Washington, D.C. — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently
announced the selection of 21 utilities in 11 states for loans and grants to
help rural businesses expand and create jobs.
“These loans and
grants help cooperatives and utilities support local projects that create jobs
and improve rural economic conditions,” Vilsack says. “USDA is proud to be a
partner in the effort to bolster these cooperatives and help them win the
future by increasing the value and appeal of the products and services they
deliver.”
The loans and
grants are being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Rural Economic
Development Loan and Grant program. Recipients are rural utilities program
borrowers that pass the funds to local organizations for projects to retain and
create jobs, upgrade public infrastructure, improve service delivery and
improve the quality of life for area residents and visitors.
For example, the
Federated Rural Electric Association in Jackson,
Minnesota, has been selected for
a $740,000 loan to expand the Arco Corporation facility and construct a visitor
center. The additional space will allow the company to increase manufacturing
production of high horse- power tractors and related equipment. The new
facility is expected to create 100 jobs.
The Utilities
District of Western Indiana, Rural Electric Membership Cooperative (REMC), was
selected to receive a $740,000 Rural Development loan and $300,000 grant to
fund a new elevated water storage tank and supply lines. The project will
enhance the water capacity of the Westgate
Tech Park
and the towns of Scotland
and Crane, Indiana,
while creating an estimated 385 jobs.
Vilsack
announced more than $12.3 million in economic development loans and grants
today. A complete list of projects that were selected for funding is below.
Funding for each project is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of
the loan or grant agreement.
Colorado
San Isabel
Electric Association: $720,000 loan to purchase and install a zip line for
Cuchara Mountain Resort.
Indiana
Utilities
District of Western Indiana, REMC: $740,000 loan and $300,000 grant to fund a
new elevated water storage tank and supply lines in the Westgate
Tech Park
and in the towns of Scotland
and Crane.
Iowa
Board of
Waterworks and Electric Power Plant Trustees: $300,000 grant to construct a
25,000-square-foot-industrial building for local or new manufacturing
businesses.
Butler County
Rural Electric Cooperative: $300,000 grant to construct a 30,000-square-foot
building to entice new business to Chickasaw
County.
Central
Iowa Power
Cooperative: $300,000 grant to construct a community-owned aquatic center and
purchase a building to become city hall.
Indianola
Municipal Utilities: $300,000 grant to construct an 18,000-square-foot addition
to the Blank Performing Arts Center at Simpson College.
Manning Municipal
Light Plant: $250,000 grant to purchase Manning Hausbarn
Heritage Park
campus for an attraction, education and conference center.
Winnebago
Cooperative Telecomm Association: $600,000 loan to purchase 27.6 miles of rail
and to reconstruct a rail switch to ensure rail service in north central Iowa.
Kansas
Midwest Energy,
Inc.: $740,000 loan to construct a dairy processing facility.
Rolling Hills
Electric Cooperative, Inc.: $740,000 loan to construct and equip a new facility
for Carrico Implement Company, Inc., in Ellsworth.
Kentucky
Fleming-Mason
Energy Cooperative, Inc.: $740,000 loan to construct an assisted living
facility and inpatient care facility in Maysville.
Jackson Energy
Cooperative Corporation: $740,000 loan to purchase telecommunications equipment
and software for a contact center.
Minnesota
Federated Rural
Electric Association: $740,000 loan to expand the Arco Corporation facility in Jackson.
Garden Valley
Telephone Company: $115,000 loan to build an addition to the fire hall in Grygla.
Lake Region Electric Cooperative: $320,228 loan and
$300,000 grant to purchase medical equipment and furnishings for a new medical
clinic in Pelican Rapids.
Steele Waseca
Cooperative Electric: $740,000 loan to construct a manufacturing plant.
Mississippi
Coast Electric
Power Association: $740,000 loan to expand a micro-brewery building and
purchase machinery and equipment for the facility in Kiln.
Montana
Triangle
Telephone Cooperative Association, Inc.: $551,000 loan to construct a treatment
room addition to the Pioneer
Medical Center
in Big Timber.
Oregon
Umatilla
Electric Cooperative, Inc.: $300,000 grant to purchase furniture, fixtures and
equipment for the Good
Shepherd Medical
Center in Hermiston.
South Carolina
Central Electric
Power Cooperative, Inc.: $740,000 loan to finance residential energy efficiency
improvements through on-bill financing.
South Dakota
Venture
Communications Cooperative: $740,000 loan and $300,000 grant to finance
business loans through Northeast South Dakota Economic Corporation.
In June, the president
signed an executive order establishing the first WHRC chaired by Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack. To better coordinate federal programs and maximize the
impact of federal investment, the White House Rural Council will work
throughout government to create policies to promote economic prosperity and a
high quality of life in our rural communities.
Since taking
office, President Obama and his administration have taken significant steps to
improve the lives of rural Americans and have provided broad support for rural
communities. The Obama administration
has set goals of modernizing infrastructure by providing broadband access to 10
million Americans, expanding educational opportunities for students in rural
areas, and providing affordable health care.
In the long term, these unparalleled rural investments will help ensure
that America’s
rural communities are repopulating, self-sustaining, and thriving economically.
USDA, through
its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business
and community infrastructure and facility programs through a national network
of state and local offices. Rural Development has an existing portfolio of more
than $150 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to
improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents,
farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.
Visit the
website for additional information about the agency’s programs or to locate the USDA
Rural Development office nearest you.
