WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2020) – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program has awarded a total of $2,944,700 to five communities in central Ohio.
“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 central Ohio 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 central Ohio gets the support it needs.”
USDA Funds for Central Ohio Communities are broken down:
- $360,000 loan and $100,000 grant to Elm Valley Joint Fire District in Delaware County to purchase a new fire truck.
- $100,500 loan to Fallsbury Township in Licking County to purchase a tractor and boom mower
- $2,330,000 loan to Big Walnut Joint Fire District in Morrow County to finance the construction of a new fire station
- $23,000 loan and $7,200 grant to the Village of DeGraff in Logan County to purchase a new patrol vehicle
- $24,000 loan for the Village of Lockington in Shelby County to equip a work truck for road maintenance
The funds for this program are a part of the USDA’s Rural Development initiative, 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.