To the editor:

Thanks to Banker and Tradesman for your reporting and editorial on the upswing of sales and rental activity in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. You correctly credit Mayor Tom Menino for never giving up on the area, and cite the forward-looking property owners who have replaced vacant storefronts with new residences, dormitories, restaurants and theatres. I’d like to also credit the new Downtown Boston Business Improvement District (BID) ambassadors, who are hard at work on the streets each day. 

This month marks the first anniversary of the start of operations of the Downtown Boston BID, a non-profit organization funded by commercial property owners to supplement city services in Boston’s traditional downtown. One of the BID’s most visible activities is the ambassador program. Each morning as residents are waking up and the commuters are starting to arrive, the BID ambassadors begin their rounds, cleaning the sidewalks, watering newly planted flower boxes and sprucing up the area. It’s detail work:  cleaning "big-belly" trash receptacles, removing stickers and graffiti tags, power-washing stained sidewalks and repainting light poles.

As workers and visitors arrive, the ambassadors shift to litter clean-up and hospitality. They greet tourists with information packets, and they’ll gladly give directions or help fix a flat tire. They report potholes and broken street lights to the city, and report suspicious activity to the police. They recommend restaurants, help you find your lawyer’s office, and generally try to be a welcoming presence in the neighborhood. 

You can’t miss these men and women in their orange shirts and green "ambassador" jackets. They are making a difference. In just the first year, the BID has received thousands of emails from local employees and residents and visitors from around the world, thanking the ambassadors for some small bit of help, or praising their efforts. Here’s to the ambassadors and the little things that make Boston great.

John E. Rattigan Jr.
Partner, DLA Piper LLP
Chairman, Downtown Boston BID Corp.