Schuylkill County urges small businesses to seek pandemic aid

Jul. 29—Small businesses in Schuylkill County affected by the pandemic are being urged to apply for funding through a state program.

In a webinar Wednesday, officials with Pittston-based NEPA Alliance detailed rules and procedures for applicants to the Schuylkill CDBG CV Small Business Assistance Program.

The criteria include that a business has to be in the county; create or retain a job for a person categorized as having low or moderate income (less than $38,000 annually); or lost money due to COVID-19. It also has to employ the low- to moderate-income person for six months and the loan will be forgiven.

Steve Ursich, NEPA Alliance vice president in the business services division, said the money will initially be given as a loan, but will be converted to a grant if a business meets the criteria. The organization was approved by the county commissioners to administer the program, as it did with the county's COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program.

The money can be used to cover working capital, payroll, rent and mortgage, utilities, supplies for day-to-day operations for up to 90 days, insurance, accounting, legal services, advertising, inventory and equipment, including those to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Ineligible businesses are golf courses, country clubs, massage parlors, hot tub facilities, tanning facilities, facilities used for gambling or any business that sells alcohol off-premises, as well as nonprofits. Property taxes won't be reimbursed as part of the program, Ursich said.

Up to $15,000 will be given to small businesses that sustained losses during the pandemic, with the county receiving $550,000 for the program.

Participating in the program are Butler, Pine Grove, Wayne and West Penn townships; and Mahanoy City, Minersville, Shenandoah and Tamaqua boroughs.

The municipalities are categorized as entitlement communities under the block grant program, which gave them the option of participating.

Each received an average of $50,000, while the county got $136,245 that will go to 47 non-entitlement municipalities that have smaller populations compared with the ones deemed eligible.

Pottsville and Schuylkill Haven are not eligible under the program, as the city received a separate allocation of block grant money and Schuylkill Haven decided to direct its allotment to another program.

The application will be available Monday, with funding being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until Aug. 2, 2022. More information, and the application, is available at http://nepa-alliance.org/cdbg. Business owners whose applications have been approved will be notified.

Each applicant is required to disclose all federal Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, funds received, along with attaching business tax returns and profit-and-loss statements for 2019 and 2020, evidence the business has been affected by the pandemic and paycheck protection program funding or other funding received. Only completed applications will be accepted.

The commissioners, Chairman Barron L. Hetherington, George F. Halcovage Jr. and Gary J. Hess, said the program will be helpful for small businesses. County Administrator Gary R. Bender also attended the webinar.

Hess urged business owners to reach out to NEPA Alliance and the commissioners for assistance.

Ursich said the alliance will work to push information about the program though various outlets and do targeted marketing to inform business owners. He urged those in attendance to spread the word.

NEPA Alliance President and CEO Jeffrey Box said the program is all about helping businesses.

"This is a great opportunity to help your business," he said.

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