The story below is from our November/December 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
A new Downtown Roanoke, Inc. program launches efforts to keep downtown cleaner, friendlier and easier to navigate.
Does downtown seem a little friendlier?
In September, Downtown Roanoke Inc. in partnership with Block by Block, a company that serves more than 120 urban districts, parks, and transit systems across the United States, launched a new service called the Downtown Roanoke Ambassadors program.
The Ambassadors are a team of eight charged with making downtown cleaner, friendlier and easier to navigate. Divided into cleanup, outreach and hospitality, the ambassadors will be on hand six days a week, making downtown more pleasant.
The cleanup crew collects litter and weeds and power washes. Hospitality members act as downtown concierges — answering questions, greeting visitors and providing recommendations. And the focus of the outreach team is working closely with both businesses and the Roanoke City Police on quality of life issues.
“We like to say that downtown is everybody’s neighborhood,” says Jaime Clark, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for DRI. This is going to take the downtown experience to the next level. We’re excited to get the program off the ground.”
DRI has been looking to develop this program with Block by Block for quite a while, trying to find a way to make it work. Now they have fully secured funding for the first year of operations and are actively seeking additional funding to continue.
Ambassadors will be easy to spot in brightly colored blue uniform shirts. So when you have a question about an event or need directions, it should be quick work to find the help you need.
For now, the team will focus on the core of downtown around the market, but Clark hopes it will expand as people respond positively to the Ambassador program.
“We think people will be really impressed with the level of service the team will provide.”
So when you see a brightly blue-shirted ambassador, be sure to say hello!
The story below is from our November/December 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
