WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $50,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development grant to replace the roof on  Aitkin’s Public Safety Building. Aitkin’s Public Safety Building houses the local law enforcement department.

“The City of Aitkin’s Public Safety Building needs a new roof so emergency service providers have the facilities they need to continue serving the community,” said Klobuchar. “The federal grant will advance this project.”

“Federal investment is quite literally helping our small towns build a roof overhead for essential community services like public safety,” said Smith. “Our local law enforcement officers deserve to be in buildings that are safe and in good condition. This investment to replace the roof of the Aitkin public safety building will improve the city’s infrastructure and help keep Minnesotans safe.”

Senators Klobuchar and Smith are members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, which oversees the USDA.

This federal funding was secured through the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. Program grants can be used by communities across the country to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community in a primarily rural area, such as health care facilities, public safety services, educational services, and more.

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