Projects Include $778,440 in Grants for Community Facility Projects

United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director of Pennsylvania Bob Morgan announced that USDA is investing $1.19 million to build and improve critical community facilities in Pennsylvania.

“When we invest in rural health care services and infrastructure, we invest in the people of rural America,” Morgan said during a tour of the St. Luke’s Carbon Hospital today in Lehighton, Pa.

This community infrastructure funding will benefit approximately 109,000 people in rural Pennsylvania.

The 15 projects range from new law enforcement vehicles to community library renovations. For example:

• Newport School District will use a $417,900 loan and $44,200 grant to pave and re-line the parking lots in the Newport High School and Newport Elementary School. The parking lots have not been repaved in years and need new lines.
• The Amelia S. Givin Free Library will use a $14,300 grant to paint the exterior trim of the library and purchase new materials for the library. The exterior has not been painted in 12 years and is in poor condition. New materials such as books, books-on-cd, magazines, CDs and DVDs are needed because their current materials are outdated. The library serves Mount Holly Springs Borough and surrounding communities.
• The Innes Hose Company in Canton, Pa., will use a $144,500 grant to purchase a Spartan Fire truck and Chevy 3500 Rescue truck which will be outfitted as a brush truck with accessories.

Read all of the Pennsylvania project announcements on our website.

As part of National Rural Health Week, USDA announced investments of $222 million through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program across the nation. This funding includes $132 million to support health-care-related improvements, emergency response services and food security. These health-care-related improvements will benefit nearly 850,000 rural residents in 36 states.