Congressman Jim Clyburn announces rural development funding

Photo:Rich Wandover

Orangeburg, S.C. (WOLO)–U.S. Congressman Jim Clyburn was in Orangeburg Monday to announce $40 million in funding from the US Dept. of Agriculture for three rural development projects in the county.

Congressman Clyburn says around $18 million will go to Claflin University to develop a student activity center in Orangeburg that will include a movie theater for the public. Construction for the student center has already begun and doors will open in the summer of 2023.

“This is what it takes. We think about attracting students and that’s great but you got to have professors, you got to have teachers, you got to have administrators to run theses schools and they need family entertainment. They need homes, they need to be able to benefit from a broad range of development,” says Clyburn. 

Congressman Clyburn also says close to $12 million will go to the town of Santee for the development of its waste water system that will help accommodate growth in the area. The project is expected to be complete in two years. The USDA says its an investment that protects the quality of life.

“Santee is doing just that. They’re going to make sure that waste water options are in compliance and also safe for residents but what that also does is create more opportunities for affordable homes in the future. So connected to USDA Rural Developments investment in that waste water facility is the opportunity to develop up to 800 homes in Santee,” says Xochitl Small with the USDA.

$5 million will go toward a family entertainment center that includes an 18 hole miniature golf and go-karts.  Congressman Clyburn says the center will be open in about six months. 

”The Biden Harris Administration knows that when you invest in rural people and in their vision it becomes an opportunity for everyone all across the country, so that places like Orangeburg can be a destination,” says Small.