– United States Department of Agriculture today announced that they are investing almost $4 million to the Newcastle Fire Protection District. This infrastructure funding will help build a new fire department building.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made investing in infrastructure improvements a top priority,” Bronaugh said. “These loans and grants will help rural communities invest in facilities and services that are vital to all communities, such as health care facilities, schools, libraries, and first responder vehicles and equipment. When we invest in essential services in rural America, we build opportunity and prosperity for the people who call rural communities home.”
The new fire station will be staffed by two-to-three fire fighters and a battalion chief. The facility will be approximately 6,939-square-feet of wood and pre-fab metal buildings that consist of living quarters, multiple bathrooms that are available for public use, a reception area for the public, and an apparatus room. The apparatus bay will have an exhaust fan, laundry area and a safe area to clean and disinfect equipment after usage. Also, there will be enough room on the proposed building site that the fire fighters will be able to park their vehicles safely without taking public spaces on the street. This will be a safe, modern facility on a site that will allow the firefighters a 360-degree response and will have direct access to East and West bound Interstate 80, Highway 193, and direct access to their primary routes which will lower their response times. This proposed project will alleviate the issue of a 100-year-old dilapidated building that is currently unsafe for the fire fighters and the public and will allow the fire fighters to better serve the Newcastle community.
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.
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.