Investment to Repair Streets and Purchase Road Maintenance Equipment
COLUMBIA, MO, Sept. 28, 2020 – The Trump Administration, along with Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Missouri Jeff Case, today announced that the USDA is investing $270,000 to improve streets, roads, bridges, and culverts in the city of Clarkton and Cotton Hill Township.
“Rural community leaders are constantly identifying infrastructure improvements needed to best meet the needs of the hard-working rural Missourians they serve,” said Trump Administration Official State Director Case. “Through our Community Facilities programs, USDA Rural Development partners with communities to maximize the affordability of their infrastructure needs. Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA has been working tirelessly to be a strong partner to rural Missouri in building stronger and healthier communities, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
The city of Clarkton will use a $120,000 grant to repair city streets. Clarkton’s streets have extensive potholes and suffered further damage after torrential rains caused flooding and erosion of city roads. Repairs will improve the overall safety for Clarkton citizens and allow first responders to provide timelier emergency response. A $336,559 Community Development Block Grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development will also be used for these repairs.
Cotton Hill Township Road Association will use a $67,500 loan and $82,500 grant to purchase equipment for lease to Cotton Hill. The purchase of a dump truck, mini-excavator, tractor, backhoe ditching bucket, and levee smoother attachment is required to properly perform the work and make quality repairs to Cotton Hill’s 86 miles of roads, bridges, and culverts. The equipment being purchased is both replacing aging equipment and adding additional equipment that the township currently does not own and must rent or borrow when needed. Cotton Hill roads have potholes, a typical result of weather and daily traffic from vehicles and farm equipment, but also incurred additional damages as a result of torrential rains and flooding which exacerbated the conditions of roads, bridges, and culverts. This equipment will also be used to address the resulting erosion and deterioration and improve the overall safety of citizens and timeliness of first responders.
Today’s announcement includes funding from the Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program and the $150 million in grants included in the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act that President Trump signed into law on June 6, 2019.
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 eligible rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. Grant applications will be accepted on a continual basis until funds are exhausted.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs 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 areas.
Contact USDA Rural Development
Information on programs available through USDA Rural Development is available by visiting www.rd.usda.gov/mo, by calling (573) 876-0976, or by emailing RDMissouri@usda.gov.
USDA Rural Development has 25 offices across the state to serve the 2.2 million residents living in rural Missouri. Office locations include a state office in Columbia, along with local offices in Butler, Charleston, Chillicothe, Clinton, Dexter, Eldon, Farmington, Higginsville, Houston, Kennett, Kirksville, Maryville, Mexico, Moberly, Neosho, New London, Poplar Bluff, Richmond, Rolla, Sedalia, Springfield, St. Joseph, Troy, and West Plains.
If you’d like to subscribe to Missouri USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.