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New Downtown Ambassadors Bring Out the Best in Our Business District
The ambassadors are here! They’re sprucing up the streets of Downtown Scranton to improve the cleanliness, appearance and visitor experience in the downtown business district. Four uniformed ambassadors are hard at work Monday through Friday as part of Scranton Tomorrow’s new Downtown Ambassador Program.
The team performs a variety of cleaning and hospitality duties from Mifflin Avenue to Jefferson Avenue and from Mulberry Street to Bogart Court. Their tasks include sidewalk sweeping, graffiti removal, picking up litter, weed whacking, maintaining planters, snow and ice removal from sidewalk ramps and fire hydrants, event preparation and answering visitor questions about parking and amenities downtown.
“It’s a great feeling to glance down the street and see a cleaner landscape void of litter and weeds,” said Leslie Collins, president and CEO of Scranton Tomorrow. “The physical appearance of downtown plays a significant role in how people perceive the district in its entirety, its economic stability, and opportunities for future growth.”
Community Pride
Cleaner Streets, stronger community
Although the program just launched during the second week of September, it’s already making a difference. The ambassadors are helping to build a sense of community pride for those who live and work in the business district. “The team has encountered downtown residents who are advocates for a clean and green downtown district,” Collins said. “Great dialog has been taking place, which truly builds a sense of community.”
The team has shared a number of stories in which downtown residents are lending their support. “They met a woman who offered her assistance in removing flyers that were glued onto street poles, and a gentleman who is committed to picking up litter in his spare time. The team was moved to see such commitment from people in a commercial district that is truly neighborly,” Collins said.
Helping Businesses Thrive
Making downtown shine
Business owners are on board, too, as they see the value in maintaining a clean and welcoming downtown. “Our goal is for the ambassadors to be a point of contact for business owners and their customers as they assist with hospitality-related activities,” Collins said. “Downtown Scranton is unique because we have small business owners, corporations, and developers who work well together and share similar goals. This program enhances their vision and encourages collective action where people want to be part of the solution and contribute in their own way.”
Special Thanks
Scranton Tomorrow is grateful for the support of its funders and partners that make programs like this one possible. A $200,000 grant from State Rep. Marty Flynn provided the seed money to initiate the program. Lackawanna County contributed $25,000 and donated space in the administration building for ambassador headquarters, and the City of Scranton contributed $25,000.
How You Can Lend a Hand
The Downtown Ambassador Program builds upon Scranton Tomorrow’s Safe, Clean & Green initiative, which relies heavily on volunteers to complete beautification and environmental stewardship projects in the business district. If you’re interested in volunteering, email Steve Ward, project manager, Safe, Clean, Green & Design programs at Scranton Tomorrow, at steve@scrantontomorrow.org.
Learn More
To learn more, be sure to follow us on social media and visit our website.
Featured image (top): Penn Avenue is looking sharp and spotless, thanks to the efforts of Robert Malcum, one of Scranton Tomorrow’s Downtown Ambassadors. Photo courtesy of Scranton Tomorrow.
