The U.S. Department of Agriculture isn’t just about meat inspection, but about building rural communities, said Jon DeVaney, the state director of the federal department’s Rural Development program.
DeVaney wants residents of the North Olympic Peninsula to know that and is on whirlwind tour of Clallam and Jefferson counties to inform people.
“We can build a rural community from the ground up,” DeVaney told the West End Business Council at a breakfast meeting on Wednesday.
The stop was one of seven in the West End, where DeVaney met with community and tribal leaders to tell them about various federal loans and grants available for business, housing and community development in rural areas.
DeVaney will make another round of stops today in Port Angeles, Blyn and Port Townsend.
Some of the programs DeVaney will discuss are new, while others have been around for years.
However, DeVaney said, a lot of people might not know all the resources available to them. He said it’s critical that they learn about them because funds can’t be obtained without applying for them.
“We don’t come in and say we think you need a new sewer system,” he said.
“All projects are community-based.”
