The Aberdeen City Council voted unanimously to help the city’s downtown businesses improve themselves in two ways, which made for a happy Wil Russoul, director of the Downtown Aberdeen Association (DAA).

The council approved use of $10,000 in order to help downtown businesses improve the exterior of their shops, bars and restaurants with $500 “placemaking” and “security” micro grants.

Russoul said the businesses should choose what they need help with most and apply for that grant. With only $10,000 to go around — divided by $500, it makes 20 businesses who could be helped — it means there isn’t enough to help every downtown business, much less help every establishment with the placemaking and security grant. It’s a reimbursement that requires an agreement between DAA and the businesses. And Russoul won’t be deciding who gets the grants. That’ll go to an “evaluation team,” according to 98520.org, the website where business owners can learn more and download an application.

What do micro grants cover?

The placemaking grants are so businesses can add items such as lighting, special pots and plants, painting, some awnings, speakers and more. The security grants are for items such as cameras and other items they might need to help protect their business.

“We know some businesses that have had issues with security,” Russoul said. “And so it’s kind of like, ‘Hey, let’s support that too.’”

Russoul talked about where he got the idea for the project.

“Micro grants are something that Olympia did,” Russoul said. “I went and looked at their program and they’ve done it for a little bit of time now. They’ve been able to help, over three years, maybe 20-25 businesses. What I really loved about it was it was just investing a little bit of money into a business to make them more presentable on the street for people walking by. In turn, it really brightened up a few of the neighborhoods that were struggling.”

Russoul brought the idea to Aberdeen and “morphed it” so it “makes more sense for Aberdeen.”

“The hope that we have is that we are, like it or not, we’re kind of a tourist town,” Russoul said of the town with the purple sign that says “Gateway to the Olympics.” “We’ve got a lot of people driving through. And if we can come up with things for our businesses, some have done a fantastic job and others just need some help and want to be able to add whatever it is.”

Russoul said this “pilot project” — developed through a “couple months” — was a combination from DAA and the city of Aberdeen. He’s glad the city council sees the value in the project.

“It was just wonderful, last night city council was 100% behind us and so they voted it into existence,” Russoul said. “We’ll get our first amount of money to be able to administer that right out to businesses. The Downtown Aberdeen Association is not taking any admin (costs), none of the money’s coming to us, it’s just going through us. What I think is exciting is it’s kind of a, a little bit of the city council and the city investing in businesses in our businesses. Some of our businesses have been doing well, while others have had a little struggle. It’s just a good little pump into their businesses.”

Russoul hopes to get the help for the businesses before the peak of summer traffic, around the Fourth of July.

“I would love someone to say to a business, the council, the city, or even to me or our agency ‘Things are looking better downtown,’” Russoul said. “We always hear a lot of other things. Not everybody has negative things to say, but there are a few.”

Russoul said he and a few city council members “all wish” there was more money for this project.

“We all wish we could do this for all the businesses in Aberdeen, not (just) the ones in our business improvement district, which is our main street program. That’s about 32 blocks of businesses” Russoul said. “I’ve worked with businesses on the west side of Aberdeen and they’re doing everything they can to survive and do wonderful things and they need this just as much as the downtown businesses. But we are chartered for downtown, so this right now is going to be for our downtown businesses.”

Russoul would like to do more. He’d like to help every Aberdeen business.

“Down the road, if we have the bandwidth, if we have the resources, maybe this could expand,” Russoul said. “I don’t want to promise that. That’s just my heart.”

Russoul, and others in town, just want to see Aberdeen grow.

Council views

“I think everybody’s probably supportive of it,” said Kacey Ann Morrison, council president.

Morrison provided some of her own thoughts on the micro grants helping the downtown businesses and what she’d like to see for businesses outside of the downtown core.

“I’m glad to see it and I’m glad to support it,” Morrison said. “But we also have so many other vibrant businesses all throughout our city. It’d be nice if we could inject some kind of funding somewhere for those businesses in the future.”

Sydney Newbill, city councilor for Ward 6, made sure to clarify this is for any downtown business to improve their storefront.

Aberdeen Mayor Doug Orr added downtown businesses can also apply for the Good Neighbors Revolving Loan Fund. The fund, a seven-member committee appointed by the mayor, was “established for the purpose of making loans to private property and business owners to make exterior improvements to commercial buildings and property in the downtown, south side, west side, and East Aberdeen districts.”

While Russoul would love to have this project help outside of the 32 blocks that make up Aberdeen’s Downtown Parking and Business Improvement District, this is a starting point. The expansive district goes north to south from 1st Street to the Chehalis River Bridge, and then east to west from North D Street to L Street.

“I support you too …” Russoul said. “If we want to talk about expanding it, I’m open to it.”

Morrison provided the last comments of the night.

“I totally recognize this is for those downtown businesses, and you guys at DAA do good work,” Morrison said. “I guess I’m just kind of putting the onus on the city to maybe help with the other businesses. Keep doing what you’re doing. I think this is a really good start.”

To learn more about the micro grants, and to download the micro grant application, business owners should log-on to: https://www.98520.org/micro-grants

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.