Welcome Eastern Market Clean Team!

Thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilmember Charles Allen, there is a new Clean Team joining the efforts to keep the Eastern Market commercial district clean. The Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) awarded a grant for an Eastern Market Clean Team to Saving Our Next Generation (SONG), a nonprofit corporation which manages several other Cleans Teams in Wards 5 and 6.

“Mayor Bowser’s support for our Clean Teams has allowed us to expand into new commercial corridors, including Eastern Market,” said Kristi C. Whitfield, Director of the Department of Small and Local Business Development. “The Eastern Market Clean Team is already making its mark by keeping the area inviting and beautiful. Congratulations to the new Clean Team and to all the members of the community who are benefiting from their important work.”

Paul Winestock, a native Washingtonian, formed SONG to provide mentoring and job training to youth, people who were formerly incarcerated, and members of the LGBTQ community. “Our programs and services are designed to put people on a pathway to hope which is a journey where anything is possible,” said Mr. Winestock, “and we are very excited about the possibilities ahead!” SONG manages several other Clean Teams throughout the District.

The Eastern Market Clean Team will employ four District residents and there will be at least one person working at any given time. The team will provide cleaning services seven days per week. The cleaning hours will be Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., with weekend hours of 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The boundaries for the Eastern Market Clean Team are Pennsylvania Ave from 6th to 7th Street; 7th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to North Carolina Avenue; and, C Street from 6th to 8th Street.

In addition to sweeping, the Clean Team also removes snow from sidewalks, empties overflowing trash cans, remediates graffiti, removes posters and stickers, weeds sidewalks, and mulches tree boxes. Mr. Winestock’s crew will also power wash the sidewalks four times a year. When washing the sidewalks or pretreating them for ice, SONG will always use environmentally friendly products.

Anyone with questions about the Eastern Market Clean Team, including compliments about individual crew members, may contact the grant manager at the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Donnell Davis, at (202) 727-3900.