WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development program has awarded a total of $600,000 to two communities in Southeast Ohio.
 
“This federal funding makes critical investments in improving our state’s infrastructure and bolstering economic growth,” said Brown. “We must ensure that communities in Southeast Ohio have the resources they need to create jobs and improve the lives of their residents. My office and I will continue working with community partners to ensure southeast Ohio gets its fair share of support and investment.”
 
Awarded funding includes:
 
  • $50,000 grant and a $350,000 loan to Pike County to purchase four dump trucks for the construction, repair, and maintenance of the roads in the county.
  • $200,000 loan to Athens County to fund the purchase of a force feed loader for a variety of clean up and maintenance purposes.
 
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.
 

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