Bidding Farewell to our Lead Supervisor, Tony Stass

Last week, Tony Stass, our lead supervisor, had his last day of work at the Lincoln Square BID after being a member of our team for almost 25 years.

Tony started working as a member of the Clean Team, contracted by Streetplus, in 1999 and ultimately became our lead supervisor. Tony was a great asset to our BID; he built strong relationships with all of our businesses and non-profits, coordinated with our public safety team and all of the city agencies, tried to help the homeless, and, of course, trained new Clean Team members. Each year, when the warm weather hit, Tony would put on his painting clothes and paint all of our 514 pieces of street furniture, including the Broadway Mall barriers, to ensure that everything was in tip-top shape. Tony took great pride in his work, and he will be missed by the entire community, but especially by us. Rumor has it that he is still working in the neighborhood, so we hope he will stay in touch.

Currently, to cover the entire district 7 days a week, which consists of 84 block faces, we have a 14-member Clean Team. We have 10 workers daily and two shifts per day. Three supervisors oversee the Clean Team: Vijai Sumair, Antonio Ruiz, and Nnandi Amobe (pictured below from left to right). We were so fortunate to find Vijai, who was looking for work when Melissa’s Deli closed. All of the supervisors train new workers and make sure that every single block in the district is spotless. They also handle illegal dumping, graffiti removal, and other special projects, such as relocating trash cans before major events. Additionally, a great group of Green Keepers, hired through the Goddard Riverside Community Center, supplement the work of the Clean Team by cleaning the Broadway Malls each weekday morning from 8am - 10am.