City to reimburse broken window repair for some small businesses

The city on Thursday opened another round of grants for small businesses to replace broken windows caused by vandalism or break-ins.

“As a small business like us, we don’t want it to happen,” said Linh Phan, the owner of J & J Nail Salon on Menaul and San Pedro. “But every time it does, we have to deal with insurance and stuff.”

Phan said that her insurance won’t cover damages like a broken window and she pays out of pocket each time it happens. Last year, after her sign and window were broken, she applied for a window grant through the city and was reimbursed for her damages in a few weeks.

Last year’s grant program, which launched in September, covered repairs for 210 windows for 87 business owners. The program’s budget last year was $200,000 and this year’s round will have a similar budget, said Sara Mannal, the Economic Development Department outreach manager.

Brick-and-mortar small businesses with 25 or fewer employees, nonprofits and educational groups can apply for grants, though priority will be given to businesses based on geographic location.

Businesses in Downtown, Barelas, Nob Hill and some stretches west of the freeway are considered to be “pockets of poverty” according to a city map. Businesses in those areas will be considered first for grants, Mannal said, though all small businesses are encouraged to apply.

The maximum reimbursement per business is $3,000 for typical windows and $4,000 for windows that use sustainable materials or security glass.

Businesses can submit an application online for incidents that happened on or after July 1 of this year. To apply, businesses should submit a police report, timestamped photos of the damage and repairs, as well as a receipt for the repair and proof of payment.

Broken windows mean more than cleaning up shattered glass — business owners have to sort out insurance claims, extra repair fees, lost products and security — oftentimes late at night.

In November of last year, someone smashed the window of Uptown Sports Bar and absconded with a backpack full of booze, said general manager Nohelani Ader.

Broken windows and vandalism have become more common in the Uptown area, said Ader, who suspects homeless people are to blame.

Most break-ins happen on weekends or holidays when businesses are closed, Ader said, bringing extra hardship for businesses that must pay emergency fees to have their storefronts boarded up.

Moreover, depending on the type of window, custom or standard, single or double paned, it can take a lot of time and money to complete a repair.

After the break-ins last year, the bar received two grants from the city which helped ease the burden of repairing the window, Ader said.

“I was really lucky,” she said of the grants.

To apply for a grant, visit cabq.gov/windowgrant or contact the city’s small business office at 505-768-3305.