Second round of beautification funding opens for Pajaro businesses

PAJARO, Calif. (KION) -- The second round of beautification grants will open up for Pajaro businesses on Friday.

Businesses affected by the Pajaro flood in 2023 can apply to get funds for interior and exterior painting, landscaping, and signage.

Up to $500,000 is available in this round and is open to new applicants and those approved for funding in the last round.

The money from this second round is left over money from the first round, where businesses received recovery funds.

While the flood may feel like a distant memory to some, for businesses here, the recovery continues.

Businesses will have to hire their contractors to receive these grant funds.

Frustration and anguish were just some of the words Elena Maria Martinez used to describe the process of rebuilding her business.

For many like herself, it's an uphill battle navigating the system to obtain the money.

I'm so tired and frustrated because we have so much work to do, so much cleaning to do, so many payments to make, business has been so slow," said Martinez.

Maria says she has recently received 33 thousand dollars from the county.

She says she was expecting more and was upset to hear that a few of her applications were not deemed qualified.

"Well, it has helped me, but. Well, no, not enough, because I was already behind with a lot of things to pay, which is over $300,000," said Martinez.

On Friday, the county of Monterey launched its online application form for a second round of the Pajaro Small Business Beautification Grant Program. Up to $500,000 in funding is available.

Each business can get up to 15k

"From a licensed contractor, our team goes out just to inspect and see what work is going to be done. We check in with them periodically and then once the work is completed, you know, they're essentially good to go," said Vanessa Kor, Management Analyst from Monterey County.

Starting Friday, small businesses in Pajaro can go to this website, fill out the questions, and answer what they plan to use the money for.

As you can see, eligible beautification projects include lighting, painting, signage, and security cameras.

"Well, I need to replace my security system, which is not working well. And we also need to replace some of the doors on the beer cooler and the meat cooler," said Martinez.

While the money is an application away, small businesses here say true recovery is still out of reach.

And are upset they are paying for damages caused by the county's neglect towards the levee that flooded their lives with stress.

"It's been going on for over two years now, and we're still not solving all the problems. It's frustrating," says Martinez.

Vanessa says she recognizes the application process has been slow, but it is intentional to make sure the money gets distributed fairly and correctly.

Now, businesses will get the first half of the money when the quote is approved and the other half when the work is done.

The application just opened this morning and will stay open until Friday, May 16th.