$115,000 to improve emergency services in DeKalb County

 

February 20, 2009 - SMITHVILLE, Tenn.—USDA Rural Development Area Director Joe Woody and DeKalb County Mayor Mike Foster today announced a federal loan and grant totaling $100,000 to purchase a new ambulance and additional emergency equipment for Dekalb County Emergency Medical Services. The announcement was made at the DeKalb County Courthouse.

 

"Emergency service workers provide critical care for our family members and workers, often in circumstances where every minute matters" said Woody. "Thanks to the support of our congressional delegation, Rural Development has the financial resources to help EMS workers in DeKalb County have the equipment they need to do their job as effectively as possible."

 

A Rural Development loan of $83,000 and grant of $17,000 will fund the purchase. The new vehicle provides DeKalb County Emergency Medical Services with additional resources to meet the growing needs of people in the county.

 

Rural Development’s community facilities program uses direct loans, loan guarantees and grants to provide rural areas with the financial resources to construct or improve essential services like healthcare, education, civic facilities, and first responder protection. The loan-guarantee program encourages private lenders to expand their investment of capital in rural communities. Community facilities programs target rural areas with a population less than 20,000.

 

Others participating in the event included Congressman Bart Gordon's representative Jim Stubblefield, Upper Cumberland Development District Director Wendy Askins, and Rural Development staff Jerry Jolley, Alice Wills, and Chris Hampton.

 

Committed to the future of rural communities in Tennessee, USDA Rural Development invests financial and technical assistance through housing, community and business development programs.  In Fiscal Year 2008 Rural Development assisted more than 678,000 Tennessee families and businesses with more than $435 million in financial assistance through loans, loan guarantees and grants.

 

For more information on Rural Development programs available in DeKalb County contact the Area Office in Cookeville at 931-528-6539 ext 2, toll free at (800) 342-3149 ext. 1493, or online at www.rurdev.usda.gov/tn.