City pursuing saving restaurants
By Terry Murry on Thursday, January 14th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Economic Development Director Steve Chrisman and Chamber of Commerce CEO Cheri Rosenberg have proposed to the Pendleton Development Commission that it offer urban renewal funds to help safe restaurants threatened with going out of business due to COVID-19 closures.
City Manager Robb Corbett said that funding can only be used within the urban renewal district, so it would leave out several restaurants that the city council also wants to help if it can. Corbett said the big question is just how much money is needed.
“What they need to be able to continue at least keep the doors open, the rent paid, the utility bills paid until the state allows restaurants to reopen,” he said.
The chamber has agreed to meet with the restaurant owners to determine what their basic needs are. He added that there is the possibility that the eating establishments outside of the URD could obtain funding from the community development fund.
“That’s money that we received from the sale of the Keystone RV building,” he said. “It’s going to depend entirely upon how much this is going to cost.”
Corbett said the council is ready to hear the answer to that question as soon as it’s ascertained, but given how important the restaurants are to Pendleton tourism, he believes they’d meet whenever the report is ready.
