Where we are and where we are heading.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them: that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”- Lao Tzu.

A novel Coronavirus known as Covid-19 has brought American life to a near standstill, closure of businesses, cancellation of large gatherings, and has kept people at home and social distancing. While this pandemic keeps changing the dynamic worldwide, we are trying to adapt to and learn how to live a “New Normal” life here in Wall, SD just as anywhere else. Let’s see what happened in Wall last month.

The City of Wall Disaster Bridge Grant

Last month, Wall City Council members took a big step to help Wall Community during pandemic; they approved emergency funds for Disaster Bridge Grant.

The City of Wall Disaster Bridge Grant has been created to provide emergency financial assistance to Wall community members and Wall-based businesses impacted by COVID-19.

For those who qualified, funds were provided to cover utility expenses and rent, provided by local utility providers and landlords.

The city wanted to make sure that before applying individuals and businesses are utilizing other available resources, such as unemployment insurance, Economic Injury Disaster Loan, Paycheck Protection Program or any other ones.

In the last month total of $ 50,000 has been provided for emergency financial assistance in our community.

A Place To Call Home

In February 2018, the City and WEDC decided to take a large step toward housing development by purchasing a property at 402 Glenn Street, Wall. The structure was demolished and the lot was cleared.

After months of developer search, we successfully sold the lot on Glenn St for affordable housing development. The developer built a Governor House and his plan is to build two more houses. But today the most exciting is seeing a new homeowner in our neighborhood.

And we keep moving forward.

Mailbox Project

We would like to invite you to participate in our “Mailbox Project.” The Wall Economic Development and the City of Wall are working together to encourage our young people to first go out and see the world, attend school, join the military or gain other experience, then return to Wall to become lifelong residents.

The Wall Economic Development has purchased mailboxes to decorate for each of the 16 graduating seniors. We will write their name and Wall, SD on each of the mailboxes. We also plan to write them a letter encouraging them to come back to Wall. Working from a business point of view, we want to encourage them to come back and either start a business or be involved in our current Wall businesses.

We would love to have you as a part of this project. Would you be interested in making a small gesture for our graduates? You can donate an item, write a letter, reach out to a specific senior that you would like to encourage to come into your business, or anything you would like to include.

The idea of the project is to encourage our young people not to forget that their ideas or dreams are never too small. They can get a great start right here in their hometown. We hope you will join us in celebrating our young people!

Please, contact Executive Director of WEDC, Liliya Stone at 605-279-2658 or walledd@gwtc.net

Census 2020:  What’s at Stake

The United States Constitution requires a count of the population every ten years. In 2020, America will get its chance to count every resident, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Counting everyone is important! Rock the Vote estimates that a community will lose $20,000 in funding over a ten-year period for every individual not counted. This means that just one family of five not counted translates to a loss of $100,000 over ten years. In short, the economic health of communities’ hinges on making sure everyone is counted in 2020.

Census data is critical – it’s the basis by which political power and federal money is distributed in our communities. The number of congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets are determined by census numbers. Census figures are used to allocate more than $675 billion in federal funding to local communities. These federal dollars support essential programs on the state, county, and community levels and impact housing, education, transportation, employment, health care, and public policy. There are 55 census-guided federal programs targeted to rural communities alone. Without a complete and accurate count of the population, communities will not get their fair share of federal funding and miss out on much-needed funding opportunities.

There’s more to census data than just funds distribution. Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores. Local governments use census data for public safety and emergency preparedness. Residents and nonprofits use data to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality of life, consumer advocacy, and grant applications. Real estate developers use data to make decisions on housing construction and neighborhood revitalization.

So, what can you do?

The 2020 Census is happening now. You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail.

Responding Online.

You can respond to the 2020 Census by visiting our online questionnaire https://my2020census.gov

Responding by phone.

It’s easy, simple and confidential. Call 844-330-2020.

Responding by Mail

To respond to the census, you can mail back the paper questionnaire sent to your home.

The 2020 Census will ask a few simple questions about you and everyone who is or will be living with you on April 1, 2020

WEDC Membership

Wall Economic Development Corporation has been inviting local businesses and individuals to become investor/member of WEDC to help our community to grow.

The goal of Wall Economic Development is to improve the quality of life of residents in Wall.

If you are interested to become a WEDC member, please contact Liliya Stone at 605-279-2658 or walledd@gwtc.net

Thank you to our members for believing in our organization and supporting us.