|
Welcome to
the quarterly newsletter of USDA Rural Development in Oregon. Here, you will
find updates on funding opportunities and program activities through Business, Cooperative, Energy, Electric, Telecommunications, Water and Environmental, Community Facilities, Multi-Family Housing, and Single Family Housing programs.
The Trump Administration recently appointed John
E. Huffman as the new State Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Rural Development in Oregon. A former state legislator, Huffman will now
help to implement USDA policies and Rural Development programs in the state to
improve the economy and quality of life in rural America.
“It is an honor to be
selected by the President to fill the extremely important role of State
Director of USDA Rural Development in Oregon,” said Huffman. “I look forward to
working with the President, Secretary of Agriculture, and Assistant to the
Secretary for Rural Development to increase rural prosperity and enhance
customer service through innovation and partnerships in our state.”
Huffman has spent the
past 10 years as an Oregon State Representative. His extensive experience
identifying the needs of the rural communities he represented and helping to
implement solutions will inform his new position with Rural Development. One of
his first achievements in the state legislature was to help bring cellular
infrastructure to a rural county in central Oregon. Huffman served on the Joint
Committee on Ways and Means and numerous Ways and Means subcommittees over the
years. He has also led wide-ranging efforts, from expanding affordable rural
housing, to connecting rural businesses with the resources that will enable
them to thrive, to supporting the installation of new sources of renewable energy.
Prior to serving in the
state legislature, Huffman owned and managed a successful radio station in
north central Oregon for 22 years.
As State Director, Huffman
will use his leadership experience to oversee Rural Development programs in a
customer-focused manner to improve prosperity in rural Oregon.
|
USDA Rural Development
invested in strategic projects to help improve the quality of life across rural
Oregon during federal fiscal year 2017, which ended on September 30th. These
investments primarily included loans and loan guarantees, with a limited amount
of grant funding. Here are some of the highlights:
Additional information is available in Rural Development's FY 2017 Oregon
Progress Summary.
 Rural eastern Oregon communities will soon have expanded, improved access to
electricity with the help of $60.5 million in loans awarded by USDA Rural
Development for two infrastructure projects.
The funding is being provided through Rural Development’s Electric Infrastructure
Program,
which makes loans and loan guarantees to nonprofits, cooperative associations,
public bodies, and other utilities, primarily for electric distribution in
rural areas.
The Umatilla Electric Cooperative in northeastern Oregon is receiving a
$48.8 million loan to install 25 miles of electric
transmission lines and make improvements to another 41 miles of transmission
lines to improve services for its approximately 10,000 members. The funding
from USDA will also help the co-op make additional improvements, including the
installation of smart grid technology, which responds digitally to the quickly
changing demands on the electric grid.
The Harney Electric Cooperative in eastern Oregon is receiving an $11.7
million loan to install 53 miles of electric
transmission lines and to make improvements to the existing infrastructure.
This expansion and upgrade will help improve services to the approximately
4,000 homes, businesses, farms, and ranches served by the co-op.
Overall, this USDA funding will help ensure rural Oregonians
have access to a reliable, modern electric grid that will meet their business, personal,
and community needs for decades to come.
|
Public Comments Regarding the Potential Loss of
Eligibility are Currently being Accepted
 USDA Rural Development is
conducting a review of all areas under its jurisdiction to identify areas that
no longer qualify as rural for the Single Family Housing
Programs.
This review is completed every
five years. The last rural area review was performed in 2012-2013 using the
2010 Census data. The current review will utilize the 2015 American Community
Survey (ACS) data.
Based on the 2015 ACS and rural area guidance located in USDA Handbook HB-1-3550, Chapter 5, the rural
eligibility designation is under review for the following areas in Oregon:
-
Damascus,
OR
-
Grants
Pass, OR
-
Deschutes
River Woods, OR – census-designated place (CDP)
-
Sherwood,
OR
-
Wilsonville,
OR
-
Central
Point, OR
-
Hayesville,
OR – CDP
-
Four
Corners, OR – CDP
- Bethany,
OR – CDP
The public shall have 90
days from December 1, 2017, to submit comments regarding the potential loss
of eligibility for Rural Development Single Family Housing
Programs. Comments should be sent to guarantee.questions@or.usda.gov.
For details, or questions about specific changes, please contact the
Oregon Rural Development Single Family Housing Program staff at (503) 414-3353.
|
USDA Rural
Development is providing $13.2 million to improve access to health care
services for rural communities in the Columbia River Gorge. The loan from Rural
Development will be used by the nonprofit health care provider One Community Health to
replace its Hood River community health center.
Built in
1994, the Hood River clinic was designed to offer primary medical care. Since
then, the nonprofit has expanded its services to include dental, behavioral
health, and enabling services, and its facility has evolved into a
Patient-Centered Primary Care Home. One Community Health also now hosts a rural
family medical residency program. As a result, the nonprofit’s patient base has
expanded significantly. Today, One Community Health serves approximately 11,000
patients. However, the health center has struggled to meet the needs of this
quickly growing customer base in recent years.
One
Community Health is receiving a $13.2 million low-interest loan through USDA’s Community Facilities
Program to expand its Hood River facility. The new building will
increase patient access to medical, dental, enabling, and behavioral services.
The facility will include 20 medical rooms and 18 dental operatories, as well
as space to support team-based care, a residency program, and anticipated
future growth. The new health center will be conducive to offering more
resources, proactive educational programs, and events that support health and
wellbeing. It will also enable One Community Health to increase its focus on
providing whole-person care, both directly to patients and through community
partners.
With its expanded
capacity, One Community Health will help thousands more low-income, rural
families and farmworkers from both sides of the Columbia River access
affordable, high-quality health care services for decades to come. Learn
more online…
Is your rural community ready to build a new public facility,
or does your community have an older facility in need of repairs? USDA Rural
Development can help finance your next community facility project with a low-interest
loan and extended terms. Some grant funding may also be available. Most public
bodies, nonprofits, and federally recognized tribes are eligible to apply.
Funding
provided through USDA’s Community Facilities Program can be used to purchase, construct, or
improve facilities that provide essential services to the local community.
In Oregon,
this program has recently been used to fund upgrades for or the construction of
new city halls and community centers, fire departments, hospitals and health
clinics, police stations, and educational facilities. The Community Facilities Programs
is broad in scope. It is available to assist with projects in rural areas and
cities with populations up to 20,000. Examples of other types of entities that
may be eligible for funding under this program include but are not limited to:
- Irrigation
Districts
- Ports
- Transportation
Authorities
- County
Service Agencies
Applications are
currently being accepted. To discuss a potential project, contact a Community Programs Specialist today.
 Rural Development has simplified its environmental, engineering, and electronic application processes for our Community Programs. You can learn about these changes at an upcoming workshop. Two sessions will be offered in the first half of 2018:
Community Programs Workshop in Bandon, Oregon
March 8, 2018
Community Programs Workshop in Pendleton, Oregon
June 2018
Engineers, city leaders, architects, environmental consultants, and other professional staff who may apply for or are involved in USDA's Water and Environmental Programs or Community Facilities Programs will gain valuable information during this training about simplified regulations and improved processes. Topics covered during the workshop will include:
- An overview of USDA's new, simplified environmental regulations and a step-by-step process to expedite Rural Development’s review and approval process.
- Details about improved engineering planning requirements, including the new American Iron and Steel (AIS) required implementation.
- An introduction to a new, user-friendly electronic application system, known as RD Apply, which launched in 2017.
Additional information will be provided soon. If you would like to be added to our contact list to receive the latest updates on these workshops, please contact Trish Cousins, (503) 414-3336, or Mike Beyer, (503) 414-3368.
|
 USDA Rural Development is accepting applications for grants to
support energy audits and renewable energy development. Funding is available
through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Energy Audits and Renewable
Energy Development Assistance Grants.
Grants
awarded through this program may be used by the recipient to conduct and
promote energy audits and provide renewable energy development assistance to
rural small businesses and agricultural producers. State, tribal, and local
governments; institutions of higher education; rural electric cooperatives; and
public power entities are eligible to apply.
USDA plans
to award up to $1.8 million in grants nationwide under this announcement.
Applications must be received by January
31, 2018.
Prior to
developing an application, interested applicants are encouraged to contact our
office to discuss the proposed project with John Holman, Oregon Energy
Coordinator, at (503) 414-3369 or john.holman@or.usda.gov.
|
Fort Klamath serves as a gateway to Crater Lake National
Park in southern Oregon, and the summer season brings an influx of people to
this otherwise quiet, rural town. With the fluctuating, seasonal tourism,
income has been volatile for The Aspen Inn, a small, family-owned and -operated
business.
Co-owners Heidi McLean and
Shannon Sirola improved the motel’s finances by installing a rooftop solar
energy system with assistance from a $24,420 grant provided through USDA Rural
Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The grant reduced their
installation costs by a quarter.
They learned about the program from the Wy’East Resource
Conservation and Development Council, which is working to accelerate the adoption
of energy efficiency and renewable energy development, with REAP assistance.
The nonprofit Sustainable Northwest helped Heidi and Shannon develop an application.
The Aspen Inn is now
generating 96 percent of its electricity needs from solar energy, saving up to
$700 a month on the business’s utility bills during the peak summer season.
Having
achieved reliable, minimal energy costs for their business through solar power,
Heidi and Shannon can now budget and prepare for the future. They plan to use
their utility savings to make additional improvements that will help their
business prosper and continue attracting tourists, which will bring revenue
into their community, benefitting the entire town. Learn
more online…
|
 USDA Rural
Development is accepting applications for grants to help farmers, ranchers, and
producer-based businesses develop new product lines. Funding will be
provided through the Value Added Producer Grant
(VAPG) Program.
The grants
can be used to create new product lines from raw agricultural products, to
develop additional uses for already developed product lines, or to market
value-added agricultural products.
Independent
producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and
majority-controlled producer-based business ventures are eligible to apply.
Veterans, socially-disadvantaged groups, beginning farmers and ranchers,
operators of small- and medium-sized family farms and ranches, and farmer and
rancher cooperatives are given special priority.
The deadline
to submit applications is January 31, 2018. In Oregon, applications should
be submitted to the USDA Roseburg office:
USDA Rural Development
ATTN: Mandie Ellenwood, VAPG Coordinator
2593 NW Kline Street
Roseburg, OR 97471
For
additional information and details on how to apply, see page 40987 of the August
29, 2017, Federal Register.
We encourage you to contact Oregon's VAPG Coordinator, Mandie Ellenwood,
(541) 378-3538, prior to beginning work on your application for more details
about the requirements and process.
|
|
