At the Camden Special Services District (CSSD), our objective is to make Downtown Camden, New Jersey, a better place in which to live, study, visit, work and invest.
Our Clean and Safe program is doing just that – by improving the physical appearance of Downtown Camden, and its adjacent business corridors, making our City more welcoming to businesses, residents and visitors.
HOW WE OPERATE
As the business improvement district of Downtown Camden, CSSD, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, subsidiary of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, is 100% funded through the voluntary contributions of downtown businesses, grants and fee-for-service contracts.
Clean and Safe employs only local residents. They are our “full time maintenance ambassadors.” Easily recognized in their bright yellow uniforms, theytake on a variety of projects to achieve our goals:
o litter, trash, and debris removal from sidewalks and public spaces
o graffiti removal
o weeding and minor landscaping
o power washing
o snow removal from public sidewalks
and …
Our maintenance ambassadors are also our good will ambassadors, offering general information and friendly assistance. A constant and assuring presence in the community.
In 2011, their combined efforts resulted in the removal of an astounding one million gallons of trash and over one thousand occurrences of graffiti. They cleaned over two million square feet of land in Downtown Camden and surrounding areas – including over 180 vacant lots are now clean and green.
WHERE WE OPERATE
The CSSD Downtown district encompasses the general area between the Delaware River, Martin Luther King Boulevard, Interstate 676, and the Ben Franklin Bridge. Beyond Downtown Camden, with support from the Camden Urban Enterprise Zone, the CSSD services Camden’s commercial corridors including Broadway, Federal Street, Haddon Avenue, Mt. Ephraim Avenue, River Avenue, Kaighns Avenue and Yorkship Square.
CSSD 2010 Annual Downtown Performance Numbers*
| Cleaning Activity | |
| Trash by Bag Count | 25,240 |
| Trash by Pounds | 883,260 |
| Trash by Gallons |
1,135,620 |
| Graffiti Occurances Removed | 1,138 |
| Approximate Graffiti Removal by Square Foot | 15,000 |
| Square Footage of Maintained Landscaping | 2,004,285 |
| Frequentcy of Vacant Lot Maintenance | 226 |
| Ambassador Activity | |
| Information Requests | 825 |
| Public Assists (Attractions) | 921 |
| Public Assists | 272 |
| Merchant Visits | 309 |
| Lost Items Returned | 29 |
| Crimes Reported | 210 |
| Loitering Warnings | 193 |
| Homeless Referrals | 76 |
*Change in numbers represent changes in ambassador team, one less worker in the district and two workers with landscaping team three days out of the week.
WE CAN’T OPERATE WITHOUT YOU
Help us expand our efforts – and ensure our success. Why not …
√ Contract for our Clean and Safe services, for a one-time project or ongoing ones.
or
√ Become a voluntary contributor. Join major institutions throughout the city, local government and private businesses to help sustain our program.
It’s easy to get involved. Call us at (856) 757-9154. Or email: jake@coopersferry.com
