Westmoreland County bars and restaurants in line for nearly $4M in grants

Westmoreland County will hand out nearly $4 million in grants to local restaurants and other hospitality businesses struggling to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic.

The money comes from the $145 million Pennsylvania Hospitality Industry Recovery Program approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf. Westmoreland is slated to receive $3.95 million.

Restaurants, taverns and hotels are among the businesses eligible for the grants.

“These are businesses that are hurting,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. “This is going to help sustain those businesses until things can get back to normal.”

Restaurants and bars have been among the businesses hardest hit during the pandemic as they struggle to deal with shutdowns and capacity limits.

Local program guidelines are being finalized, and specifics about the application process will be announced in the next several weeks, officials said. The state has mandated that the application window must begin by March 15. The money is required to be handed out by mid-June. Grants must be awarded in $5,000 increments, with a cap of $50,000.

Eligible businesses are those with less than 300 employees, have a net worth of less than $15 million, were open as of Feb. 15, 2020, and intend to remain open for at least a year after applying for the grant, according to state guidelines.

About 1,200 business are expected to be eligible for the grants.

Kertes said priority for the grants, which will be awarded in the order they are submitted, will be given to businesses in economically distressed communities and those that did not receive any previous coronavirus-related funding. Businesses that received federal and state loans will be next in line, followed by those that received CARES Act grants last year.

The county last year awarded about $6.5 million in grants to small businesses, including restaurants, as part of the area’s $31.5 million in federal CARES Act funding.

The Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland will coordinate the program. Kertes said a online portal on the county’s website will be created to allow all applications to be electronically submitted.

“Obviously, the hospitality industry took one of the biggest hits during 2020. No dollar amount will be enough to make up for their deficit, but we are glad to help out as much as we can,” said Commissioner Gina Cerilli.