CONGRESSMAN BOUCHER ANNOUNCES TOTAL OF $118,375 TO BENEFIT WYTHE COUNTY

Federal Funds Will Benefit Wytheville Police Department and Wythe County Public Schools

            (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Rick Boucher announced today that, at his urging, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Rural Development Agency, is providing three federal grants totaling $118,375 for Wythe County organizations. Of that total amount the Wytheville Police Department will receive a federal grant of $50,000 to purchase new police cars, the Wythe County School System will receive $50,000 to purchase new kitchen equipment and the a grant of $18,375 will be used to update the County’s cannery.

“The federal grants I am announcing today represent a significant federal investment in Wythe County. The federal funds will benefit County residents in a number of ways. The funds will enable the Wytheville police department to better protect Wytheville residents, the Wythe County school system to more easily provide healthy meals to its students, and the County to continue to provide a cannery for the benefit of Wythe County residents,” Boucher said.

            The Wytheville Police Department is receiving a grant of $50,000 to purchase three new police vehicles, which will be fully outfitted with lights, sirens and other safety equipment. The new police cruisers will replace older models currently in use by the Department, which have become expensive to maintain as a result of their high mileage. The new cars will ensure the Department is able to respond to emergencies in Wytheville swiftly.

            Additionally, the Rural Development Agency is providing a grant of $50,000 to the Wythe County school system for the purchase of updated and modern kitchen equipment to replace older equipment in use at George Wythe High School, Spiller Elementary and Speedwell Elementary Schools. The kitchen equipment currently in use at these schools is aging and, in some cases, obsolete. The federal funds will enable the purchase of new equipment, which will allow the schools to provide healthy meals to students more efficiently. The new equipment will include a doublestack oven, commercial microwave ovens, an ice maker, a milk cooker, a can opener, hot plates, mixers, floor cleaners and vacuums, and trays.

            Finally, the Rural Development Agency will also provide a grant of $18,375 for the modernization of Wythe County’s cannery facility. The cannery provides Wythe County residents and organizations with an affordable opportunity to prepare fresh foods for storage and use throughout the year. Currently, some of the cannery’s equipment is deteriorating due to its age. With the benefit of the federal funds, a new apple pulper will be purchased to replace a model from the 1960s that is currently in use. The new apple pulper will enable individuals and organizations to prepare larger numbers of bushels of apples for canning and freezing. In addition, the walk-in cooler at the facility will be replaced.

            “I am pleased that the Rural Development agency has provided this significant investment in Wythe County. The federal funds announced today will improve the quality of life for individuals across Wythe County," Boucher said.

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