Hal Cohen, executive director of Central Vermont Community Action Council, speaking in Waterbury on Monday. VTD/Josh Larkin
A mechanic is useless without tools, and no one knows that better right now than Albert Caron. Caron lost most of his equipment in the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene that swamped Waterbury on Aug. 28. Though his shop – Waterbury Service Center — is still standing, he can’t stay in business without the thousands of dollars worth of specialized tools he uses to ply his trade.
What Caron needs more than anything before winter sets in is a tire machine, but he doesn’t have $5,000 on hand to buy one, and he worries about repaying “loans on top of loans.”
“How much can a business handle before it can’t pay it back?” Caron asked.
Cash assistance may be on the way for Caron and the many businesses like his that suffered a mortal economic blow from Irene. A group of concerned businesses has formed a fund that will provide grants to small businesses that suffered flood damage to facilities, goods, equipment and vehicles.
Business leaders converged on Caron’s garage lot in downtown Waterbury to announce the launch of the VT Irene Flood Relief Fund, a grant program for victims of the tropical storm on Monday. The fund, which is being administered by the Central Vermont Community Action Council, offers as much as $5,000 to small businesses. So far, 225 individuals have contributed $105,000 to the fund. About 25 businesses have applied for grants.
Todd Bailey, an associate at KSE Partners, a Montpelier-based lobbying firm, founded the group on Sept. 1. He hopes to raise $250,000 in donations and 20 fund-raising events around the state. Early support for the fund shows how much Vermonters care about the hundreds of independent companies that were afflicted by damage from Irene, Bailey said, and they understand that “Vermont’s small businesses are the lifeblood of our cities, towns and villages.”
In Waterbury alone, about 65 businesses were affected by flooding. Many businesses in central and southern Vermont have had to stop operations and lay off employees in the aftermath of Irene.
“When this flood happened, there were a lot of individual relief (programs) set up for residential loss, but not many set up for small businesses,” Bailey said.
The VT Irene Flood Relief Fund is set up to provide grants to any business in the state that was damaged by the tropical storm. Donors can designate gifts for specific areas. One contributor, for example, gave the fund $50,000 for small businesses in the Woodstock/Quechee area.
The community action council is providing free administrative services for the VT Irene Flood Relief Fund. Hal Cohen, executive director of the council, said the more donations the fund receives, “the more money we can deploy.”
Andrew Brewer, owner of Onion River Sports and one of the directors of the fund, said even when money is available, too often businessowners are afraid to ask for help. “Business owners are proud, but if they don’t ask, we don’t know where the need is,” Brewer said.
For more information about how to make a donation or to download a grant application go to www.vtirenefund.org or call 802-552-3449.
Full disclosure: KSE Partners, Capitol Connections and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, three entities that are helping to sponsor the fund, have provided underwriting support for VTDigger.org.
