Investments to serve 11,767 rural Pennsylvanians to help increase the competitiveness of rural communities
Harrisburg, Pa., Oct. 8, 2020 – The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $634,500 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 3 projects with total investments of $634,500 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:
- Coaldale Borough located in Schuylkill County; Pa. was awarded $27,400 in Community Facilities Disaster Grant funding to benefit 2,281 residents in their community. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase a Ford pickup truck for Coaldale Borough’s street department. This truck is needed for jobs that require a smaller truck which the Borough does not currently own.
- Innes Hose Company located in Bradford County; Pa. was awarded $289,900 in Community Facilities Disaster Grant and $237,000 in Community Facilities Loan program to benefit 6,334 residents in their community. This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase a Spartan Fire Truck and Chevy 3500 Rescue Truck. They currently have a 2005 American LaFrance walk-in rescue with no pump or water. The manufacture of this apparatus is no longer in business and it is extremely difficult to locate custom built parts. They also currently operate a 1985 For F-350 single cab pick-up with a slide in wildland firefighting skid unit. Due to the truck’s age, it is too costly to maintain. A new combination rescue/pumper would allow for a quick response time with less manpower. The new truck would be built to meet National Fire Protection Association safety standards. The brush truck would allow them to access off road fire and emergencies. The department contracted included several thousand acres of State Forest and State Game lands that are inaccessible to full size apparatus.
- Mahanoy Township located in Schuylkill County; Pa. was awarded $30,300 in Community Facilities Disaster Grant and $49,900 in Community Facilities Loan program to benefit 3,152 residents in their community. This Rural Development investment will be used for Mahony Township to purchase a dump truck. The dump truck is needed because the township’s current maintenance vehicles are all aging and have become costly to maintain. This dump truck will also allow the township to maintain its’ properties year-round.
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.
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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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