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USDA grant for Heartland will benefit Howard RLC
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By ELISA SAND, Staff Reporter
| 03/09/2010 |
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Heartland Consumers Power District has received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will benefit construction of the Rural Learning Center in Howard. "It is an award to us, but we're going to pass it along to the Rural Learning Center," said Heartland General Manager Mike McDowell.
The grant is the second USDA award given to Heartland. The local power district was previously awarded a $740,000 loan for support of the same project.
Heartland qualified to receive the grant because it benefited economic development in a community where the company provides power.
"I'm totally thrilled this is going through," McDowell said. "South Dakota is so lucky to have people like Randy Parry involved in economic development."
Parry is president of the Rural Learning Center. His board has been in the process of fund-raising for construction of the Rural Learning Center for the past two years. The USDA funding awarded to Heartland will, in turn, be loaned to the Rural Learning Center for its upcoming project.
Developers held a ground-breaking for the $6.3 million facility last fall and are planning to open bids for the project on April 8 so that construction can begin this spring.
What is planned for immediate construction includes a restaurant and kitchen, 24-room hotel, on-site fitness center, training rooms, wind generator, photovoltaic system for capturing solar energy, and geothermal heat system.
The next phase is only part of the vision for the Rural Learning Center. When completed, the facility will encompass lots on either side of Farmer Avenue along Main Street in Howard. The facility is designed to extend across Farmer Avenue. City approval was required to vacate a portion of that road; the issue was brought to a public vote and approved in August.
The building planned for immediate construction includes a facility only on the south side of Farmer Avenue. Parry said that city officials approved a two-year window for construction across Farmer Avenue, which means if the next phase of the facility is not built by July 2011, RLC officials will need to go back to the city council for another request to vacate the road.
"From the beginning, our work has been a product of rural partners working together in new and collaborative ways," Parry said. "This award, made possible through our work with Heartland Consumers Power District and with USDA Rural Development, is a great example of the impact working collaborations have in our rural communities. The Rural Learning Center is privileged to work with organizations and individuals as together we `Reimagine Rural' and what that shared vision can mean for rural communities everywhere."
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