RICHMOND, Va. -- Four weeks after laying off 83 percent of its staff, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden announced it would be able temporarily rehire some of its former employees.
"This week the Garden was greatly encouraged to receive a CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan. There are still many outstanding questions regarding the use of these funds. We hope to get clearer guidance from the government over the next several days, but we are cautiously optimistic," Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Executive Director Shane Tippett said. "The Garden’s Executive Committee has authorized the use of funds to restore for two months the reduced pay of retained staff. The committee will permit the re-opening of some but not all positions on a temporary basis if they can help with emergency caretaking priorities."
Those priorities include ensuring the Garden's viability, maintaining core garden, building, and system infrastructure, and ensuring core capacity for revenue generation.
"Positions meeting this criteria are and will continue to be posted on our website in stages through Wednesday, April 29, and are expected to be filled quickly," Tippett added. "The PPP loans are for eight weeks. The Garden can increase emergency staffing through June 15, but cannot guarantee positions beyond that point. A Garden closure past June 15 would continue to impact vital revenue streams."
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has not reopened to the public and a reopening date is not yet known.
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