Durbin, Duckworth announce more than $117 million in federal funding for rural community development in Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $117,920,000 in federal funding for Edgar, Kankakee, Madison, Perry Counties to support rural community development projects. Today’s funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to benefit the City of Paris, Illinois, Olivet Nazarene University Foundation, the Village of St.  Jacob, Illinois, and Pinckneyville Community Hospital District.

“This federal funding will help boost communities across Illinois, serving to improve road conditions, build new and improved village halls, expand hospital facilities, and help lighten the burden of a university,” said Durbin. “I will continue working with Senator Duckworth to ensure that our state’s rural communities have access to the critical federal investments that drive economic growth.” 

“This funding will go a long way towards helping ensure our communities have the resources they need to support local families and our state’s growing agricultural sector,” Duckworth said. “By improving transportation systems and expanding rural community spaces, we can grow local economies and boost our entire state’s economy.”

Under this announcement, the following projects will receive USDA funding: 

• City of Paris (Edgar County): $525,000 in funding to improve road conditions and traffic flow at the intersection of 1200th and Route 1. 
• Olivet Nazarene University Foundation (Kankakee County): $115,000,000 in funding to assist the Foundation in purchasing a portion of the University assets. 
• Village of St. Jacob (Madison County): $790,000 in funding to construct a new village hall that will meet current energy codes, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, additional square feet and storage areas.
• Pinckneyville Community Hospital District (Perry County): $1,605,000 in funding to construct a 2,560 square foot building that will house Pinckneyville Community Hospital District’s Senior Life Solutions outpatient senior behavioral health program.

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