If you’ve visited the Downtown St. Cloud area lately, you’ve likely noticed the construction taking place. There is lots of work taking place on Pennsylvania Avenue, similar to the revitalization work done on New York Avenue, and a number of others areas. To help downtown businesses that might be impacted by the construction, the City of St. Cloud is offering marketing grants of up to $1,000 each to help downtown businesses impacted by the ongoing construction. This grant program will allocate $50,000 in public funding with each business eligible for up to $1,000 in assistance as part of phase 3 of the City’s COVID grant program to assist businesses post-COVID recovery.
“We realize our downtown businesses have been impacted by the construction,” said City Manager Bill Sturgeon. “Although ultimately, the revitalization project will be a boost for downtown businesses, they are telling us that many of their customers aren’t coming in right now because of the construction project, and the businesses are hurting. We are hopeful that these dollars will help them create marketing campaigns to encourage those customers to come back.
The Entertainment District includes those properties between 9th and 13th street and between Florida and Massachusetts avenues.
Grant applications will be accepted until Sept. 15 or until all funds are awarded. Additional information and applications are available online at www.StCloudFL.gov/1084/Grant-Programs.
The marketing grants for downtown businesses are funded through the city’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery & Stimulus Plan budget, which is funded through the OUC Business Development Fund.
For additional information, call 407-957-7234.
“We also have been working with the businesses to make more convenient parking available,” Sturgeon said. “This includes City Hall parking lots. We are relocating city vehicles to a lot farther away, and are encouraging employees to work remotely a few days per week to open up more parking spaces at City Hall.”
To qualify, registered businesses must be located in the entertainment district with no outstanding debts to the city. Home-based businesses are not eligible for this program.
