- A construction worker at the curb and gutter project in the Yaqui community of Guadalupe, Arizona. The project was funded in part with a Rural Development Community Facilities grant.
There is something sweet and quaint about the small town of Guadalupe, Arizona.
The 5,000 plus residents are mostly descendants of the original Yaqui Indian/Mexican settlers—many of whom migrated from the south in the early 1920s for construction work on the canals being built within the Salt River Valley.
Surrounded by the sixth largest city in the nation, Guadalupe has managed to protect its unique character, culture and charm.
Part of the charm lies in the nostalgic images of adobe homes and dusty roads. However, the image can be more charming to outsiders than to the families who actually live on those roads.
USDA Rural Development recently provided a Community Facility Grant to help with a Guadalupe street project. The overall project is expected to cost $600,000. Guadalupe also received a $393,945 Community Development Block Grant to begin the project. USDA RD’s funding ensures that some of the last…and oldest neighborhoods will get curbs, sidewalks and gutters.
At the ceremony in Council Chambers, Congressman Ed Pastor made a presentation of a plaque commemorating the funding to Councilwoman Gloria Cota, Community Development Director Gino Turrubiartes and Town Clerk Rose Mary Arellano. Joining in the ceremony was USDA Rural Development Community Facility Specialist Vanessa Garcia. Following the presentation, Garcia noted that her husband’s family is from Guadalupe…and her mother-in-law had actually worked at the Guadalupe Town Hall.
Folks pulled up chairs and sat and chatted—catching up on family and friends. That’s often the way it is in little towns like Guadalupe…and soon friends in one of the oldest neighborhoods in town will be able to stand on the sidewalk in front of their homes to catch up with their neighbors!
To find out how the USDA Community Facilities program can benefit your rural community, click here.