Financing for a new, $5.75 million emergency services building in Greene County’s Miami Township is among 50 rural infrastructure projects nationwide acknowledged today as being funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Direct Loan Program.
“USDA’s Community Facilities programs directly impact Ohio’s rural places and people by constructing, renovating or improving schools, hospitals, clinics, libraries, and other community-centric buildings,” said Ohio Rural Development State Director David L. Hall. “During the last fiscal year alone, the CF Direct program here helped fund 30 such projects totaling more than $85 million. We’re gratified to know we’re playing a pivotal role in helping move Ohio’s rural infrastructure forward.”
The focus of a personal site visit last month by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, once constructed, the Miami Township Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department’s 17,000 square-foot building will replace a mid-century structure that doesn’t meet modern accessibility standards and cannot accommodate future expansion. The completed facility will support contemporary fire and emergency medical services for more than 8,000 township residents.
The recently passed 2018 Omnibus bill increased the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget for the Community Facilities Direct program to $2.8 billion, up $200 million from FY 2017. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federal- and state-recognized Native American tribes in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or fewer. There is no limit on loan sizes, which to date have ranged from $10,000 - $165 million. Additional projects are being announced today in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.
To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
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 services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.