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USDA Invests $60,000 in Two of South Dakota’s Rural Communities

Name
Tammi Schone
City
Huron
Release Date

HURON, SD, April 2, 2020 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for South Dakota Julie Gross today announced that Reliance Fire Department and the town of Lesterville were awarded USDA funding to purchase equipment.   

“Growth and prosperity are critical to rural communities,” said Gross. "It is Rural Development’s mission to assist small communities and we are excited to provide Reliance Fire Department and the town of Lesterville funding for equipment purchases that will have a positive impact on these communities for many years. When rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

USDA is funding the projects through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. South Dakota projects:

  • Reliance Fire Department will use a $10,000 loan to provide equipment to the volunteer fire     department. The equipment purchased will include six sets of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units and a filling facility for the units.  
  • Town of Lesterville will use a $50,000 loan to purchase a payloader. The equipment will be used for snow removal, maintenance, repairs and town projects. 

Today’s announcement is part of a larger statement from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand who announced that USDA is investing $65 million to improve critical community facilities to benefit more than 600,000 rural residents in 14 states including in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. 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.

Interested parties should contact their USDA Rural Development state office for information about additional funding, application procedures and eligibility details. Also see the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program Guidance Book for Applicants (PDF, 669 KB), a detailed overview of the application process.

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 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.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.