RCAC Loan Fund lends nearly $2 million to rural communities

In the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2016, Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) closed 13 loans totaling nearly $2 million to assist rural communities in Alaska, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington. Read the full release >>

“Company town” grows out of California’s Salinas Valley

Agriculture companies in California and elsewhere are not obligated to house employees, nor is much state or federal money set aside for farmworker housing. In Salinas Valley, which is the fifth least affordable place to live in the United States, one company may be bucking the trend. Read more >>

WE’RE HIRING!

AGUA4ALL PROJECT MANAGER – Community outreach, project and grant management, budgets, staff supervision. Are you driven to do challenging work? Are you organized, collaborative and results-oriented? Do you like working with community groups? (West Sacramento, CA.) Learn about this unique position managing the Agua4All program >>

WE’RE HIRING!

CIRCUIT RIDER – Technical, managerial and financial assistance, build capacity. If you have experience working with public water or wastewater utilities, and want to work with Tribal communities, our Tribal circuit rider program could be a great fit! You’ll build relationships and work one-on-one with Tribal utility operators and staff. (Flagstaff, AZ.)  Here’s more information and the application instructions.

Rural Water Institute Training graduation

Representatives from various water boards from Kern County all the way up to Merced graduated after six months of Rural Water Leadership Institute training. The graduates will have three regional graduate “seminars” in early 2017 to complete CA mandated ethics training. This was a joint effort with RCAC, Self-Help Enterprises and Environmental Defense Fund and was funded by USDA and Rabobank. Watch this video and hear what the participants have to say >>

Conference and Workshop Calendar

Basic Electric Concepts

Electricity and water are two things that go great together. No, we are not saying you should directly mix the two, but how would you supply and control the water these days without the use of electricity? What IS electricity? How do we make it and use it? How is it that electricity brings to life little electronic items and allows sensors in a SCADA (computer control system) to work? In this workshop, we will review the basics of one of our lightest tools. Registration >>

Best Western Pepper Tree Inn
3850 State Street
Santa Barbara, California 93105

December 7

Pumps & Motors Efficiency

Pumping water is one of the most inefficient uses of energy. Most water pumping systems only convert 30 to 60 percent of the power they consume (and you pay for) into useful work; one of the lowest margins of efficiency of all commercial and industrial uses. Why? The laws of physics mostly, but also because simple mistakes are made in selecting a pump or motor for a given duty point. This workshop will help you understand and minimize inefficiency in your pumping systems and help you choose the right pump and motor for the job – one that will save money year after year. Registration >>

Best Western Pepper Tree Inn
3850 State Street
Santa Barbara, California 93105

December 8

Basic Financial Management

Topics include: How to develop an annual budget, reserve accounts recommended for water systems, financial statements and reporting, rate setting basics and introduction to asset management. Registration >>

NMED-ABQ
Rio Grande Conference Room
121 Tijeras Avenue NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
December 10

Check out our training calendar for details on these and other RCAC trainings.

Network News, published monthly, is a compilation of timely news, announcements and accomplishments produced for the rural development world at no cost to subscribers. We encourage correspondence and welcome contributions. Subscribe here >>

Chief Executive Officer: Stanley Keasling
Managing Editor: Sharon Wills

RCAC
3120 Freeboard Drive, Suite 201
West Sacramento, CA 95691

Network News is funded by: RCAC’s Loan Fund and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

For further information on RCAC’s services or additional office locations, visit www.rcac.org or call (916) 447-2854.

RCAC is the western RCAP partner.