Rural Development State Director for North Carolina Robert Hosford today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $1.3 million in five community facilities projects in North Carolina.
“Essential community facilities are a vital part of rural North Carolina,” said Hosford. “These investments will help to ensure rural prosperity today and into the future.”
USDA is making the investments and has additional funding available through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program. Interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office for application and eligibility details.
The five projects that USDA announced today in North Carolina are:
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The town of Green Level will use a $200,000 loan and $89,000 grant to provide additional funding to complete a new town hall. Previous funding included a $1,494,400 loan and a $75,000 grant.
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The town of Denton will use a $519,000 loan and $50,000 grant to purchase a new top mount pumper truck, as well as equipment and new radios for the fire department's fleet. The new truck is custom built and is expected to be delivered in January 2020.
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The town of Denton will also use a $48,800 loan and $26,200 grant to purchase a 2019 skid steer front loader, and a 2019 pursuit police vehicle, as well as equipment.
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The town of Pine Level will use a $200,000 loan and a $30,000 grant to purchase a 2019 garbage truck with side tippers and hoppers. This truck is being purchased to replace the town's older and unreliable 2002 model that has exceeded its useful life.
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The town of Middlesex will use a $47,000 loan and $100,000 grant to purchase public service equipment, including a police vehicle, generator, chipper, lawn mowers and a Jetta. The equipment will assist employees of the town's police and public works departments in carrying out duties efficiently and safely.
More than 100 types of projects are eligible for funding under USDA’s Community Facilities program. 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.
USDA will make additional funding announcements in coming weeks. Congress appropriated $2.8 billion for Community Facilities direct loans and grants in fiscal year 2019.
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.
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 cornerstone 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).