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MINDING YOUR
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| DOWNTOWN
DIPLOMATS By Leila Marija Ugincius |
On April 1, downtown
Richmond will welcome 18 ambassadors -- not with
red carpets and state dinners, but with strict
instructions to pick up trash and make the
streets safer and friendlier. This is no April
Fool's joke. These colorfully dressed envoys
represent a joint effort by Richmond Renaissance
and the city of Richmond to encourage more people
and businesses to come downtown. |
 artwork by Michael Goodman |
"The
issue is, what can you do to improve the image
and safety of downtown?" says Lucy Meade,
director of business development for Richmond
Renaissance, a partnership among business
leaders, the African-American community and the
public sector. "In reality, [Richmond is]
very clean and safe compared to other cities.
[But] that is not the perception." Richmond
Renaissance has contracted with two companies
that will oversee the program. Service Group Inc.
of Pennsylvania will hire nine people who will
concentrate on cleanup duties. Meanwhile,
Community Business Group of Richmond will employ
nine people who will focus on hospitality and
public safety. |
| All of the ambassadors will
provide directions, open doors and answer
questions. The main employment criterion for
these downtown diplomats is that they be friendly
and helpful. The ambassadors will make $7 to $8 an hour patrolling the streets during regular business hours and special events. The two-year pilot program is expected to cost about $1.1 million per year, Meade says. The city contributed $464,000 to jump-start the project, and the rest of the money is coming from a property tax already levied on downtown businesses. "In 1997, the majority of downtown businesses agreed it was time for Richmond to have a clean-and-safe program," Meade says. Similar efforts, she notes, have succeeded in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Portland. "We've got a new attitude," she says. "That's what it's all about in downtown."
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