Thanks the efforts of community members and financing from USDA Rural Development and Agstar Rural Capital Network, a project nine years in the making will soon be a reality in Hutchinson, Minn.
Ground was broken last week for Harmony River Living, a new 138-bed senior care center that will ensure modern healthcare services and amenities for seniors in the region. The groundbreaking was attended by Agriculture Committee Chairman Congressman Collin Peterson, Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager and Minnesota State Director Colleen Landkamer.
“It’s an amazing commitment on the community’s part that made this project happen,” Tonsager said. “This shows how public-private partnerships go a long ways in developing our rural communities.”
Rural Development provided a $13.3 million direct loan through its Community Facilities program to help finance the project. Rural Development also guaranteed a $5 million loan through Agstar Rural Capital Network. About $5 million in community donations also will be used to cover project costs.
“People now have the opportunity to live long lives right here in Hutchinson,” Landkamer. “You all have figured out a way to keep people and keep wealth in your own community.”
The new facility will be built on a 64-acre site and will replace Hutchinson’s current senior care center, which is over 40 years old. The project will provide several construction jobs in the coming year and helps further establish a long-term framework for future job creation and economic development.
The process for planning to build the new facility began in 2001, and took a giant step toward completion last Monday.
“This is just the perfect example of a project that had a public-private partnership that allowed us to do a project we otherwise would not have been able to do,” said Dr. Steven Mulder. “We’re very grateful.”
