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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has millions of dollars looking for a home in Montana.

The department’s regional rural service center in Missoula http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/MT/mso.htm is trying to spend, grant, loan or use as collateral some of the federal stimulus dollars on local community building projects with the end goal of creating new jobs. The program runs through the end of September, but with application times taking up to several months, the time to get projects in for consideration is now.

Types of programs available through the Missoula office include low-interest loans, grants for eligible projects and federal guarantees for bank loans. Additionally, the agency has cut or eliminated the service fee it normally charges to facilitate certain projects.

Qualifying projects are generally bricks-and-mortar jobs like wastewater programs, machinery, fire trucks, right-of-way acquisitions and community facilities, though there is also a large program for elderly and/or low income residents to replace septic systems and money set aside for renewable energy projects. It also covers paying certain fees tied to finishing projects, like architect fees.

“It just about encompasses anything a community could want,” said Kim Maines, area director for the USDA Rural Development office in Missoula http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/MT/mso.htm .

Well, just about anything.

by JEFF SCHMERKER – Ravalli Republic

Full Story: http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2010/02/01/news/news88.txt

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