EAST PALESTINE — East Palestine’s plans for a new administrative building combining its police station, fire department and emergency services was among the 15 projects selected to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development.

The funds were made possible through the Community Facilities Program which will help communities rebuild in the aftermath of 2022 and 2023 disasters.

The village will receive $16 million, covering 75 percent of the project. Village manager Chad Edwards applied for the funds with council’s approval while U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown secured a provision in the government funding package that made USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Disaster Assistance available to the village for building this new public safety complex.

“East Palestine knows all too well how important well-equipped first responders are to protecting Ohioans,” Brown said. “We’re continuing to work to make this community whole by securing a new facility for East Palestine police officers, firefighters, and emergency personnel. I’m proud to have worked with the East Palestine community to deliver this essential facility for them.”

The USDA Rural Development funds will help communities in 10 states — California, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont — and Puerto Rico to move forward to repair or replace essential facilities that were damaged by disasters.

East Palestine was the only community on the list to be impacted by a man-made disaster. All the others receiving funds were hit by severe weather and flooding events.

Other communities receiving funding included the municipality of San Lorenzo in Puerto Rico which plans to use the disaster assistance to repair their Emergency Management Center damaged by Hurricane Fiona in 2022 and Mexico, Maine, which will build a new fire station outside of its flood zone.