Seymour Main Street is one of 15 recipients of a grant to help communities recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs recently announced the list of communities receiving funds through the second round of its Taking Care of Main Street program.

Seymour Main Street was awarded $15,000, which will go to help pay Executive Director Bri Roll’s salary, freeing up funds to be used for local grants.

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A total of $205,000 is being made available from OCRA to Main Street organizations across the state to cover such expenses as salaries, administrative and consultant fees, space and equipment rental or staff development and training.

“This will allow our organization to redirect our event revenue back into the downtown businesses,” Roll said.

Last fall, Seymour Main Street received $5,000 from the first round of the Taking Care of Main Street grant program. That money also was used for salary expenses, Roll said.

“These grants reinforce the importance of Main Street programs to their communities by directly supporting operating expenses so programs can retain paid staff who work every day to support downtowns across Indiana,” Roll said.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, who oversees OCRA, said Indiana Main Street organizations play a big role in lifting up small businesses.

“This funding can help ensure supportive services remain available in Hoosier communities,” she said. “Investing in our small business owners helps them work toward a sense of normalcy, and through this community-driven revitalization, we can help create a better quality of place for all Hoosiers.”

This isn’t the first time Seymour Main Street has benefited from OCRA’s support.

In 2019, it was selected as a recipient of a Community Development Block Grant from OCRA to revitalize the former One Chamber Square, now known as Burkhart Plaza.

“The support of OCRA and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch is incredibly important and speaks volumes to the state’s level of commitment to the success of our downtowns,” Roll said.

Melissa Acton, president of the Seymour Main Street board of directors, applauded Roll for her work to keep the organization operating during the pandemic.

“Bri has been tremendous at identifying and securing funding opportunities,” Acton said. “These dollars are vital to the success of our downtown, and the demand for them is unprecedented.”

Acton said she is proud of the work Seymour Main Street does to offer programs that directly benefit downtown businesses.

The organization relies on revenue from its events to help fund downtown initiatives such as murals and grant programs.

Due to event cancellations because of the pandemic, the organization saw a 53% loss of revenue in 2020, Roll said.

That included the organization’s biggest fundraiser, Dancing with the Seymour Stars.

Roll said the organization is planning to conduct all of its 2021 events following guidance from the Jackson County Health Department to implement COVID-19 safety measures.

“We believe all of our events can move forward, even if they may look slightly different than usual,” she said.

Upcoming events include Downtown Shop Around on March 13, Happy Glamper Sip and Stroll on April 23 and 24, Soak Up the Suds Brewfest on May 15 and the kickoff concert to CityJam on May 20.