By Jim Owen

A federal agency committed $4,635,230 to housing, energy and utility infrastructure projects in Grant County during the 2013-14 fiscal year.

The New Mexico office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Division reported spending $122 million on projects statewide. Since 2009, the total is $1.3 billion.

USDA RD's largest investment in Grant County this year (a grant and loan amounting to $1,180,600) is a water project in Bayard. Automatic meter-reading devices are to be installed at the homes of all the town's residents. The project, scheduled to begin in January, also will entail replacing a main waterline on Railroad Street.

The agency made 23 guaranteed rural-housing loans (totaling $3,144,353) to Grant County applicants. The program serves low- to moderate-income residents seeking to become homeowners.

Two direct home loans from the USDA in the county had a combined value of $259,277. The funding is used by low-income people in rural areas to buy, build, repair or relocate homes.

Four county applicants classified as "very low income" received housing-rehabilitation grants of $7,500 apiece to repair, improve or modernize their homes.

The agency also approved a $21,000 REAP energy program grant, to fund a renewable-energy system in Grant County.

"USDA RD has been a major source of financial support for these infrastructure projects," said Ernie Watson, a public-affairs specialist for the agency who compiled the Grant County data at the request of the Beat.

Statewide, the division provided $15,752,245 in financial support to 17 rural businesses during the fiscal year. It approved $65,043,122 in loans and grants for 577 families to purchase or repair their homes. Another $25,169,907 million funded water and sewer systems.

The projects have "improved the health of almost 10,000 rural New Mexicans, who now have access to clean water and reliable sanitation," according to the USDA.

A news release announcing the "Made in Rural America" report cited the agency's "commitment to strengthening rural economies." Officials wrote: "the USDA is helping rural New Mexico attract businesses and families by investing in housing and broadband."

State Rural Development Director Terry Brunner added: "Supporting our rural communities benefits all New Mexicans. USDA has made dedicated investments in manufacturing, energy and small businesses in rural New Mexico.

"At the same time, we are bringing reliable services like water, housing and broadband to make these same communities attract and retain a talented workforce," he said. "This data (in the report) shows that the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in rural New Mexico."