The Murphysboro school district will be able to begin improvements to its middle school thanks to a $1 million loan secured by Egyptian Electric Cooperative Association (EECA).
EECA worked with Murphysboro CUSD #186 to secure the zero-percent interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program.
“The school district is excited to have secured this interest-free loan,” said Chris Grode, superintendent for Murphysboro CISD. “This will assist the district in making the best use of the county facility sales tax dollars.”
The loan will assist the school with many improvement projects including an HVAC project, and ceiling, lighting and electrical upgrades. The funds will also support the transition from a hot water radiator system to a variable refrigerant flow system.
“We are thrilled to be able to facilitate these loans to those in our community,” said EECA General Manager Shane Hermetz. “It is important for us to invest in our rural communities, and the cooperative is happy to act as the intermediary through the USDA REDLG program.”
This is the third REDLG loan EECA has assisted in attaining and its largest to date. The co-op is accepting applications from qualified member or non-member taxing entities within its service territory interested in the REDLG program.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. The funding for these projects is part of the REDLG program to support rural businesses. For more information about this program, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
