The days of security-driven Ambassadors are over. Smiles replace mirrored sunglasses and proactive engagement replaces waiting around for something to happen. The downtown ambassadors prioritize maintaining a highly visible presence in strategic areas throughout the downtown district. They engage the public with friendly greetings and respond to opportunities to provide directions, recommendations or assistance. They provide security at several downtown events upon request, as well as take scheduled walking escort requests to and from any location within the Downtown Jackson Business Improvement District (BID). They are trained to observe and report suspicious activity and aggressive panhandling, and to assist should an issue arise. In addition to our downtown ambassadors, Downtown Jackson BID secures a contracted partnership involving the Jackson Police department, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department and State Capitol Police to ensure that the Downtown BID is covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A clean downtown communicates volumes about a district’s sense of pride and can even affect the level of security and behaviors within the district. The following cleaning services, among others, are included in the downtown ambassador daily routine:
- Litter removal – picking up debris, loose trash, cigarette butts, sediment and loose rock from sidewalks, alleys and street gutters
- Weed removal – removing weeds from sidewalk cracks and building lines
- Graffiti removal – cleaning graffiti immediately upon identification using the least abrasive methods possible
- Power washing – all sidewalks are washed on a scheduled basis to maintain a consistent level of cleanliness. Spot washing is done to immediately address unsightly spills and stains
- Snow removal – clearing paths in areas that fall outside the city’s and property owners’ responsibility, when applicable
- Special projects – bringing the “wow” factor to our downtown bid with special projects as needed
Our Downtown Ambassadors are not just trained but encouraged to find meaningful ways to improve everyone’s downtown experience, whether that’s offering an umbrella during the rain or providing directions to a restaurant. Other hospitality services include offering a friendly greeting or assistance, giving easy-to-follow directions, providing recommendations on things to do, answering questions and identifying customer service opportunities such as carrying heavy packages, holding open a door or changing a vehicle tire.
The Downtown Ambassadors serve as coordinators of overall team efforts and work with local partners to provide strategic case-level management of the most visible homeless persons in our district.
In addition to the cleaning efforts of the Downtown Ambassadors, several other landscaping and beautification initiatives help add to our downtown’s unique visual appeal. They work hard to provide our downtown district with clean, green streets, which include efforts of purchasing, planting and maintaining over 50 planters scattered throughout the bid.
