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City Commission Discuss ‘Back In Business Grants’ for Reopening and More

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A virtual city commission meeting was held on June 3 to discuss improvements, business grants, and creating dialogue in the community.

The meeting was initially set for 9 a.m. but pushed back to 12:30 p.m. due to Coral Springs High’s graduation parade.

When the meeting reconvened later in the day, the members of the commission discussed landscape and hardscape improvements to University Drive between Southgate Blvd. and Sample Rd., the Coral Springs Back in Business Grant program, and The Village Square among other issues.

The total estimated cost of the University Dr. improvement project would cost $300,000, with $125,000 coming from the operating account and $175,000 from the Tree Trust Fund.

Commissioner Joshua Simmons had some reservations over the amount being spent from the operating account since the city would be facing cuts in their budget due to the economic impact of COVID-19. The commission decided to table the issue until the next meeting on June 17.

The Coral Springs Back In Business Grant was established to provide small businesses in the city the help needed with the cost of reopening during an unprecedented pandemic.

The fund has $250,000 allotted for the grants and was transferred from the Business Incentive line and savings in the Economic Development Budget. The grants would be in the form of $1,000 each to help businesses pay for PPE and other supplies required for reopening.

The Back In Business Grant funding passed 4 -1 with Commissioner Larry Vignola as the no vote.

The Village Square is an initiative created to bring people who are not like-minded together to discuss their differences and build dialogue across ideological lines.

The initiative was founded in Tallahassee, where Mayor Scott Brook and Commissioner Joshua Simmons were attending a Florida League of Cities meeting held in March 2019. Mayor Brook proposed discussing it at the next workshop.

The commission agreed to put the initiative on the agenda for the next city commission workshop.

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