Red Bank RiverCenter Receives $85,000 COVID-19 Relief Grant

RED BANK, NJ - The Red Bank RiverCenter, alongside 10 other main street alliances, will receive thousands of dollars in state COVID-19 relief grants to aid in pandemic recovery.

The Red Bank RiverCenter was granted with $85,000 from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) on Tuesday as part of $1.6 million distributed to downtown areas across the state. The grant funding will be used for a variety of initiatives including training in marketing/branding and e-commerce, delivery services, website upgrades, and ambassador programs, sanitizers and outdoor dining equipment, among others.

All of the programs funded are aimed at encouraging consumers to shop small businesses and frequent local restaurants.

“Governor Murphy and I recognize that main streets, which are so critical to the economic and social health of our communities, have been hit incredibly hard by the pandemic,” Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who also serves as DCA Commissioner, said in a statement.

“We want to help these businesses get through the year financially so that they can survive through the winter season and beyond until life returns closer to normal. The Main Street New Jersey COVID-19 Relief Grants will provide downtown business districts with the funding they need to successfully transition to a post-COVID reality more focused on people’s health and safety.”

Many of the awarded District Management Organizations (DMOs) are using the relief grants for programs such as outdoor amphitheaters, socially-distanced community spaces and art installations featuring local artists.

According to a news release, the Red Bank RiverCenter will be using its funding to provide financial support to businesses for COVID-related equipment and signage, build or expand street dining, purchase hand sanitizing stations, add trash receptacles and purchase supplies for its Date Night-In initiative.

Other eligible uses for the Main Street New Jersey COVID-19 Relief Program funding include:

• Cleaning products, sanitizers, personal protection equipment, and other safety equipment
• Expenses related to training and to implement necessary and required protocols to continue business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Costs for space and technology upgrades to reopen and conduct business safely, including furniture, barriers, cement planters for parklets, outdoor heaters, and technology such as laptops, software, and touch-free credit card payment systems to accommodate social distancing
• Classes and/or technical assistance, including, but not limited to modifying business models and training for long-term sustainability planning. This includes software platforms to initiate digital marketplaces for businesses; education courses for retailers and restaurateurs to pivot in a COVID-19 environment; and classes to help set up e-commerce website upgrades
• Amendments to code to permit dining, sales, and consumption in areas not otherwise permitted
• Payment of rent or fees for the use of vacant or publicly owned space for dining, sales, or outdoor programming

For more information about the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, click here.