Town of Oro Valley launches OVSafeSteps for business assistance

Published on September 16, 2020

OVsafesteps sticker logo

The Town of Oro Valley, in conjunction with the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, has launched OVSafeSteps, a business assistance program that can financially benefit local businesses that are struggling during the pandemic. With the understanding that a healthy community leads to a healthy economy, the program provides valuable resources while asking businesses and community members to comply with health guidelines with a pledge to keep Oro Valley safe, responsible and open.

“OVSafeSteps was created to help our local businesses, and also to recognize that each of us has a role in reducing the spread of COVID-19. We need to work together and commit to responsible actions to move forward. This program will benefit businesses, and it will also benefit residents who are interested in supporting our businesses,” said Mayor Joe Winfield.

All businesses in the greater Oro Valley area are invited and encouraged to participate in the OVSafeSteps program, which provides free signage and inclusion in the program’s website, www.ovsafesteps.com. Additional resources are also available to qualifying small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Qualifying local businesses will receive:

  • PPE reimbursement
  • Marketing support
  • One-on-one coaching in areas such as technology, finance, human resources and legal

OVSafeSteps also calls upon the community to help keep Oro Valley safe while patronizing local businesses. The website features local businesses and the precautions they are taking to ensure a safe shopping or dining experience. Patrons can then search and filter the results to find a local business or restaurant that meets their needs. For example, not everyone is ready to dine in a restaurant yet, but many people are comfortable eating outside on the patio or doing curb-side pickup. OVSafeSteps can help you find the restaurants that offer patio dining and pickup.

The project team is still working with local businesses to populate website information, and that means some information is missing or incomplete. If you are a business owner or manager, make sure your business is included. Visit www.ovsafesteps.com and click “Business Assistance.” If you are a community member and your favorite restaurant or business isn’t showing up on the website yet, reach out and let them know about this resource (and then check back soon).Visit the website and click “For our Community.”

Our Promise. Our Community.
 OVSafeSteps is a promise that asks both businesses and community members to comply with health guidelines to keep our community safe and our businesses open. We all have a role in the fight against COVID-19, and by committing to responsible actions we show care, consideration and appreciation for our community. Together we can do our best to keep our Town healthy and safe as we move forward. This promise—for community members and businesses—includes two pledges.

As a community member, I will:

  • Follow public health guidance as updated
  • Patronize local businesses when possible
  • Stay home if I am feeling sick
  • Wash my hands often
  • Practice physical distancing
  • Wear a face covering when I enter businesses
  • Learn about high-risk groups and help protect them

As a business, we will:

  • Follow public health guidance as updated
  • Do what we can to protect the greater OV community and visitors
  • Check employees for symptoms and have them stay home when sick
  • Have employees wash hands frequently
  • Ensure high touch surfaces will be regularly disinfected
  • Enforce physical distancing
  • Wear and enforce face coverings
  • Learn about high-risk groups and help protect them

Funding for this program
 This assistance is made possible by the Town of Oro Valley’s allocation of CARES Act funding from the state of Arizona. The Town received more than $5 million in funding to alleviate the business-related impacts of COVID-19, such as regular payroll costs of public safety and public health personnel. As a result, some of the Town’s previously-allocated general funds were freed up to support other local government priorities. Understanding the economic peril that our local businesses face, and the impact that would have on our quality of life, the Oro Valley Town Council authorized $1 million in the FY20-21 budget to support the local business community during COVID-19.

For more information on business assistance and to search safety measures that are being taken, visit: www.ovsafesteps.com.

Assistant Town Manager Chris Cornelison also penned an article on OVSafeSteps for The Explorer Newspaper, which can be found here.

 

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