A fire station, a lawnmower, and a mammoth walk into a bar (just kidding, a mammoth wouldn’t fit in a bar). These are seemingly random, totally unrelated things. But not when you work in rural development.
When we start working with a community, we’re never sure what we’ll get to help with. It’s what makes our days so interesting and challenging (and everyone at PRWA loves a challenge). Recently, when the small town of Latah asked Staci if she could help them find funding for a mammoth replica that would encourage people driving through town on their way to somewhere else to stop for a while at their park, she said, “I will do my best!” Because she knows what that mammoth means to the town (if you are baffled as to why a mammoth, click here.)
At a recent meeting in Ione, the clerk for Metaline asked if we could think of any funding sources for a new lawnmower because the one the town has is finally beyond repair and they have a LOT of ground to mow. Staci and I are now frequently texting each other with ideas about where to find $7,000 or a used riding mower. You might be thinking, “it’s only $7,000 – what’s the problem?” The problem is that a community may be directing every spare dime to keeping its 40-year-old trash truck operating. Or paying the utility bill so the library can stay open a few extra hours during the week. Or paying down the loan that was needed to complete emergency sewer repairs.
It’s not always big, multi-million-dollar projects like fire stations, water systems, and community centers; small rural communities also need assistance with smaller projects. Some of them are unusual; all of them have an important purpose that may not be immediately clear to people who don’t live in the community. We are always thrilled when our relationships with clerks and mayors reach the point where they don’t mind asking us for help with the weird stuff. We kinda live for it.
Speaking of the unusual, if you are ever near the Field Museum in Chicago, go see the Latah mammoth.
Take care,
Jody
