NEWS
RELEASE
United States Department
of Agriculture • Rural Development
3001 Coolidge Rd. • 2nd Floor North • Suite 200 • East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 324-5204 • Fax: (517) 324-5225 •
alec.lloyd@mi.usda.gov
Contact: Alec Lloyd (517) 324-5204
HOUGHTON, KEWEENAW COUNTIES RECEIVE GRANTS FOR OFF-ROAD RESCUE VEHICLES
EAST LANSING, Aug. 16, 2007 – USDA Rural Development Director for Michigan Gene DeRossett today presented $32,000 in ceremonial grant checks to Houghton and Keweenaw counties for off-road emergency vehicles.
“These grants help extend the reach of local rescue services,” DeRossett said. “USDA Rural Development is proud to help improve public safety in Houghton and Keweenaw counties.”
Houghton County received a $24,000 grant for two 2007 Polaris 700 Ranger all-terrain vehicles fitted with cargo trailers and rescue skid units. The total project cost is $54,618.
Keweenaw County received an $8,000 grant for a 2007 Can-Am Outlander Max 800 XT all-terrain vehicle and a rescue skid unit. Total project cost is $18,275.
The vehicles will provide emergency rescue services in remote wilderness areas that are otherwise unreachable for ambulances.
The event is part of a series of ceremonies commemorating more than $2 million in grants and loans this month for communities across the Upper Peninsula. So far this year, Upper Peninsula communities have received more than $16 million in grants and loans from USDA Rural Development.
USDA Rural Development’s mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. Rural Development has invested more than $76.8 billion since the beginning of the Bush Administration to provide equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. As a result, more than 1.5 million jobs have been created or saved through these investments. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA’s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
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