Look above some storefronts around the Hub and you\u2019ll see new solar lights and cameras facing the street.<\/p>\n
The Third Avenue Business Improvement District showed off the upgrades Thursday near Roberto Clemente Plaza. The group says it has installed more than 75 solar-powered lights across 30 storefronts and 18 cameras at 10 locations. Two new public safety ambassadors are also working in the area.<\/p>\n
The changes follow years of complaints<\/a> from business owners about drug use, safety and conditions outside their stores. A district survey released earlier this year found that cleanliness<\/a>, safety and drug use were among people\u2019s top concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of different issues that we\u2019re trying to address, from folks struggling with mental health to illegal parking to illegal drug sales,\u201d said Pedro Suarez, the BID\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n City Department of Small Business Services funding paid for the lights, while state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding paid for the cameras, according to the BID. Suarez said the camera locations were chosen with the NYPD using reports of problems in the area. The BID can view the cameras live and says footage is kept for 22 days.<\/p>\n The public safety ambassadors have a different job. They are not police officers. Suarez said they check on people who may need help, carry Narcan in case of an overdose, and report problems to the appropriate responders or outreach groups. For now, the two ambassadors work Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/p>\n