Englewood Herald 1203

Page 1

$1.00

December 3, 2020

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

EnglewoodHerald.net

VOLUME 100 | ISSUE 41

Indoor dining shutdown returns Englewood eateries forced to adjust as state’s level-red restrictions threaten business BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

and require pre-approval and an inspection of placement plans by the fire marshal. Any business can apply for a grant, not just restaurants. Hollingsworth said seven restaurants had been greenlighted for grants as of Nov. 25, and said time is of the essence for applicants — the city is obligated to wrap up CARES Act disbursements by the end of the year, and patio heater applications are due by Dec. 16. The grant has been a welcome lifeline for George Gastis, who owns Grow + Gather, a combination urban farm and restaurant near Swedish

Restaurant workers are taking another hit under Colorado’s second indoor dining shutdown of the coronavirus pandemic — part of the state’s latest round of public-health restrictions aimed at flattening Colorado’s steep spike in COVID-19 cases. At Moe’s Original Bar B Que in Englewood on South Broadway, 90% of staff are on furlough, according to Moe’s general manager J. Grantham. “We’re running on a bare-bones crew of all managers, working doubles,” Grantham said. “It put stress on the family, put stress on us, but we’re Moe’s BBQ — we’re going to do whatever we need to be here for customers when this is all over.” Colorado moved Denver metro-area counties — including Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson — to a new “level red” of pandemic-related restrictions effective Nov. 20. The new level prohibits indoor dining and personal gatherings, moves the last call for alcohol up to 8 p.m., and tightens capacity limits at gyms and some office-based businesses. Other counties in the state moved to those restrictions in late November as well.

SEE HEATERS, P11

SEE DINING, P11

Diners sit beside a pair of tower heaters on the patio at Grow + Gather, one of the Englewood restaurants that received a city reimbursement grant for patio heaters. Officials say they hope the heaters will help keep restaurants afloat through a temporary ban on indoor dining this winter. PHOTO BY KIRBY PETERMAN

Englewood helps pay for patio heaters Grant will cover $1,000 worth of heaters and firepits per restaurant BY DAVID GILBERT DGILBERT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As restaurants grapple with a renewed ban on indoor dining due to a surge in COVID-19, Englewood officials are hoping to help keep diners warm outdoors. City officials have earmarked $25,000 to reimburse restaurants for patio heaters and firepits, part of a

litany of grants meant to help small businesses weather the pandemic. “We’re trying to be very responsive to business needs,” said Darren Hollingsworth, the city’s manager of economic development. “We’ve been working on this for a while in anticipation of colder months, and now with the new restrictions and snow on the ground it feels very timely.” While state officials banned indoor dining in mid-November, outdoor dining is still allowed The grants, carved out of Englewood’s allotment of federal money from the CARES Act, allow reimbursement for up to $1,000 per restaurant for patio heaters and firepits,

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 16

KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON

Many holiday attractions in the metro area carry on despite pandemic P14


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.