BLUE EARTH — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it is investing $50,000 for essential maintenance equipment in Blue Earth.

“By assisting the city of Blue Earth with maintenance equipment, we are also helping them to achieve their goals to encourage more students to bike and walk to school,” said USDA Rural Development state director for Minnesota Brad Finstad. “All of these things ultimately lead to greater prosperity.”

The city will use a $50,000 Community Facilities Grant to purchase a new Bobcat compact loader machine and a heated asphalt trailer.

The city has been awarded a Safe Routes to School grant through the Minnesota Department of Transportation. SRTS promotes infrastructure improvements, tools, enforcement, safety education and incentives to encourage walking and bicycling to school. As a result, the SRTS grant will increase the city of Blue Earth’s need for regular snow removal in the winter and walking/bike path maintenance.

Currently, the city purchases more than 800 tons of asphalt annually for street repairs. The city uses dump trucks to haul and distribute asphalt, which often cools before installation is completed, causing about 5 percent loss due to spoilage. This project will help purchase a heated trailer that will prevent asphalt spoilage, and new Bobcat compact loader with a bucket to replace an existing vehicle that is beyond its useful life.