USDA Rural Development State Director Richard Mayfield announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is more than $500,000 in three community facilities related projects across rural New York that will benefit more than 20,000 residents. This is part of a national announcement investing $52 million in 45 community facilities projects that will benefit nearly 200,000 rural residents in 16 states.
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA is committed to partnering with rural communities to build the facilities that provide state-of-the-art services to those who depend on them,” Mayfield said. “Rural areas thrive when modern and accessible education, health care, public safety and municipal services are available. This provides a foundation for growth and prosperity.”
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.
- East Shelby Volunteer Fire This Rural Development investment of $180,000 in loan and $20,000 in grant funding will be used to purchase a pumper apparatus body and four-door commercial chassis. This will replace a pumper truck and a rescue truck that are beyond their useful life. This project serves the town of Shelby and town of Barre in Orleans County.
- Town of Madrid This Rural Development investment of $95,000 in loan and $14,100 in grant funding will be used to purchase a new 2018 International highway plow truck to replace the undependable 1998 plow truck. The new plow truck will help maintain the town roads and highways to keep the residents safe.
- Town of Arcadia This Rural Development investment of $210,000 in loan funding will be used to purchase a new all-wheel drive motor grader. The town of Arcadia is located in Wayne County and will use the equipment purchased through this application to provide service to town residents located outside the village of Newark. Replacement of this equipment is essential to ensure that the highway department will be able to maintain the streets and roads in the town.
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).
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