Take a hike is exactly what I did early Thursday evening. Along with Mark Wyum and Larry Christensen I hiked from the Rutland General Store and followed the existing railroad track for another two miles south of town (we made the trek in less than an hour). Mark is chair of our Hiking/Biking Trails committee to explore options for a route out to Silver Lake. The railroad track, owned by the State of South Dakota, is operated by the Dakota Missouri Valley and Western Railroad. It is one option for a hiking trail. This one provides a challenge with the sloughs in the area as well as the narrow bridge spanning the Wild Rice. I think I got a neck ache since I had to look down at every step and got a break only when I stopped to snap a few photos of the route we took.
Category: Horizons Program
Taking Back a Community
Carolyn Christensen, Earl Cramton, Diane Smith and Deborah Banish ventured to Wahpeton on Friday, March 7, for the videoconference on “The Miner County Story.” Randy Parry and Kathy Callies from Miner County, South Dakota, discussed the grassroots efforts that began in 1996 as a way to reverse nearly a century of population decline. Their efforts resulted in a thriving community with new industry, new homes and an increased population. The road to change and growth may have its challenges but they clearly showed that a community that works together can triumph! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us Randy and Kathy.
Action Taken in Advertising Action Plan Committee
Rutland will soon have a slogan. Just to set the scene — Community members were asked to submit their ideas for a slogan for Rutland. The Advertising Action Plan Committee met and narrowed the number down to three slogans on which the community will vote. It was a difficult job as there were some really good ones. After the slogan is selected, it will be used on all the advertising for Rutland’s events. Now there’s talk of getting a logo to go along with the slogan. It will be great to see what people can come up with there.
Hiking/Biking Trail Sites Investigated
Mark Wyum rode around the country with Jesse Hanson one nice afternoon just like in high school. Only this time Mark needed Jesse’s professional opinion on how to get a hiking/biking trail from Rutland out to Silver Lake, five miles southwest of town. Jesse is the Assistant Director of Parks so has a little bit of knowledge on the subject. There is some promise but they’ll go out again when the snow is gone, relive memories of their youth and see if that promise for a future trail can be fulfilled.
Rutland Hosts Regional Housing Roundtable
Community leaders have seen the ever increasing need for adequate housing in Rutland be a deterrent for community growth. Because this need has been identified as an issue that does not seem to be met nor will it be in the near future, the Horizons committee decided to host a roundtable to discuss this issue as a regional one.
Diane Smith engaged the North Dakota Housing and Finance Agency to come to their community along with other STAT members to speak to community leaders about solutions to the housing shortage. The STAT team is made up of representatives from a number of state agencies. They are: ND Housing and Finance Agency, Affordable Housing Developers, Inc.; Community Works ND; Eastern Dakota Housing Alliance; Fannie Mae; ND Dept. of Commerce; ND Rural Dev. Council and Center for Technology and Business; US Dept. of HUD; and USDA Rural Development.
This event was publicized to neighboring communities who are struggling with the same issue. The event led to a great discussion and exchange of ideas about what is working in rural communities around the issue of housing.
This small community of 300 isn’t afraid to tackle tough issues. Citizens fully intend to meet them head on.
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