Wolf, Centre County leaders urge PA legislators to send COVID relief funds to small businesses
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and several Centre County elected officials gathered Wednesday in State College to call on the General Assembly to spend the state’s uncommitted American Rescue Plan Act funds on small businesses.
In February, Wolf announced a $1.7 billion plan to help Pennsylvania continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic with support through many industries by using American Rescue Plan Act funds. As part of that, he proposed using $225 million for small business support to help approximately 11,000 additional businesses through grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. The program would prioritize women- and minority-owned businesses, and rural communities.
“(Small businesses) drive economic growth in places like State College, all across the economy. They support local jobs. They give all of us the opportunity to spend money right here in our community,” Wolf said Wednesday.
He said he started the statewide Small Business Assistance Program earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic to help small businesses survive during tough times — but we’re still in tough times.
“It is hard for Pennsylvanians to make ends meet right now. But thankfully our General Assembly does actually have money. And I’m not talking here about the rainy day fund, … I’m not talking about the budget. This is money separate and apart from all of it. It’s just sitting there; over $2 billion,” Wolf said.
The COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance Program previously helped 29 businesses in the downtown State College area, Lee Anne Jeffries, executive director of the Downtown State College Improvement District, said. The DSCID is “encouraged” by the governor’s proposal to recapitalize the Small Business Assistance Program, she said.
One of those businesses is The Nittany Quill, where the press conference took place. Joy Rodgers-Mernin has owned and operated the stationery store on Fraser Street for 38 years.
“It certainly has been a challenging couple of years and that grant was absolutely a lifeline,” Rodgers-Mernin said. Without it, The Nittany Quill, and many other small businesses, would have been forced to permanently close, Jeffries said.
Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, said small businesses like The Nittany Quill and owners like Rodgers-Mernin are the backbone of the community.
“When you look at businesses today, you don’t get this type of environment from a big box store. This is where you walk in and people like Joy are there to help you. She does her own artwork. She does her own books, she does everything. And to have her here is one of the most important things that makes this community what it is,” Conklin said.
Conklin urged the General Assembly to get the rest of the money out to Pennsylvanians and said local leaders, like the county commissioners and mayors, would continue to work as a team to drive the money into the community.
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes said every business downtown has had to adapt and make significant changes throughout the pandemic. The businesses that survived, he said, have to reckon with increased costs, staffing shortages and lost revenue.
“In many cases … full recovery is not yet assured and the continuity of these businesses may depend on the availability of grants to fill holes in their balance sheets, or to hire and train or even retrain staff, … until the sales and operations can be stabilized,” Nanes said.
Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe said supporting small businesses helps everyone in the community.
“We know that downtowns are vibrant. They’re creative, they’re innovative, they’re so exciting to be a part of,” Pipe said. “... Small businesses are where dreams are realized. Buyers are kindled. Supporting small businesses equals supporting our community. So you have to ask, if folks who are not willing to bring this to a vote and invest in them, where do they stand on small businesses?”
If the ARPA money isn’t appropriated by 2024, it goes back to Washington, D.C., Wolf said.
“There’s no excuse for not doing something with that money and there’s really, in our minds, no excuse for not doing something with that money right now. This is when it’s needed. We can’t wait on that,” Wolf said.
