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**Community Development Program Update**

[Farewell to OCD Staff]{.underline}

After five years of working at the Office of Community Development, Desk
Officer Tedd Buelow left OCD on October 31^st^, 2004, for a position as
a Program and Financial Analyst on Native American Initiatives,
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, at the U.S.
Department of Treasury.

Karen Murray, Director of the Community Resource Development Division of
OCD, has also moved on to a new position as of October 31^st^. She has
accepted a position at the Environmental Protection Agency as Director
of Resources Planning and Regional Staff.

OCD thanks both Tedd and Karen for their service and dedication toward
improving the quality of life in rural America. We wish both of them
well in their new positions.

[Secretary Veneman Announces Intent to Establish NRDCC]{.underline}

Secretary Ann Veneman recently issued a press release announcing that
letters inviting federal departments to join the NRDCC have been sent to
their respective Secretaries from the White House. This affirms the
Secretary's previous statements that the NRDCC will be a dynamic
organization composed of senior level officials dedicated to improving
the quality of life in the rural United States. This crucial step in
establishing the National Rural Development Coordinating Committee will
galvanize the members of the NRDP in their own efforts to support local
decision-making that will lead to holistic community growth and
development. For more information, read the press release at
[[http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/news.htm]{.underline}](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/news.htm)
.

[Quarterly Reports Due, Annual Reports Coming Up]{.underline}

State Rural Development Councils are reminded that Quarterly reports for
July-September were **due November 15^th^** as per each SRDC Cooperative
Agreement. A reminder letter was sent out via email in October. Reports
may be submitted via fax (202-260-6225) or emailed to the appropriate
Desk Officer.

This is also a reminder that the SRDCs should be working on their Annual
Reports; the deadline to them in is December 31, 2004. If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact your Desk Officer.

Don't delay; submit your reports today!

[OCD Communities in the News]{.underline}

On September 30, 2004, an article entitled, \"A New-Style Indian Village
Rises from the Dust" was published in the New York Times. The article,
written by Bradford McKee, chronicles the successful community
development work of the Winnebago Tribe, Ho-Chunk Inc. and Ho-Chunk
Community Development Corporation (CDC). Ho-Chunk CDC is also the entity
that is responsible for implementing the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Champion Community\'s Strategic Plan.\
\
The article highlights an expansive Ho-Chunk Village project to develop
quality housing on the Winnebago Reservation. Judi Meyer the executive
director of Ho-Chunk CDC explained, \"Our community goals and outcomes
were determined through a community strategic planning process with the
assistance of several USDA/RD staff in Nebraska. The benchmarks that
were established to help us achieve those goals play a vital role in
keeping the activities of organizations in Winnebago on track. I find
this to be particularly true for very large projects, such as the
Ho-Chunk Village subdivision development.\"

To read the full article, go to
[[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/10/13/HOG7297P2E1.DTL]{.underline}](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/10/13/HOG7297P2E1.DTL).

[Secretary of Transportation Calls Meeting on Presidential Executive
Order 13330]{.underline}

On September 15th, Jim Jacobs of the Office of Community Development
accompanied USDA Deputy Under Secretary Rodney Brown to the first
Interagency Council meeting on Executive Order 13330. Dr. Brown is the
Senior Advisor representing Secretary Veneman on the Council, and Mr.
Jacobs is the Senior Staff member representing USDA. Mr. Jacobs is
charged with developing a USDA Departmental Action Plan by October 15
and a report of USDA accomplishments and issues by November 15. The
final consolidated report from the Interagency Council is due to the
White House by January 15, 2005.

[37 Federally-Recognized SRDCs Approved for VA-HHS Funds]{.underline}

State Rural Development Councils (SRDC) submitted amendments to their
cooperative agreements in September to receive additional funding
provided to USDA from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. Their submissions included
revised work plans, budgets and cooperative agreement amendments. The
funds were provided to federally-recognized SRDCs in 37 states. These
funds, totaling more than \$900,000, were announced by Acting Deputy
Under Secretary Tim Ryan at the NRDP's Annual Conference in Oklahoma
City, OK on September 1^st^. The VA-HHS funds augment the \$2 million
already provided to the Partnership by USDA-Rural Development in 2004.

[National Rural Development Council (NRDC) Meetings]{.underline}

The National Rural Development Council (NRDC) held a meeting on October,
18, 2004 at the Office of Community Development. Dave Barr, Rural
Communications and Technical Assistance Manager for the American Public
Works Association, was elected to serve as chairperson of the NRDC. Dave
will be finishing out the term of Tom Goldsmith, who served as NRDC
chairperson for the past eighteen months.

During the meeting, Council members deliberated upon fulfillment of the
NRDC strategic plan, refined goals for the upcoming meetings, and
examined ideas to strengthen issue-oriented working groups and
taskforces.

The NRDC met again November 8, 2004, at the American Public Works
Association to discuss finalization of NRDC work items and the status of
the National Rural Development Coordinating Committee (NRDCC). Members
agreed to draft a letter outlining the continued mission and past
history of success of the NRDC to aid in discussions around the
formation of the NRDCC.

For more information on the NRDC or to view a copy of the minutes,
please visit the NRDC webpage at
[[www.rurdev.usda.gov/nrdp/national/nrdc/nrdc.html](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/nrdp/national/nrdc/nrdc.html)]{.underline}

[Rural Development Strategic Plan Posted]{.underline}

The Rural Development Strategic Plan for 2005-2010 has been posted on
the Rural Development website. It can be found at
[[http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/strategicplans/]{.underline}](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/strategicplans/).

The [[Government Performance and Results Act
(GPRA)](http://www.usda.gov/news/gpra.htm)]{.underline} requires Federal
agencies to make strategic, long-range plans and measure their
performance to improve the delivery of programs and services to the
American people. Under the GPRA, all agencies must submit strategic
plans to the Office of Management and Budget and Congress that outline
their program activities, program goals and objectives, and how they
will be achieved.

[Round I EZ/EC Closeout Update]{.underline}

The designation of Round I ECs is set to expire on the 31st of December,
2004; the grant project period for all Round I EZs and ECs will also
expire on that date. If EZs and ECs did not file for a grant project
period extension, or if that request was not granted, the grant project
period will expire on the 21st of December. If an EZ or EC grant project
period expires, it will have to initiate a grant closeout period with
its state funding agency and HHS. The grant closeout period can extend
no later than June 21, 2005 unless an extension of that date is filed
(up to 180 days may be allowed) and granted.

For a list of EZ/EC communities with approved extensions, please visit
the "What's New" section of the EZ/EC website at
[[http://www.ezec.gov/News/index.html]{.underline}](http://www.ezec.gov/News/index.html)
.

[Office of Community Development Hosts International
Visitors]{.underline}

On October 26, a delegation of 28 Chinese agricultural officials visited
the Office of Community Development. The group was sponsored by the
China Central Agricultural Officials Institute and the US-China Trade
Organization and was led by the Deputy Director of the China Central
Agricultural Officials Institute, Mr. Zhou Binbin. The group included
local agricultural officials, researchers, finance officers, and others
interested in programs that promote agricultural business and community
prosperity.

[New Extension Tourism Listserv]{.underline}

The new National Extension Tourism listserv will be managed by Julie
Stewart of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development on
behalf of the National Extension Tourism (NET) Design Team. The listserv
is designed to let tourism extension colleagues across the United States
know about tourism extension publications and conferences, and national
and regional issues related to tourism and recreation. The address of
the listserv is
[[net-national@iastate.edu]{.underline}](mailto:net-national@iastate.edu)
. For changes to the listserv, please contact Julie Stewart directly at
[[jstewart@iastate.edu]{.underline}](mailto:jstewart@iastate.edu).

The NET Design Team, chaired by Steve Burr of Utah State University,
assists with the coordination of national extension tourism initiatives
and the National Extension Tourism Conference. The next NET conference,
NET 2006, will be held in Burlington, Vermont on September 10-13, 2006,
and will be co-chaired by Lisa Chase of the University of Vermont and
Julie Stewart.

[Government Accountability Office (GAO) Issues Reports on Rural Welfare
and Rural Schools]{.underline}

About 49 million people, or 17 percent of the country\'s total
population, live in rural communities, and 18 states have at least a
third of their population in rural areas. Rural areas often have less
favorable employment conditions than urban areas and have fewer public
transportation options to help people get to and from work. Given these
conditions and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
program\'s emphasis on moving recipients into jobs and on the path
toward self-sufficiency, some have questioned how welfare reform is
working in rural areas. To inform discussions of these concerns, GAO
recently issued a report "Rural TANF Programs Have Developed Many
Strategies to Address Rural Challenges" examining the challenges and
strengths of welfare assistance programs in rural communities. The
complete report can be found online under Report Number GAO-04-921 at
[[www.gao.gov]{.underline}](../www.gao.gov).

GAO also released a report last week on the struggles rural districts
have faced in implementing the No Child Left Behind Act. The report,
entitled "No Child Left Behind Act: Additional Assistance and Research
on Effective Strategies Would Help Small Rural Districts," is available
by visiting the GAO website,
[[www.gao.gov]{.underline}](http://www.gao.gov/), and looking up Report
Number GAO-04-909.

For more information, contact Sheila McCoy,
[[sheilarmccoy@yahoo.com]{.underline}](mailto:sheilarmccoy@yahoo.com).

[Share Your Heritage Host Applications Available]{.underline}

Local host applications are now available for Share Your Heritage (SYH)
Workshops. Thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Arts
and the USDA Rural Development Office of Community Development, four
Share Your Heritage workshops will be offered in 2005. The workshops
will be coordinated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on
behalf of Partners in Tourism. The National Trust will be accepting
applications for local workshop hosts, and applications are due November
19, 2004. Application forms and guidelines may be downloaded at
[[http://www.nasaa-arts.org/artworks/syh05_app.pdf]{.underline}](http://www.nasaa-arts.org/artworks/syh05_app.pdf)
. Selected applicants will be notified in January 2005, and workshops
will be held between April and September 2005.

Share Your Heritage is an initiative of Partners in Tourism, a coalition
of national cultural organizations and agencies. It includes planning
workshops, workshop curriculum training materials and a publication of
cultural heritage tourism success stories. The workshops and the
training materials allow communities to use successful projects and
experts in cultural heritage tourism to help address critical issues.
For more information, contact Amy Webb, Heritage Tourism Director at the
National Trust for Historic Preservation,
[[amy_webb@nthp.org]{.underline}](mailto:amy_webb@nthp.org).

[EPA Brownfields Grants Available]{.underline}

There are now EPA Brownfields grants available specifically for gasoline
cleanup. For guidance on how to apply, visit
[[www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm#pg]{.underline}](http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm#pg).
To sign up, please contact [[Gelena
Constantine]{.underline}](http://ocdweb.sc.egov.usda.gov/info.asp?cid=114)
ASAP, at 202.401.2717 or
[[gconstantine@ocdx.usda.gov]{.underline}](mailto:gconstantine@ocdx.usda.gov).

 

To find information regarding your state, your EPA Brownfields Regional
Representative can be found at
[[http://www.epa.gov/superfund/contacts/regions/index.htm]{.underline}](http://www.epa.gov/superfund/contacts/regions/index.htm).

[FCC and RUS Launch New Broadband Assistance Program]{.underline}

According to an article by Brian Robinson in *Federal Communications
Weekly*, Officials at the Federal Communications Commission and the
Agriculture Department\'s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) are working on a
program to boost the use of broadband wireless technologies in rural
areas.

The Rural Wireless Community VISION program, the latest effort of the
Joint Federal Rural Wireless Outreach Initiative, will put staff from
the FCC\'s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) on-site with RUS
loan-grant officers and regional field representatives to help
communities deploy wireless broadband systems. Communities that want to
participate in the program will be chosen according the impact they make
on FCC and RUS officials in a two-to-five-page essay describing how they
see the community benefiting from that broadband wireless connectivity.

**Applications for assistance in the first quarter of 2005 are due Dec.
1**. To read the entire text of the article "FCC, USDA Work on Rural
Broadband," go to
[[http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2004/1018/web-broad-10-18-04.asp]{.underline}](http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2004/1018/web-broad-10-18-04.asp)
.

For more information on the Rural Wireless Community VISION Program,
please visit
[http://wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/ruralvision/index.html]{.underline},
or send an e-mail to [WTBCommunityVision@fcc.gov]{.underline}.
Information is also available through Nancy Plon, Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau Community Vision Program Coordinator at (202)
418-2899.

[David Sears Attends International Society for Quality of Life Studies
Conference]{.underline}

On November 10, 2004, [[David
Sears]{.underline}](http://ocdweb.sc.egov.usda.gov/info.asp?cid=117),
Office of Community Development (OCD) staff, attended the Sixth
International Conference of the International Society for Quality of
Life Studies (ISQOLS). The organizers of this international conference
sought to increase the knowledge base of quality-of-life (QOL) studies.

Broadly-defined, QOL studies involve issues related to subjective and/or
objective well-being of individuals, groups, communities, and/or
society. Specifically, the studies focus on the concept of "quality of
life" - its conceptualization, its measurement, and predicting its
antecedents and consequences in relation to a specific population in a
specific setting guided by specific policy goals.

[Northeast Region SRDCs Meet to Encourage Regional
Collaboration]{.underline}

On October 25-26, the State Rural Development Council Executive
Directors for CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, PA, RI and VT met for a day-long
retreat in Vermont. They compared work plans and explored potential
joint and regional projects. As there are a number of new Executive
Directors in this region, the meeting was an excellent opportunity to
increase communication and strengthen networking relationships.

[Rural Policy Fellows Help Staff 7th Annual Maryland Rural
Summit]{.underline}

Rural Policy Fellows from the Office of Community Development helped to
staff the 7^th^ Annual Maryland Rural Summit at Solomon's Island,
Maryland, November 4-5, 2004. This two-day Summit was an opportunity for
rural leaders and policy makers to meet and discuss common
issues. Workshops addressed development and health topics including land
use, medication regulation, seniors' needs, and rural
entrepreneurship. The Statewide Rural Legislative Form held an open
discussion on rural topics of concern. Honorable Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.,
Governor of Maryland, was present to honor those who have made an impact
on rural leadership and development in Maryland. Fellows [[Nate
Watson]{.underline}](http://ocdweb.sc.egov.usda.gov/info.asp?cid=124),
[[Beth
Peck]{.underline}](http://ocdweb.sc.egov.usda.gov/info.asp?cid=122), and
[[Jen
Larson]{.underline}](http://ocdweb.sc.egov.usda.gov/info.asp?cid=123)
served as hosts, secretaries, and staff support for the gathering.