Woodland Park Business Aid Fund relieves some of the fiscal burden of COVID | Pikes Peak Courier

For Teller County Habitat for Humanity, obtaining a $15,000 grant from the Woodland Park Small business Reduction System was a dazzling place in the time of COVID-19.

Habitat for Humanity is just one of dozens of corporations, nonprofit companies and people who obtained grants by way of the Woodland Park Business Aid Fund.

“The resources retained us secure and we were being equipped to start off going dust on our Trailhead Townhomes,” stated Keith Meier, Teller Habitat’s govt director.

The project is an 18-device community develop of 2-3 bedroom duplexes on Valley Look at Street in Woodland Park. The houses are built for the city’s workforce, firefighters, academics and law enforcement officers, for occasion, 65% of whom commute to the metropolis.

“The money helped to get us through this time period,” Meier reported.

As effectively, with the aid funds, Habitat was ready to retain the services of Mindy Adleff as a component-time volunteer coordinator. “The money came at the perfect time,” Meier reported. “I enjoy what the city did for us.”

Immediately after several decades of doing business enterprise in business office on Valley View Street, the Habitat place of work is transferring to the old Brazenhead constructing on U.S. 24.

A outcome of the Coronavirus Relief Fund initiated in May well by Gov. Jared Polis, the Woodland Park Reduction Program resources are dispersed to the town via the Department of Local Affairs.

At CNL nail salon in Woodland Park, owned by Kevin Ntuyen, received a $5,000 grant from the fund. “I utilized the revenue to aid spend the rent, which is $4,000 a month,” he stated.

Closed for about six months due to the pandemic, starting at the center of March, CNL is currently restricted to just 25% of the shop’s ability, which is 3 or four shoppers at a time. “Business in slow,” Ntuyen mentioned. “But we are staying open.”

At My Sweet Escape bakery in Gold Hill Sq. North, Renee Taylor uncovered a lifeline with the aid fund. Closed for seven months immediately after the original shutdown purchase in March, Taylor didn’t have substantially hope for the long run of the bakery.

“The charges did not prevent, the rent does not cease … the electrical energy, the mobile phone,” Taylor said. “We even obtained charged for snow elimination.”

In May perhaps, Taylor re-opened the bakery, doing work 12 several hours a day, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., featuring curbside services. “On the fourth day, business enterprise started off booming,” she explained.

With bakery items and hamburgers, Taylor credits the variety of her menu for retaining shoppers coming.

But then she read about the relief fund. “I did not consider I’d qualify but I stuffed out the paperwork and lo and behold! I did high-quality,” she stated. “I was stunned.”

The resources she acquired — $15,000 — have saved the bakery afloat. “With the coronavirus — and the fact that we survive by what we make in the summertime, that revenue from the metropolis is going to have me by way of the winter,” she said.

By the stop of this month, the city predicted allocating $300,000 for tiny companies, $100,000 for nearby nonprofit companies and $100,000 for the resident method.

Brittany Meyers is taking care of the system, which concludes at the end of December.