Chouteau County Input
Employment
- Add diversity to employers to better balance public vs. private businesses
- Attract service providers to keep local dollars in town
- Take more risks
Economic Development (private business)
- Create job opportunities for young people, year-round, wages higher than minimum wage
- Improve presentation of Main Street area to entice highway traffic
- Improve quality of older housing to attract new residents
- Improve water and sewer infrastructure to attract new businesses
- Keep current businesses on Main Street
- Attract entrepreneurs who work from home via internet
- Attract young families and year-round residents
- Create incentives for hiring locally on new projects
- Continue infrastructure improvements
- Establish a land trust
- Expand local industry beyond agriculture
- Secure consistent, faster, Internet access
- Develop local veterinarian clinic
- Develop local auto/ag machinery mechanics shop
- Develop meat processing business
- Develop local law enforcement
Energy
- Encourage cooperation to start up wind projects, solar projects, coal production
- Negotiate transmission lines for wind projects
- Produce biofuels on larger scale
- Develop wind energy, water energy
- Develop transmission lines to energy markets
- Seek grants to develop alternative energy sources like wind farm
Environment
- Pave roads and sidewalks
- More recycling
- Develop secondary water source
- Mitigate saline seep (alfalfa)
Health
- Create walking paths for exercise
- Access to fresh fruits and vegetables
- Offer more services and housing to attract resident doctor
- Establish bus service to Great Falls
Housing
- Improve quality of older housing to attract new residents
- Improve quality of older housing to increase value, improve availability, make resale easier
- Develop a 4-plex apartment
- Seniors need housing (retirement home with medical and transit services)
- Seek a benefactor (like Winifred or Harlem)
Parks & Recreation
- Create indoor recreation center for cold weather months
- Develop RV area between depot and RR with water and sewer
- Place signage to direct visitors from rest stop
- Update community center to include youth center
- Make walking/bike trail on old RR between Geraldine and Great Falls
Transportation
- Pave streets and add sidewalks
- Coordinate with public transit from Havre to Great Falls
- Improved handicapped, railroad parking
- Encourage Burlington Northern Rail Road to retain rail service
- Resident Spending Priorities
- Develop local transit system (8-passenger van)
- Improve options with existing transit systems
- Support Snowy Mountains Development efforts to rebuild trestle and railroad
- Reopen airport
Other Ideas
- Create incentives or enforce town codes to persuade residents to clean up lots
- Attract a child care business to start in town
- Fund a municipal swimming pool for kids
- Upgrade sewer and water systems to attract new residents
- Grow vegetables year round; community gardens; farm-to-cafeteria program
- Create more forums for community involvement, share information about available resources and services
- Improve “curb appeal” by enforcing blight ordinance to clean up unkempt lots
- Provide incentive to improve local yards and lots
Education
- Improve Internet access
- Continue to attract teachers (assist them to find housing)
Tags: Building Prosperity, Community, creating jobs, Economic Development, Employment, Health, Hi-Line, Housing, ideas, improvement, Infrastructure, input, Northcentral Montana, recreation, regional development, Transportation