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Trump Administration Invests $9.5 Million in Rural Community Facilities in South Carolina

Name
Stephanie Bittiker
Phone
City
Columbia, S.C.
Release Date

New Schools, Health Clinics and Public Safety Facilities

Will Benefit Rural South Carolina Residents

Columbia, S. C., Oct. 28, 2020 – The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $871 million to improve critical community facilities to benefit 3.5 million rural residents in 43 states and Guam.  This investment includes over 9.5 Million for Rural South Carolina.

“Rural America needs safe, modern community infrastructure to help residents and businesses achieve greater prosperity and have access to essential services,” USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand said. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA continues to be a strong partner to rural communities, because we know that when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

Brand announced essential community projects today in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona,  California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Background:

USDA is funding 256 projects through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. These investments will be for such purposes as to build or upgrade schools, libraries, clinics and public safety facilities. For example, in South Carolina:

  • The Palmetto Academy of Learning Motorsports will use a $5.3 Million loan to  purchase the facility the school currently operates. The facility is a high school designed and equipped to teach the students specialized skills associated with motorsports technology, auto collision.
  • The Town of Saluda will use a $101,600 loan to purchase a sanitation truck to provide trash collection service directly to residents internally and at a more economical cost.  The purchase of a sanitation truck will provide the residents the opportunity to receive timely, effective and essential services from the Town of Saluda.
  • The Lowcountry Montessori School will use a $4 Million loan to provide site improvements to the school's property.  These improvements include construction of a 6,300 square foot classroom building with a science lab, culinary kitchen, group restrooms and an open raw space that the school can subdivide as part of a future project.  In addition, the school will construct a 2,100 square foot building to house a raw art space and workshop and construct an open-air pavilion to be a multipurpose community gathering space.

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.

Interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office for information about additional funding, application procedures and eligibility details. Also see the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program Guidance Book for Applicants, a detailed overview of the application process.

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs 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 areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/sc.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.  

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