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Trump Administration Invests $622,790 in Rural Community Facilities in Pennsylvania

Name
Amber Albright
Email
Amber.Albright@usda.gov
Phone
717-237-2295
City
Harrisburg
Release Date

Trump Administration Invests $622,790 in Rural Community Facilities in Pennsylvania

New Schools, Health Clinics and Public Safety Equipment Will Benefit 21,620 People

Harrisburg, Pa., Aug. 24, 2020 – The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $622,790 to improve critical community facilities to benefit 21,620 rural residents in Pennsylvania.

 “Rural America relies on safe, modern community facilities to ensure access to essential services such as education, health care and public safety,” USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Bette Brand said. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA continues to be a strong partner with rural communities, because we know that when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

Brand announced projects today in Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Under the leadership of President Trump and Agricultural Secretary Perdue, Trump Administration Official and USDA RD State Director Curt Coccodrilli is proud to announce the following projects which will help thousands of Pennsylvania residents.  “These types of heavy equipment, emergency services vehicles, debris collectors, and roof replacement projects are exactly the types of local community investments Rural Development was designed to help with,” said Coccodrilli.

Background:

USDA Pennsylvania is funding 4 projects with total investments of $622,790 and will help serve 21,620 rural Pennsylvanians through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. The investments can be used to build or upgrade schools, libraries, clinics and public safety facilities. For example:

  • Bradford Township located in Woodland, Pa., was awarded $50,000 in loan and $51,590 in grant to purchase a new wheel loader for the township.  This equipment is replacing the current loader since it has reached the end of its useful life. The new wheel loader will provide more efficient maintenance and repair of the township roads.
  • Munhall Volunteer Fire Company located in Munhall, Pa., was awarded $52,100 in loan and $89,900 in grant to purchase a new Ford Mini Pumper fire truck. The purchase of this fire truck will allow the fire company to respond to multiple calls for aid at one time, and it will also be able to service areas that the larger fire trucks cannot fit.  Since this truck is smaller, it will decrease the use of the larger fire truck, keeping fuel and maintenance costs lower. Driving this smaller fire truck to emergency calls will allow the younger volunteer firefighters to gain the necessary experience to be eligible to drive the larger trucks. The current fleet consists of a 55' Telesquirt fire truck, Ford Utilimaster Firefighter Rehab Unit, and a Ford Squad.  All three have specific functions for aid.  Since they do not currently own a Mini Pumper, this will be a beneficial addition to the fleet.
  • Kane Borough located in Kane, Pa., was awarded $99,200 in loan and $100,000 in grant to purchase a debris collector. The borough currently has a 2002 model that is no longer economically feasible to maintain and has exceeded its useful life.  The street debris collector will be beneficial to borough residents by improving sweeping productivity and saving on maintenance and repair costs.  
  • Borough of Masontown located in Masontown, Pa., was awarded $80,000 in loan and $100,000 in grant to replace the roof of the 9600-square-foot Masontown borough municipal building.  This is their original roof and it has deteriorated significantly.  Although this roof has been repaired and patched regularly, it continues to leak which impacts the daily operations of the borough.  The roof replacement is necessary to ensure the borough can operate effectively and prevent further damage to the building. 

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.

Interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office for information about additional funding, application procedures and eligibility details. Also see the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program Guidance Book for Applicants a detailed overview of the application process.

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. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

If you would like to schedule an interview with State Director Curt Coccodrilli, please contact Amber Albright at 717-237-2295 or Amber.Albright@usda.gov.

 

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