By Amanda Ensinger
Staff Writer
Businesses in need still have resources available to keep them afloat as communities try to rebound from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Prairie Township is offering local business owners an opportunity to apply for the CIC Economic Assistance Loan Program. The program provides financial support to township businesses during the pandemic.
“We have promoted this program on the website, Facebook and sent postcards to businesses in the township and haven’t received any applications,” said Rob Peters, township administrator, at a recent board meeting. “We still have the funds available if businesses are in need.”
Peters said the township received four requests for applications when the program was first announced, but no businesses have sent applications back.
The program would provide a loan to any business in Prairie Township that was established prior to the pandemic. Businesses could receive a loan up to $5,000 with zero percent interest to be paid back within 36 months. According to Peters, the first payment would be due Jan. 31, 2021.
“Loan payments would be due the last day of each month and there is no closing or processing fees,” Peters said. “The township has allocated $147,000 for the program and loans will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Peters said he hopes the reason businesses haven’t applied for the loans is because they don’t want to add any new debt and their businesses are doing well.
“When we did the signage program with the CIC, we had very few participants as well, so I am not surprised,” Peters said. “However, we wanted to make these fund available in case any businesses are struggling and needed them.”
In other township news, in-person meetings were reviewed.
“One of the most common questions we get asked is when we will have in-person meetings again,” Peters said. “Right now, we still cannot gather with more than 10 people, so we plan on continuing online meetings.”
However, Peters said that if the guidelines change and groups of 10 or more can meet, they have discussed moving the meetings to the community center to comply with spacing requirements.
Township officials also wanted to remind residents that the Galloway Road Sports Complex is open to the public, with the exception of a few areas.
“We are asking residents to stay off baseball fields because we have planted new grass and need it to grow,” Peters said.
