Downtown Improvement District to Welcome and Assist Royals Fans

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL and Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, the SMG-Managed Santander Arena and the Reading Downtown Improvement District (DID), today announced details of an expanded partnership designed to improve the experience of patrons attending Royals’ games in Reading this season.

At all Royals’ home games this season, three DID Ambassadors will be exclusively assigned to the Santander Arena area, including the parking decks operated by the Reading Parking Authority and the walkways in and around the Arena stretching across the 700 to 800 blocks of Penn and Cherry streets. The DID Ambassadors, who employ state-of-the-art mobile GPS positioning and communication devices while performing their tasks in the downtown area, will use three different types of transportation, including DID’s pick-up truck, a 4x4 vehicle, and a Segway®, to facilitate their efforts to meet, greet and assist patrons before, during and after Royals’ games.

“The Royals are excited to announce this enhanced partnership with the Downtown Improvement District,” said Royals’ President Drew Bell. “We want to assure everyone attending Royals’ games this year that we’re taking all available steps to help fans enjoy their entire experience—from driveway to driveway. We’re committed to giving our fans this peace of mind, and we’re confident that the DID Ambassadors will add to the comfort level experienced by our fans. We  particularly want to thank Chuck Broad and his crew at DID for their efforts, as well as our close partners at Santander Arena, all of whom are committed to the effort to provide a safe, secure and fun downtown experience.”

“We are certainly appreciative of all that the DID Ambassadors do for our downtown community,” said David Farrar, General Manager of the SMG-Managed Santander Arena. “We want patrons coming to Santander Arena to know how much we appreciate their decision to support events being held at our downtown Reading facilities. We are constantly trying to put a personal touch on our efforts to meet, greet, assist, and thank people for coming to the downtown area, and the DID Ambassadors do an exceptional job of reminding our patrons how appreciative we are of their support of events being held in our city.”

“The Reading Downtown Improvement District is dedicated to the safety, security, and cleanliness of the entire downtown area,” said Chuck Broad, Executive Director of DID. “The Royals and Santander Arena are critical participants in the continuing growth and improvement in the quality of life in our downtown community, and it’s imperative that patrons are able to fully enjoy events at the Arena. Particularly with the ongoing construction of the DoubleTree Hotel project, DID is totally committed to work with the Royals and Santander Arena to make sure that persons walking within the Penn Street corridor and surrounding parking decks feel completely comfortable in this area.”

Established in 1995, the Reading DID is dedicated to creating a more vital, productive and commercially active downtown environment. The DID is comprised of Cleaning and Safety Ambassadors, who provide a wide variety of services including removal of litter, graffiti, weed abatement, sidewalk pressure washing and special projects. Created as a managed approach to enhance downtown’s physical environment, the DID cleaning program has proven to be an effective way to reduce litter, improve the public’s image of downtown and encourage community involvement in all downtown events.

DID Safety Ambassadors are on the streets six days a week, providing public safety and helpful information. They work with street level businesses, provide information to visitors, workers and residents as well as report on potential and actual emergencies that require police, fire and/or EMS services. Safety Ambassadors provide services such as bicycle and Segway® patrols, business checks in the downtown area, safety escorts, and event support.

The Royals open the 2014-15 season on Saturday, October 18, at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia, where the team will face the Wheeling Nailers. The home portion of the schedule will kick off the following Saturday (October 25, 2014 @ 7:05 p.m.) when the Elmira Jackals travel to Santander Arena. Royals’ season tickets are currently available. Call 610-898-7825 for more information or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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