun," DBA President and CEO Melanie Farmer told the packed room inside The Westchester on F Street. "It's time to bring fun back to downtown."
And so it seems to be, following a difficult time before and during the pandemic, when graffiti and crime worsened noticeably and more people in varying degrees of wellness were living openly on the street.
The DBA responded, first with a "Block to Block" program that in the past five years has enrolled 95 "block captains" who coordinate communication on various business concerns, then with a paid security patrol with the authority to hold and arrest offenders.
"We're figuring out solutions because we listen to each other," said Bob Bell, head of the group's partnerships operation. "We're willing to do what it takes — whatever it takes."
DBA's 10th breakfast, occurring one year before its 70th anniversary, drew some of the city's and the county's top elected and appointed officials, as well as the Bakersfield Police Department, which had its own table at the gathering. Mayor Karen Goh swore in the organization's new officers for the year.
Incoming Chairwoman Dixie Brewer said she agreed with Farmer's earlier observation the DBA has come full circle after problems with crime and mentally ill residents caused myriad problems for many of the area's businesses.
"All I can say is, wow," Brewer said, noting she looks forward to talking with the area's business owners and taking part in fun events during the course of the next year.
The head of the DBA's clean-streets partnership, John Enriquez, ticked off a list of numbers detailing the effort's accomplishments. These included a crew of workers devoted to cleaning up trash and removing graffiti for five hours per day, five days weekly; a team of 12 welcome ambassadors working in two shifts between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.; more than 105 plastic flowers placed around the area; more than 844 volunteers for Keep Bakersfield Beautiful programs; and six trucks with pressure washers used to keep downtown sidewalks tidy.