Beyer to Introduce Legislation for Law Enforcement to Wear Identifying Badges — “We don’t do secret police in the United States of America. I will introduce House legislation in the next few days to require uniformed federal officers to identify themselves by wearing badges. Next step will be working for broad support in the House. More soon.” [Twitter]
Tenants and Workers United Gives Food and Supplies to 400 Families — “Today we gave food, needs, and diapers to almost 400 families!! This was possible by Arlington Calvary United Methodist Church. Our community greatly appreciates this support during these difficult times!” [Facebook]
Alexandria Back to Business Grant Application Deadline at 5 p.m. — “Applications for the ALX B2B Grant are open (as of Thursday, June 4th at 8:00AM EDT), and will close Monday, June 8th at 5:00 PM (EDT).” [AEDP]
Del. Herring Thanks Inova Alexandria Hospital Workers — “Thank you @InovaHealth Alexandria for this display of unity & caring for our community. #WhiteCoatsforBlackLives” [Twitter]
Vice Mayor Sends Message of Solidarity With Black Leaders — “I have a responsibility to use my platform to speak up about these issues. The best way to do that is to amplify the voices of black leaders in our community. If you haven’t already done so, please listen to and read their words. And then take action.” [Elizabeth Bennett-Parker]
ACPS Announces Collection and Return of School Materials — “The school closures related to COVID-19 and the Governor’s stay-at-home order have forced us to make a new plan of how we collect students’ school materials and also allow our students to get personal belongings from their lockers or classrooms.” [ACPS]
Alexandrian Named National Eagle Scout Runner-Up — “Noah Ventura, an Alexandria resident and rising senior at Gonzaga College High School, has been named the American Legion’s Eagle Scout of the Year Runner-Up for 2020. As a recipient of the award, he is receiving a $2,500 college scholarship.” [Zebra]
Local Filmmakers Selected for Alexandria Symphony Series — “The films will accompany music by American composers performed “live to picture” by the orchestra as part of ASO’s 2020-2021 season on November 7 and 8, 2020. The works will also be screened as part of the Alexandria Film Festival on November 12-15.” [Zebra]
Reminder: Here’s a List of ACPS Free Food Distributions — “ACPS has multiple distribution meal site locations throughout Alexandria for all ACPS students and children over the age of two.” [ACPS]
New Job: Contact Tracer — “The Contact Tracer is an entry level public health professional responsible for identifying and contacting individuals who may have come in contact with persons recently diagnosed with an infectious disease associated with an outbreak or pandemic.” [Indeed]
The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) is starting a grant program later this week to help Alexandria businesses recover from coronavirus.
ALX B2BÂ is a new grant program supported, in part, by the City Council as part of the CARES Act funding allocation that also included rental assistance for low-income households.
“The program is opening applications on Thursday and is focused on assisting business going through reopening following the pandemic,” Landrum said.
Landrum said many of the businesses reopening will face new costs, like equipment and furniture to socially distance customers and sanitize afterward. As the city progresses through the phases of recovery, Landrum said these will be the new normal in how companies interact with customers.
“All of that comes at an expense after a period of time when companies have seen huge, dramatic declines in revenue,” Landrum said.
The first round of the program will have $4 million in funding, half from the city allocation of the CARES Act, and half from reallocated funding from the Alexandria Investment Fund. Landrum said at least at the start, this likely won’t be enough to support all of the businesses that need it.
“We do anticipate there will be more demand than funding available,” Landrum said.
A few terms of eligibility will eliminate some businesses. Most broadly, business owners have to express their intent to remain in business, but they will also have to provide information about their lease to show that it’s applicable through the end of the year to demonstrate a commitment to staying in business.
Any business that has opened since March 1 of 2019 is also out of luck for the grant program, as the eligibility requires businesses to show profits year-after-year until coronavirus. Landrum said this is to be able to show the business was stable and could be profitable again.
“We want to invest in businesses with the best chance of surviving,” Landrum said. “Comparing year over year, month to month, is best and most accurate way to show that.”
Corporate-owned businesses are ineligible as well, an attempt to avoid the payouts to megacorporations that plagued earlier small business grant programs. Landrum said a locally owned franchise of a larger chain could still be eligible, though.
“For a business to apply, has to be a locally owned franchise and they would have to present that paperwork,” Landrum said. “There are a number of athletic companies that are national brands but locally-owned franchises. Want to help those people but not direct resources to a corporate entity.”
The grant program is divided into three categories based on employment size, which determines the maximum grant for each business.
- Smallest (2-24 employees): $10,000 maximum
- Medium (25-49 employees): $15,000 maximum
- Largest (50-100 employees): $20,000 maximum
“A lot of the qualifications and the eligibility criteria focus on companies with a physical footprint in Alexandria,” Landrum said. ‘It’s recognizing businesses with a physical space are more likely to incur these costs. Examples include restaurants, where many had to buy new furniture for outdoor dining.”
Landrum said other professions, like physical therapists, personal groomers, massage parlors, will all need similar health measures. Even office spaces, which have turned towards more open concepts and squeezing people into smaller footprints, will have to undergo a radical adjustment to keep employees safe.
Background for the program is provided in English, Spanish, Arabic and Amharic, but Landrum said AEDP has phone translation services for business owners speaking any language.
Even for businesses who aren’t able to get a grant through ALX B2B, Landrum said there are other ways AEDP can help.
“One of the number one things we’ve been helping with is talking through real estate portfolios, [helping business owners] understand terms of leases and having conversations with landlords,” Landrum said. “I think that’s something people don’t realize we can and want to do.”
Landrum said AEDP can also help talk businesses through cash flow, marketing, and HR issues and utilize a variety of resources.
“AEDP and our partners are intended to be a trusted advisor to the business community,” Landrum said. “If any business owner has a question about anything, we might not have the answer, but we’re a connector for what those businesses need. One of the things we can do is listen and be a sympathetic and empathetic ear. When people are anxious, upset, devastated — and on top of that own a business — we can help.”
