Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce Almost $90,000 in USDA Rural Development Grants for Western Maryland

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) have announced $89,300 in Rural Development Grants for Allegany and Garrett Counties. The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Community Facilities Direct Loans and Grants Program, includes:

• $50,000 for Allegany County, Md. to help purchase a road maintenance truck that will be used in the Flintstone, Md. service area of the county. The truck is an essential piece of equipment for the county and is necessary to facilitate regular road maintenance as well as road clearing during inclement winter weather events.
• $39,300 to the Town of Grantsville in Garrett County, Md. to help purchase a new dump truck with a snow plow, which will replace the vehicle currently being used. The new truck is needed to keep town roads clear and passable for residents during inclement weather months.

“Rural communities face unique challenges – and for Western Maryland, one of the biggest is maintaining safe roads during hazardous winter weather,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Budget and Appropriation Committees. “This funding will help purchase new trucks, which in turn will keep roads passable, allow businesses to stay open, prevent injuries, and save lives. I’ll keep fighting in the U.S. Senate to make sure Maryland communities have the resources they need to maintain our infrastructure.”

“All Marylanders should be able to rely on safe and reliable roads, particularly during the winter months,” said Senator Cardin, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee. “These federal funds will help local jurisdictions to provide these essential services.”

“Inclement weather and harsh road conditions pose a significant threat to our Western Maryland communities,” said Congressman Trone. “This grant will keep our counties safe and roads open as we head into the winter months. I will continue to fight for important infrastructure funding like this that invests in rural communities throughout Western Maryland.”

USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial, or business undertakings.

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