Grants awarded by USDA, Appalachian Regional Commission to improve infrastructure in rural Kentucky

More than $8 million is being awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Appalachian Regional Commission to help improve infrastructure in rural Kentucky.

Of that money, more than $6 million from the ARC will go to help improve water systems in Hazard and Harlan.

The rest will go towards projects like solar installations in Bell County, the purchasing of a law enforcement vehicle in Harlan County and a lending program for small businesses in the state’s Mississippi Delta counties.

Tom Carew is the USDA’s state Director of Rural Development. He says they’ve made a lot of progress helping rural communities improve their water and sewer.

“Not only does it provide basic quality of life for our families and residents, but it also helps us recruit and bring businesses and support the businesses that we already have,” Carew said

Carew says it’s part of a continued effort to reduce poverty in Kentucky. The Commonwealth has 41 counties that have had a poverty rate higher than 20 percent for longer than 20 years.

“In the east, I think we're serving 14 counties now, and in the west, we're serving four counties now,” Carew said. “And so we're very happy to be able to channel some federal funding to these counties to help them along that path.”

The full list of award recipients is available here .

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