Blacks Hills Energy and City of Pueblo giving $400k to help small businesses curb crime
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - Tuesday Black Hills Energy, the city of Pueblo, the Pueblo Police Department (PPD), and Pueblo Crime Stoppers announced a partnership geared toward improving public safety, reducing crime, and providing energy management education to southern Colorado small businesses.
The new initiative, Light on For Safety Program, helps support small businesses in Pueblo that might not have the financial resources or expertise to make needed safety and energy-efficient upgrades.
The program is funded by Black Hills Energy and the City of Pueblo through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. In total, Black Hills Energy and the City of Pueblo put aside $400,000 to help fund this program.
There have been several community meetings regarding crime prevention for small businesses within the last couple of years. Many business owners at those meetings wanted more support from the city and the PPD.
"I think it's kind of a no-brainer that there's a lot of demand for this kind of a program," said Robin Cope, Executive Director of Pueblo Downtown Association.
One small family-owned business, SoCo Organics Garden Center , said this program is going to help a lot of businesses in Pueblo get justice if they do get broken into.
"I feel like we don't get a lot of justice for the things that happen, especially being a small business, because we're smaller and, you know, they think,$1,000 worth of damage, well, that doesn't quite meet the threshold, but $1,000 to a company like us, you know, that could be rent for an entire month or it could be a paycheck," said Caitlin McDonough, General Manager of SoCo Organics Garden Center .
McDonough said better cameras and lights will help catch more thieves.
From 2019 to 2022, PPD saw a dramatic increase in what they call "part one crime", which is homicides, assaults, robberies, and burglaries. But so far this year, PPD has seen a 9% decrease in part one crime in Pueblo.
The program includes:
Free Energy Audit and Lighting Assessment: Following the free assessment, Black Hills Energy will provide solutions to increase customer safety and help small businesses learn how to use energy more efficiently, giving them more control over their monthly energy bills.
Free Interior and Exterior Audit: After the free audit, the PPD will leave behind a crime prevention checklist with tailored recommendations on improvements for the business to consider, like fixing front windows that don't lock or trimming back excess foliage growth.
Safety and Energy Efficiency Equipment and Installation: Black Hills Energy will provide and install energy efficiency and safety equipment, including interior and exterior lighting and cameras.
The city of Pueblo will be accepting applications from small businesses starting Monday, June 26.
To learn more about how to apply, click here.
Watch Tuesday's press conference below:
