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Candidates propose grants, fee relief and promotion to help downtown businesses during renovation
Summary
Candidates at the forum described downtown revitalization as a long‑term benefit but acknowledged short‑term pain for small businesses, proposing relief such as fee waivers, grant help and coordinated promotion to offset lost sales.
Several candidates at the OPEC forum acknowledged downtown construction and revitalization will likely benefit Havre de Grace in the long term while imposing short‑term losses on small businesses. They offered a range of responses: suspend certain fees, improve grant support and increase tourist promotion.
"There are certain avenues, that they can go to, much like they did with COVID," Johnny Boker said, noting the city’s economic development and Main Street programs can help businesses access assistance. Boker said engineering and traffic changes (including reconfiguring Congress Avenue) are still planned to increase parking and access.
Scott Karg urged better coordination of local grants and suggested the city provide template proposals or city grant‑writing assistance so multiple downtown businesses can apply efficiently. "I think that we could as city council use the city grant writers that we have access to to help develop a ... cookie cutter grant proposal that every business in downtown could use," he said.
Matthew Ellis and others stressed promotion and events. Candidates proposed expanding the hours and promotion of the city tide shuttle, encouraging residents to patronize downtown, and using the Star Center, opera house and festivals to attract visitors who then spend in restaurants and shops.
Options for short‑term relief included suspending permit or sidewalk fees for a defined period, meeting with downtown merchants to identify urgent needs and seeking state and federal grants. No candidate proposed direct cash compensation from the city at the forum.
Several candidates emphasized communication: convene merchants, identify the most effective relief measures and publicize the city’s long‑term plan so residents and potential visitors understand the expected benefits.
