04-21-2020 EDC Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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EDC Minutes Apri121, 2020 Page 5 of 7 ----------------------------- also stated that the Governor and his team are working very hard to do it in a safe way that it is kind of like a double edged sword where if you do not open and you leave these businesses to fail there will not be anything for people to come back to but if you open too soon and people are sick then there will not be people to shop those businesses. Ms. Wassermann said they are trying to create an encouraging message and there is a petition that is being created that will be presented to Gazelka and Walz on the 24�'which will contain stories about people that are suffering and will provide safes ideas on how they can open. She informed the EDC that the Blue Ox Business Academy is still offering webinars at discounted rates of$10-$20 instead of$35-$50. If anyone has questions about resources they can go the lakesproud.com which is the new Brainerd Chamber website which they launched about a month early. Ms. Wassermann stated it is a really great resource on SBA loans, PPE and the paycheck protection programs. She stated the US Chamber is offering $5,000 grants which doesn't have to back and it is a great resource for businesses that are struggling. Ms. Wassermann stated that they are moving forward with summer events with the intention of doing some sort of edited version. She said she does not know if it will just be fireworks and a parade where people can park their cars and won't be outside crowd. She stated that they are just trying to figure out how to make it work and what can an all the different options be. She said she has done a ton of research and there are cities all over the country that are canceling all their 4th of July plans now and they just feel like it is not the right time to do it but she still has hope that Pequot be able to do something but it won't look like the normal summer events. Ms. Wassermann stated that she is having a hard time even requesting money from businesses that are struggling because that is how they have been able to do the events through sponsorships. She said she has 5 businesses that have said they would be willing to sponsor the 4�' of July events. She said that June 15th will be the day when they decide to move forward or to stop. Ms. Wassermann said the Chamber is still contacting businesses and working on promotional things. She said the Chamber is a non-profit organization and they are getting caught in the middle of all this also so their revenue streams have been severed and the only way that they have revenue coming in is from membership fees. She believes there will be changes in the next couple of months that everyone might see but they are to staying hopeful and positive. 10. BLAEDC Update No update was given. 11. Citv of Jenkins Uadate No update was given.