USDA Rural Development Celebrates Opening of 
Sacred Heart Fire Hall

  SACRED HEART, Minn. July 29 – On October 1, 2004 , current Under Secretary for Rural Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Tom Dorr joined USDA Rural Development officials in Sacred Heart to present the fire department with a $565,000 check. The check represented a low-interest loan awarded to the Sacred Heart fire department for the construction of a new fire hall.

          Today, many of those officials returned to cut the ribbon on the new facility and celebrate its grand opening with the Sacred Heart community.

  “President Bush has made a commitment to properly fund rural emergency responders in case of an emergency,” Wenzel said. “This fire hall goes a long way toward ensuring the safety of Sacred Heart and the surrounding community.”

            Since 2001, USDA Rural Development has invested over $2.1 billion throughout Minnesota . The agency has funding available for housing, clean water, healthcare facilities, high-speed Internet and other infrastructure needs.

             “This is a fine facility and represents what USDA Rural Development is all about,” said Adam Czech, Public Information Coordinator for USDA Rural Development in Minnesota . “We provide rural communities with infrastructure that helps them to thrive. I like to say that USDA Rural Development can build a community from the ground up.”