Message From WV Acting State Director As we expect President Barack Obama to appoint a State Direc­tor to West Virginia USDA Rural Development any day now, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you, the public, know that it has truly been an honor to be Acting State Director for the past several months. This quarter has been extremely busy—Earth Day, Homeownership Month, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, etc. But, Buckhannon Fire Department “Pumped Up” By Community Facilities Program The Buckhannon Fire Department, located in Upshur County, was in desperate need of a new pumper truck. The current pumper truck (pictured below) dated back to 1976, making it severely outdated and not able to properly accom­modate the firefighters’ needs. Fire Chief Mitch Tacy worked diligently with WV USDA Rural Development Community Facili­ties Specialist Paula Moeller and discussed all possible avenues of obtaining financial help with the fire department’s need to pur­chase the new pumper truck. After providing the necessary documents to process the applica­tion, Rural Development was able to offer them a $60,000 Commu­nity Facilities Grant. “Especially during these hard eco­nomic times, this much needed purchase would not have been possible had it not been for the funding from USDA Rural Devel­opment,” stated Fire Chief Tacy. the employees of West Virginia USDA Rural Development wel­come those challenges. A “heads up” - The State Office of Rural Development will be moving the week of August 10, 2009 to 1550 Earl L. Core Road, Suite 101in Sabraton, WV; we will no longer have an office on High Street, Morgantown, after the week of August 10. However, our telephone numbers and e-mail addresses will remain the same. Pictured above is the new pum­per truck to be purchased utiliz­ing the $60,000 Community Facilities Grant. Buckhannon Mayor Kenneth Davidson added, ‘For this fund­ing, we are very grateful and we encourage other municipalities to utilize USDA Rural Development programs.” On June 17, 2009, a check pres­entation ceremony was held and the $60,000 Community Facilities Grant was presented to the Buckhannon Fire Department. We continue to deliver loans, loan guarantees and grants to assist in sustaining and building rural com­munities for this generation and the next. We have over 40 loan and grant programs to assist you and/or your community, If you are not familiar with all our programs, please visit us on the web at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov. —DIANNE GOFF CRYSLER That money, combined with money from the City of Buck­hannon and the volunteer mem­bers will go towards paying for the more than $300,000 new pumper truck. The retired pumper truck will be donated to the Jackson’s Mill fire training center located in neighboring Lewis County, WV. For more information on the Community Facilities programs (direct loans, guaranteed loans, and grants), contact your local Rural Development office or Paula Moeller at (304) 269-8431, extension 112. Pictured above at the check presentation ceremony are (l to r) Buckhannon City Council Member Elizabeth Lee; Buck­hannon Mayor Kenneth David-son; Fireman Joey Baxa; Fire Chief Mitch Tacy; Volunteer Fire Department President Steve Long; and WV USDA Rural Development Acting State Director Dianne Goff Crysler. Inside this issue: Mingo County Resident Receives Rural Develop­ment Funds to Stay “Warm, Safe & Dry” Earth Day Is Celebrated The Sign Tells The Story! Rural Development Utilizes Water and Wastewater ARRA Funds 1890 Land Grant Institu­tions and USDA Rural Development Hold Their Annual Workshop Potomac Highlands Home Show Rural Development Participates in Annual “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work®” Rural Development Employees Attend WV Affordable Housing Hall of Fame Induction Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency Groundbreaking Contact Information FYI: GovBenefits.gov 2 2 2 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 4 USDA Rural Development’s Mission: To Increase Economic Opportunity and Improve The Quality of Life for All Rural Americans. USDA Rural Development’s Vision: A Rural America That Is A Healthy, Safe & Prosperous Place To Live and Work. Page 2 Almost Heaven WV Mountain State Rural Express Mingo County Resident Receives Rural Development Funds to Stay “Warm, Safe & Dry” Linda Smith (pictured to the right), Rural Development Area Technician located in the Romney, WV office, has been looking for new and innovative ways to “get the word out” about the Single Family Housing program. The field office is located along US Route 50 which has plenty of daily vehicle traffic. She thought a sign on the side of the building would be great outreach for the pro­gram. So, she found a sign maker in Romney and completed the necessary paperwork to purchase the sign for their office building. It definitely worked! Within days, the daughter of an individual who works in the adjacent building came into the office to inquire about a loan. The applicant stated that she always wondered what we did in that building and then the sign told her. The Sign Tells The Sharon Ward contacted USDA Rural Development during the summer of 2008 to seek assis­tance for making improvements to her home located at Delbarton, Mingo County, WV. She had been referred to the agency by one of their active partners, the Housing Authority of Mingo County. Pictured below is the “before” photo of Ms. Ward’s home. After filling out preliminary paper­work, Ms. Ward was visited by Connie Adams, Area Technician located in the Logan office of USDA Rural Development. Mrs. Adams found the roof was leaking and the home was in need of re­pairs to make it “warm, safe and dry.” Connie worked diligently with two contractors, one of which installed a new heating & cooling system and the other contractor installed a new roof, siding and windows. As you can tell in the photo to the left, part of the roof was being covered with a plastic tarp to keep water from leaking into the home. The end results—Sharon is now a proud homeowner and thankful of the assistance she was provided by the local office of USDA Rural Development. She now has a home that will be more energy efficient and a roof that has a lifetime warranty, serving her needs for many years to come. Pictured below is the “after” photo of Ms. Ward’s home. For more information on Rural Development’s housing pro­grams, please visit our web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov/wv. Pictured above (l to r): Con­nie Adams (USDA Rural Devel­opment Area Technician, Logan, West Virginia) and proud Mingo County home­owner Sharon Ward. Earth Day 2009 Is Celebrated In Randolph County USDA Rural Development cele­brated Earth Day 2009 by award­ing over $144 Million to rural infrastructure projects across the country to 56 communities in 34 states. On April 29, 2009, USDA officials were on hand at Huttonsville Public Service District’s Earth Day festivities to award $1,050,000 in loan funds and $850,000 in grant funds to the Phase II-A sewer system improvements project. Jacqueline Ponti-Lazaruk (Assistant Administrator for USDA’s Water and Environmental Program in Washington, DC—pictured be­low) was the keynote speaker who presented the District board members and employees with a ceremonial check for the funding. Other speakers on hand to help Huttonsville PSD celebrate were Lynn Phillips (representative for Governor Joe Manchin); Mike Taylor (President of the Randolph County Commission); State Dele­gate Bill Hartman; State Delegate Mike Ross; and Jennifer Giovannti (Executive Director of the Randolph County Development Authority). Special guests in­cluded West Virginia Rural Water Association (WVRWA) Board members Dwight Calhoun and Alan Haught and WVRWA Executive Director Debbie Britt. The project involves the re­placement of the existing sewer collection system in the com­munity of East Dailey in Randolph County, WV. A significant inflow and infiltra­tion problem exists in this and surrounding areas. Existing sewer lines are roughly 70 years old and are mainly made of clay pipe. Approximately 150 customers will benefit from the proposed project. In addition to the USDA funds, the District is applying for fund­ing from the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Devel­opment Council to complete the funding package for the $3,100,000 project. Pictured to the right, front row (l to r): Lynn Channell, Huttsonsville PSD Chairman; Loy McAtee and Maxine Pingley, Huttonsville PSD Board Members; Dele­gate Mike Ross; Jacki Ponti-Lazaruk, Assistant Adminis­trator for Water and Envi­ronmental Programs. Back row (l to r): Chris Swecker, Randolph County Commission; Delegate Bill Hartman; Bonnie Serrett, Huttonsville PSD Manager; and Mike Taylor, Randolph County Commission Presi­dent. Rural Development Utilizes Water and Wastewater American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds USDA Rural Development’s Com-into law by President Obama on munity Programs staff has been February 17, 2009. It is designed working diligently to utilize the to jumpstart the nation’s econ­2009 American Recovery and omy, create or save millions of Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds jobs, and put a down payment on that has been made available for addressing long-neglected chal­water and wastewater projects. lenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The American Recovery and Rein­vestment Act of 2009 was signed The Act includes measures to USDA-Rural Development - West Virginia Water and Environmental Programs Usage of Stimulus Money 2009 Funds Committed as of 6/23/09 Project Area I - Parkersburg Grantsville, Town (Water Improvements) Harrisville, Town (Water Improvements) Clover Public Service District (Water Extension) Glen Dale, City (Water Improvements) Pleasant Hill Public Service District (Water Improve­ments) Area II - Elkins Hodgesville Public Service District (Water Extension) Elkins, City (Water Improvements) Romney, City (Water Improvements) Philippi, City (Water Improvements) Huttonsville PSD (Sewer Improvements) Newburg, Town (Water Extension) Belington, City (Sewer Improvements) Monongah, City (Water Improvements) Area III - Beckley Big Bend Public Service District (Water Extension) Gauley River PSD (Water Extension) Crum PSD (Water Extension) Lavalette PSD (Water Extension) Gilbert, Town (Water Extension) Red Sulphur PSD (Water Extension) War, City (Water Improvements) War, City (Water Improvements) McDowell County PSD (Water Extension) McDowell County PSD (Water Extension) modernize our nation’s infrastruc­ture, enhance energy independ­ence, expand educational opportu­nities, preserve and improve af­fordable health care, provide tax relief and protect those in greatest need. To date, over $48 million in loan funds and $17 million in grant funds have been committed to water and sewer projects throughout West Virginia. Those projects are depicted in the table below. Rural Development plans to hold a meeting in the Fall with consulting engineers and other affected (see ARRA on p. 4) County Loan Grant Calhoun Ritchie Roane Marshall 1,075,000 220,000 940,000 1,665,000 55,000 0 1,000,000 0 Calhoun 350,000 400,000 Upshur Randolph Hampshire Barbour Randolph Preston Barbour Marion 1,500,000 28,075,000 510,000 6,425,000 0 0 1,750,000 173,000 240,000 1,000,000 0 1,287,000 1,000,000 185,000 1,205,000 1,272,000 Summers Nicholas Wayne Wayne Mingo Monroe McDowell McDowell McDowell McDowell 505,000 1,839,000 1,100,000 237,000 662,000 600,000 0 0 600,000 400,000 1,295,000 1,396,000 1,956,000 180,000 824,000 1,400,000 217,500 180,300 1,212,000 1,324,000 TOTALS 48,626,000 17,628,800 1890 Land Grant Institutions and USDA Rural Development The 1890 Land Grant Institutions and USDA Rural Development held their joint Entrepreneurial Information Exchange Workshop on July 7 and 8, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme was “An Assess­ment of the 1890 Program for Providing Technical Assistance for Business Creation in Economically Challenged Rural Communities.” Recently appointed Business and Cooperative Service Administra­tor, Judith Canales, was a featured speaker. The goals of the 1890 Program are to develop income-producing projects for under-developed rural communities; create self-sustaining, long-term economic development in targeted areas of high unemployment through part­nerships with the Universities and Hold Their Annual Workshop Development staff attending this year’s workshop. Front row, l to r: Toni Grimes, Georgia Rural Devel­opment State Office; Cheryl Wolfe, West Virginia Rural Development State Office; John Broussard, Louisiana Rural Development State Office; Administrator Judith Canales; Natalie Melton, Rural Develop­ment National Office; and Laurette Tucker, Virginia Rural community-based organiza­tions; and assist and guide these communities in becom­ing self-sustainable. West Virginia State University has been a recipient of the grant for several years. Their focus is on counties in south­ern West Virginia. The current contact person for the program is Mary E. Legg, RBS Coordinator, West Virginia State University, 200 Value City Center, Suite 608, Beckley, WV 25801, tele­phone (304) 619-8111, or email leggme@wvstateu.edu. Pictured above is Administra­tor Canales and USDA Rural Development State Office. Back row, l to r: Edgar L. Lewis, 1890 Program Manager, Rural Development National Office; Kenneth Randle, Missis­sippi Rural Development State Office; Robert Thames, Missis­sippi Rural Development State Office; and Ricky Davis, Louisi­ana Rural Development State Office. ARRA (cont. from page 3) parties to discuss the various requirements associated with receiving ARRA funds. These requirements include the Buy American provisions, the Davis-Bacon Act requirements, and the Office of Management and Budget’s recipient reporting re­quirements. City of Elkins, WV – Pictured is the existing facility that houses the water treatment plant, which was built in 1921. The City is receiving $29,075,000 in ARRA funding to construct a new six million gallon-per-day water treatment plant. For Your Information GovBenefits.gov (www.govbenefits.gov) is an award-winning website and is part of the U.S. Government’s strategy to use the Internet to make government more accessible to citizens. The site is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor in partnership with several other Federal agencies, including the U.S. Depart­ment of Agriculture. GovBenefits.gov has detailed information on more than 1000 Federal Government benefit programs. Please visit their website, click on “Start Here” and begin your search. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Romney Field Office participated in the first ever Potomac Highlands Home Show in Moorefield, WV. This event was the beginning of Homeowner-ship Month activities across the Mountain State. Pictured to the left is Susan Titus (on the right) and her friend Betty Jean Snyder. Ms. Titus won the drawing for two of Rural Development‘s promo­tional items—a blanket and a folding chair. Many attendees visited the Rural Development display booth to learn more about their programs. Rural Development Participates in Annual “Take Our Daughters and Sons ToWork®” Program April 23, 2009. The fourth Thurs­day of each April is denoted as the annual “Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work®” Program. As adults in a fast-paced society, we face the challenge of balancing work, family, community, and personal responsibilities. This program encourages children to think about these issues. Rural Development employees stressed this year’s theme, “Building Partnerships To Educate and Empower” and discussed items relative to the theme with the three participants. Those participating were (pictured above, l to r): Jessica Gillespie (daughter of Mark & Roni Gillespie), Peyton Missimer (son of Chris & Shelley Missi­mer), and Mikhaila Missimer (daughter of Chris & Shelley Missimer). Above you will find Chris Missi­mer working with his son on one of the planned activities of the day. Throughout the day, the youth helped various Rural De­velopment employees by doing multiple tasks—retrieving the mail, shredding, copying, faxing, and putting notebooks to­gether—just to name a few of the many things they assisted with. With the “learning and doing” for the day behind them, every­one enjoyed a luncheon hosted by the Rural Development employees, Security Officer Frank Cosco and Mark Gillespie as a reward for their hard work and help. Pictured above: Frank Cosco with the participants. Pictured below (l to r): Chris Missimer and Mark Gillespie with the participants. Rural Development Single Fam­ily Housing Specialist Georgette Bilotta (pictured above with the participants) assisted in the day’s activities and partici­pates annually in the program. “Watching the children learn and being a part of empowering their future is what it is all about,” stated Ms. Bilotta. Acting State Director Dianne Goff Crysler (below) presented each participant with a Certifi­cate of Appreciation, expressing her support of the program and its participants. Rural Development Employees Attend WV Affordable Housing Hall of Fame Induction The West Virginia Affordable Housing Hall of Fame, since 2006, has honored individuals, groups, or agencies who have demonstrated a lifelong commit­ment to affordable housing and whose career leadership has achieved important and lasting results in the community. The 2009 inductee is Sharon Walden of McDowell County. Sharon is a lifelong resident of McDowell County. Since 1990, she has served as executive di­rector of Stop Abusive Family Environments (SAFE). From SAFE, two other organizations were born—SAFE Housing and Economic Development (SHED) and Travel Beautiful Appalachia, USDA Rural Development has Inc. (TBAI). These organizations been involved in Sharon’s pro-have made major differences in jects almost from the very begin-the lives of residents in McDow-ning. Funding has been provided ell County with Sharon leading through Rural Development for the way for all three. Her com-numerous projects, including mitment to the area and people nurseries, community rooms, has been immeasurable. permanent housing, apartments, housing repair, and funding for commercial activities. Rural Development looks for­ward to working with Sharon and her staff in the future to continue to improve the lives of the residents of southern West Virginia. Pictured (l to r) front row: Nancy Shoemaker-Dingess (Rural Development Loan Specialist); Sharon Walden (2009 WV Affordable Housing Hall of Fame Inductee); Kitty Saddler (Rural Development Loan Specialist); and Penny Thax­ton (Rural Development Single Family Housing Specialist). Back Row: James Anderson, retired Rural Development employee. Federal Building, Suite 320 75 High Street Morgantown, WV 26505-7500 Phone: 304-284-4860 OR 800-295-8228 Fax: 304-284-4893; TTY/TDD 304-284-4836 Gail.Bennett@wv.usda.gov Almost Heaven WV Mountain State Rural Express May 5, 2009. Members of the Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency (JCESA), county and local government officials, USDA Rural Development Area Specialist Howard Page (pictured above, second from left), as well as other contributors to the planning of JCESA’s future operations center, break ground at the site of the new facility in Ranson, WV. The center will be a one-story building with 6,750 square feet of floor space that includes crew quarters, a training room, admin­istrative areas and three equipment bays that will house up to six vehicles. Financing was made available through USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities Direct Loan program. USDA Rural Development is an Equal Opportunity Lender, Provider, and Employer. Complaints of discrimination should be sent to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Washington, DC 20250-9410.