BY ALLEN ROARK
DBJ Contributing Writer

Wiggins, MS native Nick Walters has a vision as the new state director of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Rural Development, formerly known as the Farmer's Home Administration
"One of my main goals in this job is aggressive outreach," Walters says. "We don't do farm loans anymore, for instance, and many people still aren't aware of that. We work with rural housing, including first time homeowners, offering unique financing programs. We also finance rural utilities, such as water, sewer, waste water, and solid waste projects for municipalities under the population of 10,000 and for local water associations. Over $7 million is tied up in Bolivar County right now, as a matter of fact."
The USDA offers a variety of assistance programs, including services to rural business and cooperatives, rural housing and community facilities programs, rural empowerment zones and enterprise communities, and rural utilities programs. In a typical year, USDA Rural Development programs create or preserve more than 150,000 rural jobs, enable 40,000 to 50,000 rural Americans to buy homes and help 450,000 low income rural people rent apartments or other housing.
"Establishing multi-family housing projects are also a major part of what we are accomplishing at USDA Rural Development," Walters continues. "Many of these projects are currently in place in the Delta. We also have a community facilities program, which allowed us to, as an example, provide patrol cars to the town of Shelby." Walters explains that his organization has grant and loan money for almost any facility designed to help rural communities, from civic hall construction to health clinics.
"Our job also entails making sure that the dollars we put into these towns are well spent," Walters says. "There will be no boondoggles on my watch. We have a belief in our political system today that there are certain things our citizens should have access to: good, fresh, drinkable water; proper sewage systems; the dream of home ownership, and so forth. We are not engaging in mere giveaway programs with no accountability or tracking of results. The role of the USDA Rural Development is to provide necessities to bring about a higher caliber of life for the citizens of a small community."
USDA Rural Development also provides help for rural business and the creation and retention of jobs in rural communities. Walters has been especially assertive in distributing these resources.
"Our application had been in the 'we're working on it' stage for about a year and a half," stated Bill Allen, CEO of Delta Pride Catfish, the recipient of a $7.5 million loan from USDA Rural Development. "When Nick Walters showed up, he moved it off center and took care of us. Nick is a tireless worker. He attacks problems and doesn't stop until he gets something done. Senator Cochran picked a good man for the job."
Regarding the Delta, Walters says his biggest challenge in this region is helping people realize exactly what the USDA Rural Development Office does and does not do. "We are having to educate folks what our proper role is," he says. "It's not just showing up with a check from the government. It's doing what we've been doing recently, which is going around the state holding community development team meetings."
The concept of the community development team meetings was the brainchild of Walters, as no other state USDA Rural Development Office offers this interaction with communities. Walters says he uses this mechanism "to educate these communities on how to do the homework to obtain the grants and funding they require." Walters says the goal is to do one community development team meeting per county. To date, Walters has held fourteen such meetings.
"Basically, it's Rural Development 101," Walters notes. "Plus, we find out the specific needs of the towns or counties we are in. We leave with a "wish list". I hope to see the community development team concept catch on across the country," Walters says. "I'm proud that Mississippi is taking the initiative." At the present time, there is no Under Secretary in Washington, D.C. heading up the national office and until there is Walters' idea of community development team meetings will be unique to Mississippi.
Listening to Mayor Mary Ajoku of Cruger would lead one to think that Walters' new approach of taking the government to the people is working. "The citizens of the town of Cruger are still talking about Nick Walters' visit on September 28th of this year," says Mayor Ajoku. "It was a day of celebration in the town of Cruger. The town meeting with Mr. Walters was charged with excitement. After the meeting, Mr. Walters took time to talk individually with the citizens who wanted to talk with him. We are the smallest town in Holmes County and to have a visit from Mr. Walters, the state director of USDA Rural Development, encouraged us greatly. I sincerely feel that Mr. Walters cares about rural development and look forward to working with him for a long time."
Walters says the community development team is only a first step. "After we obtain the 'wish lists' of the communities we visit, we want to coordinate with HUD, community colleges, the Institute for Higher Learning and the Planning and Development districts," says Walters. He is working with these entities to create Economic Development Co-Ordinating Councils, another new concept that Walters thinks will help enhance rural community development.
"We want to help strategize how to fund each county's or community's 'wish list'. We want to bring the resource-bearers into one big 'how-to' session with county and community leaders. I call it identifying the dominoes and then lining them up to fall into place just right," says Walters.
"I was recommended by Senators Cochran and Lott," Walters says of his appointment by President George W. Bush. "It was not a position that I actively lobbied for. The role I have found myself in is very appealing and challenging. It's plenty of hard work, but I'm enjoying the job thoroughly." DBJ