Today the Department of Agriculture and the City of Jesup, Georgia announced a $57,808 Rural Business Development Grant award to continue renovations and improvements at the Wayne County Farmers Market pavilion.
“This two-part project will improve safety and enhance the comfort of vendors and market visitors” said Jill Stuckey, USDA Rural Development Georgia State Director. The funds will be used to replace the metal roof and add water cooled fans. First, for $55,000, the 60+ year old metal roof will be replaced, it has rusted through in places causing leaks and puddles that are fall and injury hazards. Second, for $2,808 the addition of two water-cooled fans can help cool the market by 10-20 degrees, making it much more comfortable. In the 2016 growing season, several vendors chose to forgo selling at the market when the South Georgia weather got so hot in July and August. The City of Jesup will pay the labor costs for the installation of the water-cooled fans.
Funding comes from the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program which is designed to support the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas. Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant agreement. In Fiscal Year 2016, Georgia Rural Development awarded twelve Rural Business Development Grants totaling $899,000, see http://www.rd.usda.gov/files/ga_fy16RBDGlist.pdf for a list of awardees.
President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities.
Since 2009, nationwide, USDA Rural Development has invested $13.5 billion for 5,739 water and waste infrastructure projects, benefiting 19.1 million rural residents; invested nearly $13 billion to start or expand nearly 112,000 rural businesses; helped 1.1 million rural residents buy homes; funded nearly 9,200 community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; and helped bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses. USDA also has invested $31.3 billion in 963 electric projects that have financed more than 185,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines serving 4.6 million rural residents. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/results.