RDA hopes fixing the small stuff will make a big impact downtown

As the weather starts to (hopefully) warm up in Rochester this April, expect to see new crews on downtown streets and sidewalks fixing the little things.

The Rochester Downtown Alliance is in the process of unveiling a new initiative they call the Clean and Safe Ambassador Program. According to a recent request for proposals, the program plans to provide “cleaning, safety, hospitality, livability/homelessness outreach, and possibly horticulture services” to the 44-block special service district managed by the RDA.

Holly Masek, executive director of the RDA, said the initiative comes in response to shortcomings she and others have started to notice in the downtown area.

“The downtown is undergoing a lot of change and exhibiting, perhaps, minor signs of neglect: things that aren’t getting re-painted regularly, street furniture moved around, lots of confusion around construction sites,” said Masek. “Ambassadors can be used to address those signs of neglect and change the perception of safety downtown.”

Part of the thought behind the initiative comes from a school of thought known as the “broken windows theory,” which states that signs of neglect and social disorder can act as drivers for more serious issues. Since being coined in the early 1980s, the theory has been used to justify controversial tactics by law enforcement, such as New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy.

However, Masek said new takes on the idea — specifically place-based interventions — can be used to benefit the downtown community.

“[The broken windows theory] started to be used as a justification for really aggressive policing in some cities, so people backed away from that,” explained Masek. “Similar types of studies have been done more recently — one that we’ve been talking about took place in 2018 in Philadelphia. It showed if you address signs of neglect, it can reduce feelings of depression, increase feelings of safety, and actually reduce crime.”

Masek said paid crews will work mostly in pairs, doing cleaning and repair work in the mornings before switching to a security-focused approach in the evenings, especially on high-traffic days (summer Thursdays, weekend nights). The launch of the initiative comes as the Rochester Police Department works to beef up their presence downtown during peak hours with the help of two new officers included in the city’s 2020 budget.

That same budget includes the $150,000 in funding needed to get the Clean and Safe program up and running. Masek said the RDA is close to finalizing a national vendor to work with before the hiring process begins. The organization plans to have crews hit the street for the first time April 1.

“It sounds like a bunch of little things, but weeding, scraping gum off the sidewalk, painting light poles, making sure things that get moved get put back in place — and the city looks a little more cared for,” she said. “I think that will send a lot of subconscious signals to the public that say, ‘hey, this is a safe and beautiful downtown.’”

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.