Oregon Rural Developments Newsletter (Winter 2015)

Oregon Rural Developments

Welcome to the quarterly newsletter of USDA Rural Development in Oregon.  Here, you will find updates on funding opportunities and program activities through our Business and Cooperative, Community Facility, Multi-Family and Single-Family Housing programs.   


Rural Development Welcomes Oregon Native Lisa Mensah as New Under Secretary

Photo of Lisa Mensah, Under Secretary of Rural Development

Lisa Afua Serwah Mensah, a native of Beaverton, Oregon, was nominated by President Obama for the position of Under Secretary of USDA Rural Development, and she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2014. An expert in using financial tools to improve the economic security of the working poor, Ms. Mensah has experience in the private financial sector and has worked extensively on small and micro business development, housing, and financial and savings policy. Read her full biography here.


Sale or Lease of USDA-owned Single Family Homes to Local Nonprofits, Public Bodies as Transitional Housing

When USDA takes ownership of a home that has either been enlarged or improved beyond Rural Development program standards or that requires major redesign or renovations to be brought up to Rural Development program standards as safe and decent housing, the home is no longer eligible to be financed by USDA through the Section 502 Single Family Housing Direct Loan Program. These properties are listed for sale by public auction or another method depending on the property. With recent program changes, Non-program Properties may now be sold with special preferences and flexible financing terms to local groups providing transitional housing for the homeless. These properties may also be leased to nonprofits and public bodies for up to 10 years at $1 per year. Click here to learn more…


Join Us for a Free Effective Utility Management Workshop on March 2 in Sunriver

Sustainable water and wastewater services are critical to providing Oregonians with clean and safe water and helping the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the communities these utilities serve. Utilities across Oregon face tremendous challenges, such as aging infrastructure, climate change, population shifts, and competing priorities within the community. More and more, utilities assume leadership roles related to community sustainability, resource recovery and conservation, sustainable economic development, and climate change. As they do, they must concurrently focus on long-term sustainability and bringing about meaningful change in their organizations and their communities. This workshop is a timely opportunity for public works directors, city council members, and city board members to move toward building a stronger community through effective utility management.

WHAT:  Effective Utility Management Workshop
WHEN:  Monday, March 2, 2015
WHERE:  Sunriver Resort, 17600 Center Drive, Sunriver, Oregon
HOW:  Click here to register
COST:  Workshop registration is free. If you wish to attend the full Oregon Association of Water Utilities Conference, a registration fee will be charged.


New Website Coming Soon

The USDA Rural Development website will be changing next month. The new website will have a different URL, but links to the old site will be redirected. The new website will include an updated layout and a more user friendly organization. For questions about the new website or help locating specific information, contact Erin McDuff, Public Affairs Specialist, at (503) 414-3304 or erin.mcduff@or.usda.gov.


Oregon Welcomes New Community Programs Specialist, New State Engineer / State Environmental Coordinator

Photo of Kimberly Young

Kimberly Young

Kimberley (Kim) Young recently joined Oregon Rural Development as a Community Programs Specialist working out of the Redmond office. She replaces Pam Swires, who retired last year. Kim hails from Upstate New York. She served in the U.S. Navy as an Intelligence Analyst, and through her work has traveled to 34 countries and 44 states. She has lived in New York, Virginia, Maine, Indiana, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, and Utah. After leaving the military, Kim worked briefly for the Bureau of Land Management. She then joined the USDA Farm Service Agency as a Farm Loan Officer. After a decade of working with farmers and ranchers, Kim decided she wanted to continue serving rural America, but in a different capacity, which led her to Rural Development and our Community Programs. You can reach Kim at (541) 923-4358 ext. 137 or Kimberly.young@or.usda.gov.

Photo of Mike Beyer

Michael Beyer

Michael (Mike) Beyer joined Oregon Rural Development earlier this month as our State Engineer / State Environmental Coordinator in the Portland State Office. Mike replaces Charlotte Rollier, who took a new position with Rural Development as a Regional Program Support Manager. Mike was born and raised in San Jose, California. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1991 to continue his family’s military tradition. He served on board the USCGC Mariposa in Detroit, Michigan, and later in Seattle, Washington. In 1994, Mike transferred to a small boat station in Coos Bay, Oregon, where he participated in over 300 search and rescue missions per year. After sustaining an injury in the line of work, Mike received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in civil engineering from Portland State University and joined KPFF Consulting Engineers. Mike currently lives in Hillsboro with his wife and 10-year-old daughter. You can reach Mike at (503) 414-3368 or michael.beyer@or.usda.gov.


Guaranteed Loans for Local, Regional Food Projects Now Available in Urban Areas

Picture of produce stand

Rural Development’s Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program helps support projects that provide lasting community benefits by improving, developing, or financing business, industry, or employment-related projects. Each year, at least five percent of B&I funds are set aside for local food-related projects. Under this set aside, the B&I program provides loan guarantees for entities that process, distribute, aggregate, store, and/or market locally or regionally produced agricultural food products to support community development and farm and ranch income.

Eligible local and regional food projects can now be located in either an urban or rural area. Funding priority will be given to those that provide a benefit to underserved communities, which is defined as an urban, rural, or tribal community with limited access to affordable, healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, and with a high rate of hunger or food insecurity or a high poverty rate. Applicants that serve schools, food banks, or other institutions may also be eligible. For example, a local food distribution center physically based in an urban area would be eligible for priority funding if a meaningful portion of its product is made available to consumers in an underserved community or to food banks, schools, or other institutions serving low-income populations. The urban-based entity would need to demonstrate support for community development and farm and ranch income—for example, by sourcing food from local farms based in rural areas.

Funding is available year-round. Please contact our office if you have questions or would like more information.


New Wastewater Treatment Plant in Operation in the City of Coburg

Picture of Coburg wastewater treatment system

The City of Coburg in Oregon’s southern Willamette Valley, celebrated the completion of a new wastewater collection and treatment system in January. The city used a variety of federal, state, and local sources to help fund this $26.7 million infrastructure project, including $6 million in loans and $2 million in grants from USDA Rural Development.

The system produces a high level of water quality, exceeding Oregon’s Level IV quality standards for all non-potable water use. The reclaimed wastewater will help to irrigate the City’s landscaped areas, parks, and school grounds. The new system replaces the need for residents and local businesses to rely solely on private septic tanks and wastewater drain fields, improving water quality and eliminating barriers to future growth for this rural community. Read more about the new wastewater treatment plant here.


Eligibility for USDA Rural Housing Programs: February 2015 Update

Last year, USDA Rural Development had announced that new eligibility maps for Rural Housing Programs would be updated on February 2, 2015, in accordance with the Agricultural Act of 2014, Pub. L. 113-79 ("Farm Bill") and H.R. 83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015.

While no additional Oregon communities will be added or removed as eligible for Rural Housing Programs, minor changes to the margins of some eligible areas will become effective on February 2, 2015. These changes account for any formerly eligible areas having been annexed into ineligible communities of 35,000 or more. As such, effective February 2, 2015, stakeholders may notice changes to the eligibility map in small areas on the fringes of communities of 35,000 or more.

Until further notice, we anticipate no further changes to eligible rural areas for Rural Housing Programs until after September 30, 2015, according to the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015. To identify eligible areas for USDA Rural Development programs, please always refer to the current online maps. Learn more about the Farm Bill here.


Supporting Rural Communities through Affordable Rental Housing

Photo of a multi-family housing complex in Oregon

Did you know that through Rural Development’s suite of Multi-Family Housing programs, USDA has financed 211 apartment complexes in rural Oregon as of 2015? These multi-family housing complexes provide 6,308 units of affordable rental housing in 30 of the state’s 36 counties for very low-, low-, and moderate-income families; the elderly; and persons with disabilities. The Rural Rental Assistance Program provides an additional source of support for very-low income households, keeping their rent payments to no more than 30 percent of their income. In Oregon, Rural Development currently provides rental assistance to 2,666 households.