Westborough – Two local businesses have each been awarded $5,000 as the first recipients of a special grant from the Westborough Economic Development Committee (EDC). The awards were presented at the EDC’s Oct. 1 meeting.
Jin Huang, owner of the eBridge Montessori School, located at 57 E. Main St., informed the board that her grant would be used towards the costs of recent renovations she did for the school’s playground. Huang said wood chips were removed and replaced with a turf field. This, she said, would allow for better drainage and overall safety for the children who attend the school.
Laurene Aldorisio, the owner of Academy of Dance Expression, also received a $5,000 grant. A business owner in the community for the past 25 years, Aldorisio has most recently been in a temporary spot in the Bay State Commons. She will soon be moving to a new spot, next to Ted’s Montana Grill, also located in the Bay State Commons. The move will be a complete “build,” and will also require a special dance floor.
The grants are awarded by the EDC’s Small Business Grant Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to businesses and to stimulate investment in vacant or underutilized commercial space in the town of Westborough. The program was approved by Westborough Town Meeting voters for up to $25,000 in a fiscal year. The EDC will issue grants that cover up to the approved project costs (up to $5,000). If the proposed funding project is used for rental assistance, the EDC will issue rental assistance grants to new businesses for their first six months of rent (up to $5,000).
For more information visit
https://edc.town.westborough.ma.us/services/pages/small-business-grant-assistance-program
