The United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday three rural Wisconsin community facilities will receive stimulus funding for health care and public service projects.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Trempealeau County Health Care Center and the library in the town of Three Lakes will each receive stimulus money for various improvement projects.
The Menominee tribe is slated to receive $272,000 in stimulus grants, which Jeremy Weso, administrative manager for the tribe’s Department of Administration, said would go toward renovating the tribe’s emergency medical services building.
“The tribe has an EMS center right now that is basically a modified garage,” Weso said. “The center is adjacent to the tribal clinic and is at or beyond capacity.”
Weso also said the tribe will match the stimulus funding with $91,000 in funds because the actual project is estimated to cost $363,000.
Weso said MITW was not immediately informed by USDA that they were getting the award and said many federal agencies have a protocol where they inform either the district’s congressman or senator and not the recipient.
According to Weso, the MITW has been working for many years to renovate the EMS garage. The renovations planned include expanding the station to house more vehicles and equipment, and to provide housing and meeting areas for emergency medical technicians.
Curtis Johnson, director of finance for the Trempealeau County Health Care Center, said the stimulus money will be spent on renovations to the Pigeon Falls Health Care Center.
“The project would require two pieces of funding — the $145,000 grant basically pays for the equipment part, and the $689,000 low-interest loan pays for construction,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the renovations will add a series of services, including expansion of the rehabilitation facility, converting an area of the building to an “adult day care facility” and two additional hospice beds for the facility. Johnson added the two hospice beds are important because there is no other hospice provider in the county.
Another feature that will be offered after renovations, Johnson said, is a telemedicine service, which allows the clinic to provide psychiatric, cardiology, urgent care and follow-up services.
He added the loan rate is set at 4.375 percent, and the county requested a 25-year payback period.
The Three Lakes Demmer Memorial Library will use the $17,500 stimulus grant to install a new lift elevator which runs from the main floor to the basement, transporting people and materials, said Janet Dixon, the library’s director.
“The current lift no longer meets qualifications, so we couldn’t use it,” Dixon said. “This is going to be a great opportunity for patrons to have increased service as a result of the grant.”
According to USDA documents, the Menominee EMS station project will create or save about four jobs, while the Three Lakes Library and Pigeon Hollow Health Care Center projects will create or save about five and 10 jobs, respectively.
