By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer

(Feb. 25, 2021) Berlin’s Main Street Community has been awarded $194,113 in emergency relief to support small businesses and other economic recovery efforts.

Ivy Wells

“We were pleasantly surprised because we’re a small town,” said Ivy Wells, the Berlin’s economic and community development director. “We were very happy with what we received and thank Gov. Hogan and the Maryland Main Street Program for allocating this funding for us to be able to help our small businesses.”

Wells said she applied for the funding in November.

“They only gave us three days to write the application, and we literally had to write a grant within a grant because we had to write the grant to [the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development] DHCD and the Maryland Main Street Program for the grant that we would offer our businesses,” she said. “So, we had to write the grant we would offer our businesses and then include that with the grant to get the money to be able to offer the businesses.”

Gov. Larry Hogan announced the $7 million in awards for 41 Main Street programs across the state on Tuesday. Also among the recipients was the Ocean City Development Corporation, which received $138,652.

“The pandemic has hit our small businesses particularly hard,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Kenneth C. Holt. “The state and Baltimore City Main Street programs have a crucial role to play in supporting those businesses, and this funding will allow them to provide grants to their local businesses that will ultimately restore the vitality of their commercial districts and impact Maryland’s economic recovery.”

Berlin has close to 75 small businesses that could be eligible for the grant awards.

The covid-19 grant awards are available to businesses and commercial property owners only. All downtown/Main Street designated business and property owners will be reviewed first. Businesses located outside of the designated Main Street district will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, Wells said.

Grant awards will vary with a minimum grant award of $2,500 and a maximum grant award of $10,000.

It is a one-time covid-19 grant award with no repayment required.

Both property owners and business owners may apply for awards for the same property address.

According to berlinmainstreet.com, eligible grant uses focus on building improvements to help businesses reach more customers, to improve health-safety circumstances, and to pay off certain kinds of debt.

In addition, if businesses and commercial property owners are not in good standing with the town of Berlin, Worcester County or the state of Maryland, they must apply for funds to clear their debt. Debts includes outstanding bills for town of Berlin utilities such as water, sewer and electric.

All grant applications are due by March 19 at 5 p.m.

To apply for a covid-19 grant, visit https://berlinmainstreet.com/grant/

“[Grant applications] are going to be reviewed by members of the Maryland Main Street Community as well as town staff,” Wells said.

Last year, the impact of the local efforts of the state’s 33 designated Main Street Maryland communities resulted in 180 businesses expanding or opening, 665 new jobs and 130 private and public investments totaling over $80 million.