Jamestown Local Development Corporation meeting (April 19, 2023)
Over a half million dollars in American Rescue Plan funded grants have been approved for eight Jamestown businesses.
The Jamestown Local Development Corporation awarded $500,000 in Machinery and Equipment Upgrades funds as well as $50,000 in New Business Development funds at its monthly meeting.
Ballgame Heroes and Pearl City Cycle will each receive $25,000 under the New Business Development grant fund.
Jamestown Businesses Receiving ARP New Business Development Grant Funds
Department of Development Grant Manager Tim O’Dell said Pearl City Cycle is opening a retail store at 245 Fluvanna Avenue and will use the funds for store signage as well as painting the interior and exterior. He said Ballgame Heroes will use the funds for updating security systems, new displays inside, as well as for store programming and events.
The five businesses receiving $92,000 each in Machinery and Equipment Upgrade grant funds include:
– Colecraft Commercial Furnishings toward a $361,792 total project
– Dawson Metal Company toward a $134,900 total project
– El Greco Woodworking, Inc. toward a $143,952 total project
– International Ordnance Technologies toward a $226,600 total project
– National Wire & Metal Tech Inc. toward a $320,000 total project
Crown Street Roasting was awarded $37,500 for a $50,000 project
Jamestown Businesses Receiving ARP Machinery & Equipment Upgrades Grant Funds
O’Dell said 29 full time and three part time jobs are to be created and 163 full time and five part job positions retained through the funding.
The Machinery and Equipment Upgrades grant has a 25% match requirement for the businesses as well as job creation benchmarks that must be met or funds could be clawed back.
Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the department reached out to 18 businesses about applying for the Machinery and Equipment Upgrades grant. Included in that list was Jamestown Skate Products, which is owned by JLDC Board member Pete Scheira. Scheira did not submit an application for funding.
Jamestown Businesses Contacted About ARP Machinery and Equipment Upgrades Grant
Surdyk said, when asked why these specific businesses were contacted, said they were businesses that had made past inquiries and expressed interest in grant opportunities.
JLDC Board member and City Council member Kim Ecklund expressed concern that when the grant applications were being accepted in January, businesses had already developed their budgets for the year and might not have had the 25% capital match budgeted that’s required. She added she’d still like to see more and different businesses participate in the grant programs.
While the discussion and decision regarding the ARPA grants awarded to Jamestown Skate Products and It’s Your Day was removed from the agenda, JLDC Attorney and City Corporation Counsel Elliot Raimondo did share that the city was still waiting to hear back from the U.S. Treasury Department, “I spoke to the Congressional representative today on that issue. The Treasury Department has, for lack of a better term, bounced him from person to person to person. So, we’re still waiting on what is the status of state and local fiscal recovery fund guidance, specifically what they mean by violations of ethical rules.”
WRFA has reviewed the federal guidelines for the $28 million in ARPA funding awarded to the city in 2021 and did identify a provision that states “Recipients may not use [the money] in violation of the conflict-of-interest requirements contained in the Award Terms and Conditions, including any self-dealing or violation of ethics rules.”
We also have reached out to the Treasury Department office for clarification to see if any of the grants in question violated the “self dealing” provision found in those guidelines, but have yet to receive a response.
The JLDC also approved $5,100 in Downtown Programming funds for the Juneteenth Festival to hold a free concert event on the Wintergarden Plaza on Friday, June 16 as well as concert at Spire Theatre on Saturday, June 17. These concert events will be in addition to traditional festivities held in Jackson-Taylor Park in celebration of Juneteenth.
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