U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director Bob Morgan announced that USDA is investing $460,900 to support five projects in rural Pennsylvania.
“Emergency services and transportation for students with special needs are vital to quality of life in our rural communities,” Morgan said. “These projects directly support those organizations that often find it difficult to raise the capital funds to guarantee these essential services to their communities.”
The projects awarded today are listed below.
- Manor Township in Armstrong County received a Community Facilities grant of $28,900 to purchase a police vehicle with accessories and upfitting. This will replace a 2017 vehicle with high mileage and is costly to maintain.
- Cranesville Volunteer Fire Department in Erie County received a Community Facilities grant of $30,200 to purchase a new boiler system and vinyl siding for their building.
- Jeannette EMS, Inc. in Westmoreland County received a subsequent Community Facilities Direct Loan of $12,300 to provide financing for the purchase of two new ambulances. The initial investment to the organization was a $128,500 loan and $100,000 grant to help purchase these vehicles, but due to higher equipment costs, the subsequent funding will cover the additional project costs.
- The Township of Penn in Clearfield County received a loan of $35,000 and a grant of $50,000 to purchase a freightliner truck chassis with dump box and appurtenances.
- The Shenandoah Valley School District in Schuylkill County received a loan of $23,600 and a grant of $52,400 to purchase two passenger vans to transport special needs students.
In total, these projects are expected to benefit more than 20,000 rural Pennsylvanians.
You can read the complete news release on our website.