Thursday, Jun 30 2011 3:06PM
The Triangle Telephone Cooperative Association in Montana received $551,000 from the USDA to build a treatment room addition to the Pioneer Medical Center in Big Timber.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack recently revealed that grants from the USDA Rural Development's Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program will be provided to 21 utilities in 11 states to help rural companies expand and create employment opportunities.
Grant recipients can use the funding to assist local organizations with projects to retain and generate jobs, as well as improve public infrastructure, service delivery and quality of life for rural residents.
"These loans and grants help cooperatives and utilities support local projects that create jobs and improve rural economic conditions," said Vilsack. "USDA is proud to be a partner in the effort to bolster these cooperatives and help them win the future by increasing the value and appeal of the products and services they deliver."
Recipients include the Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Oregon, which received $300,000 to buy fixtures and equipment for the Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston, and the Triangle Telephone Cooperative Association in Montana, which received $551,000 to build a treatment room addition to the Pioneer Medical Center in Big Timber.
Bren Lowe, CEO of the PMC, told the Billings Gazette the USDA grant should help create additional revenue for the area.