We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Shelby Johnsen, a Public Affairs Specialist who works in Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), shared information on October 9 that six rural communities in Montana will receive allocations totaling 19.3 million dollars in funding through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program. USDA’s investments in rural Montana leveraged an additional $24.48 million in state, local and other funds to build critical infrastructure. Harlem is one of those communities that received grant funding under the program.
From the Rural Development State Office in Bozeman, Montana, State Director Charles Robison responded to the announcement: “I’m pleased about the USDA’s recent investments in water and wastewater infrastructure. Rural Montanans across the state will have access to improvements that will enhance not only their health but also their quality of life. Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, the USDA has been working tirelessly to be a strong partner to rural Montana in building stronger and healthier communities, because we know when rural Montana thrives, all of Montana thrives.”
This USDA funding will increase access to upgraded water and wastewater systems for more than 12,000 rural Montanans in Belgrade, Coram, Harlem, Poplar, Whitehall, and Wilsall. The USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program is designed to help small, financially distressed rural communities like these to extend and improve water facilities that serve local households and businesses.
City officials report that Harlem will use their $2,276,024 grant and a $770,000 loan to replace 4,100 feet of water main lines, construct a treatment building with an upgraded filtration system, rehabilitate the city’s concrete clear well, and install approximately 25 new valves and ten water hydrants. These investments will increase access to upgraded water and wastewater systems in a community where residents have complained about the smell and flavor of tap water for some time now. Improvement to Harlem’s infrastructure will ensure that the city has a clean and reliable drinking water system.
In addition to Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants Program, USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and to create jobs in rural areas. Other programs available to rural communities for building or improving infrastructure systems include
• Telecommunications Grants and Loans: Financing for utilities to construct, maintain, improve, and expand telecommunications service, including broadband in rural areas.
• ReConnect Loans and Grants: Direct loan, grant, and loan/grant combination funding to construct, improve, and expand broadband service to rural and Tribal areas.
• Distance Learning and Telemedicine: Funds telecommunications equipment to provide educational and healthcare services for rural communities
• Electric Loans: Financing for generation, transmission, and distribution facilities in rural areas, including smart-grid technologies.
• Community Facilities Loans and Grants: Direct and guaranteed loans for essential public facilities and equipment; and grants for very small, lower income rural communities based on need.
For more information about this assistance, interested individuals are encouraged to visit http://www.rd.usda.gov/mt. State Director Robison can also be reached via email: Charles.Robison@usda.gov or telephone: 406-451-4008.
USDA Rural Development is divided into three agencies: Rural Housing Service, Rural Utilities Service, and Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Each has a unique mission to bring prosperity and opportunity to rural areas.
The USDA Rural Development website proclaims the agency’s commitment to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. “Through our programs, we help rural Americans in many ways. Together, America Prospers.”
According to Robinson, good practices can save tax dollars, improve the natural environment, and help manufacturers and businesses to locate or expand operations.
