Lacey declares emergency, wants to create grant fund for small biz; other area businesses hurting
In line with other national and state declarations tied to coronavirus, the city of Lacey declared an emergency late Friday and now seeks to create a grant fund to help small businesses and those employed by them.
The declaration has been posted on the city of Lacey Facebook page, including a message from Mayor Andy Ryder.
“For most of us, our daily lives will be disrupted in almost every aspect for at least the next 6 weeks,” the post reads. “However, we cannot lose sight of who will be hurt most by this disruption: families, small business owners, their employees, those who have been living on the margins, and those who have always been an ‘event of any kind’ away from losing the small security they might have in their lives.”
The mayor goes on to say that he is in contact with area stakeholders on how “we can develop a grant program to support our local small businesses and their employees.”
The declaration also directs City Manager Scott Spence to “request all available state and federal assistance necessary to respond to this emergency.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how much might be raised for the fund or from whom, but it’s clear the need could be great. A check of storefronts recently has shown little to no customer activity.
The Olympia Downtown Alliance, which advocates for downtown businesses, also announced Friday that “a group of regional business leaders and local governments are meeting to discuss tools available to our local business community.”
Rainy Day Records in downtown Olympia has launched a survival fund on GoFundMe.
“The reality is beginning to set in that the public health and economic crisis we are currently experiencing is going to take an enormous toll on small businesses, and that this terrifying moment in history could very well put this cherished Olympia institution out of business after 47 years,” the GoFundMe post reads.
Nonprofits, too, also face some of the same challenges.
After the Olympia Film Society announced that Bikini Kill had postponed two concerts over the weekend — two shows set to benefit Interfaith Works — OFS executive director Audrey Henley still called for community support.
“Many local nonprofits, such as ours (OFS), will be hit hard financially, as our resources will be depleted as we navigate our way through maintaining operations, schedule postponing and possible closures,” Henley writes. “Many of us in the arts community will need your continued support.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 12:22 PM.
