Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association (WCCTA) In Gowrie, Iowa Is Awarded $300,000 Grant Through The USDA's Rural Economic Development Loan And Grant Program
Gowrie, Iowa (PRWEB) September 13, 2017 -- Stewart Memorial Community Hospital (SMCH) of Lake City, Iowa began a $860,000 fundraising effort in December, 2016 for their Patient Centered Healing Environment Project to improve areas used by most patients in Lake City, Rockwell City, Lake View and Gowrie medical clinics. A welcomed boost of $360,000 towards the project has just been announced.
The Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association (WCCTA) has created a revolving loan fund with the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program. The fund application also required that WCCTA commit an additional $30,000 and another $30,000 match will be added from Aureon's Ripple Effect grant for a total of $360,000. These proceeds will be allocated to the SMCH project as a zero-interest loan.
The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations such as WCCTA. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. The ultimate recipients repay the lending utility directly and then the utility reloans the funds for other community projects.
USDA provides grants to local utility organizations which use the funding to establish revolving loan funds (RLF). Loans are made from the revolving loan funds to projects that will create or retain rural jobs.
"The project budget that will create the patient centered healing environment in all four of our clinics is $860,000," says Cindy Carstens, CEO at SMCH. "We are committed to providing quality healthcare to the communities we serve. Through funding partnerships such as the one with Webster Calhoun Telephone Association our communities will continue to have the benefit of receiving care locally and an exceptional patient experience in our clinics. Efforts will continue to secure additional funds for the project as we move forward with the ADA updates this fall and interior upgrades."
Current plans are to begin the construction on the project in October and the project timeline for completion is the summer of 2019. SMCH patients most likely will not experience any major interruptions in services during the construction phase.
"WCCTA is committed to providing not only quality broadband, digital tv and phone services to our communities. We have a true commitment in providing resources such as the revolving loan fund to enhance projects for the betterment of the communities we serve", states Marcie Boerner, Office Manager at WCCTA.
Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association is located at 1106 Beek Street, Gowrie, IA 50543. It has a Fiber driven network and provides landline telephone, Internet and digital television service to the Iowa communities of Gowrie, Pilot Mound, Vincent, Paton, Thor, Churdan, Knierim, Somers, Barnum, Duncombe, Farnhamville, Badger, Clare, Moorland, Boxholm, Lanyon and http://www.wccta.com.
Marcie Boerner, Webster Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association, http://www.wccta.net, +1 (515) 352-3151, [email protected]
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