Wibaux, MT

CAN. Community Action Now. But in the case of WibauxCAN, it’s also Community Action Nextyear. WibauxCan’s grants are a success. Less than a month after announcing the grants recipients one project-painting a house-is completely finished and more are in the process. The finished project even came in under budget, so the unused money will be regranted during next year’s grant cycle. Yes, that’s right. Next year. The demand was so high that WibauxCAN will offer the opportunity for applications again next year. Community Action Now and Nextyear. Sometimes the sprucing up of a community just takes some tangible investment in people.

Every evening I when I open the windows of my house to let in the cool air, I hear the sounds of students playing on the basketball court just across the street from my living room. Young and old gather together to dunk the ball, practice their shots, and get together a quick game. What’s newsworthy about that? Last summer those baskets and the slab didn’t exist. But through the cooperation of the school (the place to put the court), a parent support group, and a local contractor, a court designed for younger kids is now the gathering place for all. A typical example of making a better community in small towns: it takes more than just one entity, it takes several working together.

By Laura Dukart
In May I worked with a group of volunteers to plant juniper shrubs around the sculptures in Wibaux. The group included two adults: (Bob and Marlene Blome) and five high school students: (Lindsay Franks, Andrew Barthel, Danikka Harrell, Melissa Franz, and Elise Dukart). I enjoyed watching the kids and adults working together to get a very worthwhile project completed. When the plants mature, they will provide some very nice landscaping around the sculptures. The project was funded with money from the Cultural and Aesthetic Trust Grant.

Community Change Project – The Federal Government gave the state millions of dollars to address the problem of drinking and driving through the lifespan and binge drinking with an emphasis on youth. No one in Wibaux would underwrite the project so because of Horizons, the school superintendent convinced the school board of the importance of this project and is serving as the fiscal agent. It has added another fulltime job to Wibaux and rented a building for this 3 ½ year grant. The ultimate goal is addressing the community norms of underage drinking. Wibaux County is part of a 5-county coalition working with Dawson, Richland, Roosevelt and Sheridan counties to affect community change.

We have lots of nonprofit organizations in Wibaux but not one except the Wibaux Nursing Home Foundation has even applied for the IRS approved 501c3 status. MT Community Foundation grant funds were channeled through a non-profit out of town. One of the Horizons action plans is to get a 501c3 for Wibaux. The group has narrowed down the name to Wibaux CAN - Community Action Now, which allows flexibility for many projects from housing, beautification, historic, poverty, drug abuse and youth activity grants. This committee is spearheaded by people in the know including the Clerk and Recorder, Town Clerk and the County Attorney assistant. Work is progressing on the by-laws and officers will be elected in July. We hope to submit to the IRS in the fall. The results will benefit the community and address poverty by allowing us to apply for grants as most require 501c3 status.

Nowhere during Paul Lachapelle’s whirlwind tour of eastern MT did he have so many of the key leaders of a Horizons community represented. Paul was giving workshops on Montana Public Meeting laws and all who attended got “Serving on County Boards, Districts, Commissions and Committees in Montana: A Handbook for Members, Local Government Officials and Citizens”
In the small town of Wibaux on April 30th, 24 attended including all three commissioners, the mayor and town council member,fair board, new nominee for school board, Clerk & Recorder & Deputy, Clerk of Court, Historical Society, planning board, Disaster & Emergency Services and the newspaper editor who was well versed in public meeting law. The biggest concern was being sure not to make decisions without proper notification of meetings. We commend their interest in the training to prevent litigation or cause conflict — or maybe they came for the great lasagna for only $5!

I need to have my blood tested tomorrow. Tommorrow is Friday, and ususally, I would need to head to Baker, Glendive, or Beach for bloodwork. But tomorrow I plan to drive to the new Wibaux Clinic and ask someone to draw my blood. What a great option: Accessible health care. I, for one, plan to take advantage of it.

My option wouldn’t have been possible without the Wibaux County Commissioners putting their weight behind a need expressed in the Horizon’s Study Circiles. The interest in the project supplied by the Glendive Medical Center helped everyone realize that having our own clinic was not only a dream, but a real possibility: people from outside the community believed in it too.

Now there is hope for another job (or two) in the community. Perhaps some day in the future someone with a medical degree will make Wibaux home.

All because I, and people like me, need blood drawn.

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You can do a tour around Wibaux and look at all the statues, most done by Mr. Burman made out of welded pipe and recycled items. Those are the most recent additions to Wibaux. Pierre Wibaux is the oldest statue in town overlooking the town. A popular statue is the angel in Angel Park across from the nursing home. Angel Park has really improved as trees have grown and half of the bowtie sidewalk loop is complete. The nursing home residents appreciate the beautiful view out their front windows. What does this have to do with poverty? 1. It’s recycling materials that others would call junk. 2. It’s a positive investment in our community that makes people proud. 3. Wibaux has a statue trail for people to follow - that’s tourism for this town proud of its heritage. 4. It’s structural change that will continue.

From a waitress wondering where she can find a lot to move in a trailer to a minister trying to find housing for his family, housing is so tight in Wibaux, it squeaks!

The abandoned Milton used to house several bachelors as well as the owner’s family but has been vacant 5 years as the owner is in the Vet’s Home and standards for housing has changed.

Things are happening as of late June- a rental has been renovated down to the studs to add insulation and rewiring to make a home available for rent. Two new homes will be added to Wibaux Co.; one bringing in a lady from Astoria, OR who can no longer afford the taxes as land prices have risen there. The Lost in Time Ranch is adding a dorm for the teachers of this non-profit organization working with inner city kids to expose them to astronomy, paleontology, geology and wildlife during the summer months.

Wibaux 7th and 8th graders helped the WibauxCAN (Community Action Now) committee design a logo. Ty Tousignant submitted the winning design, combining a W for Wibaux, with the school’s widely known longhorn mascot, as well as the CAN letters.