WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program has awarded a total of $32,702,000 to three communities in Knox and Richland counties.
 
“This federal funding makes critical investments in improving our state’s infrastructure and bolstering economic growth,” said Brown. “Now more than ever, we must ensure that communities in Knox and Richland counties have the resources they need to improve the everyday lives of their residents. My office and I will continue working with community partners to ensure these communities continue to get the support they need.”
 
Awarded funding includes:
 
  • $44,000 grant and a $36,000 loan to Union Township in Knox County to purchase a road maintenance truck.
  • $23,000,000 loan to The Ohio Eastern Star Home in Knox County to finance the expansion of Ohio Eastern Star Home's campus of senior independent living spaces.
  • $9,622,000 loan to Washington Township in Richland County to finance the construction of a multipurpose building for the Township's Fire, Road and Administrative departments.
 
These funds are a part of the USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program, which provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. The program helps rural small towns, cities and communities make infrastructure improvements and provide essential facilities such as schools, libraries, courthouses, public safety facilities, hospitals, colleges and daycare centers.
 
Brown has been a leader for Ohio’s rural communities, successfully securing a number of provisions that are important to Ohio farmers in the 2018 Farm Bill. He is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 50 years.
 

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