Summati
THE
n Weekly USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C om mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia / S a n ta Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 17, No. 44
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
November 8, 2017
Downtown’s
1 Section, 12 Pages
By Taylor Purvee
Accommodating Ambassadors
Pensacola’s Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) launched a new program on Oct. 1 that will help keep the downtown area clean and welcoming. The DIB hired three new downtown ambassadors who will be working seven days a week to bring more beauty and hospitality into the downtown area. DIB Executive Director, Curt Morse, says he is tired of the environmental neglect he sees when he is downtown. “There are 44 blocks of downtown area. I see and manage all of it every day and I am disappointed with what it is at the moment. I see pieces of trash, cigarette butts, graffiti, weeds, all of these things,” he said. “These little things that people see every day that aren’t little things at all— they are big things and they’re about to change.” Morse spoke of how business owners in the downtown area work hard to keep their businesses clean and constantly strive to create a nice atmosphere and experience for their customers. “The moment visitors step over that threshold onto the downtown sidewalk, their experience should be just as good as it was in the restaurant or store or gallery they were just in,” he added. “The genesis of our program is to put people on our streets and sidewalks downtown everyday working to affect the appearance and experience that visitors, residents and property owners have when they’re downtown.” The ambassadors for this program are part of a non-profit organization called Pathways for Change, which helps men and women coming direct-
ly from prison as they start their new life and re-enter society. Pathways for Change also takes individuals that have been convicted of a minor felony and, rather than incarcerating them, allows them to learn trades and vocations that will be useful down the road. This way they are not only helping themselves, but are able to dedicate time to community service. “This organization is great because there is a higher possibility these men and women won’t revert back to the life they were living before and now they can have jobs,” Morse said. “I want to pay this company to hire these talented people that will help bring the beauty back to downtown and take care of the things the city doesn’t cover.” Chris Collins, Chief Operating Officer of Pathways for Change, said they are very excited about the launch of the program. “It is a great opportunity for these men to be a part of this project as ambassadors. It will teach them good citizenship and to take pride in this community,” Collins said. “We really appreciate the support this is getting, and we are excited to be a part of showing everyone how beautiful downtown can be.” The ambassadors that have been selected will be coming from the Everything Outdoors program at Pathways for Change. “We already had a crew from Everything Outdoors and these men met the requirements and the expectations that we had in mind. This program helps
men develop skills that employers are looking for: effective communicating skills, problem solving skills, team work and other things they might have otherwise missed out on,” Collins said. Morse says the program is looking for people that will identify what detracts from the beauty of downtown and who can rectify that detraction. “We are looking for competent individuals that can see where things do not belong, whether that is chipped paint on a light pole or the two million pieces of gum stuck on the side walk,” Morse said.
“The genesis of our program is to put people on our streets and sidewalks downtown everyday working to affect the appearance and experience that visitors, residents and property owners have when they’re downtown.” Morse says he realizes the downtown area isn’t quite Disney World, but it is an entertainment hub and it matters what visitors think when they experience it. “When people go back home to Pittsburgh or Houston or England, wherever it may be, I want them to go back and tell their friends and families how beautiful our downtown area is. Maybe they went to one of our delicious restaurants or saw a show at Vinyl or bought something unique from one of our stores. I want visitors to look at downtown as a
destination, just as much as they do the beach,” he said. When asked about the origin of the program, Morse said his peers in Mobile, Alabama have a similar program that Pensacola has been using as a model. He noted these programs are actually all over the place: New Orleans; Denver; Tampa; and Greenville, South Carolina. Morse and the DIB are using these programs as prototypes for what the Pensacola ambassador program should be. “This is not a unique program, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to start this up locally,” he said. Along with keeping the beautiful downtown area neat and clean, the ambassadors will also help make visitors feel welcome. They will be present on the street ready to answer any questions visitors might have and they will be looking for any opportunity to engage the public. Morse says that one of the most important things these new ambassadors will have are hospitality skills—as a huge part of their job is to make visitors and locals feel more at home. They will have brochures and answers readily available for anyone who is looking for something specific or simply needs a recommendation for something fun to do. Morse says that he is extremely excited for what the future holds for these new ambassadors and downtown Pensacola. “This is long term, this is forever,” says Morse. “This is a new start for downtown.”