USDA Rural Development Area Director Jerry Jolley joined DeKalb Utility District Manager Jon Foutch in celebration of its new water treatment plant today with a groundbreaking ceremony at the DeKalb Utility District (UD) office.
"Safe, reliable water is vital to the future of every healthy community," Jolley said. "Making infrastructure investments like these not only provides for improved water treatment and distribution, it puts people to work now and lays the foundation for improved sustainable growth in the future."
Through Rural Development’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program, USDA provided $6,250,000 in loan and grant funds to combine with additional funding from Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the State of Tennessee and DeKalb UD to construct a new Water Treatment Plant along with Raw Water Intake and Transmission line and Distribution System improvements.
Others participating in the event include DeKalb UD Board Commissioners President Roger Turney, Secretary Joe Foutch, Treasurer Hugh Washer, Jimmy Womack, and Paul Bass; Rural Development Cookeville Area Specialist Chris Hampton and Technician Alice Wills; Project Engineers Buddy Koonce and Bryant Griffin.
USDA Rural Development is moving investments to rural America with housing, business and infrastructure loans and grants to create jobs and strengthen rural economies with an emphasis to assist areas of persistent poverty. Since 2009, the agency has assisted more than $1.5 million Tennessee families and businesses in 230 communities in all 95 counties of Tennessee, investing more than $5.4 billion through affordable loans, loan guarantees and grants.
For more information on USDA Rural Development programs available in eastern Middle Tennessee contact the Cookeville Area Office at 931-528-6539, or 800-342-3149 x 1493. Visit us online at www.rd.usda.gov/TN.