University City District Staff Participates in Field Service Day
Philadelphia, PA 10 June, 2003 -- On June 18, all administrative staff members of University City District will leave their suits at home, roll up their sleeves, and abandon their regular desk jobs for a day of cleaning and patrolling the streets of University City. Each UCD staff member will be paired up with a Public Space Maintenance or Ambassador employee from the UCD Clean and Safe program. UCD’s Board of Directors has also been invited to participate.
UCD's 43 Ambassadors provide a secure, welcoming presence for University City's residents, workers, students, and visitors. Uniformed in blue and gold, the Ambassadors are unarmed officers equipped with two-way radios who patrol the streets of University City on foot and on bicycles every day from 8 am to 3 am. They serve as a highly visible deterrent to crime, provide directions and pedestrian assistance, and can call for help in emergency situations. Ambassadors also track public hazards such as potholes, problem street signs, blocked sewers, and broken fire hydrants.
The 27 men and women of Public Space Maintenance work seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. sweeping sidewalks and removing graffiti. Heavily-trafficked commercial streets, major gateways, and areas of high rental populations receive daily sweeping with pans and brooms and mechanical cleaning equipment. In total, approximately 160 square blocks are maintained, throughout the 2.2 square mile area.
"The goal of this Field Service Day is to let the staff and Board experience first-hand what our Ambassadors and Public Space Maintenance employees go through on a daily basis. You cannot truly appreciate the improvements to the community by these hard-working individuals without getting out and actually seeing them in action. We look forward to getting the staff and Board out onto the streets and maybe even a little dirty," says Eric T. Goldstein, Executive Director for University City District. UCD staff will be joined by several members of their contracted service providers including Allied Security and OneSource.
University City District builds effective partnerships to maintain a clean and safe environment & to promote, plan & advocate for the diverse, urban community that is University City.
University City is the region’s leading community for technology, research, higher education and health care integrated with historic and desirable residential neighborhoods, vibrant commercial and cultural attractions, and strong transportation connections.
Release Date: Tuesday, June 10th 2003
