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In Remington, population about 1,300, U.S. 24 skirts the edge of town on its east-west run across the state. The two-lane highway continues past a scattering of businesses at the I-65 interchange and then runs another 5 east miles before curving into Wolcott (population about 1,000), where remnants of historic architecture bespeak the town’s early history.
While the downtown business districts are meager, the area is fortunate to have some economic heavy hitters. Monsanto and Remington Hybrid Seed Co. anchor a strong agribusiness sector. New businesses, such as Advance Auto, bring more jobs to bolster the economy, and the enviable proximity to I-65—the main artery between Chicago and Indianapolis—is an enticement for further economic development.
And then there are the residents, perhaps the community’s strongest assets. “It’s the first time I’ve seen so many community groups partnered together with one goal,” says Wilson, a service-minded professor who practices what she teaches. “The towns were interested in student input and had a real need. Their population is down; they need to find a way to grow,” she says.
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| Residents turned out in force to examine Purdue landscape architecture students' designs. |
School’s staunch supporters
The student designs are ambitious, but no more so than community leaders. When Schwab showed up at Wilson’s door in August 2007 asking for help, residents already had been working for two years to find ways to combat a slow but steady exodus of jobs and people. Coincidentally, the start of their effort also had Purdue roots—a study of the Tri-County School Corp. and its district, which includes Remington and Wolcott, by College of Education professors James Auter and William McInerney.
“We had been really concerned about enrollment and felt that an outside review of the school corporation would make us better,” says Gilbert Crimmins, superintendent of Tri-County School Corp. “As we moved through the process, we began to hear some of the same things over and over again that we could improve upon and help the community.”
While the study recognized the overall quality of the school corporation, it concluded that continued enrollment decline in what is already one the of state’s smallest school corporations would further erode academic and financial resources. The study attributed a substantial portion of the population decline to the disappearance of the family farm, a trend that seemed unlikely to change. But it also pointed out that the district was close-knit and caring, with a strong potential for growth. In short, the community needed to find new blood.
Where do we go from here?
The predecessor organization to the Remington & Wolcott Community Development Corp. had its start with five committees to address economic development, housing, children/family, senior citizens and education. The committees were dedicated but made little progress. “We wanted the community’s
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