Announcements/Business:
- Angela corrected our communication from last week, requesting help for road clean up is with the Conifer Area Council, not the Conifer Chamber. If you want to help, go on line to sign up.
- Masks report: 5855 produced, stockpile of over 1000 for children.
- The Passing of the Gavel: Saturday, June 27, 5:30pm at Marlis and Steve’s. We will social distance/masks (when not eating and drinking). potluck. More information to come.
- Grant training will be on-line this Thursday, June 18, 1-4 pm. Pat is planning to participate. Please join her if you are interested in helping, sign up on the District Website.
- Wes sent an email about the ConiferFest planning, this Thursday evening, 6pm. We need more members to help. We are looking for sponsors; please let Wes know if you have ideas. Lenore has a draft of a contract package. She has a list of potential sponsors; she will share that and members can pick the businesses they want to contact. The website is developed; we are waiting final approval from JeffCo before we advertise.
- Peaches: The price of the Oklahoma peaches is higher than what we’ve paid, but may be reduced. Nolan Farms in GJ may still be able to provide some peaches; he is waiting to see if he can get workers to pick. He asked Angela to contact him at the end of July. We will likely have to have to provide our own transportation to get the peaches. We will be brain-storming our options. Party at Cathy Taylor’s home in Grand Junction if that trip comes together.
- The RI Convention on-line starts this weekend. It is free. You must sign up on-line.
Program:
The Conifer Chamber of Commerce UPDATES
Melanie Swearingen. coniferchamber@gmail.com
In the last three months, the Chamber has created a Task Force focused on economic development, which has been meeting daily since the March shut-down. They have included a number of legislators on the taskforce. They have helped to get SBA loans, PPE loans, etc. They have created educational programs for businesses applying and using the loans to enhance compliance with rules.
JeffCo has business grants for unincorporated county businesses. Five million dollars is available for businesses (up to $5000 per business) and 2.5 million for non-profits. The focus is on businesses in a physical location; there was a change to decrease the number of employees required to get the funding.
The Chamber helped keep restaurants open with take-out options by encouraging citizens to support these businesses. The Chamber led brain-storming efforts to increase the number of guests that could be served—by offering out-side eating. More employees are being brought back to work now.
The retail shops need shoppers. Some of them will not be able to survive without our support.
Elevation Celebration is cancelled for this year. They hope to have Octobeerfest in the fall. The wearing of masks is not required; it is not a law. Businesses are encouraged to have employees wear masks and customers are asked to wear masks as well. Hand sanitizer needs to be available to demonstrate that the business is serious about preventing COVID.
Guests: Denise Onyskiw, Carol Carper from Kenya, Melanie Swearingen