MONTGOMERY, Ala., Nov. 19, 2021 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Alabama State Director Nivory Gordon, Jr. today announced that USDA is investing more than $1.2 million to build and improve critical community facilities across rural Alabama. This community infrastructure funding will benefit more than 41,000 people in 9 different communities across rural Alabama.
“The projects that are being announced today are all aimed at improving the quality of life in Alabama’s rural communities,” Gordon said. “Through its grant and loan programs, USDA is making investments in rural Alabama and across rural America to help provide essential services for rural residents such as emergency response services, tornado shelters, and public works services. Through investments such as these, USDA Rural Development is helping America’s rural communities build back better.”
USDA is investing in 11 projects across rural Alabama through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. The assistance will fund essential community services that will help keep rural America resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Projects to support rural communities across Alabama include:
- In Greene County, USDA is investing $152,200 in loans, and $189,600 in grants to help the Greene County E-911 Communication District purchase modern communication equipment and provide for other upgrades to the district’s facilities. Funding will be used to purchase new radio, telephone, and computer aided dispatch consoles for emergency communicators. In addition, the facility will also receive several security improvements. This investment will help benefit the 9,045 rural residents of Greene County, as well as travelers on the county’s major thoroughfares, such as Interstate 20/59 and U.S. Highway 43.
- In Conecuh County, USDA is investing $50,800 in loans and $49,000 in grants to help the town of Repton, Alabama fund the construction of a pole-barn style public works building. This new building will be used by the town to store equipment and repair materials for the town's public works department. This investment will benefit the 282 rural residents of Repton and surrounding areas.
- In Lowndes County, USDA is investing $50,000 in grants to help the town of Gordonville purchase equipment and to provide for upgrades to benefit the Gordonville Town Park. This equipment, which includes American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible equipment, includes a chain link fence, concrete walkways, and concrete gathering areas. These upgrades will greatly increase the accessibility and usability of the park, and will benefit the 326 rural residents of Gordonville.
- In Marion County, USDA is investing $80,000 in loans and $84,900 in grants to help the town of Hackleburg purchase an automated arm garbage truck and trash bins. This investment will allow the town public works department to take over garbage collection service for the town’s residents. This investment will benefit the 1,516 rural residents of Hackleburg.
- In Colbert County, USDA is investing $10,700 in loans and $1,800 in grants to help Cherokee Volunteer Firefighters, Inc. purchase a new fire engine and associated equipment. The truck will replace the department’s main fire engine. The addition of the fire engine and new equipment will increase the safety of the firefighters and improve the department’s response to fire emergencies. This investment will benefit the 1,048 rural residents who are served by the department.
- In Lawrence County, USDA is investing $36,000 in grants to help the town of North Courtland to purchase and install a public severe weather and tornado shelter. This above-ground pre-fabricated structure is designed to protect 50 people in the event of severe weather and act as a resource for families and individuals who lack adequate storm shelter.
USDA is also investing 7,600 in grants to help the town of North Courtland purchase and install security fencing around an equipment storage area and a county dumpster storage site. The fencing will provide for greater security for the town's equipment and will help the town to control access to the area. Both this investment and the storm shelter investment will benefit the 632 rural residents who live in North Courtland.
USDA is also investing $28,100 in grants to help the town of Town Creek purchase 150 radio-connected, remotely-read, utility meters. This investment will allow the town to upgrade its utility system, reduce personnel and vehicle expenses tied to manual meter reading, improve the accuracy of meter readings on-demand, and provide improved service to the town's utility customers. This investment will benefit the 1,100 rural residents who live in Town Creek.
- In Madison County, USDA is investing $200,900 in loans to help the Moore’s Mill Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department purchase 30 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) units. This investment will allow the department to replace aging existing equipment with safer, updated technology. The addition of these new units will improve firefighter safety and the department's ability to respond effectively to fire emergencies. This investment will benefit the 5,862 rural residents who live in the department’s service area.
- In Morgan County, USDA is investing $298,000 in loans to help the Mud Tavern Volunteer Fire Department purchase a new fire engine and associated equipment. The truck will replace the department’s main fire engine. The addition of the fire engine and new equipment will increase the safety of the firefighters and improve timeliness and efficacy of their response to fire emergencies. This investment will benefit the 21,574 rural residents who live in the department’s service area.
Nationwide, USDA is investing $222 million, including the more than $1.2 invested in Alabama, to support improvements to rural community infrastructure across America. This investment includes $132 million for rural health care, food security and emergency response services.
In addition to the projects announced in Alabama today, community infrastructure projects that include financing emergency response vehicles and equipment; building or improving hospitals and clinics; and combating food insecurity are also being announced in: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico.
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.
Today’s investments complement the recently announced funding availability under USDA’s Emergency Rural Health Care Grant Program, which also is being administered through the Community Facilities program. Through this program, USDA is making up to $500 million available through the American Rescue Plan to help rural health care facilities, tribes and communities expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, health care services and nutrition assistance.
Under the Emergency Rural Health Care Grant Program, Recovery Grant applications will be accepted on a continual basis until funds are expended. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/erhc.
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. Under 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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