Recovery.gov - Track the Money

​Lincoln, Nebraska, Dec 18, 2012 -- Infrastructure investments in rural communities help create jobs and boost economic development. “Quality hospitals, schools and libraries are the building blocks for a vibrant rural America,” said USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. That is true in Nebraska, especially with Critical Access Hospitals that serve our rural residents. Over the past seven federal fiscal years, USDA Rural Development has assisted 18 Critical Care Access hospitals in Nebraska, through nearly $197.5 million in funding. The Community Facilities funding came in the form of $64,851,000 in loan guarantees, $132,351,300 in direct loans and $250,030 in grants.

​Steve Koonce, a Civil Engineering Technician with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), remembers swimming in Tennessee’s Cane Creek as a youngster, when he and friends would jump from a bridge into the water 15 feet below. But today, because of a catastrophic erosion problem, that activity would be a lot more dangerous. “Today if you jumped off the same bridge, you would need a parachute,” says the Lauderdale County native.

​Buchanan, GA, Dec 14, 2012 -- USDA Rural Development Georgia Community Programs Director Jack Stanek will be touring the Thomas Kelly Senior Living Community at a grand opening celebration on Monday December 17, 2012. The facility, located in Buchanan, Georgia was fully funded with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds through the Rural Development Community Facilities program. Stanek will be joined by Area Specialist Tammy Decker, who worked closely on the project from application to loan closing.