LAFAYETTE PARISH — Downtown Lafayette is buzzing with energy — from locals and tourists enjoying lively events, shopping, and restaurants to preparations for Festival International. But all that foot traffic comes with a cost.
About five months after funding was approved, a new Downtown Ambassador Program is set to launch just in time for the city’s biggest cultural celebration.
UPDATE: the Ambassador Program's pick-up truck has been delivered, just in time for Festival. Here's a sneak peek:
Block by Block, a Louisville, Kentucky-based organization, is leading the effort, having helped hire an operations manager who is currently interviewing candidates to round out the four-person team. The ambassadors will be on the ground seven days a week, providing a range of services to support a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming downtown.
Their duties will include trash pickup, graffiti removal, and helping visitors navigate the area — everything from pointing out nearby restaurants to offering a friendly escort back to their cars.
“We've started an ambassador program that's going to kick off the week of Festival,” said Kevin Blanchard, CEO of Downtown Lafayette Unlimited. “There’s going to be four folks on the ground, seven days a week... just being a friendly face.”
Blanchard emphasized the broader goal of improving the downtown experience. “Our downtown business community is thrilled about that opportunity to really show people how well we can take care of the space we have,” he said, calling the program a “game-changer.”
The Downtown Development Authority is footing the bill, with an annual cost of about $375,000. Blanchard will receive monthly progress reports to monitor the initiative's impact.
Officials are also working on a long-term site development plan, which they hope to finalize by fall. Block by Block has implemented similar programs in cities across the country, bringing experience and a tested model to Lafayette’s downtown core.
