ALL ABOUT DSA’S NEW, ARPA-FUNDED PROGRAMS!

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By Courtney Wood

The Downtown Stockton Alliance has four new ARPA-funded programs to benefit Downtown Stockton businesses and property owners. In the last year, DSA staff have received over $2M in American Rescue Plan Act funding for projects and programs to benefit our Downtown stakeholders.
Learn more about these programs below!

DOWNTOWN BUSINESS FAÇADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

Does your Downtown building or business exterior need a subtle glow-up, or maybe a full-on facelift? Our Business Façade Improvement Program, funded through City of Stockton ARPA money, has no-strings-attached cash for those makeovers. This program offers up to $25,000 of improvements per building for:

  • New Awnings
  • New Paint
  • Window & Door Replacement
  • Outdoor Dining Enclosures
  • Façade Repairs of Stucco/Tile/Brick
  • Other Street-facing, Façade Improvements

To be eligible, your business or property must be located in Downtown Stockton, have an up-to-date business license, have no active code violations, and not be a publicly traded company. For a step-by-step guide on how to apply, click here. Let this program give your downtown space a youthful glow!

We have funding available to repair and update Downtown building facades!

DOWNTOWN ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT PROGRAM

Are you a Downtown business owner who has always been curious about joining a chamber of commerce, but hesitated due to the fees? Or a long-standing chamber member who would jump at the opportunity to have someone cover this year’s dues for you? Or maybe there’s a Quickbooks class you’ve been eyeing that would help you up your business’s bookkeeping methods, but felt that investing in that course would take away funding from another important aspect of your business? Well, the DSA has the answer to your prayers this year!

February’s Talk to Downtown featured representatives from local chambers!

Our San Joaquin County ARPA-funded Downtown Stockton Entrepreneur Support Program offers to reimburse Downtown business owners for up to $1,000 per business for EITHER a chamber membership at any of the local chambers, such as the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, the African American Chamber of SJC, the SJC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, or the Central Valley Asian-American Chamber of Commerce; OR a business development workshop, class, or course that would help you improve your business or train your staff! To learn more about the benefits of joining our local chambers, check out February’s Talk to Downtown.

We can reimburse you for memberships or workshops occurring from December 2022 onward through the submission of this form. Let the DSA help you network, up-skill yourself or your staff, and grow your business into the best it can be in 2023.          

DOWNTOWN STOCKTON WINDOW REPAIR REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM

Have you recently had a window broken at your Downtown business, and struggled to find the funds to repair it? You already have enough to worry about as a small business owner. Our new SJC ARPA-funded Downtown Stockton Window Repair Reimbursement Program can help! Through this program, we can reimburse Downtown business owners for up to $800 per window for window repairs. All you need to do is fill out this form, which asks you to upload the window repair invoice and your proof of payment, and the DSA will send your reimbursement check to you within 10 days!

DOWNTOWN STOCKTON WINDOW WRAP PROGRAM

Does your downtown business or building have empty windows or faded window wraps that are screaming to be updated with colorful artwork or customized branding? Let our SJC ARPA-funded Downtown Stockton Window Wrap Program brighten up your space and attract clients to your business. Through this program, the DSA will pay for up to $2,500 of window wrapping per business. Just submit this form to apply – the DSA can help you with a customized design OR use artwork you already have. Once you’ve approved the design, we work with the installer and pay them directly. It’s that easy to completely upgrade the look of your business!

Check out one of our Window Wrap Program beneficiaries, Alex Floral!

APPLY NOW!

These four programs are all running on a first-come, first-served basis while funding lasts; as of the writing of this article, we still have approximately $44,000 remaining in the Entrepreneur Support Program, $47,000 left in the Window Repair Reimbursement Fund, $47,000 to spend in the Window Wrap Program, and 40 spots left in the Business Façade Improvement Program. Click here to learn more or to apply today, contact [email protected] with any questions, and please share this article with every Downtown Stockton business owner or property owner you know.

Staff here at the DSA are thrilled to be able to offer these one-time programs to our stakeholders, who we know have waded upstream through adversities in the past few years. We hope for this funding to provide support, improvements, enhancements, and momentum which will propel Downtown Stockton toward a steady river of success.

P.S.

In addition to the programs mentioned in this article, we still have funding for the digital media promotion of Downtown Stockton events and job listings through COS ARPA money; if you are hosting an event or have job openings at your Downtown location, send them our way by emailing [email protected]!

You Don’t Have to Wear A Cape To Protect Others, Just Wear A Mask

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Today, there are over 400,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in California, and 8,000 confirmed cases in San Joaquin County alone. As scientists and medical professionals work to develop a vaccine to combat the virus, local and state governments are encouraging and implementing safety guidelines in efforts to slow the spread of the highly infectious disease. The guidelines include social distancing, limiting gatherings to small groups, and wearing face masks or face coverings in public settings.

Why Should We Wear Face Masks?

Before 2020, we weren’t used to seeing people outside of the medical community regularly wearing masks. Today, face masks are common and oftentimes even required to enter indoor public spaces.

Some may question the effectiveness of face masks in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Dr. Maggie Park, MD, the Public Health Officer for San Joaquin County Public Health Services, addresses these concerns. She states, “I do believe the science at this point supports the use of facial coverings, and that even cloth facial coverings can be effective if worn by a majority of people in the community.” She recommends that, “people wear facial coverings or masks if they have them whenever they are out and about and they’re going to be within 6 feet of other people.”

Do Face Masks Help Us or the People Around Us?

COVID-19 is highly infectious and spreads from person to person though exposure to respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or even talking. Wearing a face covering can block these droplets from entering your nose and mouth. In fact, several case reports suggest that masks can prevent transmission of the virus in high-risk situations. For instance, a man on a flight with a dry cough later tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, none of the 25 people closest to him on the flight tested positive because he wore a mask during the flight.

There is also enough evidence to suggest that wearing a mask can protect the wearer from contracting COVID-19.  This is because masks can prevent larger droplets from evaporating into smaller droplets that can travel farther, essentially serving as “source control.” In summary, face masks and face coverings are beneficial both to the people wearing them and the people around them.

Whether they’re blue, green, patterned, or fashioned out of an old scarf, it’s important that we remember to stay safe and mask up when visiting public spaces. Living through a pandemic can be tough, but we’re all in this together.

A sign outside of the Casa Flores Restaurant in Downtown Stockton.

Visit Stockton’s Stockton Healthy Pledge

The Stockton Healthy Pledge is a pledge that local businesses can take to show their commitment in doing everything in their power to provide and maintain clean and healthy conditions for their employees and visitors. Taking the Stockton Healthy Pledge means the business pledges to:

  • Abide by all orders and directives issued by governmental and public health officials
  • Enhance employee protocols including increased regular education, hand washing, sanitation efforts and social distancing
  • Clean and disinfect high-tough surfaces frequently, per CDC and Local Health Officials
  • Require and/or encourage the use of face coverings by staff and customers
  • Reduce occupancy in common spaces to ensure compliance with CDC and State social distancing guidelines
  • Encourage customer hand sanitizing and hand-washing, as available

Take the Stockton Healthy Pledge here.