RCDI-Resilient Communities

Transcription

1 RCDI-Resilient Communities Final Report- Due October 31, 2016 Submitted By: Region Five Development Commission Dawn Espe st Street NE, Suite 2 Staples, MN Submitted To: USDA Ulrick Jackson 375 Jackson St., Suite 410 St. Paul, MN The project performance report addresses the following capacities: Activities that the financial report states the funds were used for Comparison of actual accomplishments to the objectives for that period Reasons why established objectives were NOT met- if applicable Problems, delays or adverse conditions that will affect attainment of overall program objectives Prevent meeting time schedules or objectives Preclude the attainment of particular objectives during established time periods This will be accomplished by a statement of action taken or plan to resolve the situation. Objectives and time tables established for next reporting period Summary of the race, sex and national origin of recipients and beneficiaries Activities the funds were used for: July 1, 2016-September 30, 2016 Region Five has been assisting each of the 10 Technical Assistance (TA) recipients on implementation of their work plans, which were created at the beginning of the process. Below you will find a description of what each of the recipients projects are, the action steps based upon each of the recipient s individual work plans and how Region Five with the assistance of Ensearch s expertise has aided in the achievement of the set goals. RREAL Ensuring Affordable Housing through Solar Energy Project Benefactors: Brainerd HRA and low income populations within the community RREAL will partner with Brainerd HRA to deploy a solar electric system to reduce energy costs for a lowincome family. Housing can be made more affordable through the stabilization of operating costs which will be achieved through solar energy. A kilo-watt grid-tied photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof of an HRA rental site. To accomplish this RREAL said by September 2016 they would:

2 Develop and deploy region wide press release Identify appropriate household within Brainerd HRA service territory Solar site assessment Procure equipment, finalize design and obtain interconnection permit Conduct Installation RREAL has successfully accomplished their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. RREAL has successfully installed a solar electric system on behalf of the Brainerd Housing and Redevelopment Authority and their low-income rental client in an effort to foster energy security and resiliency. Per the original plan, the intention was to stabilize electricity costs for low-income renters of Brainerd HRA rental units. The system has been doing just that for 9 months and will continue to do so for 30 years. The benefits of this project flow directly to the low-income renters who are responsible for their own utility costs, but they also flow to the HRA in that the additional solar electric system will be an asset to the HRA and increase the value of their property. This project is largely complete and well ahead of schedule. RREAL was able to leverage the RCDI funding to secure additional funding which has allowed them to install data monitoring equipment on behalf of the Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity Re-store, where they installed a solar electric system in This additional capacity has allowed Re-store to better understand the economic value of the solar energy generation. working with RREAL to develop the survey tools and training to understand the results of the surveys and make changes/decisions based upon what was learned from the surveys. Region Five will also assist RREAL in sharing the successes to the broader community. In addition to helping RREAL share this information with the region, we have shared many contacts and helped RREAL to connect with many different sources including Northwest Area Foundation and RDF-Xcel Energy to assist in funding and collaboration to make their project as effective and unduplicated as possible. Because of this grant, RREAL was able to provide matching dollars form Blandin and Otto Bremer Foundations, as well as from a state fund specifically for low-income solar energy (State of Minnesota Renewable Energy Equipment Grant Program). At the National Community Solar Partnership, RREAL met with HRA directors from around the state and were able to reference their relationship with the Brainerd HRA in an effort to demonstrate the value and efficacy of solar energy to stabilize operating costs. The HRA directors were pleased to learn that their peers were already pioneering solar energy in the affordable housing and low-income rental community sector. The work RREAL has done in partnership with Brainerd HRA, the Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity and the Central Minnesota Housing Partnership is valuable, innovative and unique in the State of Minnesota. They would love the opportunity to share this story more broadly both within and outside of Region 5. Funding for solar within the affordable housing sector is exploding nationally and RREAL would like to dialogue on how they can leverage this groundswell in our region as they have already piloted many such projects long before it was a national conversation.

3 This project was successful due to the collaborative spirit of the project partners and a willingness to innovate. Brainerd HRA and the Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity and RREAL were a cohort of the willing and made for an outstanding team to implement this project. This project had multiple benefits and multiple beneficiaries. First and most important, the Brainerd HRA renters had reduced and stable electricity costs. Immediate benefits were felt primarily by low-income households. Second, the agencies that provide affordable housing to such families, Brainerd HRA and Lakes Area Habitat for Humanities, both have reduced costs as well through the deployment of solar energy. Finally, the reduction in use of fossil fuels provides fiscally appropriate environmental stewardship as a result. Only a lack of greater funding limited greater success of this project. More financial support equals more ability to do similar projects on behalf of all the scattered site rental units owned by Brainerd HRA. Leadership skills were improved within RREAL as a result of this project. They worked very closely with multiple nonprofit boards in order to share the value proposition regarding the various projects being proposed. Doing so has stretched their comfort zones and increased their ability to lead within the low and moderate income solar development space. Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation (BLAEDC) Execs Rent-a-Board Launch Project Benefactors: CW County businesses and Retired Execs To Grow the Brainerd Lakes Area Economy by offering BLAEDC EXEC s knowledge and skills in the form of advisory councils to local businesses. (BLAEDC EXEC s are retired or semi-retired business executives who live in Crow Wing County and volunteer their expertise to grow businesses) To accomplish this BLAEDC said by September 2016 they would: Benefactor Survey completed Review current process used to engage companies and Execs, make adjustments if needed Marketing and Press Release Have graduated or completed the first three pilot company participants Have engaged three new companies in the RAB program BLAEDC are still working towards successfully accomplishing their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. Over the past year, BLAEDC has been working to grow and expand the Rent-A-Board Initiative by offering BLAEDC EXEC s knowledge and skills in the form of advisory councils to local businesses. In 2014, BLAEDC was able to engage 3 local businesses to participate in the Rent-A-Board Pilot. Since then, they have been able to touch base with all three companies and evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative. Overall, all three businesses found the initiative helpful and valuable and look forward to continuing the Rent-A-Board process this year. They continue to modify and adjust the program to better fit the needs of the participating businesses. BLAEDC is also working to share this new-and-improved program with the community in hopes to get 2-3 new businesses involved in the next year. A press release was sent out to local newspapers to announce this expansion. Benefactor survey results have been collected and are being reviewed, allowing BLAEDC to determine what has been successful and what improvements can be made. They

4 are currently scheduling graduation meetings with the 3 pilot companies and will have those completed by the end of July. They have engaged one new company in the program and are currently seeking two more. The concept of RAB has slightly changed to fit the broader needs of companies, so they are hopeful that they will continue to find more participants that can use their EXECs expertise. Region Five, with the assistance of Ensearch s expertise, has aided in the completion of these goals by make changes/decisions based upon what was learned from the surveys. We have also offered different BLAEDC continually works to align itself with the great work the Resilient Region plan has laid out. One such value is to encourage and grow the economic vitality of our region. They attempt to foster a progressive driving force of economic competitiveness and community development for the 5-county region and to provide opportunity for everyone, including local businesses. Factors that promoted success of this project included willing and knowledgeable EXECs available to offer their expertise to local companies. The major factor that limited success was the lack of time for businesses to prepare for a full board meeting every time. All three businesses are very busy and didn t have the time or support to create agendas/reports for each meeting. This made it difficult for the EXECs to give direction when businesses didn t have a prepared agenda. BLAEDC has updated the effort to include shorter term options and dedicate the meetings to one or two main issues at a time. They will continue their Rent-a-Board initiative. Overall, their beneficiaries have been very happy with the program. The EXECs program was able to provide support and suggestions to the businesses and the businesses were able to inform the EXECs of their current concerns and successes. Some adjustments from both the businesses and the EXECs were suggested in order to better the needs of the businesses. Bridges Workplace Connection/Brainerd Chamber Bridges Student Tours Project Benefactors: Students, Teachers and Businesses The Bridges Workplace Connection is working with 12 regional school districts offering more than 50 career academies, and many of the instructors are seeking tours of businesses as part of their required work-based learning, but funding isn t available to pay for the transportation. Evaluations from students that have participated in past business tours have shown that the experience has increased the student s awareness of careers, understanding of post-secondary connections, and local job opportunities. As our population ages, our region needs to grow our future workforce by exposing students to high pay, high demand occupations in our region. To accomplish this Bridges said by September 2016 they would: Create a process to encourage additional schools to participate in the program Reach out to additional schools Encourage and promote educators to book/plan tours

5 Press Release Survey to benefactors BWP well developed additional templates for specialty tours Bridges has successfully accomplished their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. Bridges has reached out to and offered the 23 area high school Bridges classes - travel reimbursement for area business and industry tours. This quarter, they added RR Donnelly in Long Prairie to their list of industries. They have asked that the participating students and teachers fill out a pre and post survey. This will help them to continue to improve the opportunities for students. They also give the teachers technical assistance to help them offer a successful tour, as well as assisting in finding creative solutions to roadblocks they have encountered regarding the school s ability to accommodate for the absence of the teacher during tours that take more than one class period. They have created a Bridges tour brochure and have hand delivered them to the schools, presented at area conferences and meetings, presented at the Bridges Teachers Workshops and Carl Perkins Consortium. To date, 12 school have used the funds and/or taken the tour. Bridges continues to encourage all the schools to use the transportation funds. They are also looking at creative solutions to roadblocks they have encountered regarding the school s ability to accommodate for the absence of the teacher during tours that take more than one class period. Region Five, with the assistance of Ensearch s expertise, has aided in the completion of these goals by Bridges has developed a Bridges Career Depot which is an online entry level job portal, as well as a portal to share internships, scholarships, service learning and volunteer opportunities. A BRIDGES CONNECTION app has also been created. They now have the tools to communicate to all the Bridges high schools, which is an important source of information. This funding opportunity has helped to create more partnerships for Bridges, specifically with NJPA, which allowed them to apply for the Innovation Funding offered by them. This project has helped to create an awareness of career exploration for high school students. Partnerships, good communication, and involved community leaders has aided in the success of this project. North Central Economic Development Association (NCEDA) Virtual Highway Project Project Benefactors: Resilient Region Connectivity Champions

6 Our rural region has limited access to high speed internet. The digital divide is evident throughout our region. This limited, inconsistent connectivity negatively impact health care delivery, business and education. This project will help address the infrastructure issues within the region. To accomplish this NCEDA said by September 2016 they would: Press Release, connection back to RR Project Complete state applications for broadband infrastructure Convene Connectivity Champions quarterly Write or support broadband infrastructure grants as funding opportunities arise Complete Benefactor Survey NCEDA has successfully accomplished their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. The initial focus of this project was to assist the region in writing a proposal to the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development for broadband infrastructure funding. The CTC Virtual Highway Project was one of the first to receive infrastructure funding. The $2 million project leveraged an additional $2 million dollars from local sources. This project was recognized at the Blandin Foundation conference and Press Releases were distributed. More recently they have helped to support 4 other infrastructure projects for the region! The Connectivity Champions were asked for their feedback regarding the connectivity and Blandin Broadband Community (BBC) work. All (7) reported that they wanted to continue to be a part of the work because so much was being accomplished. They cited the fact that the Connectivity Champions/BBC have raised $7.6 million for broadband projects in the region- as an indicator of success of the goals and activities set forth in the Resilient Region plan. Funds were raised or leveraged from the National Joint Powers Alliance, MN DEED, Blandin Foundation, Initiative Foundation and the City of Long Prairie. Through this project, CTC and WCTA were able to retain highly skilled telecommunications staff. They helped 150 low-income families gain access to computers and internet through PCs4People. Additionally, three hundred twenty-four households and businesses connected to broadband through Phase I of CTC s broadband project. Future plans are to continue to support the work of the Connectivity Champions and BBC Steering Committee. City of Hewitt MT. Nebo Trail Project Project Benefactors: Citizens of Region Five

7 Our project will connect the City of Hewitt with the City of Wadena with a trail. This trail will pass through the space known as Mt. Nebo. Mt. Nebo is one of the highest points in Region Five. A trail through the Mt. Nebo space will benefit the quality of life for citizens throughout Region Five and beyond. To accomplish this Hewitt said by September 2016 they would: Approach Mt. Nebo land owner/attorney/mn Land Trust about a trail easement through Mt. Nebo City/Township meeting (feasibility study) trail route will be explored Confirm trail route and estimated expenses Survey/Summary key points gained Press Release Hewitt has successfully accomplished several of their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. Over the past year the majority of the work that has been performed has focused on exploring options for ways to preserve the space known as Mt. Nebo, along with options for how to create a public trail through Mt. Nebo. Many conversations with the land owner and Hewitt residents have taken place. The intent is to apply for grant funding to develop the feasibility study to confirm the trail route and estimated expenses. To date, a trail route has not yet been confirmed as the preservation of Mount Nebo as a public space has not been confirmed. Once Mount Nebo becomes a public space, the trail route will likely fall into place rather quickly as numerous options for the trail route have already been explored. The Mount Nebo project has taken longer than expected due to the land owner living in Florida for half of the year. The survey and press release would ideally be completed after the trail route has been confirmed. The remaining grant dollars will be used in the drafting of trail easements for the project. Having the city attorney draft these easements for the trail would be an additional selling point to the land owners who are open to allowing the trail to cross their land. Working on the Mount Nebo trail project over the past six years has provided an opportunity to connect with numerous public officials and leaders throughout the area. The community will continue to work toward their goal of the Mount Nebo trail, with the vision that the trail will one day connect to a trail running along Hwy 71 from Lake Wobegon to the Heartland Trail and Itasca State Park. Community Development of Morrison County (CDMC) Little Falls Community Schools Garden-to-Cafeteria Project Benefactors: Students

8 We are working to continue to build upon the various aspects of the project that are already in place, while moving the project forward to incorporate an increased level of student engagement. The next phase of the project becomes more student-centric ranging from traditional classroom curriculum to multiple opportunities for meaningful hands-on learning. FFA s role continues to expand as membership balloons creating enhanced agricultural and leadership opportunities. The ultimate impact of this project will be felt in the classroom, outside of the classroom and at the community level. To accomplish this CDMC said by September 2016 they would: Evaluate heat sources for school high tunnel Increase impact of FFA program Plan for a LFCS Ag academy and internships Survey to benefactors/students CDMC has successfully accomplished their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. This phase of the project will provide us the year-round capability for a heat source in the district s on-campus 30 X 48 High Tunnel. For the past three years, the district has been farming a very successful 2-acre organic vegetable garden in partnership with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls in addition to the High Tunnel. Last year, they brought over 10,000 pounds of fresh vegetable into our Food Service program; this year we are anticipating about 12,000 pounds will be harvested through our Garden-to-Cafeteria program. The heat source was installed in the high tunnel in late fall They began planting in March Through their growing agriculture program, they have devoted many resources specifically at increasing student involvement in FFA. Three years ago, the Little Falls FFA chapter had approximately students. FFA now has roughly 50 high school students (grades 9-12) actively involved. The district is also launching agriculture classes for 8 th graders at the Little Falls Community Middle School for the 2016/2017 school year which they feel will substantially help involvement in FFA. The younger students are when they get involved in an activity such as FFA, the better it is for them and the organization. Many Little Falls FFA members have qualified for state and for the past two years, Little Falls sent a contingent of students to the National FFA Convention for the first time in two decades. The benefactor survey has been developed. Due to a change in staff, the survey distribution and the launch of the Ag Academy will occur during the school year. The new instructor has been highly engaged in the Learning Academy and is eager to implement this program. The planning process is once again underway and they are anticipating continued progress towards their goals. The benefactor survey will be part of the back-to-school offerings.

9 This grant opportunity has affected positive results in the schools. Multiple partnerships have been created with The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, FFA alumni, A viands Food Service Company, NJPA, Central Lakes College, City of Little Falls, Live Better Live Longer and Town 101 just to name a few. The expansion of the ag program through partnerships like RCDI has allowed them to add an additional Ag teacher. It also allows them to hire five students and one adult during the summer months to work in their 2-acre organic vegetable garden and high tunnel. Future plans are to continue to expand agriculture opportunities at Little Falls Community Schools. Four years ago, the program was really struggling. It is now a lively, innovative area where students are actively pursuing agriculture both in the classroom and through FFA. The school has been able to foster renewed relationships with the ag community, which is key for a small town in Minnesota. Stakeholders are enamored with the idea of teaching youth about food production, which translates into the key tenets of FFA. The confines of the normal school day limit the program in some regards, however, they have now seen students pursue their agriculture passion beyond the classroom and beyond their normal school day. North Central Economic Development Association Public Private Health Partnership Project Benefactors: Regional Health Providers and the community This year we surveyed over 100 health organizations. We learned from this that we needed to better coordinate our work and health messages. More of this coordination has been taking place in the counties of Todd, Wadena and Morrison. We want to build on this wonderful work. In addition, the new CEO of Essentia Health was engaged in a county-wide health initiative, we would like to learn from his experience and then, together, determine how best to build on our collective wisdom to improve the health of our five-county region. To accomplish this NCEDA said by September 2016 they would: Convene the group to develop collaborative relationships Assess public and private health assessment and review best practices to develop key focus priority Press Release Benefactor Survey Develop action plan for improved regional well-being NCEDA has successfully accomplished their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. A group of health care professionals from the region met and identified that mental health and opiate crisis intervention are the top two health issues that need to be addressed right now. Todd County Public Health has conducted a regional survey and two meetings have been held to analyze the data and determine what action steps need to be taken. The opiate crisis intervention project involves sharing best practices and area hospitals are in the process of implementing those programs.

10 Healthcare is undergoing a significant transition from episodic care to focusing on improving the overall health of the region and to collaboratively work on community health. Todd Wadena Healthy Connections now consists of Lakewood Health System, Tri County Hospital, Morrison, Todd and Wadena County Public Health, Centracare Long Prairie, and the Little Falls Hospital, which has been focusing on health education and maternal-child health. They have completed a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) together. They have been meeting quarterly. At their last meeting, they agreed to collaborate to update the CHNA. By together identifying their priority, the community health needs, they can collaborate through health education and maternal-child health committees to address these priority needs in this region. They have formed a workgroup with representatives from the respective organizations that will be focusing on the CHNA. They meet on a regular basis throughout the year to monitor and track outcomes and to ensure that progress is being made in addressing the priority health needs identified in the assessment. Currently, the health assessment task force is reviewing the results of the health assessment and working on how they can collaborate on addressing the priority health issues. Another key component of the region is Cass and Crow Wing counties: The Essentia Health System in Brainerd has developed, in collaboration with Crow Wing County Public Health, a community health initiative called, Crow Wing Energized. The Healthy Connections group will be meeting with Essentia quarterly to share best practices and ensure collaboration on community health initiatives. What is significant with this project is that they are able to bring together competing healthcare systems to focus on addressing priority community health needs and issues. The grant will allow them to complete the survey and help focus efforts on the key priority needs. The initial study shows that obesity and mental health are two key priority needs that need to be addressed. Having a CHNA workgroup meet on a regular basis throughout the year will provide sustainability of the efforts, focusing on the priority needs, as well as the update the CHNA every three years. Healthy Connections will oversee and hold the workgroup accountable to ensure that the work is being completed and the meetings with Essentia are held. A food insecurity program has already been initiated out of this collaboration and is being duplicated in Staples, Long Prairie, Pine River and Little Falls. This is an example of how the RCDI grant program will help enhance the region s health and economic position. Working collaboratively when you are also competitors was a unique situation for those involved and they discovered that it requires the development of leadership skills to look at things in new ways, be willing to compromise, develop trust and be creative and open to make things work. This can show that we are a region that can do great things together and be a role model for other regions in the country.

11 Healthy Connections will continue to meet on a quarterly basis and evolve as a coalition. New partner relationships need to be nurtured and focused on what unfilled potential exists by working together. A regional sharing meeting between the organizations is currently being arranged. City of Royalton Morrison County Tourism Project Project Benefactors: Residents and Businesses of Morrison County The cities in Morrison County are collaborating on a project to install decorative bike racks and signage to inform residents and visitors on how to get to points of interest within the county, including the regional trail systems and the top ten sites in each city. We are participating with the Little Falls Convention and Visitor Bureau and Explore MN to put the map on their websites and then link to all cities websites. To accomplish this Royalton said by September 2016 they would: Develop top ten best kept secrets (sites in cities) for signage Network with artists to build decorative bike racks for cities put on city websites and visitor bureaus (on-going) Royalton has successfully accomplished their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. A list of all main attractions and events from each city in Morrison County has been compiled, which will be used to develop the signage. Decorative bike racks have been installed in several cities in Morrison County. They will continue to work with area metal artists to complete their goal of having these racks displayed throughout the county. Additionally, some of the cities are requesting signs instead of bike racks as they feel this would be more useful in the promotion of their community. Signage and brochures have been ordered and will be placed throughout the county and in the communities once received. SPROUT Little Falls Food Hub/Processing Facility Art Connection Project Benefactors: Artists The Resilient Region Plan identifies developing local foods, local growers and producer distribution networks as a priority. It also identifies that the arts is an economic engine. This project works to develop the relationship between agriculture and arts by providing opportunities for artists and demonstration in a year-round marketplace.

12 To accomplish this SPROUT said by September 2016 they would: Create Press Release for project Deploy benefactor survey Work with FWAC, MN State Arts Board and local art agencies to engage artists Work with Chamber of Commerce, CVB and LUGs to cross promote and provide marketing Hold artist receptions at Marketplace, evaluate benefactor impact SPROUT has successfully accomplished their goals to this point and are moving forward on their work plan as identified. A central location for the Sprout Food Hub and Growers and Makers Marketplace was secured by a long-term lease in March of Technical difficulties in securing appropriate placement of the facility occurred when the initial site was rendered insufficient in infrastructure and was moved to an alternate site within the warehouse facility. This delay caused necessity of the initial architectural rendering revision. Additionally, when considering the Growers and Makers Marketplace, it was necessary to engage area artists in design concepts. Once the reconfiguration of the actual square footage was complete, a local engineering firm was recruited. With final approval from the MN Department of Agriculture and MN Department of Labor, construction on this facility began in August, Training of growers in this facility occurred March 20, Community tours occurred on March 20, 2015 with over 40 professional staff, including growers, hospital staff, local school districts, chamber of commerce and visitor s bureau staff attending. SPROUT held two Grower s and Maker s Marketplaces in November and December of 2015, featuring over 20 local artists and farmers, grossing over $7000 in sales revenue that previously would not have been available. Press releases were submitted to local newspapers to promote these Marketplace events. The Five Wings Art Council, MN Arts Board, elected officials, and chambers of commerce collaborated with SPROUT on marketing, education and recruitment of makers and growers. Vendor and participant surveys were collected after each marketplace. SPROUT held its grand opening on April 1 st, with over 300 people attending the event. Amy Klobachar, Rick Nolan and Colin Peterson, among others, spoke on the benefits of local foods. The post project plans are to continue the development of the Marketplace. Through the course of this grant, one new position has been created. A VAPG grant application has also been submitted and if received, would allow them fund three more positions. This project has had an economic impact on growers and makers, which creates a multiplier effect on the region. North Central Economic Development Association Crow Wing Township Saferoom Project Benefactors: Crow Wing Township residents and supervisors

13 Crow Wing Estates is a manufactured home park in Crow Wing County that is not currently equipped with a saferoom for its residents. In the event of a severe weather event such as tornado, residents of the Crow Wing Estates would have virtually no shelter capable of withstanding high winds. In alignment with the current approved Crow Wing County Hazard Mitigation Plan, Crow Wing Township officials as part of a public/private partnership are seeking to construct a saferoom for the residence of Crow Wing Estates. To accomplish this NCEDA said by September 2016 they would: Regional Press release/outreach Convene community to define project Apply for FEMA support/funding Approve final FEMA grant deliverables (if applicable) Staff has met several time with Township officials and invested considerable time gathering information, researching, coordinating and drafting the grant application. The residence of Crow Wing Estates decided to reprioritize their goals for the manufactured home park. Well water issues have been deemed more critical to the betterment of the park that creation of a saferoom at this time. Although the project didn t move forward as expected, the ultimate benefactor was still impacted. When the park is ready to move forward on the saferoom project, the majority of the work has already been done, which will allow them to streamline the project. NCEDA worked with the residence to meet their new goals. SUMMARY/IN CONCLUSION The most challenging or unexpected aspects of this program were: When R5DC held the final meeting for the 10 projects that received TA assistance through the RCDI grant, all organizations felt this was a worthwhile program. Their difficulty came, however, in the length of the program. For many of these projects, a two-year timeframe was simply too much and they were able to get the majority of their work done in a year. Advice for others planning a similar program to R5DC s: This program was so beneficial to these 10 projects and all indicated it was worth their time to participate. The use of Qualtrix in the survey and reporting system was a great process in that it was user friendly, populated quarterly goals and objectives per project and kept things concise and to the point. Kick off, midpoint and final face-to-face meetings were also beneficial as they allowed the organizations to really share their story and connect with other organizations to swap resources.

14 Post-grant plans for this project: These 10 projects are all at different stages and will move ahead in ways that are beneficial for the organization and for the community. R5DC will continue to act as a resource for these projects as needed. Summary of the race, sex and national origin of recipients and beneficiaries: Gender Male African American/Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian White/Caucasian 10 More than one Race Hispanic/Latino Other Recipient s National Origin: Scottish, Dutch, Irish, English Norwegian Finnish, German, Irish Swedish, German Norwegian, Swedish German, Welsh, Swedish German, Welsh French, Canadian Norwegian, German, Swedish Racial/Ethnic Identification Female 5 5