By Blake Haas
BLOOMINGTON – To help small businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town of Normal rewarded fifty small businesses a share of $450,000.
In total, 67 businesses applied for $760,045 in assistance, more than $300,000 that was available through the State’s Local CURE (Cornaovirus Urgent Remediation Emergency) Economic Support Grant Program, a federally funded effort from the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
“Obviously restaurants were heavily impacted and closed, and so it means they were able to probably pay utility bills or operational expenses, staffing (and) some had to make business modifications in order to stay open,” Eric Hanson, Assistant City Manager, told WJBC news. “For some, they had to do outdoor dining or outdoor spaces this fall, which cost them money to continue to operate.”
Grants were awarded across six categories ranging from restaurants to retail, with 20 restaurants receiving a share of $283,500. Businesses could apply for up to $15,000 total or $5,000 in each grant category. Grant awards ranged from a minimum of $807 to the $15,000 maximum. The average grant award was $9,000.
“This program was $450,000, but then in conjunction, a number of our Normal businesses received larger Businesses Interruption Grants (BIG) which was directly through the state, but also part of the CURE fund program. That brought more than $1 million total that the two grant programs brought back more than $1 million total to Normal small businesses. I think that’s a great story and no doubt will hopefully allow many of those businesses to move forward despite the pandemic.”
Desthil Beer Hall, DP Dough, Los Potrillos, Moe’s Southwest Grill, The Original Pancake House, The Rock, and Windy City Wieners received the highest grant awards.
“As a long-standing business owner, I know how important these funds are in sustaining many small businesses during these unprecedented times. I proudly support all efforts to bring financial assistance back to our community,” said Normal Mayor Chris Koos in a news release.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
