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Trump Administration Invests over $160,000 in Community Facilities Programs in Rural Pennsylvania

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

Trump Administration Invests over $160,000 in Community Facilities Programs in Rural Pennsylvania

Investments to serve 13,823 rural Pennsylvanians to help increase the competitiveness of rural communities

Harrisburg, Pa., Oct. 14, 2020 – The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $167,800 to help increase the competitiveness of rural communities in attracting and retaining businesses that provide employment and services for their residents.

“Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, I am honored to announce these investments in rural Pennsylvania. Missions like this are critical to the goals of President Trump as set forth in his Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. The CF program will help essential rural community facilities to provide necessary services. These types of projects improve rural communities and are exactly the type of local investment Rural Development was designed to help with,” said Trump Appointee Curt Coccodrilli, Pa. State Director for USDA Rural Development.

Background:

USDA Pennsylvania is funding 4 projects with total investments of $167,800 and will help serve rural Pennsylvanians through the Community Facilities Programs. The investment funding may be used to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities with extreme unemployment and serve economic depression. For example:

  • Fulton County Library Inc. located in Fulton County; Pa. was awarded $34,600 in Community Facilities Loan and Grant funding to benefit 1,220 residents in their community. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase and install new LED lighting and carpet in the Fulton County Library.  The LED lights are more efficient because they will reduce energy costs. The new carpet will be composed of carpet squares instead of wall-to-wall carpeting so areas with heavy traffic can easily be replaced.
  • Clearfield Borough located in Clearfield County; Pa. was awarded $20,200 in loan and $24,600 in grant funding that was funded through the Community Facilities program. This project will benefit 6,215 residents in their community. This Rural Development investment will be used for the purchase of four vehicle mounted law enforcement radios and 14 portable radios with charging stations for the Clearfield Borough Law Enforcement Department.  The upgrades to the software will provide encrypted high band frequency.  The current portable radios being used by the department will no longer be accessible to the county 911 office.  The purchase and upgrade to the radios will coincide with the updates to the 911 software's high band system. This project supports the prevention, treatment or recovery of substance misuse disorders. 
  • Mount Union Borough located in Huntingdon County; Pa. was awarded $45,800 in Community Facilities Loan and Grant funding. This project will benefit 2,447 residents in their community. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase a new patrol vehicle with a computer and updated law enforcement equipment.  The borough currently owns two patrol vehicles: a 2008 and 2015 Ford.  The oldest high-maintenance, high-mileage vehicle has reached the end of its useful life and is not equipped with a computer. This project is located in a designated distressed community and is also classified as a SMD (substance misuse disorders) project since the new vehicle will help with the prevention of substance misuse disorders.
  • Lansford Borough located in Carbon County; Pa. was awarded $27,000 in loan and $15,600 in grant funding that was funded under the Community Facilities program. This project will benefit 3,941 in their community. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase and up fit a Dodge patrol vehicle.  The vehicle is needed because the borough's law enforcement department only has three vehicles which limits its ability to provide service to the community that has experienced a very high volume of arrests and warrants.  It will also allow the borough to have more officers to patrol at the same time.

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.

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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