Ambassadors in Arvada, Colorado to make Olde Town safer, cleaner for businesses and community

A new program in the Denver metro area is designed to help visitors, businesses and unhoused community members in Arvada's Olde Town.

The City of Arvada says the program will improve the experience for those visiting and working in Olde Town. Four ambassadors will help provide increased security, offer informational assistance for visitors and businesses and help those experiencing homelessness connect with community services.

"The ambassador program will help us meet some major goals for the Olde Town district," said Deputy City Manager Allison Scheck. "Having a small team to increase a sense of safety for visitors and businesses, keep the area clean, and just generally offer friendly faces to go to with questions or problems will help us improve the experiences of everyone who visits our downtown core."

The city says the program is made possible by a partnership with Block by Block, an organization that helps improve public spaces. Some other duties the ambassadors will help with include returning shopping carts and reporting light outages and damage to buildings or planters in the area. They will also keep things clean by power washing streets and sidewalks.

Scheck says visitors and businesses want more safety and litter and graffiti removal in Olde Town.

"We want to do all we can to support a thriving business and cultural district in the area, because it is a point of pride for Arvadans and one of our most visited parts of the city," said Scheck.

Block by Block ambassadors will be in Olde Towne Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 1.

Arvada has signed a $439,000 annual contract with Block by Block that will provide services to the community for the next three years. When the contract is complete, city officials say they'll reassess the program and its progress.