District donates dozens of surplus items to REDI community partners

PALATKA, Fla., Aug. 11, 2016 — Putnam County schools and the cities of Bunnell, Hawthorne and Palatka are again benefitting from dozens of items surplused from the St. Johns River Water Management District.

“I’m delighted to assist our Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) community partners by providing our used computer equipment, vehicles, office furniture and tools to help them improve services to our shared constituents,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “Rural communities, many of which are farming communities, are important to our state, and I’m proud the district is able to lend a helping hand.”

The district’s Governing Board on Tuesday approved the surplus of more than 75 items – from laptops and filing cabinets to floor jacks and bench grinders to tractor fenders and disc blades. The district routinely disposes of items that are obsolete, serve no useful function, are uneconomical or inefficient for continued use, or have exceeded their useful service life.

A REDI community is economically disadvantaged and may also be unincorporated federal enterprise communities, or an incorporated rural city that is not located in a designated rural county. Funding for REDI communities may be used to sustain and enhance safe drinking water supplies as well as maintain and enhance wastewater systems. For more information about REDI funding opportunities, visit the district’s website at www.sjrwmd.com/funding/FY2015-2016/REDI.html.