Small businesses in Findlay may be able to take advantage of a new loan program to help them rebound from the pandemic.

Officials say the Small Business Catalyst Loan will allow Findlay businesses to quickly access funds to assist with maintaining and adjusting to the new business environment.

The full news release from the city is below.

As Findlay businesses begin to re-open a group of stakeholders have been working to make sure that businesses have the tools necessary to operate safely and profitably. The City of Findlay in partnership with Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development, Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hancock Regional Planning, banks and the business community have been working to develop resources to assist businesses through this difficult time. This includes assistance to implement social media, e-commerce and websites, financial modeling and waivers of permit café fees.

Earlier today the Findlay Revolving Loan Fund Board approved the creation of a new tool. “The Findlay Small Business Catalyst Loan“, a simplified micro loan focused on mitigating the risk to businesses during re-opening. The Findlay Small Business Catalyst Loan from the Revolving Loan Fund will allow Findlay businesses to quickly access funds to assist with maintaining and adjusting to the new business environment.

“Findlay’s success over the past several years has been attributed to the Findlay Formula; our unique ability to work across multiple stakeholders. Over the past two months our community, including government, not-for-profits, education and healthcare, have worked together to create a safe environment for our citizens. It is now time to make sure we assist our business community through this transition as well. This is a great example of the Findlay Formula at work.” said Tim Mayle, Director of Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development.

Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn is enthusiastic about the new loan opportunity. When asked she had this to say, “In times of crisis government has the ability to be a barrier or a catalyst. In Findlay, we want to be a catalyst. The Revolving Loan Fund is a great tool that we want to put to use to be a catalyst for economic stability and improvement.”

“This loan program will allow restaurants to re-open in a high risk period. Restaurants are uncertain of revenue over the next 6 months, how many staff to bring back and the list goes on. Findlay is a great place to operate and this innovative program proves it.” Jordan Arnold, Bistro on Main

“Not every business qualifies for the Payroll Protection Program or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan. This loan fund provides some economic relief as our local retailers begin to reopen.” Jody Combs, RooBarb Studios.

The application will be available beginning May 20th on the Hancock Regional Planning Commission website at http://hancockrpc.org/rlf/.

The first wave of loan applications must be received to the Hancock Regional Planning Commission by noon on Tuesday, May 26th with funds anticipated to be in the businesses hand by June 5th. The Revolving Loan Fund Board anticipates an initial pool of funds in the amount of $300,000 and are willing to put more towards this program based off of demand. The City of Findlay Revolving Loan Fund currently has a balance of approximately $650,000.

Loan Terms

Maximum loan amount $10,000 to be utilized for operating funds
Loan is 0% interest, with 6 months deferred payments, and no more than a 5 year term
Loan Requirements
Business must:

have operated in Findlay since January 1, 2019
quantify job retention (1 FTE for $10,000)
not be tax delinquent
be a for-profit entity
Priority will be given to:

non-essential businesses and/or restaurants
businesses who can prove financial hardship
Other Information

A revolving loan fund (RLF) is a gap financing measure primarily used for development and expansion of small businesses. It is a self-replenishing pool of money, utilizing interest and principal payments on old loans to issue new ones.

Traditional requests of the Revolving Loan Fund are still being accepted:

Business must be operating as a for-profit entity and registered in the State of Ohio
Business must be located in the City of Findlay
Up to half of total project cost not to exceed $490,000, with a loan minimum of $5,000
Must show creation or retention of at least one full-time job per $25,000 borrowed (this requirement must be met within 36 months)
Prevailing wage is required on all construction costs (interior & exterior)
The Revolving Loan Fund is a fund which receives Community Block Grant Development dollars from the Federal Government.

The organizers of four professional golf tournaments in Ohio are asking Governor Mike DeWine for permission to include fans.

The Memorial in Dublin, the Marathon Classic in Toledo, the Bridgestone Senior PGA Challenge in Akron, and the Nationwide Children’s Championship in Columbus sent a letter asking DeWine to permit spectators.

Tournament directors for all four events signed the letter, which also details the safety measures the golf courses will have in place to protect the public, golfers, and workers.

DeWine’s order issued on March 12th, limiting gatherings to ten or fewer people is currently still in place.

Area fire agencies conducted a handful of water rescues on Tuesday as people got stuck on flooded roads.

The Vanlue Fire Department got a woman out of her car that stalled out on a flooded Township Road 208 along the Blanchard River.

Assistant Chief Steve Baum said the woman lives nearby and saw a truck get through and thought she’d be able to as well.

He says anytime you come across high water you need to turn around and find a different route.

A Flood Warning has been issued for the Blanchard River in Findlay.

The National Weather Service said the river was expected to rise to about 11.7 feet by late Tuesday.

Flood stage is 11 feet.

Minor flooding is forecast.

The river is expected to fall back below flood stage on Wednesday morning.

At 12 feet water impacts River Street and Apple Alley on the west side of Findlay, Blanchard Street between Sandusky and Main Cross and several streets south of Clinton Court near Riverside Park.

Blanchard Valley Health System has initiated COVID-19 testing for all patients coming to the system’s hospitals for scheduled surgeries and procedures.

BVHS says this is a change from their previous practice of testing only patients exhibiting symptoms of the disease who were referred by their primary care physician.

The hours of operation for pre-surgery and procedure swabbing at both Blanchard Valley Hospital and Bluffton Hospital will be 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Weekend hours will be available from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Patients should contact their physician to schedule a pre-surgery or procedure swabbing.

For all admissions, patients entering the hospital will be asked to wear a mask or be provided one at the front desk.

(ONN) – A prisoner who confessed to killing a fellow inmate in a letter sent to a newspaper has been convicted in the murder and sentenced to death.

A three-judge panel found Joel Drain, of Findlay, guilty of aggravated murder and two other felonies.

The verdict will automatically be appealed to the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Drain had waived his right to a jury trial and pleaded no contest to the charges that stemmed from the death just over a year ago of 29-year-old Christopher Richardson.

The Columbus Dispatch reported last year that it had received a letter from Drain confessing to Richardson’s murder.

Drain was in prison for the aggravated murder of 56-year-old Randy L. Grose, of Findlay, along with other felony charges.

He was also sentenced to another seven years in prison for the non-fatal stabbing of his father.

All that rain we got Monday and overnight into Tuesday resulted in some flooded roadways and stranded drivers.

A car went into a creek alongside Township Road 237 just east of Findlay, and there are other reports of drivers stranded in water being helped out.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of this car is okay.

Safety officials remind everyone to never drive through high water, because it doesn’t take much moving water at all to pick up a vehicle.

A Flood Warning has been issued for Eagle Creek.

The creek was at about 9.5 feet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, about half a foot above flood stage.

Minor flooding is forecast.

The creek will fall below flood stage Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The Blanchard River in Findlay is anticipated to reach 11.5 feet, which is about a half foot above flood stage.

The University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum will be breaking ground on the Joseph and Judith Conda STEAM Education Center.

The university says the 4,000-square-foot, $1.5 million Conda STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics/Medicine) Education Center will position the Mazza Museum as one of the first in the nation to blend art activities with hard sciences learning.

“Visitors will be able to get a challenge, use materials, design, and create, and every experience will lead to a different outcome,” said Karen George, Senior Director of Advancement.

The university says a socially distant groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 20th at 2 p.m. with the public invited to watch virtually on the Mazza Museum’s Facebook page.

Construction is expected to be completed in the winter of 2020 and staff are working towards an opening date in early spring of 2021.

Governor DeWine in his Monday coronavirus briefing had a message for people who don’t think COVID-19 is still a threat.

“It is. If you aren’t worried about yourself, you should worry about your mom, your dad, even strangers who could get COVID-19 from you.”

He’s also asking Ohioans to continue wearing a face mask, and if you haven’t been wearing one, to start.

“Wearing a mask is not something you do for yourself. It’s something you do for others. I am optimistic that the number of people wearing face coverings will increase as they realize what is at stake. Lives are at stake.”

The governor said what we do and how we practice safety habits will literally determine whether other people live or die.

“What you do could cost others their lives. When you go out to a bar or restaurant, have fun – but it’s critical to keep social distancing.”

DeWine is warning Ohio’s restaurant and bar owners they could face criminal charges or lose their liquor licenses if they don’t stick to social distancing rules.

Outdoor dining was allowed to resume on Friday as long as certain requirements were met, including keeping customers six-feet apart.

Photos showing people standing shoulder to shoulder and mostly unmasked at the Standard Hall in Columbus gained national attention.

The Hancock County Sanitary Landfill has been operating under abbreviated hours throughout the stay at home order.

The landfill says the decision has been made to keep the abbreviated hours as a permanent change.

Effective immediately, the landfill says its permanent hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

People are encouraged to click here for more information regarding the landfill.

The Hancock County Sanitary Landfill is located at 3763 County Road 140.

It will be closed on Memorial Day.