ELORA – The local economic development task force has established an economic recovery action plan to help businesses throughout Centre Wellington as they get the green light to reopen.
Patricia Rutter, the township’s economic development officer, and Don Vallery, chair of the task force, presented the plan to Centre Wellington council at its June 15 meeting.
Rutter said the task force targeted four areas: safe access to business; safe customer experience; financial assistance; and marketing, promotion and training.
Some of those initiatives are already underway, such as the ShopLocal CW website, where shoppers can purchase gift cards from local businesses to be used at a later date, thereby helping businesses with cash flow issues they are experiencing now.
As well, certain streets in downtown Fergus and Elora are now closed on weekends to facilitate curbside pickup and allow more space for shoppers to safely spread out.
Early on in the COVID-19 shutdown, Wellington County offered a low-interest loan program called the Keep Well Emergency Business Sustainability Fund as well as tax deferment plans. These have helped.
But even low-interest loans are debt and many businesses, closed for months now, are not able to take on more.
And there are costs involved in reopening.
So, the big ask at the meeting was for council to support the task force’s plan to initiate a Support Local Centre Wellington grant program.
“Some businesses have been really hard-hit,” Vallery said.
“It’s been devastating. Many businesses can’t take on more debt. They are strapped.”
The task force envisions a $50,000 fund created by the township and the grants would be administered through Waterloo Wellington Community Futures.
Grants could be used for marketing and online promotion or to make physical changes such as temporary outdoor patios at restaurants.
The details
Businesses would be required to provide a detailed business plan in their application.
Grants would be a maximum of $3,000 and the business would be required to contribute an additional 50 per cent. In some cases, Community Futures might be able to fund 50% of the grant as well.
So with a $3,000 grant the business owner would contribute $1,500, leaving $4,500 to execute their business plan.
The $50,000 would come from the township’s capital reserve fund.
Rutter said the grant could help businesses with website design for online shopping.
It could also help restaurants set up portable patios, which could be removed at the end of the season, and for furniture and umbrellas.
Rutter noted there is a company that provides these “and they have given us an exceptional price” of $2,000.
Mayor Kelly Linton said sidewalk patios were the original vision for the grants.
“That was an initial opportunity we saw here,” Linton said. “We want to see sidewalk patios in town.”
Council unanimously approved the proposal.
