These final days of January will be very nice with sunshine and well above normal temperatures across North Texas. Highs will climb into the mid to upper-60s to lower-70s. Our next chance for rain arrives by the end of the week into Saturday.
The city of Denton is working to improve its popular downtown area.
On Monday, the City of Denton, in partnership with Block by Block, is launching a two-year pilot program designed to build and maintain a clean, safe, and thriving downtown for residents, businesses, and visitors.
Denton’s Downtown Ambassador Program is kicking things off with a community walk as they interact with businesses and residents.
Block by Block is an out-of-state company that works in security and event management. In the ambassador programs, they set up a team of ambassadors who can perform a number of services for the city.
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Ambassadors can provide cleaning and hospitality services like graffiti removal, sidewalk power washing, and general cleaning of the downtown area.
They also provide community assistance as needed with safety patrols, hospitality patrols, and other needs.
The city set aside money from the general fund to pay for this program over the next two years and the hope is to continue it beyond that.
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It's a concern the city says businesses have made them aware of as the population continues to grow.
"Denton county just hit 1 million residents in population numbers. And were growing by about 80 new people a day moving to Denton County," said Courtney Douangdara, deputy director for community services for the city of Denton. "These ambassador programs are dedicated to supporting the downtown experience and the businesses and the vibrancy. It’s becoming more frequent because they work and they're effective. They allow cities to maintain a pulse and provide more expedited attention and service to these areas where folks flock to and want to spend their time."
Block by Block also works with the city of Fort Worth. City council members recently approved the ambassador program to help improve safety in the West 7th Street Entertainment District. The city already contracts with Block by Block for the ambassador program in downtown Fort Worth.
If any business or resident needs assistance from an ambassador, they can call or text the Downtown Denton Ambassador Program hotline at (940) 354-5767.
