By Jessica Mathews/News@whmi.com


A team of community leaders and stakeholders has been assembled in the City of Brighton to try and minimize the effects of the COVID-19 shutdown and help ignite the economy when it’s over.

A conference call was held recently with various partners to discuss ways to support businesses through the current health crisis and how to kick start recovery efforts as soon as possible. Among those participating in the call were Ann Arbor SPARK, the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce, Brighton City Council and staff, Old National Bank, Rock Advisory Group, local Restaurateur Steve Pilon and Downtown Development Authority Board Chairman Tim Corrigan.

The goal from the conversation was to provide information that is easily accessible on how and where businesses can get help in an easy place. Thus two new resource pages are being launched on the City of Brighton’s website, one for businesses and another for residents that will be updated. Recognizing the crisis will eventually end, Corrigan tells WHMI everyone got together to start finding ways to brainstorm and get resources in the right places so people know what’s available, how its available and who to reach out to. He says they’re in the process of starting to fill those pages with information as they get it. Corrigan noted they’ll also be entering into conversations about how to get businesses back on their feet and prosper once again.

Corrigan says the community’s businesses, both small and large, employ thousands and the impact has been far reaching. He said there’s obviously there’s been a severe loss of revenue but they certainly don’t make light of anything from the human aspect - which is first and foremost. Corrigan says everyone is concerned about the health and welfare of their employees and making sure they’re taken care of as best they can. He says many businesses, which are for all intense purposes closed, and in some restaurant cases; everyone is just deeply concerned about how they survive the current situation. Corrigan says everyone has been through downturns before but never a situation where the economy just fell off a cliff within a couple of weeks and everyone is just trying to figure out what to do. He says many are also trying to navigate the different packages offered through the federal government - what they actually mean, how they access the help and where does it really put local businesses and residents as the situation continues. Corrigan says those are the type of questions and concerns they’re constantly hearing from local businesses and residents.

Corrigan says the group has weekly meetings set up where they’ll continue to gather information and keep the appropriate people involved to help and get information out to local residents and businesses. He noted it’s still a work in progress but there are a lot of hardworking, forward thinking people in city government and with local businesses and they’ll continue to work together to support the community. Corrigan added Livingston County and the City are great areas with businesses they want to see continue to prosper – saying the support and concern they’re seeing from local businesses and others is what is going to get everyone through this.