ATHENS, Ga., Nov. 19, 2021 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA is investing $222 million to build and improve critical community facilities in 44 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. This community infrastructure funding will benefit nearly 2.5 million people in rural communities. It also includes $132 million to support health care, food security, and emergency response services for more than 850,000 rural residents in 37 states.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is delivering on its promise to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild our economy,” Torres Small said. “Rural Americans need emergency response, hospitals and medical facilities, and USDA’s loans and grants invest in critical infrastructure to make that possible. USDA Rural Development puts rural people at the forefront of investment and opportunity to help us all build back better, stronger, and more resilient.”
USDA is investing in 536 projects 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. The projects will finance emergency response vehicles and equipment; build or improve hospitals and clinics; and combat food insecurity.
For example, in Georgia:
|
RECIPIENT |
LOAN |
GRANT |
PURPOSE |
|
City of Demorest |
$215,700 |
$49,300 |
This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase six fully equipped law enforcement vehicles within car video cameras for use by the department. These vehicles are needed to replace the currently aging fleet. Three of the current vehicles have higher mileage and increasing maintenance costs. All of the current in-car video systems are outdated. |
|
Taylor County |
$38,200 |
$4,400 |
This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase updated firefighter turnout gear (a total of 28) for the county's fire department. The turnout gear currently in use by the department is old and worn out. The older gear will be kept as a backup and for use in training new volunteers as they come on board. |
|
City of Hogansville |
$30,000 |
$30,000 |
This Rural Development investment is being used to purchase furniture and equipment for the city of Hogansville's new city hall that is being renovated. The city purchased the PNC Bank building in downtown Hogansville and is transforming it into the city hall. |
|
Clinch County Board of Commissioners |
|
$7,700 |
This Rural Development investment will be used to update the outdated and unusable Clinch County Sheriff's Office computer systems. This improvement entails purchasing five desktop computers, two laptops and support equipment. The Clinch County Sheriff's Office computers are well past their useful life and are susceptible to malware such as ransom ware and other harmful software. Several law enforcement departments, sheriff's offices, and the Georgia State Patrol have all been ransomware victims in the past 12 to 18 months, paralyzing their departments, courts, and evidence logs. New computers will host security components that the current computers cannot and will accept software that the current computers will not. |
|
Fitzgerald/Ben Hill County Development Authority |
|
$65,000 |
This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase two flood pumps to replace outdated ones at the city's underpass. These new pumps will replace 40-year-old pumps which are inoperable. |
|
Turner County Board of Commissioners |
|
$50,000 |
This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase three fully equipped law enforcement vehicles for the County Sheriff's Department. These will replace vehicles with high mileage that often incur costly maintenance fees. |
|
City of Hawkinsville |
$3,080,000 |
|
This Rural Development investment will be used to build a city hall on property that the city acquired in 2014 and 2018. The new 9,055 square foot city hall complex will serve as the administration center for the city of Hawkinsville. The complex will house the offices for the city manager, city commissioners, council chamber, and administrative offices. The complex was designed with the most current and applicable codes to ensure building efficiency and performance. |
The investments announced today will support community infrastructure projects in Alabama, 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 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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