A Downtown Institution Turns 20

If you've ever strolled through Downtown Missoula and noticed how surprisingly clean the sidewalks are, there's a crew behind that — and this week, the community gathered to say thank you.

Missoula's Downtown Clean Team marked its 20th anniversary on Wednesday, drawing recognition from the community it has quietly served since 2006.

What the Team Actually Does

Every Monday, the crew fans out across downtown to collect garbage, clean out gutters, and clear ice from sidewalks and ADA ramps.

It's steady, unglamorous work — and the numbers over two decades speak for themselves.

Since 2006, the team has hauled away roughly 2,700 cubic yards of garbage, removed 68,000 individual posters, and cleared ice and snow from ADA ramps 17,000 times.

More Than Just Maintenance

The Downtown Clean Team is run jointly by Opportunity Resources and the Missoula Downtown Partnership.

For Opportunity Resources, the program is about something deeper than clean gutters — it's about belonging.

The organization's CEO, Joshua Kendrick, described community integration as a core goal, noting that downtown businesses have embraced the crew as genuine neighbors over the past two decades.

That sense of welcome shows up in small, meaningful ways — crew members have built little routines with downtown shops, grabbing hot chocolate on cold days or ice cream when summer hits.

Faces You Recognize

Crew member Joe Isaacs has been part of the team for 12 years.

He noted that plenty of people around Downtown Missoula already know his face — a testament to how woven into daily life the crew has become.

That kind of recognition, earned block by block over a decade-plus of Monday mornings, says a lot about what the team means to the neighborhood.

A Milestone Worth Noticing

Twenty years of showing up — rain, snow, heat, and everything a Montana season can throw at you — deserves a real moment of appreciation.

Next time you see the crew working their way down Higgins or clearing a corner on Main, you'll know exactly who they are and what they've built.

For the full story, KPAX has the report.