News Photo by Crystal Nelson Nowicki’s Sausage Shoppe employee Lynn Altman stocks the refrigerator at the business’ Rogers City location. in this May 2020 News file photo.

ROGERS CITY — The Rogers City Downtown Development Authority will seek a $27,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. to help downtown businesses who have been affected by coronavirus.

The state has $1 million to distribute to businesses in traditional or historic downtowns as part of its Match on Main grant. “Core businesses” that draw people into a community and are located in a municipality’s downtown could get between $2,000 and $10,000 for payroll, rent or mortgage, utilities, or any coronavirus-related improvements that keep the public safe.

Rogers City City Manager Joe Hefele approached 15 businesses on 3rd Street, from Ontario Street to Friedrich Street, to see if they were interested in a grant. Nine submitted paperwork back to Hefele with explanations on how their business has been impacted by the coronavirus and how they would use state money.

Those businesses include Rogers City Home Furnishings, Nowicki’s Sausage Shoppe, MI Northern Espresso, The Painted Lady, Domaci Gallery, Mr. Mustache and Co., Jean’s Gifts and Cards, Chee Peng Chinese and Thai Restaurant, and Kevin’s Discount Tobacco.

If the city were to receive the grant, Hefele said each business would receive $3,000.

“Most of them, if not all of them, are actually looking to use the funds basically to help them get by,” Hefele said.

Hefele said he wanted to keep Rogers City’s request below $30,000 because the MEDC’s money is limited. He previously told the DDA board that, if a municipality’s request is too large, the municipality will not receive the grant.

Businesses that already received federal stimulus funding are not eligible.

Meanwhile, the Alpena Downtown Development Authority will request $50,000 from the MEDC.

“From those applicants, we targeted businesses that were either restaurant or retail, as those two industries have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and bring a large amount of foot traffic to the downtown,” Alpena DDA Executive Director Anne Gentry said in an email. “We also considered how involved those businesses were in downtown events and their involvement in the community, and if they had recently invested money into their building.”

Gentry said she expects to hear from the MEDC by June 10.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.