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Public Health BIG Grant
About the Grant
The San Marcos City Council allocated $150,000 of American Rescue Plan Act resources to fund property improvements for local businesses to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and support the safety of customers and employees. The City will provide a fifty percent matching grant to reimburse up to $20,000 of well-designed property improvements. The applicant’s match may be in the form of other financial aid, such as a grant or loan received from other agencies for financial institutions, but may not be “in-kind”.
The BIG Grant Program will only reimburse applicants after the project is determined to have been completed in accordance with the contract and the applicant has paid his/her architect, contractor and vendor(s) in full.
Eligible Improvements
Eligible projects will improve ventilation through the following:
- Increase the introduction of outdoor air inside the building
- Rebalance or adjust HVAC systems to increase total airflow to occupied spaces
- Turn off demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) controls that reduce air supply based on occupancy or temperature during occupied hours
- Improve central air filtration
- Use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) fan/filtration systems
- Use ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI)
- Provide additional small air handling units and isolate areas
- Flush out a building, bringing in 100% outside air
Eligible projects will increase hygiene and touchless contact points through the following:
- Automated entrances
- Automated taps and soap dispensers
- Voice or motion-activated technology to control lights, adjust thermostats, and move through checkpoints
- Installation of antimicrobial building materials or application of nanocoating to wall coverings, flooring, and bathroom fixtures
Eligible projects will reconstruct the layout to allow for additional space between seats in a waiting room/lobby or between tables.
Eligible projects will construct outdoor eating areas to allow for dining in a well-ventilated area with ample spacing between unrelated parties.
Note: Guidelines and best practices for COVID-19 mitigation may be updated after the time these BIG Grant guidelines are published. Businesses may present alternative projects for consideration if they meet the intent of the program. These alternative projects will be considered on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed to be eligible for reimbursement.