Visitors to Baltimore?s Inner Harbor now have another resource to direct them to the newest attractions, hottest restaurants and other areas of interest, with the launch Wednesday of the new Partnership for Baltimore?s Waterfront Inc.
Under the program, announced Wednesday at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater, 16 team members have been contracted from the Downtown Partnership to act as ambassadors and welcome visitors to the city?s waterfront promenade from the Rusty Scupper to the Bond Street Wharf in Fell?s Point, from noon until 8 p.m. daily.
The project will also include a “Waterfront Clean Team,” from the Living Classroom Foundation?s Project Serve, that will be charged with keeping the waterfront area free of debris.
According to Andrew Frank, executive vice president of the Baltimore Development Corp., the partnership was formed after a 2003 report from the Greater Baltimore Committee that pointed to a drastic decline in the appearance and cleanliness of Baltimore?s top tourist attraction.
“It was just time,” to bring this type of program to the Inner Harbor, said Frank. “The Inner Harbor is a major profit center, generating $60 million in taxes annually. The cost of providing this service is less than that, and it?s important to keep investing in our profit center.”
Frank added that the initial budget for the program?s launch, covering the months of January through June, is $400,000. During its first fiscal year beginning in June, the program?s budget will be between $1 million and $1.2 million. Forty percent of the program?s funding is coming from the city while property owners along the waterfront will cover the additional 60 percent. The annual budget will pay for the costs of waterfront guides, the clean team and a contract with a landscape management company.
“This effort is going to take us to the next level [and] polish this jewel of an Inner Harbor,” said Clarence Bishop, the mayor?s chief of staff.
Nancy Hinds, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, called the partnership a “win-win for everyone.”
“These guides will be an extension of our Baltimore Visitors Center,” Hinds said. ?We?ve been working very closely with [the partnership] to take these guides and train them in customer service.”
What guides will do
» Visitor services
» Landscaping
» Maintenance
» Advocacy on behalf of Harbor interests
The nonprofit Partnership for Baltimore?s Waterfront?s mission is to create a welcoming, clean and attractive environment along the waterfront for residents, office workers and visitors.
