USDA Invests $13 Million to Improve Community Infrastructure for People Living in Rural Towns Across Georgia

Funding Will Increase Access to Health Care and Public Safety for the People Who Call Rural Communities Home

ATHENS, Ga., Jan. 26, 2022 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director Reggie A. Taylor today announced that USDA Rural Development is investing $13 million to increase access to health care and public safety for people living in 22 rural Georgia communities.

“These loans and grants are investments not only for facilities and services that are vital to all communities, such as health care facilities and first responder vehicles and equipment,” said Taylor, “they represent investment in prosperity and opportunity in rural Georgia.”

The Georgia State Director highlighted 29 projects that will finance emergency response vehicles and equipment; build or improve hospitals and clinics and help fund other essential community facilities. For example:

•  In Montgomery County, a $1,400,000 Community Facilities Direct Loan will be used to replace the Emergency Management Services facility which had been housed in a twenty-year old modular unit that was salvaged from the Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBOE).

The new Montgomery County EMS facility will remove the existing trailer and ambulance cover and will be replaced with a 4,772 square foot single-story pre-engineered metal building with two vehicle bays for ambulances. The exterior of the new structure includes prefinished metal wall and roof panels. The interior will contain one large training room, one day room, one office, four bedrooms that will sleep four in lieu of only two at the existing, two accessible bathrooms with showers, storage, and utility room.

• The City of Nicholson, Ga, in Jackson County, will use a $58,000 Community Facilities Direct Loan and a $50,000 Community Facilities Grant to install fire protection sprinkler system at its City Hall and Community Center.
   
• In Irwin County, the community will use a variety of funding from Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants to invest in public safety infrastructure such as the purchase of: an ambulance for the EMS Department, two tractors, two graders and a utility truck for the Road Department and two patrol vehicles for the Sheriff’s Department.
   

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 in Georgia should contact the Community Programs Division at (706) 546-2171for 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.

 Below is a summary of investments announced today in Georgia: