PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio — Put-in-Bay is a community with an economy strongly dependent on tourism.
- Many are hoping that measures taken to manage safety around COVID-19 concerns will bring visitors back to the island this summer
- Many business owners are ready to open back up
- Owners are looking to rebound from what they call a tough winter
What You Need To Know
As Austin Bolyard parks, sprays and wipes down his golf carts, he’s facing a tough challenge in just his third year as general manager of E’s Put-in-Bay Golf Carts.
"It’s difficult, yeah, there’s going to be a lot of changes here this year, but you know, we’re trying to do everything we can to make sure that everybody has a safe and memorable time this year," said Bolyard.
Besides frequent cleaning, he’s also painted X's on the ground for social distancing, hoping to ensure visitors it’s safe to rent a cart.
"It’s really hard to say, to be honest. You know, it could go either way, we’re hoping that we’re going to have a good turnout. That’s all we can hope for," Bolyard said.
While some businesses begin to open back up, certain parts of the island remain closed. And people are hoping to rebound from what they call a tough winter, as weather begins to warm back up.
"April was a disaster for us. But there is that little ray of sunshine I guess, the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel that things are going to start moving forward a little bit," said Billy Market, president of Miller Boat Line.
He helps people get across Lake Erie and has been in the industry since he was a kid. He says this year is very unique.
"We’re sanitizing all the high-contact areas on the boat after each trip, there’s masks being worn by the crew and the dock crew during loading and unloading of the vessels," said Market. "We’re going to see a downturn in business here on the island for sure, we just hope to be able to salvage part of our summer though."
Downtown, the staff at Chicken Patio and the Roundhouse Bar are busy getting the place ready.
"This one is probably the number one biggest obstacle that we have ever faced," said owner Anita McCann.
McCann owns businesses in food, hotels, and retail on the island. She admits she has some hesitations about opening, but has to give it a shot being a seasonal business. And she’s still keeping a positive attitude.
"I’m excited to have my staff back. I’m excited for the new items that we bought for retail. I’m excited, you know, for 2020. We’ve been doing this a long time, and we’ve been through some not so good years, we made it through and I think we are island strong, and I think we can make it through this one," said McCann.
