USDA Officials Visit Holloway to Celebrate Earth Day

City Receives $569,500 From Rural Development for Water Infrastructure

  HOLLOWAY, April 25 – Steve Wenzel , State Director of Rural Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, visited Holloway today to announce a $569,500 loan/grant combination to the city of Holloway for water infrastructure. The funding will provide the city’s 112 residents with clean water and state-of-the-art water infrastructure for many years to come. The funding announcement was also in recognition of Earth Day.

    “The funding announced today ensures each of they city’s residents will have access to clean water,” Wenzel said. “Providing clean water to rural communities is at the top of President Bush’s list of environmental initiatives. Clean water also encourages economic development and job creation.”

    The loan portion of the funding totals $350,000 with a 40-year interest rate at 4.25 percent. The grant funding totals $219,000. The city will use the funds to build a new pump house and ground storage tank, and will also install water meters.

    USDA Rural Development plays a major role in keeping rural communities environmentally friendly. In addition to providing funding for clean water, USDA Rural Development also has funds available for renewable and energy efficiency ventures. The agency also assists rural communities with housing, job creation, hospitals, emergency response equipment and buildings, and high-speed Internet.

    Since 2001, USDA Rural Development has invested over $2 billion throughout Minnesota – more than twice the national average. For more information on USDA Rural Development, visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/mn, or call your local office in Alexandria at (320) 763-3191.