by Bailey White
Staff Writer
The Springfield Preservation Revitalization Council, Inc. and business owners in the Springfield area are urging the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and City Council to speed the process of reallocating funds into what has proved to be a successful program for local businesses.
The Facade Renovation Grant Program has made it possible for small business owners to receive financial assistance for facade work, but a lack of funding has put a halt on the distribution of further financial aid.
“I started my business here because I thought I’d be able to receive funds from the JEDC,” said Tim Jenkins, owner of MainStreet WaterGardens, who applied for the funds last fall and plans to use the money for a fence. “I’m beginning to feel desperate because without their help I might have to close.”
The program is one of four funded by the JEDC’s Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund to help promote business. The facade program was established to provide commercial or retail facade renovation for existing businesses in the area.
The guidelines make allowances for facade work and repair, signage and landscaping or streetscaping which includes fencing, and offers up to $10,000 per applicant as long as the business owner can contribute a portion of his or her own money.
Jenkins said his business, a total landscaping firm which specializes in water gardens, is not operating at full capacity because he lacks a fence to keep his inventory safe. He wants to set up fountains, palm trees, and indigenous plants at his property at Sixth and Main streets, but can’t move forward with his plans until he is able to build a fence.
“I can’t accomplish what I set out to do without this fence,” he said.
According to Roslyn Phillips, director of the Business Development Division of the JEDC, the plan has been set in motion.
“We’re going to request that the JEDC allow us to introduce legislation for City Council’s consideration to reallocate funding for the project,” said Phillips, adding this will take place at JEDC’s Feb. 20 meeting.
Phillips said they’ll request an additional $500,000, which will be able to fund a minimum of 50 projects.
Part of the reason Jenkins is having a hard time securing funds is because the early success of the program has depleted the budget.
“The program has had a tremendous amount of success,” said Phillips. “The impact on the improvement of the business has definitely been felt.”
According to JEDC, of the applications submitted from businesses on Main Street, six have been completed, eight are under construction and 10 will be approved when additional funding is available.
Of the four programs, the facade program received the least money in its initial budget. Twenty-five million was provided to the programs through the Better Jacksonville Plan, and while the other three programs each received $8 million, the facade program started with only $1 million. Phillips said because each applicant can be awarded a maximum of $10,000, they started with an initial goal of helping 100 businesses.
“The program is very pleasing,” said SPAR Council executive director Pam Edwards-Roine. “Everyone who has participated in it has had nothing but praise for it. We simply hope to speed up the process as soon as possible.”
Once the proposal has been presented to the JEDC, it should only be about another eight weeks before funding is available.
“We can certainly show that our program has had success,” said Phillips. “We’re confident that they’ll work with us to ensure we can continue with it.”