right now to put together all of the information and the design, and we will take it to a committee for approval, and then seek out grant sources for funding.” The goal is to involve local businesses, giving them opportunities to get involved in the project. “Our Parks Manager has also gotten the school districts involved, with students coming out to do tree plantings. We’re all working towards the development of the park, to create buy-in and pride in the finalized project,” she adds. In support of small business, plans are underway for the introduction of a business start up grant fund provided by the county.“Because we’re a small rural county, the communities that we have, their staff is really limited, and none of our communities have somebody, even on a part time or contracted basis, to do economic development,” Carlson said. “When I started working for Trempealeau County, I made a point of letting all of our villages and the cities and towns, and letting them know that I was there to assist them with any economic development needs they might have.” LOOKING AHEAD As Trempealeau County prepares for inevitable growth, the focus is on housing development, quality childcare and continued economic and quality of life initiatives. “You can’t do everything on day one, but we have laid a solid foundation for growth and opportunity,” Carlson imparts. “There’s this phenomenon that has occurred where people are picking where they want to live and then finding a job if they don’t have a job that they can do remotely. 196 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
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