Photo: Livin’
OUR MISSION
Downtown Evansville is dedicated to supporting a thriving destination by focusing on beautification, cleanliness, safety, experiences, and advocacy for all who live, work, visit or invest in the Downtown Evansville Improvement District (DEID).
OUR AREAS OF FOCUS
Clean, Safe & Beautiful Spaces: Creating and maintaining an attractive and livable Downtown for all
Vibrant Downtown Destination: Cultivating and promoting unique experiences to drive people to our neighborhood
Strong Advocacy & Meaningful Engagement: Advocating for and engaging with district rate payers and connecting them with each other, the broader community, and resources to create a more prosperous neighborhood
A Message to Our Stakeholders
This year’s stakeholder survey identified cleanliness and beautification as key priorities for our neighborhood. In alignment with that feedback, the Downtown Evansville Improvement District is pleased to present its inaugural Clean & Safe Annual Report. Covering October 2024 through September 2025, this report outlines our efforts and demonstrates our continued commitment to maintaining a clean, safe, and attractive Downtown neighborhood.
From daily litter abatement, sanitation, and beautification efforts to partnerships with law enforcement, this report demonstrates the impact of your assessment dollars and lays the foundation for greater progress through an increased investment in our clean and safe services.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to your review of this report and welcome your feedback.
Sincerely,
Adam Trinkel Executive Director
Stephanie Engelbrecht Chair
District Boundaries
Adam Trinkel
Executive Director (812) 492-4536
adam@downtownevansville.com
Dave Harman
Clean & Safe Operations Manager (859) 608-8155
dave@downtownevansville.com
Alli Turpin
Advocacy & Engagement Coordinator (812) 421-5888
alli@downtownevansville.com
Laura Gobert
Events & Experiences Coordinator (812) 253-1013
laura@downtownevansville.com
Clean and Safe Operations
Manager Dave Harman on our mobile street cleaning trike. The trike was purchased to assist with clean-up efforts and allow for easier transportation throughout the district.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2025
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Stephanie Engelbrecht, Chair
Engelbrecht Enterprises
Lucero Tennis Kieffer, Vice Chair
Jackson Kelly PLLC
Kendra Vanzo, Secretary
Old National Bank
Gretchen Muchnick, Treasurer
F.C. Tucker Emge
BOARD MEMBERS
Kelvin Canaday
German American Bank
Dr. Kimberly-Haywood Pfender
Evansville Eyecare Associates
Randy Hobson 2nd Language & Pangea Pizzeria
Anna Jordan
South Central Inc
Jeff Justice
Hafer
Stacey McNeill
Bally’s Evansville
Tresa Miller
Grateful Threads Fabric & Furnishings
Jim Moore
One Main Financial
Johnathan Pope
YMCA
Phillip Roberts
Baird Wealth Management
Amanda Schmitt
CenterPoint Energy
Lindsay Snyder
City of Evansville
Heather Vaught
Memo & River City Coffee + Goods
Mandy
and Andrew Rodenberg
TRACKING CLEAN & SAFE
Our team uses a mobile app to efficiently document issues addressed throughout the district. The app integrates with mapping and allows our team to upload photos to document progress.
For Downtown Evansville, effective tracking means:
• Clean & Safe Monitoring: Documenting and addressing issues like human and pet biohazard clean-ups, removal of encampments, cleanliness checks, and safety concerns with photos for quick response and/or follow-up.
• Property & Asset Management: Tracking conditions of city infrastructure, lighting, signage, planters, and other District assets.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Collecting data to identify trends, prioritize improvements, and report outcomes to our board of directors and partners with the City of Evansville.
• District Engagement: Sharing issue summaries and before/after photos to demonstrate use of our resources. BEFORE AFTER
BEFORE AFTER A damaged city utility cover was reported, with follow-up monitoring until the repair was completed.
Clean, Safe, and Beautification Issues
Logged from October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025
1,035 Issues Reported
• Frequent issues include human and pet biohazard waste clean-up, graffiti, abandoned items from unhoused encampments, large trash clean ups, addressing bagworms on trees, weeding, and dumpster overflow issues
• Other issues were reported to the City of Evansville (broken electrical boxes, down street signs, etc.) and monitored for repairs
5,320 bags of litter collected
600+ flowers planted
$85,567 paid to Keep Evansville Beautiful for contracted clean and beautification work
Assisting with motion sensor installations
Daily trash pickup
SAFETY
Off-duty Law Enforcement Patrols
DEID contracts off-duty law enforcement patrols that are funded by Downtown property owners. If you see an officer patrolling Downtown by foot or vehicle, it is funded through the annual assessment.
Lieutenant Erik Nilssen with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and Lieutenant Matt Karges with the Evansville Police Department are the owners of Evansville’s Finest LLC, our security contractor.
Their presence directly contributes to the safety and peace of mind of Downtown property owners, residents, employees, and visitors.
Examples of off-duty law enforcement patrols in action:
• While on duty, Lieutenant Karges identified burnt-out streetlights and reported them to the city to be replaced.
• Lieutenant Nilssen responded to a 911 call about an individual who had overdosed from illegal narcotics and quickly administered Narcan. Paramedics arrived on scene and the individual was transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment for an opiate overdose. The individual would likely have died without Lieutenant Nilssen’s rapid response.
• Arresting individuals with active warrants, including:
A subject walking around with no pants or underwear and intimidating people
An individual loitering on private property who had a warrant for arrest
Banned an individual who was camped out on private property scaring employees
• Provide routine enforcement of Trespass Enforcement Requests through the Evansville Police Department
These examples showcase the life-saving impact of our off-duty law enforcement patrols. Whether they are providing assistance, connecting people with local services, or simply lending a listening ear, they play a vital role in maintaining a welcoming neighborhood. ANNUAL INVESTMENT: $25,000
Lieutenant Matt Karges and Lieutenant Erik Nilssen
Photo: TYMEALLO Studios
COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE
We work in collaboration with the City of Evansville. Here are some examples:
Mayor Terry’s Office
• Meet quarterly with the Mayor and her team to share updates on District initiatives and convey feedback from Downtown property owners. The Deputy Mayor serves on our board.
Evansville Police Department (EPD)
• Promoted the EPD Crime Prevention Unit’s Downtown Resource Series to property owners and provided recaps from each session. The series shared insights on managing incidents involving individuals experiencing mental health crises and homelessness, with sessions featuring the Southwestern Crisis Response Team, local homeless service providers, and the EPD Crime Prevention Unit.
• Maintained regular communication with Sergeant Brewer, who leads the EPD Crime Prevention Unit, to address safety concerns and issues.
• Coordinated with EPD to ensure Downtown properties have updated Trespass Enforcement Requests on file, authorizing officers to act as agents of the property to remove unauthorized individuals in accordance with Indiana law. Renewed requests remain valid for three years.
• Participated in multiple sessions of the EPD Fall Community Academy to strengthen collaboration and understanding of public safety practices.
City Engineering & Street Maintenance
• Improved communication between the City and Downtown stakeholders by distributing meeting information and recaps related to street closures and infrastructure updates presented by City Engineer Mike Labitzke.
City Arborist
• Documented downed city tree limbs caused by January ice storms and shared photos and locations with City Arborist Shawn Dickerson, enabling quicker response and removal.
Leadership with the EPD Crime Prevention Unit at a Downtown Resource Series.
City Engineer Mike Labitzke speaking to Downtown property owners and businesses.
Downed city tree limb from ice storm in January.
SNOW/ICE REMOVAL
Keeping the District safe and accessible during winter weather.
Snow and ice removal is a key service funded through our clean, safe, and beautiful spaces area of focus. By clearing sidewalks and key public corridors, we help ensure:
• Property owners, customers, employees, and residents can access businesses and properties safely.
• Reduced risk and liability for property owners.
• The District remains open, welcoming, and active—even during inclement winter weather.
• A professional, coordinated approach that benefits the entire district.
In the past year, we addressed four significant winter weather events through our snow and ice mitigation efforts. Each weather event is unique and calls for a specific response. We team up with a local contractor to monitor the weather forecasts and determine the appropriate response. Our contractor clears sidewalks and crosswalks in the areas of Downtown with the highest foot traffic; with a goal to have these areas passable within 12-24 hours of an event.
YEAR-TO-DATE INVESTMENT: $44,237
Worth every penny of our tax support. Thank you, DEID!”
Timothy W.
BEAUTIFICATION
Creating a vibrant and welcoming neighborhood.
Large planter pots throughout the District are maintained by the DEID and serve as a front-door beautification effort that signal a cared-for, vibrant Downtown.
This spring we planted hundreds of new petunias and featured Canna Lilies, Coleus, Dragon Wing Begonias, and trailing Sweet Potato Vine for a lush, dynamic display.
Here’s how our neighborhood sees the difference.
This is great. Really appreciate the flowers on our morning walks.”
Michael A.
Barbara W.
Wonderful plant choices for our hot summers. Well done.”
A grant from the Southwest Indiana Association of Realtors (SIAR) funded new planters to showcase trees and flowers and rebuilt table bases for the Pocket Park on Main Street. Thank you, SIAR!
Photos: TYMEALLO Studios