Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $237 million in 119 rural community service facilities in 29 states. Missouri State Director Jeff Case is pleased to announce that over $2 million will improve rural Missouri communities.
“At USDA, we believe in rural America and in the promise of small towns and the people who call them home,” Hazlett said. “Under Secretary Perdue’s leadership, we are committed to being a strong partner to local leaders in building healthy, prosperous futures for their communities.”
“Essential community infrastructure presents itself in many forms such as rebuilding roads, providing clean water, expanding broadband access, and supplying affordable power,” Case said. “Today’s announcement focuses on critical community facilities infrastructure which can construct, expand, or improve facilities that provide health care, education, public safety, and public services rural Missouri so critically needs.”
Hazlett announced the funding following a meeting in South Dakota of the Western Governors Association. USDA is supporting these quality-of-life projects through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program. Six Missouri projects are included in today’s announcement:
- Dent County Emergency Response Association will renovate the Dent County Fire Protection District’s fire station in Salem, Mo with a $774,800 loan.
- The Livingston County Nursing Home District is receiving a subsequent loan of $782,600 to finish up the construction of an additional wing of 14 rooms for skilled nursing patients. The total cost for the project, which also received USDA funding in FY 2015 and 2017, is $2,384,600.
- The County of Scotland Improvement Corporation will be purchasing a new motor grader for Scotland County with the $200,000 loan and $18,600 grant received. The grader will allow the county to reliably maintain roads and remove snow for the 4,843 rural citizens in the area.
- The Schuyler County Improvement Corporation is receiving a $168,000 loan and $30,000 grant to purchase a motor grader. The new grader will be used for maintenance and snow removal on 250 miles of gravel roads and 85 miles of dirt road in the county. This is critical for the safety of the county's 4,431 citizens and emergency personnel.
- The City of Campbell Downtown Development Corporation in Campbell, Mo., is receiving a $28,500 loan and $28,500 grant to replace outdated fire and police equipment allowing the City to provide improved emergency response times to Campbell’s 1,992 residents.
- The Sunnyview Foundation, Inc. in Trenton, Mo., is receiving a $36,500 loan and $19,400 grant. The funds will be used to purchase an accessible lift van for the Grundy County Nursing Home District to transport patients to and from more than 400 appointments a year, including doctor visits, therapy, trips to the hospital, and local outings and activities.
The projects that are being announced today will help improve the quality of life in rural communities in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
More than 100 types of projects are eligible for USDA Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally and state-recognized Native American tribes. Applicants and projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. There is no limit on the size of the loans. Loan amounts have ranged from $10,000 to $165 million.
The 2018 Omnibus bill increased the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget for the Community Facilities Direct Loan program to $2.8 billion, up $200 million from FY 2017.
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.