BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — The Texas Governor’s Office has launched the Texas Travel Industry Recovery Grant Program.
This program will help local businesses get back on their feet after being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were closed for six months,” said Cory Imel, Marketing Director, Play Oasis. “During that time, our bills didn’t really stop. We had to still keep paying rent. We had to still keep paying light bills and water bills and things like that. Without the incoming revenue that we had before we closed, it turned out to be really difficult to get everything done.”
Marketing Director, Cory Imel, says Play Oasis belongs in the community.
“It’s something that the College Station community needs,” said Imel. “There’s not a lot of places for kids in town so it’s been a fun adventure and we’re just so happy to be here and we hope to keep serving the community as much as we can.”
Another local business that saw a decline in foot traffic is The Arts Council in College Station.
“COVID hit us really hard,” said Sheree Boegner, Executive Director, The Arts Council. “We had to close for like a couple of months and luckily, we were able to keep our employees and keep moving forward. This grant is just going to help us replenish all the resources we used during that time.
Executive Director Sheree Boegner says the tourism industry became a domino effect.
Once one business closed, another one followed.
“When no one was staying at the hotels, it was hard for us to get funding because the hotels were also struggling,” said Boegner. “We also get funded through several events and not being able to have all of that, it was a real struggle. Avery tough time but we made it through it.”
Visit College Station says this recovery grant could help businesses find relief.
“It’s proving businesses within certain industries possible grant opportunities up to 20 thousand dollars to help with any kind of recovery that they may need from the COVID pandemic,” said Stacey Vasquez, Economic Development Coordinator, City of College Station.
Now, many local businesses are interested in applying for the grant.
“We heard back from businesses inquiring more information and also thanking us for just sharing that information,” said Vasquez. “We’re really happy that we’re here and we’re able to provide them with that when these types of grants and assistance becomes available.”
More information on the grant and when to apply can be found here: Texas Travel Industry Recovery Grant Program | Texas Economic Development | Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott.