Downtown Frederick Partnership and the City of Frederick are excited to announce the new Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program, which marks a major step toward significantly improving the cleanliness of sidewalks and streets in the Downtown Frederick area and providing for continual proactive engagement with the public.
The Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program establishes a team of 4 to 6 full-time employees who will monitor and clean the downtown area from 7AM-10PM five days a week (Wednesday through Sunday). Ambassadors are paid professionals hired by Block by Block, a company that now serves more than 100 urban districts, parks and transit systems across the United States. Downtown Frederick Partnership contracted with Block by Block to administer the Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program.
A soft launch of the program began on Friday, November 26 – Frosty Friday – in Downtown Frederick. As the final ambassador team members are hired and trained, full implementation will begin in December 2021.
“We are proud to be launching this program,” says Kara Norman, Executive Director of Downtown Frederick Partnership.
“The Partnership has been eager to establish an ambassador program like this, creating a dedicated workforce to keep Downtown Frederick a clean and beautiful destination for our residents and visitors, alike. Downtown Frederick has grown substantially over the past twenty years. The downtown area is now home to more than 250 independent businesses and 75+ events in any given year, which attracts a significant amount of tourism from around the world. Establishing this Ambassador Program is critical to the continued growth and success of Downtown Frederick.”
Downtown Frederick’s program will be led by Operations Manager Nigel Thomas, who joins the team with a background that includes owning a landscaping business, working in retail management and achieving certification as a nurse aide.
Nigel will oversee the ambassador team throughout the year, with a total of 4 ambassadors on staff in the cooler months and 2 additional ambassadors joining in the warmer months to address the increased number of events and foot traffic in the summer.
Two types of ambassadors will be hired to implement this program – Hospitality Ambassadors and Clean Team Ambassadors. The Clean Team will work from 7AM-3:30PM Wednesdays through Sundays, and the Hospitality Ambassadors will work from 2:30PM-10PM the same days.
Together, ambassadors provide the following essential functions for Downtown Frederick:
- Actively engaging pedestrians with friendly greetings and assistance
- Providing directions, recommendations and information to visitors as needed
- Power washing sidewalks to remove gum, stains, spills and odors
- Collecting litter, including cigarette butts
- Removing graffiti, posters and stickers from light poles, trash cans, utility boxes and other public infrastructure
- Collecting leaves and debris from sidewalks, gutters and alleyways
- Pulling weeds in public areas
- Cleaning and sanitizing public infrastructure, like trash can lids and dog waste bag dispensers
- Refilling dog waste bag dispensers
- Patrolling downtown on bike and on foot, being watchful for any activity out of the ordinary or criminal incidents and reporting them as needed
- Becoming a familiar face in Downtown Frederick, engaging with members of the public to build relationships and connect them with services as needed
- Providing hospitality escorts
“The need for an ambassador program was initially recognized by the Downtown Safety & Services Initiative, where it became apparent that we needed to tackle some challenges that our downtown community was facing.”
Mayor Michael O’Connor
“As we balance the business and lifestyle interests that make Downtown Frederick unique, the City is excited to see this collaboration forward. Our new ambassadors will build on the work City staff do each and every day to keep Frederick clean, safe, and vibrant – they will become the new downtown experts!”
The Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program will cover more than 17 blocks of the downtown area. The Clean Team will focus on the commercial corridors of Market and Patrick Streets. The Hospitality Ambassadors will serve a broader area including Carroll Creek Linear Park, Everedy Square & Shab Row and the overall downtown area.
Members of the Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program will be easy to spot in cheerful, bright green uniforms. Need help in Downtown Frederick? Just ask! Call the Downtown Ambassador line at 240.805.3076 between 7AM-10PM Wednesday through Sunday, or just look for a green shirt.
By establishing this program, the Partnership and City have invested in a significant amount of new equipment to support the cleanliness and safety of Downtown Frederick for years to come. These improvements include a pick-up truck, bicycles, a litter vacuum for sidewalks and rolling trash carts.
Ambassadors will provide the Partnership with data and information on a regular basis, reporting on things like how many blocks were cleaned within their coverage area, the number of bags of trash removed or the number of hospitality escorts provided. The Partnership will regularly report this data on their website at downtownfrederick.org/ambassador.
The Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program is made possible with investments from Downtown Frederick Partnership, the City of Frederick, the Ausherman Family Foundation, the Delaplaine Foundation, Transportation Management Services and Visit Frederick.
The Partnership is actively seeking additional funders to help support their work and establish the Downtown Frederick Ambassador Program as a permanent benefit for the community. To learn more about how you can get involved, reach out to mainstreet@downtownfrederick.org.
“We are pleased to support this program because Carroll Creek Linear Park and Downtown Frederick are some of the crown jewels in our community. Ensuring they’re a safe, welcoming and beautiful place for all residents and visitors is important to us.”
Marvin Ausherman, Chairman and Founder of the Ausherman Family Foundation
About Downtown Frederick Partnership
Downtown Frederick Partnership works to enhance, promote and preserve the vitality, livability and diversity of Downtown Frederick — a national Main Street community. Learn more about the Partnership’s work at downtownfrederick.org.
About Block by Block
Block by Block provides supplemental sanitation, security and hospitality services to over 100 business improvement districts nationwide including the Georgetown Business Improvement District, the Golden Triangle in Washington D.C., Rosslyn in Arlington, VA, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and Midtown Baltimore Community Benefits District. To learn more visit blockbyblock.com.
