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Welcome to the quarterly newsletter of USDA Rural Development in Wyoming. Here, you will find updates on funding opportunities and program activities through our Business, Cooperative, Community Facility, Multi-Family and Single-Family Housing programs.
Wyoming State Director
Connie Baker Wolfe
As I write this, I am looking outside at daffodils and crocus in
bloom – sure signs that spring is almost upon us, which means we are already
halfway into the federal fiscal year and the last stretch of the current
administration. We have accomplished a great deal in Wyoming the last few
years, but there is always more we can do to invest and support our rural
communities. While we are proud of what has been accomplished, we realize
at the same time that many communities across Wyoming are concerned about the
economy.
Our local news isn’t exactly creating a wave of optimism the
last few months. Every day there are new front page articles summarizing
the state’s job losses and most recent layoffs. Frequent articles on
bankruptcies, businesses leaving the state or closing operations, and rising
unemployment rates are unsettling at best. Housing inventories that were
scarce a year ago are now plentiful. Rental rates are decreasing &
vacancy rates are up. And, since last fall, we are seeing an increase in
home mortgage foreclosures.
WY relies heavily on mineral extraction – coal, gas and
oil. As prices continue to fall, combined with weak market demand, every
community across Wyoming is feeling the impact and analysts are predicting we
have not seen the bottom as yet. Having just recovered from the 2008-2009
financial crisis, it feels like we are being hammered all over again.
But, I remain optimistic. We have a multitude of loan and
grant programs at Rural Development. We offer technical assistance to
communities to realize their goals and visions. We can provide technical
oversight to ensure your project is built right. We helped almost 1,300
homeowners achieve their visions of homeownership last year across Wyoming and we
helped families with home repairs as well. We recently celebrated the opening
of a surgical center in Rock Springs; a facility that means families won’t have
to travel long distances to get specialty services and surgeries. One of the
positive outcomes from new businesses is job creation; the medical center
created over 45 new high paying jobs. The list of our accomplishments is
long; one I am very proud of, as is all of our staff at RD.
I am a glass half full kind of person; when things get tough, I
focus on the positive. I see all of the challenges Wyoming is facing and
that means new opportunities as well. At RD, we are here to help.
Happy Spring!
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Aspen Mountain Medical Center Conducts Ribbon Cutting
Tim Brooks
 Aspen Mountain Medical Center Chief Executive Officer, Steve Perry (center), Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Vernita Dore and Dr. Kurt Hunter, Aspen Mountain Medical Center board president are joined by guests to celebrate the ribbon cutting for the new medical center in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
 Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Vernita Dore speaks with Steve Perry, AMMC chief executive officer and Rock Springs Mayor Carl Demshar prior to the ribbon cutting for Aspen Mountain Medical Center. Dore emphasized that the hospital project was an excellent example of Rural Development’s mission to improve the economy and quality of life for all citizens in rural America.
 left to right) Tim Brooks, acting business and cooperative program director, Deputy Under Secretary of Rural Development Vernita Dore, William Cownover, loan specialist, Connie Baker Wolfe, USDA state director for Wyoming and Dave Conine, USDA state director for Utah at the Aspen Mountain Medical Center ribbon cutting ceremony on April 2, 2015 in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
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