Long before the first cups of coffee are brewed in downtown cafes, before lights brighten downtown offices, and before boutique owners flip their door signs to “Open,” Scranton Tomorrow’s Downtown Clean Ambassadors are hard at work preparing streets and sidewalks for another busy day in the business district.
Keeping storm drains clean is an important service the ambassadors provide to the downtown business district.
This month marks a year of service for the ambassadors
Scranton Tomorrow launched the program in August of 2025 with a grant from Sen. Marty Flynn and additional funding support from the City of Scranton and Lackawanna County. Monday through Friday, you’ll see the uniformed ambassadors sweeping sidewalks, erasing graffiti, picking up litter, maintaining planters, weeding, removing snow and ice from sidewalk ramps and fire hydrants, giving directions and answering questions from visitors.
Jeff Mead, operations manager, Scranton Tomorrow’s Ambassador Program, works with community volunteers to beautify downtown Scranton.
On a mission to keep Downtown Scranton Beautiful
Jeff Mead, operations manager, and ambassadors Robert and Michael, also work closely with Scranton Tomorrow staff members to support beautification programs and special events the organization hosts. From distributing event posters to local businesses to planting flowers with community volunteers, the ambassadors are always ready to lend a hand. “We hit the ground running,” said Jeff Mead, operations manager. “Every event was a first for us last year. I’m really proud of the connections we made through Scranton Tomorrow’s programming, and how much we learned. We take pride in what we’re doing. We notice the difference it makes every day and other people are noticing, too.”
Ambassadors work with community volunteers to keep the flowers in downtown Scranton healthy and vibrant.
Working together with volunteers and local businesses
Steve Ward, project manager of Scranton Tomorrow’s Safe, Clean & Green program, said the Ambassador Program benefits everyone in the community. “This is a great experience for everybody involved. The ambassadors have had an opportunity to work alongside people from diverse backgrounds in the community to remove litter and blight and to beautify the downtown. Plus, they work with Liz Baldi, our business development director, to help promote special events and they interact one-on-one with the small businesses downtown.”
Look out weeds, the ambassadors are coming for you! Last year, Scranton Tomorrow’s Downtown Clean Ambassadors devoted 181 hours to eradicating weeds from the downtown landscape.
Waging war against weeds & overflowing trash cans
A year ago, downtown was facing what Mead calls a “weed pandemic,” and a chronic issue with garbage cans filled beyond their capacity. “Last year, there were weeds as high as my knees and overflowing garbage cans,” he said. This has drastically changed since the ambassadors came to town. “We’re out there before the city wakes up to get downtown ready for the business day,” he said.
Since the program started last August, the ambassadors have trimmed 109 trees in the business district.
One weed, one pound of litter at a time
Committed to making the business district a welcoming and inviting place to shop, dine and visit, the ambassadors are on a mission to help the downtown reach its greatest potential.
Between September 2025 and August 2026, the ambassadors:
Removed 18,534 pounds of litter
Eliminated 719 stickers
Devoted 181 hours to weeding
Cleared 101 graffiti tags
Trimmed 109 trees
The ambassadors help to keep Christopher A. Doherty Park (aka the pocket park) looking its best.
Need help? Ask an ambassador
Living up to their program name, the ambassadors spread goodwill throughout the downtown, often giving directions and answering questions from tourists, holding doors open for residents who have their arms full, and helping visitors navigate the area.
One of the most common questions they address is, “Where’s the Office mural?” Fans of the popular NBC sitcom travel from all over the world to see The Office: The Story of Us mural on Lackawanna Avenue. “I go by there once or twice a week and I see people taking selfies,” Mead said. “They’ll have a suitcase in their hand and I’ll stop and say, ‘Hey, want me to take your picture?’ That happens quite a bit. I’ve done that at least a dozen times with random groups of people. There’s some fun stuff here, and I think this program is really adding to what Scranton is becoming.”