USDA Rural Development State Director Jasper Schneider, and staff, recently toured seven rural communities in southwestern North Dakota as part of USDA’s ongoing commitment to rural communities.  Schneider participated in conversations with community leaders to identify ways Rural Development programs can most effectively work to improve the quality of life and increase economic opportunity in the region. Read more »

Written by Darrell J. Mowery, USDA Rural Development Public Information CoordinatorChristal Stidham has been chosen as the National 2010 Site Manager of the Year for Family Housing for the USDA Rural Development’s Multi-Family Housing program.  Ms. Stidham operates Village Apartments II in Scottsburg, Indiana.

Originally selected as the Indiana Site Manager of the Year for Family Housing, Stidham then competed for the national honor.  The award was formally presented to her Tuesday morning, June 15^th, at the Ritz-Carlton-Pentagon City, Arlington, Virginia.

A Site Manager of the Year sets a standard of excellence; excellence in tenant satisfaction, maintaining curb appeal of the project, accurate and complete record keeping, and generally performing above and beyond normal expectations.  Christal Stidham has achieved this and much more.  Village Apartments II of Scottsburg is well maintained and managed.  The tenants are very satisfied and happy to have her as a manager.

Village Apartments II had a fire which took place in May 2009.  Christal went above and beyond the call of duty that day.  She took charge and only thought of the safety of her residents and their pets during the extreme situation.  Christal’s true character came out when faced with this emergency.

Phil Lehmkuhler, USDA Rural Development Indiana State Director said, “The site managers guarantee the success of our housing complexes.  They make sure the day-to-day operations go smoothly and they often invest a great deal of their own free time in providing tenants with a safe and cohesive community.  Although these managers would do their jobs whether or not they received recognition, we believe we should reward excellent performance.”

USDA Rural Development administers a national loan portfolio of over 16,000 rural rental housing complexes.  In partnership with private sector and nonprofit borrowers, RD houses very low- and low-income rural families, elderly people, and farm workers.  The site managers of the housing complexes are employees of private companies, not the U.S. Government. Also receiving awards yesterday were Nancy Fargo of New York and Tami Egeland of North Dakota.

Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA’s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov

Christal Stidham (left) and Tina Richardson, USDA Rural Development Area Technician for
the Indiana North Vernon Area Office, celebrate Tuesday’s award presentation.

A standing room only crowd welcomed Congressman Rick Boucher of the 9^th District in Virginia and Ellen M. Davis, State Director for Rural Development at the January 12^th funding event in Wytheville, Virginia. The ceremony highlighted the very first USDA Guaranteed Multi-Family Housing loan in the state. “The new High Meadows Town Homes fill a great need in our community-the need for high quality, affordable rental housing” said Congressman Boucher during his remarks.

The new town homes were financed by a $2.1 million dollar guaranteed multi-family housing loan made by Lancaster Pollard Mortgage Service.  Carl Wagner representing the mortgage service said, “We are delighted to assist in this first guaranteed venture in Virginia and that this is only the beginning of this type of relationship as Lancaster and Pollard will be looking to financing many more complexes in the future.”

The total cost of the project is over $9 million dollars and will provide 60 new modern, energy efficient one, two and three bedroom apartments to the Wytheville main street corridor. The Town Manage for Wytheville, Wayne Sutherland, was also on hand and remarked, “Our small town has grown over the years and the new town homes will be necessary for our continued prosperity as a growing rural community.”

Accepting the funding certificate was Mark Kinser, CEO of High Meadows Associates based in Radford, Virginia.

Submitted by Vern Orrell, Assistant to the State Director, USDA Rural Development, VA