Port of Columbia County and Dayton Chamber of Commerce offer assistance to small businesses

DAYTON—Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s March 15th proclamation calling for the mandatory closure of bars, restaurants, recreational facilities and large social gatherings, is scheduled to run through March 31.

The Port of Columbia County’s Executive Director, Jennie Dickinson and the Dayton Chamber Manager, Molly Weatherill-Tate, are busy locating resources for business owners who are impacted by the closures and are making a plea to the community to shop locally.

“Many local businesses are still up and running and are doing an excellent job with extra safety precautions. Large corporations like Walmart can weather a storm like this, and don’t need your business, as much. Our small businesses cannot. Please shop local and try to keep spending money locally, if you can afford to,” Dickinson said.

Dickinson is offering these resources:

She said because the state has been declared a disaster by the federal government, businesses in Columbia County qualify for low interest loans. Applications are on-line at: SBA.gov.

The Washington State Employment Security Department is the place to apply for unemployment benefit, for sick-leave pay, and for stand by pay, and for employers to apply for shared work, or other special programs, she said.

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers spoke through video conferencing at the Port’s Economic Development Steering Committee meeting last week.

McMorris-Rodgers said part of the proposed federal aid packages will focus on economic relief, such as payroll and withholding tax relief. The goal is to keep that money available for businesses to use during the outbreak, Dickinson said.

The Blue Mountain Food Co-op will maintain regular business hours, but lunches will be take-out only at this time.

The Port and the Chamber created a promotional campaign titled "Devoted to Dayton" which lists restaurants with take-out and/or delivery, as well as hours and phone numbers for local grocery stores and pharmacies. It was mailed to homes in the Dayton area on Friday, March 20. Some information may now be out of date due to Governor Inslee's proclamation made March 23.

The Port has plans to create an online directory. Stay tuned to their wesite located at http://www.portofcolumbia.org.

Dayton is part of the Washington Main Street Program and there are resources for business owners at http://www.dahp.wa.gov, according to Dayton Chamber Manager Molly Weatherill-Tate.

Also, the Institute for Sustainable Development has a document with resources for businesses and communities at http://www.isdus.org.

Dickinson said $5 million from the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Funds will be made available through the State Dept. of Commerce for micro-grants for businesses in distress. Details are being worked out, and applications should be available this week. Certain requirements must be met, including having one to ten employees, having been in business for at least one year, and having to close because of fallout from the coronavirus.

Dickinsen said, “Both of our organizations are very concerned about our small businesses and encourage continuing to support them, if at all possible.”