by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
One of the most noticeable enhancements to the Downtown Ambassador program when Service Group Inc. took over operations in February is the streetscape improvement program. Armed with pressure washers, power sweepers and steam cleaning equipment, the Ambassadors are going block-by-block, scrubbing the underfoot surfaces in the Business Improvement District.
The part of the job that was taking the most time away from actually cleaning was filling the water tank on the steam generator. It took at least a half-hour to refill the unit because the Ambassadors had to use a conventional water hose and water donated by businesses.
All that changed when, after some negotiations with the City and JEA, a water meter and backflow preventer were installed on the tank. That allows the tank to be refilled by tapping into a fire hydrant.
“There are hydrants on every block and we’re getting the water from JEA and the City,” said Downtown Ambassador Program Manager Gary Butler. “It’s at least 30 percent faster than filling the tank with a traditional water hose, and that lets us get back to cleaning quicker.”
Butler also said the cleaning program is working around the pedestrian traffic in order to disrupt people’s schedules as little as possible. The high-traffic blocks are being cleaned on Saturday and Sunday, for instance.
In addition to steam-cleaning and pressure washing the horizontal surfaces in the 90-block core, the Ambassadors also are cleaning newspaper boxes and trash receptacles, as well as removing graffiti from buildings and alleys.
“We’re getting a lot of positive feedback. Business and property owners are calling to ask when we’ll get to their block or in front of their building,” said Butler.
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