Champaign, IL., Jan. 26, 2022 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Illinois State Director Betsy Dirksen Londrigan today announced that USDA is investing $72,264,420 to build and improve critical community facilities in rural Illinois. This infrastructure funding will increase access to health care, education, and public safety while spurring community development and building sound infrastructure.
"The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA's Community Facilities investments are foundational for growth and prosperity in rural Illinois," Dirksen Londrigan said. "When it comes to a community's wellbeing, nothing is more vital than when it involves first responders, health care facilities, and education. By partnering with communities and funding locally identified initiatives throughout the state, we are building a better future for rural Illinois towns together."
Dirksen Londrigan highlighted 43 projects that USDA is funding in three program areas for essential community services to help rural Illinois build back better, stronger, and more equitably than ever before. These programs include Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants, Community Facilities Loan Guarantees, Community Facilities Disaster Grants. The projects will finance emergency response vehicles and equipment, build or improve hospitals and clinics and help fund other essential community facilities.
For example, in Illinois:
- Evenglow Lodge will use a $32,248,000 Community Facilities Direct Loan to construct a 76 unit assisted living facility, demolish the existing assisted living/independent living facility, and construct a link building connected to the nursing home. The project includes a total of 66,000 square feet. In addition to the 76 assisted living units, the project comprises a commercial kitchen, dining area, wellness area, multipurpose room, salon, multiple living and activity rooms, laundry facilities, and administrative regions. The link building will house a replacement kitchen, multipurpose space, and therapy room.
- Okawville Community Fire District receives a $1,100,000 Community Facilities Direct Loan to construct an 11,040 square feet firehouse building. The building will include four full-length bays that can be accessed in front and rear of the building through 14' overhead doors. The building will consist of a training-meeting room, mechanical room, offices, men's and women's restrooms. In addition, all areas will be American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. There will be a storage mezzanine above the non-bay area. This project will allow for the expansion of fire services and improve response times to emergencies while ensuring the safety of the volunteer fireman.
- The Village of Tampico will use a $15,500 Community Facilities Disaster Grant to provide additional funding to install a HVAC system in their Reagan Community Center. The new system consists of six new rooftop units, a gas-fired furnace, and a split air conditioning system with associated ductwork electrical and gas piping. This facility houses the village's administrative offices, a daycare, and a law enforcement station and is open to the public for community and private events.
For more information on the other 40 projects, please reach out to the Public Information Officer, Chris Hart at: chris.w.hart@usda.gov
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 should contact their USDA Rural Development state office for 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.
The awards being announced today are being made in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.
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.
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