Harkin Announces Rural Development Funding for Iowa

HARKIN ANNOUNCES RURAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDING FOR IOWA

- As part of his continuing support for rural Iowa, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced today that several communities will receive over $800,000 in grants and nearly $7 million in loans for rural development projects from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Harkin is the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.

"Supporting community projects is essential for economic growth in rural Iowa," said Harkin. "These funds will help make necessary upgrades for Iowa's rural infrastructure."

Details of each grant award are as follows:

Bancroft -- Corn Belt Power Cooperative: $250,000 loan to finance upgrading of the KLM Acquisition Corporation d/b/a Aluma Ltd in Bancroft, IA. Dallas County -- Xenia Rural Water District: $2 million loan and a $500,000 grant for upgrading water and waste systems. Estherville -- Iowa Lakes Cooperative: $300,000 grant to help construct an Alzheimer Unit at the Estherville Good Samaritan Center. Le Mars -- NW Rural Electric Cooperative: $740,000 loan for upgrading Wells Blue Bunny's corporate campus in Le Mars, IA Roland -- Stanford Mutual Telephone Company: $450,000 loan to upgrade their manufacturing facility in Roland, IA. Webster County -- Xenia Rural Water District: $3.5 million loan and $52,000 grant to build water distribution pipelines to the southeast corner of the county, a water tower in Gowrie, IA and an upgrade to the Webster County Water Treatment Plant.

http://harkin.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=237111