Before and after

It's always gratifying to see the successful conclusion of a group's collective efforts.

These photos show the results of a collaboration between WCI, the Otto Bremer Foundation and the city of Pelican Rapids to create affordable residential building lots by removing blighted structures.

WCI has taken on the role three times to help secure the appropriate funding on behalf of communities in west central Minnesota. The most recent effort concluded in 2005 and was made possible by a grant to WCI from the Otto Bremer Foundation.

The Community InFill Housing Program provided matching grants to communities and non-profit housing developers to demolish deteriorated structures. In turn, the recipients made lot(s) available for affordable housing development.

These photos from Pelican Rapids show structure demolition and the corresponding exchanged lot with its new home. Pelican Rapids was one of six west central Minnesota communities that took advantage of the InFill Housing Program.

Although a successful program, it takes on average two to four years for a sufficient number of tax forfeited and other properties to become available for WCI to seek outside funds to run a similar program.

In the year 2050

What will the communities and landscape of the Great Plains be like in 2050? Participants of the Meadowlark Project challenged themselves to come up with four possible scenarios. Some are troubling, some are inspiring, all of them are thought-provoking.

What do you see in your community's future? Are you concerned that your region's focus is decidedly near-sighted? What do you think you, your neighbors, your organization, your city and county can do now that will have a positive, far-reaching impact?

Through West Central Initiative, many west central Minnesota communities are creating community funds that are already make a huge difference to what their communities can achieve. Schools, lake associations, libraries, healthcare facilities, families, individuals and more have set up donor-advised funds for specific projects or for the overall benefit of their community for years to come. Taking proactive steps now makes the unknown journey into the future a little less scary, and a little less unknown.