Funding Will Increase Access to Health Care, Education and Public Safety for the People Who Call Rural Communities Home
STILLWATER, Oklahoma, Jan. 26, 2022 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh today announced that USDA is investing $1 billion to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Guam. Oklahoma is receiving $481,400. This infrastructure funding will increase access to health care, education and public safety while spurring community development and building sound infrastructure for people living in rural communities.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made investing in infrastructure improvements a top priority,” Bronaugh said. “These loans and grants will help rural communities invest in facilities and services that are vital to all communities, such as health care facilities, schools, libraries, and first responder vehicles and equipment. When we invest in essential services in rural America, we build opportunity and prosperity for the people who call rural communities home.”
Bronaugh highlighted 731 projects that USDA is making in five programs that will fund essential community services to help rural America build back better, stronger and more equitably than ever before. These programs include Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants, Community Facilities Loan Guarantees, Community Facilities Technical Assistance Training Grants, Community Facilities Disaster Grants, and Economic Impact Initiative Grants. The projects will finance emergency response vehicles and equipment; build or improve hospitals and clinics and help fund other essential community facilities. Bronaugh underscored the critical role that Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, Vice Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, had in fighting for additional funding for the Community Facilities Direct Loans, which made many of these investments in critical rural infrastructure possible.
Oklahoma projects include:
- Ft. Gibson Public Schools will use a $55,700 grant to make parking lot improvements to double the size of the current school parking lot, creating 42 new parking spaces. The parking lot addition includes a new service drive for school pickup/drop off of students. The new service drive will prevent blocking of a public street and access for emergency services. The new add on will also be used as an emergency heliport.
- City of Chickasha will use a $98,800 grant to purchase five new patrol vehicles. The vehicles will be up fitted with the necessary equipment to meet state law requirements. This vehicle purchase will help replace high mileage patrol cars that have become unreliable due to the constant maintenance required to keep the cars operational.
- City of Guthrie will use a $94,100 grant to purchase a new street sweeper. The city maintains 144 streets and eight miles of dirt roads. Their 2007 street sweeper cannot keep up with the current workload. This grant will decrease maintenance costs for the city and will increase the amount of work accomplished by the streets department.
- Elmore City-Pernell, District 251-072 will use a $61,100 grant to purchase a 71-passenger 2022 school bus. This school district is more than 225 square miles. Due to the district size, they require additional buses to provide transportation for students and their families. This new bus will serve as a route bus, providing safe transportation for the students.
- Wister Public Schools will use a $35,300 grant to purchase a school marquee and two sunshades. The marquee will increase communication and provide a positive form of communication within the community and the school district. The shades will be mounted to cover the outside lunch tables and benches at both the middle school and high school providing protection from the weather for the students and teachers.
- City of Hugo will use a $40,600 grant to purchase three 2021 1500 Tradesman Crew Cab 4 X 2 police vehicles and equipment. These new vehicles will help to decrease the annual overall mileage and maintenance cost of the units. This project will allow the city of Hugo Police Department to better serve and protect the community.
- City of Hollis will use a $51,900 grant to assist the city of Hollis finish construction on their new senior citizens meal site facility. This facility is being constructed to replace their old building which was dilapidated and in need of significant repair. Community Action of Altus, Oklahoma delivers prepared meals to the site which in turn is distributed to the Hollis community.
- Bokoshe Public Schools will use a $22,400 grant to purchase a tractor and related equipment. The tractor and front-end loader, box blade and cutter will be used for school grounds maintenance, FFA projects, and other school-wide projects. This project will allow the school to maintain school grounds, baseball and softball fields.
- Committed to Build and Beautify Taft, Incorporated will use a $21,500 grant to purchase a Kubota tractor. The tractor purchase includes a front-end loader and backhoe with rotary cutter attachments. The equipment will be used to maintain the new Panther educational, health and fitness trail that is currently being constructed by Committed to Build and Beautify Taft. Purchasing the equipment will allow the applicant to perform upkeep on the trail without incurring the cost of an outside contractor.
Background:
More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. For more information, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program.
Interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office for information about additional funding, application procedures and eligibility. Also see the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program Guidance Book for Applicants (PDF, 669 KB) for a detailed overview of the application process.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate, smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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