NASHVILLE, Tenn., October 13, 2020 - The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $60 million to assist more than 78,000 rural Tennessee residents access essential community services in rural Tennessee.
“Supporting essential services in our rural communities is vital to improve the quality of life for its residents,” said State Director Jim Tracy. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA has been working tirelessly to be a strong partner to rural Tennessee in building stronger and healthier communities, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
In rural Tennessee:
- The town of Ashland City will use a $896,500 loan and $100,000 grant to purchase a new fire truck. The new truck will serve as both a ladder truck and fire engine.
- The city of Athens will use a $35 million loan to construct a new elementary school that will house Pre-K through 5th grade.
- Chattanooga Area Regional Council of Governments will use a $150,000 grant to improve the housing capacity of the local governments in southeast Tenn., by providing technical assistance in housing rehabilitation, improve the planning capacity by providing planning professionals support to local planning commissions, provide Community Development Technical Assistance by assisting with the preparation of utility grant applications, and improve the economic development by providing technical assistance in the implementation of major economic development projects.
- Gibson Connect, LLC will use a $27,000 grant to help Gibson Connect, LLC with the purchase of Mobile WIFI equipment. The equipment will be used in disaster response and community service situations across their service area. The mobile equipment will be tied into existing fiber at designated use areas and be provided as a community service at no charge.
- Lewis County will use a $210,900 disaster grant and $176,100 grant to make runway improvements to the Lewis County airport near Hohenwald, Tenn. These improvements will allow the airport runway to be a safe reliable place for aircraft landings.
- Macon County will use a $24 million loan to expand the existing Macon County Justice Center. The proposed addition to the existing facility for Macon County will expand the current capacity of the justice center to better serve the citizens of the county.
- Overton County will use a $203,000 loan and $105,000 grant to purchase two new ambulances, to replace the two highest mileage units in service for the county. This will allow the county to provide more efficient and timely response to all emergency calls, as well as reduce maintenance costs on the ambulance fleet.
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/tn.
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