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Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto issued a letter to Congress in support of three bills that would offer financial relief to independent music and entertainment venues during the covid-19 pandemic.

“I’m urging Congress to ensure that our local venues are included in and protected by relief packages,” Peduto said in a statement. “They’re what make our neighborhoods great and, frankly, they’re what make Pittsburgh Pittsburgh.”

The letter, addressed to the majority and minority leaders of both the Senate and House of Representatives, asks for bipartisan legislation to help live entertainment venues.

It is written in support of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), a collection of venues and entertainment representatives across the U.S. that formed at the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.

In an Aug. 5 statement, NIVA wrote that some Payroll Protection Program bills will not be helpful to businesses with high overhead costs, a high proportion of part-time employees and other qualities of independent entertainment venues.

NIVA is advocating for three bipartisan House bills currently in discussion: the RESTART Act, which tailors the Payroll Protection Program for businesses that have zero revenue and no clear reopening timeline; the Save Our Stages Act, which establishes a $10 billion grant program for live talent venues and professionals; and the ENCORES Act, which would provide a tax credit to offset the costs of refunded ticket sales.

“I strongly urge the United States Congress to act quickly and pass these aforementioned bills to ensure that these cultural hubs can remain open,” Peduto’s letter reads.

Indigo Baloch, public relations director at the Mr. Roboto Project in Pittsburgh, said the venue falls into a gray area that disqualifies it from obtaining many PPP loans. There is no food service operated within, and there isn’t a retail component.

It’s really just an “open space” for bands and shows, she said, so they can’t receive aid that normally goes to bars, restaurants and other businesses.

And since the small community venue’s staff and board is made up entirely of volunteers, Baloch said Roboto also can’t receive any employee relief funds. The volunteers have been “scrambling” to find ways to pay the rent, relying on fundraisers and grants.

As a “safe space” that doesn’t allow drug or alcohol on the premises and aims to be accessible for all age groups, Baloch said Roboto is a rare kind of entertainment venue. But as the pandemic continues to stretch on with no end in sight, permanent closure becomes more of a possibility.

“We’re kind of the last of our kind,” she said. “I think that if we close, there just won’t be anything that can really compare or offer the same things.”

Since the loss of live events, NIVA estimated that 90% of independent venues nationwide could close forever.

In his letter, Peduto wrote that Pittsburgh’s entertainment industry is essential to tourism, and employs thousands. The shutdowns brought by the pandemic have caused both financial damage and harm to the community as a whole, he said.

“Our independent venues and theaters aren’t just important because of their economic impact,” his statement reads. “Art, music and entertainment are historically woven into the rich cultural fabric of Pittsburgh. There’s no price you can put on their cultural value for our neighborhoods and city, but there is price we can put on making sure they don’t go under.”

Teghan Simonton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, tsimonton@triblive.com or via Twitter .