Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program announced this (Thursday) morning more than $8 million in loans and grants to support infrastructure projects across rural Iowa. USDA Rural Development Iowa State Director Michael Sexton says the agency is providing $3.9 million in loans and $4.17 million in grants to fund 13 projects statewide. Among those projects is the City of Ricketts, which will receive a $200,000 loan and a $900,000 grant to improve its wastewater system. The upgrades will include lining sewers, sealing manholes, and constructing a new three-cell controlled-discharge lagoon to bring the system into compliance with water-quality standards. Sexton says, “USDA recognizes the unique challenges faced by smaller Iowa communities as the need for clean water and emergency response grows in places that support our nation’s essential food supply chains. The Trump administration believes in rural America and is championing infrastructure projects that put agricultural communities and the people who live and work there on a more solid footing for the future.” The remaining $7 million was awarded in 19 other counties for projects ranging from housing preservation to emergency weather siren installations.
