New path for downtown association

Acknowledging Fienman and her effectiveness in bringing members together to highlight the diversity of downtown businesses, Anderson noted the change marked an opportunity for the nonprofit to reconsider how its limited funds could be best used to make downtown inviting.

“We all miss Ann Fienman,” he said. “But the wheels keep turning … change is inevitable and we want to make it positive.”

Ensuring downtown streets are clear of trash and helping downtown visitors find and easily pay for parking are among the initiatives the organization has taken on in recent years to address the chief concerns business owners and visitors have had in recent years, said Anderson. He said a new contract with a service to staff one person to pick up litter that accumulates on downtown streets during the course of the day is expected to bolster daily street cleaning, and an effort to install new parking pay stations and signs directing drivers to available parking this summer is set to help drivers avoid circling streets for spots.

In light of the changes accompanying Fienman’s departure and rising operational costs, the association’s members and city officials have discussed the possibility of hiring a part-time executive director to cut down on costs, said Anderson. Though an administrative staff member is keeping the organization running with the help of staff from the City Manager’s Office, Anderson said DSMA members are hoping to determine what the new structure will look like in the coming months.

Because the DSMA is a business improvement district, the organization and the city have worked closely to make downtown improvements, said Deputy City Manager Kathy Kleinbaum, who explained the city collects assessments from members and contracts with the DSMA to run the district. Given the shifting business climate, Kleinbaum said the group is taking a step back to consider whether using the assessments on services such as cleaning or physical improvements like planter boxes could better serve the needs of business owners and visitors than having a full-time staffer.

“We’re working toward helping determining what the future of the DSMA is and we think they’re a really important partner,” she said.

Kleinbaum said the DSMA had previously coordinated events like street festivals but had pulled back on offering those in recent years as members considered whether events were the best use of the organization’s limited funds. Spreading the word about downtown businesses and new developments through a weekly newsletter and a restaurant guide distributed to nearby hotels were among the marketing efforts the DSMA has focused on in recent years, said Kleinbaum.

Kleinbaum and Anderson said moving the DSMA’s offices to a space next to the downtown San Mateo Police Department substation in the Main Street garage is also expected to cut down on the cost of rent. Anderson also looked to a city-funded project to install “twinkle lights” on a stretch of B Street between First and Fifth avenues to add to the downtown ambiance, as well as a regular “walkabout” with business owners and city staff to see what’s working and what could use improvement downtown.

Lew Cohen, owner of B Street Books and member of the DSMA executive committee, was also disappointed to lose Fienman at the helm but said the upcoming changes have encouraged members to step up and become more active in recruiting new members. By bringing owners and employees of downtown retail shops, banks, restaurants, nonprofits and services together, the organization has helped ensure downtown improvements are responsive to those who live, work and spend time there.

“I think it’s really important to have the DSMA in place as an advocate for downtown,” he said. “It’s booming downtown, a lot of people want to be here and things are changing … we just have to kind of keep up with the times.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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