Gov. Tony Evers today announced that COVID-19 Lodging Grantshave been awarded to 663 Wisconsin lodging operators. The grants aim to provide stabilization to our state’s lodging industry as it continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and related reductions in travel across the nation.Grantees were awarded an average of approximately $350 per eligible room in Wisconsin. “The folks in our hotel and lodging industry have been hithard by the COVID-19 pandemic as folks have reduced their travel this year to help stop the spread of the virus,” said Gov. Evers.“The tourism industry will be core to our state's economic bounce back, and these funds will help provide some economic stabilization now so visitors to enjoy their favorite destinations later.” In 2019, visitors to the state spent $3.7 billion on lodging but recent surveys by the Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association indicate that nearly half of Wisconsin hotel and lodging properties will close within six months without loan or grant assistance.You can look at the list of which lodging businesses were included in the $18 million in CARES grants right here. And while the 15,500-job loss in Arts, Entertainment and Recreation may not seem like much compared to the losses in accomodation and food services, but it's more than 1/3 of the jobs that existed in the state in that sector before COVID. Evers announced recipients of a similar CARES subsidy today - this time, $15 million designated for the state's live music venues.
The live music and entertainment industry have been doing their part to help keep their communities and people safe,” said Gov. Evers.“These changes haven't been easy, but these venues have worked to be good partners throughout this process. We hope these funds can providecritical support and stabilization to help them get through until we can all gather safely and enjoy entertainment together again. ”Funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and administered through the Department of Administration (DOA), the COVID-19 Live Music and Entertainment Venue Grant Program provides grant funding to live entertainment and large meeting venue operators whose facilities have been negatively affected by COVID-19. Grant awards provided eligible recipients up to $500,000 or 25% of 2019 ticket or event sales, whichever was less. Grants have been pro-rated due to oversubscription.The "oversubscription" meant that the most that was given out to any venue was $395,308 (you can check to see if your venue got funds at this link), which certainly won't pay for all of the lost ticket sales and related revenue, but hopefully can help keep these needed places around through a COVID Winter without shows. The idea is that these funds can bridge these businesses long enough so that after we get vaccinated next year, we can see band names return to the marquees.
The program will be administered by the Department of Revenue (DOR) in collaboration with WEDC. Unlike previous We’re All In grants, businesses will not have to apply for the grants, but will be identified and contacted directly by the DOR based on the businesses’ state tax records. “We have all the systems in place to quickly disburse funding to these businesses who need it to get through the coming winter months. Our staff is ready to assist, and I am pleased we are able to help,” said DOR Secretary Peter Barca. According to preliminary DOR estimates, restaurants will account for roughly 95 percent of the approximately 2,000 businesses to receive the funds. The program will target businesses with annual revenues of more than $1 million and less than $7 million. Previous state grant programs have focused on businesses with annual revenues of less than $1 million.That last part is interesting, because it seems to admit that there were a lot of Wisconsin restaurants that had too much revenue to qualify for the CARES grants that went to the state's small businesses, but were still in significant danger of going under. It's also interesting that there is no need for these restaurants to apply, because DOR will simply send a check of up to $20,000 based on the data that they already have. State Rep.-Elect Francesca Hong runs a restaurant in downtown Madison, and has consistently called for restaurants and bars to be closed and subsidized due to the effects of the COVID World. She approved of the new grants.
These grants are not cure-alls, and I'd even argue that it shouldn't have taken this long for the restaurant grant program to start (I was calling for it 2 months ago). But I do believe that having these businesses closed and subsidized, with actions taken to crush the COVID curve over the next few months, is preferable to the slow death that many of them have been going through, with COVID continuing to spread at record levels. It's not going to be fun this Winter, and a lot of the places where we have fun in the Winter aren't going to be available to us. But if these businesses are helped out in the short-term, and we all do our part to Stop the Spread, as things warm up in 2021 we'll be more likely to be able to take part in more of the fun that we were used to, before COVID broke out. EDIT - But it's still too late for some, as you can add the famed Buck Bradley's on 3rd Street in downtown Milwaukee to the list of restuarants closing due to the COVID World. When might they re-open? The owner tells the Journal-SentinelThis is really fucking good news https://t.co/bYrRMRAcjK
— Francesca Hong (@FrancescaHongWI) December 3, 2020
"Let's say when the Fiserv Forum has events again. When the Bucks return, Admirals return, I'll return."Hope the restaurant subsidy helps them get by. And that we can get more people in the seats at FiServ for Giannis and Company by playoff time.
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