Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, left, said the emergency relief loan program for restaurants in the city will end Friday. He is seen last week on Public Square he spoke with owners who’s applications were approved, including Sal Deluca, center, and Val Sartor, right, of MVD Restaurant and Bar on Parrish Street.
                                 Times Leader file photo

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, left, said the emergency relief loan program for restaurants in the city will end Friday. He is seen last week on Public Square he spoke with owners who’s applications were approved, including Sal Deluca, center, and Val Sartor, right, of MVD Restaurant and Bar on Parrish Street.

Times Leader file photo

Brown: Other businesses might get help

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WILKES-BARRE — Local restaurant owners affected by the state-imposed restrictions in response to the coronavirus have until Friday to apply for an emergency relief loan from the city.

The deadline to submit an application for a loan funded by a dormant economic development program is 4:30 p.m. on May 15.

Mayor George Brown Monday encouraged the owners of local, non-franchised restaurants to apply for the no-interest, one-year loan, with a limit of $7,500. Program guidelines and applications are available online at www.wilkes-barre.city/restaurantemergencyreliefloanprogram.

“We want to give the restaurant owners additional time to apply for the loans,” Brown said.

After the deadline passes for restaurants, the city might look into offering the loans to other businesses, Brown added.

Since applications became available on April 24 more than $141,000 was distributed to 21 restaurants within city limits. Many of the owners picked up their checks Wednesday on Public Square where they were greeted by Brown and other members of his administration. Four more restaurant owners have been approved, but their loans have not yet been distributed, Brown said.

The city tapped into a 30-year-old Enterprise Zone Development Program created by the state. It had more than $300,000 in an account that had not been touched in 14 years. With approval from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the city crafted the relief program in an effort to keep restaurants afloat as they were forced to limit their business to take-out, delivery or drive-through as a result of the steps Gov. Tom Wolf took to control the spread of COVID-19.

An additional $518,361 is expected to be available for private businesses for COVID-19 projects through the federal Community Development Block Grant program. The city was allocated $915,761 and last week city council approved a budget detailing how the funds will be spent that’s under review by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.