USDA invests $16.9 million in Rural Partners Network Communities across W.Va.

MCDOWELL, W.Va. (WVVA) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary West Virginia State Ryan Thorn announced that the USDA is going to be helping rural West Virginia communities across five counties to address some immediate needs.

The town of Bradshaw is among those receiving funding.

“The funding announced today will help these five rural West Virginia communities carry out projects to improve access to quality health care, clean and reliable water and sewer services, and affordable housing,” said Thorn. “Through the Rural Partners Network, USDA is building stronger communities and brighter futures.”

In West Virginia, the investments total $16.9 million and will support five projects in in RPN counties.

Boone Memorial Health will receive a $14.4 million loan to renovate a facility in Danville into a health and wellness clinic. The project will provide quality outpatient healthcare and wellness services to a service area of approximately 32,200 rural residents.
The town of Bradshaw will receive a $1 million grant to convert its current wastewater system into a traditional gravity system. This project will consolidate most of the existing customers onto centralized pumping stations for system efficiency and energy savings.
The Forrest Place Preservation Association will receive a $904,783 loan to assist in the transfer, assumption, and rehabilitation of Forrest Place Apartments, an existing multi-family housing complex in Kermit.
The Lavalette Public Service District will receive a $616,000 grant to upgrade the German Ridge and Dickson areas of the Northern Distribution System to better serve the system’s customers with fire flow, reduced water loss, and reduced operation and maintenance costs associated with leak repairs.
The City of Smithers will receive a $17,200 grant to purchase a commercial tractor for the city’s Street Department. The vehicle is needed to maintain the city’s green spaces and for moving and clearing rocks, mud, and debris from public areas.

In the West, the funding will help Tribal communities improve water and wastewater services and bring solar power and other forms of renewable energy to Tribal lands and farms. For people living in Southern communities, projects will increase access to fresh foods in high-poverty areas and allow electric cooperatives to connect thousands of people to power with smart-grid technologies. Residents in parts of Appalachia will benefit from new investments in clean water, expanded health care services and safe, affordable housing.