U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA) office for Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) has awarded a $78,900 grant to the Blue Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club in Somerset County. The funds will be used for the purchase of a snowmobile trailgroomer and to expand trail maintenance.
“This federal grant funding will substantially contribute to the economic development of the north Somerset County region by expanding tourism and helping small businesses,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “Combined with the money it already raised, the Blue Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club will now have the funds for the equipment needed to better maintain trails crucial to attracting tourists to the area.”
Senator Collins recently sent a letter to USDA State Director Michael Aube in support of the Blue Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club’s grant application stating, “Funding this proposal will provide the BRSC with the necessary funds to purchase equipment that will be used to expand trail maintenance. This will substantially contribute to the economic development of the north Somerset County region.”