Archives for January 2021

Article By: Abby Wright

Community facilities that provide public services such as community support, education, safety, utilities, healthcare, and government are essential, but maintenance and improvements are costly.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program aids small communities with the purchase, construction, and/or improvement of essential community facilities, including equipment purchases and other related expenses, such as engineering and administrative fees. 

CEDA Vice President, Chris Giesen, has authored and was awarded the Community Facilities Direct Grant in 2016, 2019, and 2020 on behalf of Harmony, MN—totaling $117,510 toward the installation of an emergency/backup electric generator at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, as well as the purchase of other equipment for the ambulance and public works. 

The Community Facilities Direct loan may span up to 40 years, and the grant may fund up to 75% of eligible project costs up to the grant maximum, which depends on the population and median household income of the city. The loan and grant may be used in combination, and both programs are ongoing. 

If you would like to learn about CEDA’s grant services, please visit the Grant Resources page at cedausa.com, or contact Courtney.Bergey@cedausa.com.

Article by: Allison Wagner

On July 14, 2020, the Houston County Board of Commissioners allocated $1,130,000 of County CARES Act Funds to be disbursed to local small businesses in the form of an economic development relief grant to partially reimburse the cost of business interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. La Crescent Township also allocated dollars towards this program. 

CEDA team member, Allison Wagner, who serves as the Houston County EDA Director, worked with the Houston County Economic Development Board to create the Houston County CARES Business Relief Grant. Wagner was tasked with creating a timeline, drafting the application, advertising the grant, answering questions from applicants, and performing the initial review of each grant application. 

The program opened in August, and 252 grant applications were received by the final October 30th deadline. Eligible businesses included registered or licensed State businesses in good standing, nonprofits with a physical brick-and-mortar building, sole proprietors, and farmers.

Due to the high number of applicants, Houston County allocated additional dollars and ran three application rounds so that all 242 of the eligible grant applicants could be awarded a total of $1,157,166.36 in grant funds. 

The impressive number of applicants and amount of funding awarded was due largely to the enthusiasm of those who found out about the program. Wagner says, “I am proud of how our businesses in Houston County have been creative and adaptable though the pandemic, not only in their own places of business, but also when it comes to helping neighboring businesses. It was the businesses who helped the EDA spread the word about the grant opportunity.”