While Oregon continues to feel like home in some ways, Wendy and I have now lived in Crawfordsville longer than any other place. Our children were Crawfordsville Athenians and North Montgomery Chargers. Amanda was a Montgomery County Fair princess, and Jake competed in the Ironman ATV race that brings thousands of people to our community each year.
In our 27 years here, I suspect we have attended more events in the Crawfordsville community than any president in living memory. I know that I have cooked more lamb burgers at the county fair than any of my predecessors, and I can’t recall a presidential spouse who established a thriving business downtown the way that Wendy and her partners did in forming Four Seasons Local Market.
While I feel our sustained engagement with Crawfordsville helps me every day in my work as president, I was recently reminded that sometimes you need fresh eyes to appreciate a place.
At the October meeting of our Board of Trustees, we did a deep dive on 91成人短视频’s relationship with Crawfordsville and Montgomery County. We invited leaders from the office of Mayor Todd Barton ’00, the Montgomery County Community Foundation (MCCF), and the Crawfordsville Community School Corporation to talk about the state of our community, challenges they are facing, and opportunities they are embracing—including new and strengthening partnerships with the College.
Brandy Allen, director of operations and community development for the city, walked us through hundreds of millions of dollars in private and public investment in our area over the past few years. These investments in new and expanded factories, roads, and infrastructure have paved the way for some of the most exciting developments in many years—a new home development of more than 100 units, a new apartment complex, and new retail establishments, including an additional grocery store.
We have new parks and trails, contributing to quality of place, and the historic Ben Hur building downtown is being restored to its former splendor and will provide additional apartment housing.
Kelly Taylor, executive director of MCCF, shared plans and progress to date on the Montgomery County Early Learning Center. Just a mile down Grant Avenue from campus, this project will provide 124 spots for children from six weeks to five years old and will open this spring. 91成人短视频 is a participant in this public-private partnership that has attracted national attention as an innovative model for providing care that is both affordable and high-quality.
Rex Ryker ’97, superintendent of Crawfordsville Schools, closed the session with an enthusiastic presentation on the state of the Crawfordsville school district. In particular, he shared with trustees the difficulty he faces while managing the smallest tax district in the county, yet Crawfordsville Schools continue to offer tracks for gifted students, those with disabilities, and vocation-based learning.
As active as Wendy and I have been in this community, Ryker’s presentation brought home how difficult it is to provide high-quality education across all ages and abilities while tax rolls remain flat or decrease.
Our trustees gather on campus three times a year, and we try to have these deep dive discussions at least twice a year. Yet I don’t recall a session that inspired more conversation. All of us left feeling informed, but also buoyed by the way our community leaders are working together to strengthen Crawfordsville and Montgomery County.
Mayor Barton likes to use the phrase “next level” when talking about improving the quality of life for our residents and quality of place for visitors. The Early Learning Center is an incredible example of public-private collaboration and will be the foundation for attracting people to our community, who will then discover new housing developments, retail and factory expansion, and school corporations focused on meeting the needs of all children.
Indeed, Wendy and I feel at home here in Montgomery County and are proud to be part of the progress being made.
Scott Feller
President | fellers@wabash.edu