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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 22 Stories
The new water treatment facility at Wagon Wheel community in Brookfield, MA will replace 68 aging septic tanks and ensure the community meets environmental regulations.

Wagon Wheel community receives continuing support to upgrade wastewater system

Wagon Wheel Community is a small neighborhood comprised of 144 mobile homes on a 48-acre property in Brookfield MA. The community was faced with an antiquated system that was comprised of 68 septic tanks serving 212 residents. USDA RD Southern New England (SNE) started to… [Read More]
Massachusetts
Infrastructure

USDA Rural Development celebrates Chugachmiut Regional Health Center groundbreaking

USDA Rural Development leadership attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Chugachmiut Regional Health Center in Seward, Alaska, Saturday, June 3. The occasion marked the start of construction of the $20 million facility.The 15,475 square foot Tribally owned and operated… [Read More]
Alaska
Community FacilitiesGrantsHealth CareInfrastructureRural DevelopmentTribal
Town officials conferring with an RD staffer at the wastewater treatment plant site.

Taming an Energy Hog to Support a Growing Community in Elkton

Wastewater treatment is one of those services that most folks only think about when something goes wrong. In Elkton, Va., the quaint brick manholes of this scenic Shenandoah Valley community were covering a simmering issue with the sewer lines below. The treatment plant was… [Read More]
Virginia
Community FacilitiesGrantsInfrastructureRural DevelopmentWastewaterWater
A skid steer with snow blower attachment blowing snow off a sidewalk

A Skid Steer, A Snow Blower and Safer Sidewalks in a Small Iowa Town

Located in southwestern Iowa, the town of Corning in Adams County is known for its historic architecture and rural landscapes. A strong sense of civic pride can be seen throughout the community, population 1,564. Small town charm, however, was not enough to serve the pressing… [Read More]
Iowa
Community FacilitiesDisasterGrantsInfrastructure
Reel of Fiber in rural countryside.

ReConnecting Rural Residents to Reliable High-Speed Internet

High-speed internet used to be considered a luxury for many rural customers. When the pandemic hit, the need for reliable broadband service became a priority. Thanks to Rural Development’s ReConnect program, rural customers near Timber Lake now will have reliable internet… [Read More]
South Dakota
BroadbandInfrastructureTechnologyTelecommunicationsTribalUtilities

New Solar Array Helps Brewery Keep The Lights On

In rural Ord, Nebraska, Scratchtown Brewing Company, LLC is saving nearly 70 percent in energy costs thanks, in part, to a Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) renewable energy grant awarded in 2019 to purchase a new 24-kilowatt rooftop solar array. These renewable energy… [Read More]
Nebraska
BusinessEnergyInfrastructureRenewable EnergyRural DevelopmentSmall BusinessSolar Energy
New streets, curbs and drainage.

Smooth Drive for All in the City

Pawnee City had 3.8 miles of streets composed of asphalt or rock and deteriorated to the point repair was no longer feasible. With minimal to no curbing, the majority of drainage was in open ditches along the roadway. Complete replacement was necessary for safe streets in this… [Read More]
Nebraska
Infrastructure
Lake Andes group photo

USDA Builds Sound Infrastructure for a Rural South Dakota Community

The City of Lake Andes recognized that two-thirds of the city sewer system was built in the 1920’s with vitrified clay pipe (VC) and brick manholes (MHs). The sewer system was experiencing a significantly high rate of infiltration and inflow causing the sanitary sewer system to… [Read More]
South Dakota
InfrastructureTribalWastewaterWater
Pine Ridge Lift Station

Reliable Infrastructure Provided to the Pine Ridge Community

Pine Ridge is the most populous community in Oglala Lakota County, SD with a population of 3,308. It is located inside the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is the tribal headquarters for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The lift station in Pine Ridge was in very poor condition with… [Read More]
South Dakota
GrantsInfrastructureTribalWastewaterWater
Village of Harrison Well Controls

Dependable, Clean Water Strengthens Village Infrastructure

The Village of Harrison found itself with an aged water infrastructure.  Nitrates were too high and did not meet the State Water Drinking Act.  Water mains were 40-50 years old, leaking, breaking, and were either cast-iron or galvanized pipe.  Water meters had… [Read More]
Nebraska
InfrastructureWater

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