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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2020)
6A | DECEMBER 24, 2020 Letter from A1 their voices,” said Neigh. “They’ve done the best they can to reconfig- ure their entire business model without support to meet mandated changes. They’ve got rent, utili- ties, employees, and other overhead. They cannot wait any longer, and it’s the holidays.” Quick-Warner said it was the chamber presi- dents’ hope that the leg- islature and the governor will recognize the dire impacts and provide the support needed for busi- nesses bridge the finan- cial gap. “They’ve ordered these shutdowns, freezes and other restrictions. Now it’s time to offer first aid to stop the bleed-out and prevent the eventu- al death of thousands of businesses,” Quick-War- ner said. The letter to Gov. Kate Brown and legislators ex- plained that small busi- nesses such as restau- rants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, fitness centers and others have had to bear the brunt of decisions that have “fully and indefinitely restricted their ability to operate” and that communities are seeing only the beginning of a dominoes-like fall as a number of local estab- lishments — and some of the county’s most iconic establishments — close permanently. Chamber presidents said they feel the state should be including the economic impacts on lo- cal businesses in its calcu- lus and offer substantive financial relief in return to offset losses already suffered by statewide re- strictions. Mikkelson noted that as businesses | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL close, the tax base also shrinks. “Our businesses have been extremely responsi- ble and have dutifully fol- lowed the state’s Covid-19 guidance,” said Hannigan. “They have successfully created some of the of the safest and most sanitary places for customers and employees to be. They should be open.” With the return of re- strictions last month due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, some Cottage Grove businesses such as Jack Sprats and Big Stuff Barbecue have opted to shut their doors for the time being as adhering to strictly take-out and delivery models prevents many from making ends meet. Meanwhile, fitness cen- ters have been prohibited from opening all together under Lane County’s “Ex- treme Risk” category. In an interview with The Sentinel, Neigh said a lack of data surrounding these establishments’ risk levels makes it hard to justify the strict measures taken. “I guess it would be dif- ferent if someone could provide us with the data behind it … to prove the infections are coming from these places,” she said. As a city which relies to a significant degree on tourism, the restrictions are having a palpable impact on the business community and thus the amount of money stream- ing into the area in gener- al. “We do get a lot of tour- ism dollars that come in from people staying here and I do know those numbers have dwindled,” said Neigh. Suspecting that signif- icant help may not arrive THE BOOKMINE BOOKS & MORE • Flowers • Plants • Euphoria Chocolate • Handmade Cards & Gifts swiftly from the federal or state governments, Neigh feels stores need be given the space to open up more while conducting busi- ness in a safe manner. “In my opinion, we need to start healing ourselves because I don’t think we’re going to get the funding to bring us back,” she said. “And by the time we do, those businesses may be closed.” In the letter to the gov- ernor, the chamber group pointed out that a recent Census Bureau polling illustrated that, even pri- or to the Thanksgiving “Freeze” order, nearly 43 percent of small business- es in Oregon saw a drop in revenue in November. In addition, nearly 25 percent of those busi- nesses expect they will need additional financial assistance in the months ahead in order to recover from lost revenue. In November, small businesses throughout the state reduced staffing and employment by just over 16 percent while 29.9 percent of Oregonians expect to lose their jobs in January — with un- employment benefits for some 67,800 Oregonians set to expire the day after Christmas on Dec. 26. “The state’s remedies are anemic. There is little assurance for a small busi- ness owner with dropping revenues, depleting re- serves and waning con- fidence. They need to be heard and they need to be served,” said Mik- kelsen, who pointed out that the distribution of $20 million in small busi- ness grants last month by Business Oregon ran out in just 15 minutes due to oversubscription. “Similarly, the $55 mil- lion offered by Governor Brown is inadequate to match the current devas- tation in the local busi- ness community as ev- ident by the 1,600 Lane County small businesses that have applied for a morsel of the $3.6 million given to Lane County for distribution,” Mikkelson warned. “We recognize that our elected represen- tatives are being asked to balance competing forces carrying immeasurable impact on people’s lives, livelihoods, safety and se- curity.” In the letter, cham- ber presidents requested five specific actions from Brown and the legislature: 1) Provide a path for the safe reopening of all Oregon businesses who can comply and operate under recently released OR-OSHA Temporary COVID-19 Rules and Regulations 2) Provide for sub- stantial remedies to lo- cal small businesses that have, through no fault of their own, been forced to shut down, leaving em- ployees out of work, and 15% OFF Any service with coupon Schedule your appointment Today! 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In closing, the letter stated, “We look to you for leadership and ask that these concerns be addressed with expedient and substantive measures in an effort to prevent an economic meltdown for the state’s largest employ- er group — small busi- ness.” harming our local social and economic well-being 3) Dedicate $75 million of state dollars toward a Hospitality Relief fund dedicated to helping our state’s restaurants and hospitality businesses re- cover 4) Commit to a morato- rium on new or increased taxes and fees at the state and local level. 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