Michigan Rural Development funds $76 million in projects


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Michigan Rural Development funds $76 million in projects

A flurry of Rural Development grants has been awarded to Michigan through the Trump Administration totaling nearly $76 million since August.

State director Jason Allen says USDA is leading the most concerted effort to improve rural infrastructure Michigan has seen in decades.

The largest investment will improve rural Michigan water and wastewater infrastructure as $36 million will fund nine projects and cover nearly every part of Michigan according to USDA state director Jason Allen. An additional $24.9 million were awarded to 10 improvement projects in August.

Nearly $12 million in loans and grants will assist six rural communities, mainly in the Upper Peninsula with telemedicine, COVID relief and disaster assistance.  Almost $9.7 million will be used as a working capital loan in Southwest Michigan for Dykhuis Farms for disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula also received an $8 million investment to improve rural electric infrastructure through the Electric Loan Program and $347,000 in six projects to expand economic opportunities and create jobs in the region.

Traverse City Light and Power has received a $1.8 million loan through the Rural Energy Savings Program to support an On-Bill Financing Program to assisting residential customers in financing energy efficiency and/or renewable energy improvements. 

Ferris State University received nearly $670,000 in grant funding through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine program to create virtual reality equipped classrooms in 17 rural high schools.

More than $350,000 has been granted to improve public safety in rural Michigan by funding 11 projects to support equipment upgrades.

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