Manassas allocates CARES funding: Schools, airport, small businesses benefit

Manassas is beginning to spend the CARES Act money received from the Federal Government in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

At a June 22 meeting of the City Council meeting, officials unanimously approved $1 million in CARES Act federal grant revenue to recoup pandemic-related costs borne by Manassas City Schools. Andy Hawkins, the executive director of finance and operations for the city
public Schools told the council that the money would be a much-needed boost to the school system.

The funding is broad, Hawkins said, but it would cover expenditures like cleaning the schools and facilities, although he said it would primarily be to help families and students to access the internet and have high-quality functioning service to their home so they can participate in virtual instruction.

About $55,000 is required to go to private schools, while the rest goes to public schools, Hawkins said.

The CARES Act also included over $10 billion for airports. Out of that, Manassas will get $157,000 for the Manassas Regional Airport. Manassas Regional Airport Director Juan Rivera said that the funds will be used to offset payroll at the airport.

So far this year, the airport has paid out $278,000 in salaries to its employees this year, which doesn’t include holiday or overtime pay. While the airport hasn’t paid out more money in salaries so far this year than it did during the same time last year, the stimulus money was designed to keep people employed, said Rivera.

“The FAA indicated that the funds can be used for any purpose for which airport revenues may lawfully be used.  This includes [using it] for airport operational costs. By using the funds to pay back salaries, we meet those objectives,” Rivera penned in an email to Potomac Local News.

Rivera said that in all of his 30-year aviation career, this was the first grant he had seen that could be used for operational expenses.

The city council also appropriated $175,000 for small business relief funds that will be used to help merchants reeling from the government-ordered lockdowns.

City Economic Development Director Patrick Small said the city has received about 100 applications for financial aid, of which 70 met the eligibility requirements, for funding from a Cooperation Agreement between the city and its economic development authority. The EDA aims to provide up to $400,000 in grant funding to small businesses.

The motion passed 5-1, with Councilwoman Pamela Sebesky voting no because she had requested a work session to discuss the CARES Act funding, but said it had not happened yet.

A total of 115 small businesses will receive awards of $2,500 each, and will be notified over the next 2 weeks., Small told Potomac Local News.