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MAP assists rural communities in the following states: Iowa Kansas Minnesota Missouri Montana Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota Wyoming See Contact Us page for corporate and field office contact information. |
Missouri The following case studies are examples of the technical assistance MAP provides to small communities at no cost. To benefit from MAP's assistance, simply call the Rural Development Specialist nearest you. Amsterdam, Missouri Solves Wastewater Problem Amsterdam is a small, rural town located in western Bates County, Missouri. The majority of residents are elderly and living on a fixed income. The town has been experiencing problems with wastewater treatment, due to faulty septic tanks, or in some cases, no septic tanks, for the last few years. The town council tried without success to find a solution. They encountered many struggles and nearly gave up on solving the wastewater problem. A couple of years ago, the area office of Rural Development suggested Amsterdam should contact the Midwest Assistance Program. MAP helped the community build their capacity by fostering an understanding of what steps to take, how to hire consultants, determining funding sources and their requirements, and the importance of keeping on top of the project activities. MAP organized a project team, made up of council members, funding and regulatory agencies, and consultants. This team approach helped to keep the project focused, and provides a broad resource base. MAP helped to hire consultants, keep the project on task and meet funding requirements, and, this year, get funding from various agencies to construct the project. The project is working to complete the final items necessary to bring the project to bid. Amsterdam is negotiating with the local public water supply district to take over the financial management of the wastewater project. The system will serve 123 households (237 residents). Construction of the system should begin this spring. The cost of the project will be funded by Rural Development ($450,000 loan, $365,000 grant) and the Missouri CDBG program ($500,000 grant), for a total project cost of $1,315,000. |
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