Piedmont EMC, the Touchstone Energy cooperative headquartered in Hillsborough, is helping Bethel Hill Charter School construct a new classroom building in Person County. The cooperative secured a $300,000 grant from USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program for the assistance. The USDA grant, intended for improving community facilities, was accompanied by a $60,000 matching loan from Piedmont EMC.

The $1.3 million project includes a new 9,400-square-foot building to house eight classrooms for the school’s growing student population, plus two or three more teachers. Bethel Hill Charter School currently has 385 students from Person, Caldwell, Granville and Durham counties.

The funding Piedmont EMC acquired from the USDA, along with the matching portion, will continue to benefit the community once the loan is repaid. The $300,000 zero-interest grant and $60,000 matching loan from the cooperative will go into a revolving loan fund for Piedmont EMC, which can then be re-loaned into the community for other projects.