by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Like the 11 other Downtown Ambassadors, the day starts early for Jacksonville native Ray Hollister.
Up before dawn, Hollister, 20, dresses in his Ambassador “uniform” — bright orange golf shirt and tan pants — and is on the streets by 6:30 a.m., helping prepare downtown for another day.
“They’re looking for things preventing people from going to work: strewn trash, a fallen lightpost, a car wreck, a dead body,” explained Joe Snowberger, director of operations for Downtown Vision, Inc. “We get things squared away so it is not interfering with people getting to work.”
Wearing a fanny pack complete with trash bags, sanitary wipes, electrical tape, maps and guides, a reporter’s notebook to log his activities and a myriad of other goodies, Hollister is ready for business. A cell phone, two-way radio, flashlight and water bottle round out the gear.
“I get a lot of ‘Who are you? What are you doing?’ or ‘I like what you’re doing,’” said Hollister.
After the morning rush, the level of activity slows until lunch. Hollister uses the slow time to give directions, pick up trash and just be available if needed.
As the lunch hour nears, the questions increase, mostly about where to eat or where to find a certain building.
Training in first aid, an extensive knowledge of downtown landmarks and a ready smile are the keys to being a good ambassador. But that’s not all.
“You have to be friendly, outgoing and have a good pair of legs,” said Hollister.
Considering their turf encompasses the perimeter of Prudential Drive on the Southbank, Church Street to the north and Broad to Market Street, the ambassadors have to be able to stand on their feet for long periods. Bicycles are now available for ambassadors working the evening shift, which runs until 11:30 p.m. Those working at night spend a good deal of time as safety escorts or providing information for those who are visiting downtown and not really familiar with the area.
“We want to make downtown cleaner, safer and give it a better image,” said Hollister. “People will see we care about the city and want to emulate it. I keep hearing that downtown used to be viable. Growing up I haven’t seen it like that. I’ve been to Atlanta, Savannah. I want Jacksonville to get to that level of culture. I see DVI as part of that.”
To help elevate the stature of downtown, DVI is working with small and large downtown businesses, law enforcement officers, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, JEA and even the homeless population — anyone who could be helpful to provide the level of service it believes the city needs.
And just like the postal service, neither rain, wind, heat nor cold will keep the ambassadors from their appointed tasks.
“When it rains, they open up umbrellas and put on raincoats,” said Snowberger. “We want the ambassadors to help people caught in the rain. If the weather is so bad ducks shouldn’t be out, we’ll pull them off the streets.”
Flashers, locked cars, dead animals, broken glass, graffiti, the homeless, drunken brawls, it’s all in a day’s work for the ambassadors, which according to Hollister is becoming a popular job.
“They’re filling out five to eight applications a day for people who want to be an ambassador,” he said.
“This town’s been needing it for awhile,” said Snowberger. “Our services provide an extra set of eyes and ears. Could I use more? Definitely. There are a number of ways they could help out but we’re a non-profit. We’re on a budget so there are only so many [ambassadors] we can have. We have no availability; I’ve got a list of people who want to do the job.”