USDA Selects Town of Mexico to Move Forward in Awards Process to Repair Rural Facilities Damaged by Disasters
USDA Selects Town of Mexico to Move Forward in Awards Process to Repair Rural Facilities Damaged by Disasters
Contact: leigh.hallett@usda.gov
(207) 881-3451
BANGOR, Maine, October 18, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Maine State Director Rhiannon Hampson today announced that USDA has selected the town of Mexico to receive disaster repair funding to replace its fire station. The project in the Western Maine town will be one of fifteen to be funded across ten states and Puerto Rico. USDA’s selections through the Community Facilities Disaster Grants Program will help public bodies, Federally recognized Tribes and community-based nonprofits rebuild in the aftermath of 2022 and 2023 disasters.
“When disaster strikes, it is easy to feel alone. As we in Maine experience the effects of increasingly severe and damaging storms, we are learning firsthand that recovery is a long-term process,” said Director Hampson. “While the immediate response is swift and critical, it is truly the months and years to come that can be most challenging. Navigating the process of funding can be time consuming, and at USDA Rural Development we are here to ensure that our neighbors are getting what they need.”
Mexico will use the disaster assistance to build a new fire station located outside of the flood zone. The town suffered extensive damages in storm-related flooding in December 2023. At that time floodwaters inundated the existing fire station, damaging offices, meeting rooms, sleeping quarters, and equipment. The new fire station will provide more effective and efficient services to area residents following any future natural disasters.
The exact amount of grant funding Rural Development will award the town has not yet been finalized. A total of $36 million will be invested in the fifteen projects announced nationwide today under the Community Facilities Disaster Grants Program.
Mexico is one of ten communities participating in GrowSmart Maine’s capacity-building program called Building Community Strength. GrowSmart’s annual conference will take place on Monday at the Waterville Opera House. Many of the Building Community Strength partners will feature in the program. Mexico Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day and select board members Randy Canwell and Peter Merrill will also attend the GrowSmart Summit.
Director Hampson will meet town’s leaders at next week’s event. She notes, “The Biden Harris Administration has empowered us to grow deeper connections to our local communities and partners, and through these renewed relationships we are seeing action and progress. Our community partners on the ground, the expertise of our staff, and the quick action of this Administration have all demonstrated what we can accomplish when we work together – and the people of Mexico are not alone.”
At the Summit, Director Hampson will announce another grant award, this one for GrowSmart Maine to provide disaster-related technical assistance to rural communities. Together with the funding earmarked for Mexico, the two grants reflect Rural Development’s commitment to helping America’s rural small towns and remote communities become more resilient in the face of increasingly severe weather, wildfires, and other risks.
USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden will be a keynote speaker at the conference in Waterville Monday, as will Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Dr. Gooden will reflect on these investments and Rural Development’s leveraging of partnerships to ensure that all Maine residents benefit from these historic federal investments.
Background
The Community Facilities Program received supplemental disaster funding under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Congress updated the funding and authority for the Disaster Grants Program in March 2024.
Since that time, USDA Rural Development has moved expeditiously to administer the funding to the communities and people who need it most. Selectees will use the funding to repair or replace damaged essential community facilities, replace damaged equipment or vehicles, and purchase new equipment to make much-needed repairs.
Additional resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance.