Armed with a trash picker and array of cleaning supplies, Zachary Garcia traversed a section of Worcester’s downtown on a recent morning, tossing cigarette butts, pieces of paper and other litter into a large yellow bin he pulled behind him.

Garcia is one of nine ambassadors that sweep, remove graffiti, provide a safe presence and promote businesses throughout Worcester's downtown Business Improvement District, a newly-created section of the downtown in which property owners pay an additional tax to fund cleaning, beautification and safety-related services.

Alongside him was Kritzia Almeyda, a Worcester resident of 15 years who serves as a team lead for Streetplus – the company contracting with the Business Improvement District to provide services.

“We’re trying to work to make things more smooth, more comfortable and reduce the risk factor for the people living here,” Almeyda said, adding that ambassadors are constantly looking for safety hazards and are available to provide information and directions to visitors. “Five to 10 years ago, downtown was not the place to be. It was not friendly, it was not approachable.”

Kritzia Almeyda and Zachary J. Garcia, ambassadors for Worcester's new downtown Business Improvement District, walk the beat on a recent morning. (Aviva Luttrell | MassLive.com)

The Business Improvement District was created by a vote of the City Council in November 2018 and hired an executive director this spring, but the initiative can trace its roots all the way back to 2008, when The Hanover Theatre opened on Southbridge Street.

The Worcester Business Development Corporation, along with the city, began creating a Theatre District Master Plan, which was finally approved in 2013. The goal was to create a framework for the 35-acres surrounding the theatre, transforming the neighborhood into an active, mixed-use space.

“The idea was to leverage the 200,000 people a year that were coming through these doors to help vitalize the district, and one of the things that complemented that idea was a BID,” said Troy Siebels, president and CEO of The Hanover and chairman of the BID’s 15-person Board of Directors. “It didn’t start to resurface until two years ago when it seemed like we were at the point where there might be enough momentum and consensus to be able to move a BID forward.”

Siebels said it didn't take much convincing to get 60 percent of property owners to sign on – a challenging goal, given that the owners had to volunteer to pay more. That doesn't happen, Siebels said, unless there's momentum and a real belief that landlords are going to see a return on their investment.

"I think that there are so many forward-minded people in this area, in this whole city, and I believe that we are going to see real benefit from this," he said.

Before gathering signatures from property owners, Siebels said the group discussed the most important objects for the district.

He said cleanliness and safety was by far the most important goal to reduce the perception of crime and aggressive panhandling. A close second was additional snow removal.

When they went back to the property owners, collecting the necessary signatures wasn't difficult.

All property owners inside the 78-acre district are taxed 0.3 percent of their building’s assessed value, meaning the largest owner pays more than $100,000 toward the district a year while the smallest pays around $200 a year, Siebels said.

The Hanover Theatre pays around $15,000.

Darling said the district costs $950,000 to operate annually.

Kritzia Almeyda, a team lead for Streetplus -- the vendor providing ambassador services for Worcester's new downtown Business Improvement District. (Aviva Luttrell | MassLive.com)

The district has been up and running since mid-May, and Executive Director Evelyn Darling said the Streetplus team is continuing to ramp up operations.

A cleaning team hits the streets in the morning, picking up trash, cleaning graffiti and removing stickers from light poles. Eventually, she said they will power-wash sidewalks, do some plantings and spot painting.

In the afternoon and evening, the hospitality team takes over. They are tasked with giving directions and information, as well as educating the public about city ordinances – for example, that dogs are not allowed on the Worcester Common.

"If somebody is looking for a place to go out to eat or asking about the parking situation, any kind of issue that people have that they might have questions about, the ambassadors will try to help," Darling said.

The ambassadors also work with law enforcement as needed.

Recently, Darling said somebody overdosed on the street. Fortunately, an ambassador was nearby and immediately called for help.

"We've gotten such a positive response from people seeing the ambassadors because they're really visible, they're in uniform, so it's very visible with their khaki pants and blue shirts," she said. "People are starting to get accustomed to seeing them and they've gotten a lot of great feedback. They're cleaning the sidewalks and making downtown better and a friendly presence."

Almeyda said the ambassadors also try to form relationships with the city’s panhandlers and homeless population that frequent the downtown area.

“It’s good to put yourself in their shoes, because more often than not, they just want someone to say hi,” she said.

But when problems do arise, she said those positive relationships come in handy. Typically, she said those individuals will be more likely to work with ambassadors they know and trust.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said although the program is new, the ambassadors have already become a welcoming presence.

"They make it feel more welcoming and inviting, so that does add to the sense of safety and security, and I think the reality of safety and security because there are just that many more sets of eyes out and about,” he said.

Zachary J. Garcia, an ambassador for Streetplus -- the vendor providing ambassador services for Worcester's new downtown Business Improvement District -- picks up trash on a recent morning. (Aviva Luttrell | MassLive.com)

When downtown property owners were developing the BID, they looked toward other cities in the area for inspiration.

Massachusetts has eight BIDs throughout the state, including in Boston and Springfield, but Siebels said the Town Green District in New Haven, Connecticut, felt most similar to Worcester.

The group spent a lot of time talking with the director there, Siebels said.

"It's a similar sized area, they've been around a long time. They've been able to make a real impact," he said. "That felt like a similar sized downtown, it had enough parallels that it made us feel like we could do the same thing here."

Once the district has tackled the issues of cleanliness and safety, leaders hope to focus on boosting marketing, events and beautification.

They plan to kick off a planning process in the coming months that will feature a public input component.

"We want to do things like potentially hanging baskets, banners, more public art, plus events and signage," Darling said. "I could see us also having some role in perhaps recruitment or at least setting the table for business recruitment for property owners. There's a few vacant spaces, so we can help with that."

That could be done in a variety of ways, she said, including gathering information on how many people visit the area during events like the Craft Brew Race or shows at The Hanover to be able to provide that data to prospective business owners.