City Offers Grants to Park Avenue Retailers Who Remain During Street Construction

The ongoing construction work on Park Avenue in downtown Lake Wales has had serious financial impacts on many businesses along the three-block stretch, but new assistance is being provided by the City of Lake Wales to help them survive the challenges.

Robert Connors

The disruption of closed streets and traffic barricades has created obstacles for retailers in downtown Lake Wales. The new grant program is expected to ease the pain for business owners.

Restaurants, salons, and retail establishments dependent upon foot traffic are eligible to receive individual business-retention grants of $5,000 to help offset the disruptions they have faced. The Lake Wales city commission approved the expenditure of $75,000 to from general fund reserves to fund the one-time grants.

"Is that going to recoup all the money I've lost over the past year?" asked G's Collectibles owner Gordon Broadhead rhetorically. "Not even close," he said, in answer to his own question. "It's going to help," he said.

"As a sole proprietor it's easier for me to accept the losses. I couldn't imagine what it would be like for these business where you've got staff, like a restaurant with cooks and waiters and dish-washers to pay," Broadhead added.

Each eligible business will be required to complete an application and acknowledge specific limitations on the expenditure of the funds, which can be used for the normal operational costs, but cannot be used for extraneous items like entertainment, travel, furnishings, gifts, or IT equipment, among others.

Eligible items include rent, insurance, mortgage payments, utility bills, payroll, and merchandise vendors.

To receive the funds, each business must provide copies of their lease or mortgage agreement, along with the paid invoices, cancelled checks, or credit card statements being addressed.

Robert Connors

The completed product of the Park Avenue reconstruction will feature new, wider sidewalks and lush landscaping. The project is expected to spur the financial recovery of the long-declining area.

The "stay grants" were pitched to commissioners as an investment to retain the existing retail businesses while the ongoing work is completed. The improvements are intended to create a more attractive retail environment that will help to draw new retailers and customers to the beautified, pedestrian-friendly streets.

The reconstruction is part of the Lake Wales Connected plan, a community-developed plan that included reimagining the historic retails districts of the city. The public investment has already attracted a significant amount of private investment as well, helping to raise property values in the area. Multiple buildings in the downtown area are now being renovated, with most of the work intended to return the structures to their historic appearance.