COVID relief grants come through for five Rock Falls businesses

ROCK FALLS – COVID relief for five local small businesses is on the way.

The first agreement has come in for the Downstate Small Business Grants the city applied for on behalf of the businesses in May, City Administrator Robbin Blackert told council members Tuesday. The grants are to help businesses who either had to shut their doors or limit business because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The council must finalize separate grand agreements for each of the businesses.

“I do have some hope that we will be able to get that money in from the state pretty quickly after the grant agreements,” Blackert told the council. “The one we got in [Tuesday] has already been returned to them, so we can get that money in and get it to the business.”

Mayor Bill Wescott also told the council that the city had received a $146,000 Strong Communities Program Grant through the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The grant helps return vacant residential properties back to the tax rolls by rehabilitating or, if needed, demolishing them.

Council members also opened bids for three parcels of real estate Tuesday at 710 1/2 Ave. A, 614 Third Ave. and 1015 Ninth Ave., which they are referring to the Building Code Committee. All are single-family homes.

A pole attachment agreement with SurfAir Wireless. was approved as well.

The city and SurfAir agreed to a rent-to-own deal over the city’s fiber optic network in October allowing SurfAir to handle the build-out of the network to provide internet access to Rock Falls residents and businesses.