The City of Soldotna has announced a new Outdoor Dining Grant Program. The program is intended to expand dining opportunities at Soldotna restaurants.
Shannon Davis, Executive Director for the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce spoke to KSRM, “We have $15,000 grants that are going too be given out to restaurants throughout the city of Soldotna. This isn’t a matching grant. This is just $15,000 to help them enhance their outdoor dining areas. This program is intended to expand dining opportunities at Soldotna restaurants. We’re going to work with them to create maps of the city of Soldotna so that everybody knows all of the wonderful places that they can walk to and experience fresh air and eat in a safe environment. We’re super, super excited to be partnering with the city on this and we have packets available here, but we’re also going to be reaching out to restaurants directly to make sure that they know all about this opportunity. The city has been so really, really forward thinking in their planning for the COVID expenditures and ways that they can make Soldotna a better place for people to live and visit.”
There are some guidelines that businesses need to follow. They include (but aren’t limited to) being a permanent brick and mortar location inside the Soldotna city limits. They must be a DEC-licensed, seating-based food service establishment that prepares and serves food to customers. They also must have been impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Restaurants may apply for funding under the program through June 30, 2021. The grant-funded outdoor dining spaces must be operational no later than July 31, 2021 where the grantees will be required to provide a report detailing the expenditures.
More details can be found here.