Ambassador spruces up city's downtown

For 52-year-old Paul Faessel, it’s all about first impressions and paying attention to the details in downtown Kalispell.

“I think it’s mostly how do we make a nice presentation of our city, how do we attract people downtown,” he said.

Visitors who are impressed with the look and feel and friendliness of the downtown are much more likely to return.

“My whole thing is to have them leave thinking this is a nice little place in Montana they should come back to,” Faessel said.

After replying to a help-wanted ad two years ago, Faessel is wrapping up his second year as Kalispell’s downtown ambassador.

The part-time job has him walking around the downtown with a wagon stocked with shovels, rakes and other cleaning tools.

Faessel remembers his job interview with Pam Carbonari, coordinator of the Kalispell Business Improvement District.

“She said to me, ‘How would you like to pull a yellow wagon around town and just make things look nice?’ I said sure ... I just think it’s important for people to take care of the details,” he said.

Faessel pulls weeds, picks up litter and washes the windows of vacant buildings that need a little attention.

He opens doors, walks little old ladies across the street and gives helpful directions and things like dining suggestions to tourists.

He stops to bring shopkeepers their newspapers when he comes across them still sitting on the sidewalk.

It’s a little bit of everything.

As a regular face on the sidewalks, he said he has become friends with the mail carriers and a number of shopkeepers.

“I do all that. And I do it happily,” Faessel said of the job. “I think it’s important it’s done.”

And it’s not a thankless job by any stretch.

Sure, there are a few places downtown where teenagers like to gather, and they’re more prone to leave a mess.

But the average day out on the street is full of friendly hellos and thanks and compliments on the appearance of downtown.

“People seem to like the rhythm and knowing I will be there. We all just have these routines,” Faessel said.

Faessel, who has also worked in the financial industry, got his start in grounds keeping at Frontier Road House and Golf, where he worked as greens keeper.

“I just loved that work,” he said.

Work as downtown ambassador slows down in the winter months and that’s just fine with Faessel.

He said he also plays the upright bass in the Glacier Symphony and teaches music to students in Whitefish.

But Faessel remains on call and will bundle up and get out to shovel snow in front of vacant buildings and do other jobs around downtown as needed.

“They’re going to have the art walk in December so I’m going to walk the route [ahead of time] and make sure things are looking nice,” Faessel said.

The downtown ambassador program was launched by the Kalispell Business Improvement District, a taxing entity created to support the growth and economic vitality of the downtown.

Carbonari said the program has been a resounding success, keeping a friendly and helpful presence on the sidewalks downtown as originally envisioned.

“One of the things we recognized was that keeping the downtown as neat and clean as possible would attract people,” she said.

The business improvement district aims to stick with the downtown ambassador program as long as possible, and is glad to have Faessel on the job, Carbonari said.

“He’s a valuable asset to us.”

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.