Commercial Bank of Mott Helps Fund a Home Base for the Community

It’s not every day that an entire community comes together for the benefit of the greater good. But that’s exactly what happened in the small town of Mott, N.D., home to $143 million-asset Commercial Bank of Mott. 

With a population of just over 600, Mott is a quaint town known for being a great retirement community and home to a vibrant population of active families with children. However, the town relies on various makeshift venues for its communal activities, such as the school gymnasium or the local armory, because it lacks a true community or fitness center. Because the school’s needs take priority, the community members are rarely able to use those spaces. The Commercial Bank of Mott and its leadership sought a solution.

A vision for expansion

In October 2023, Charlotte Aldinger, president of the Commercial Bank of Mott, made it her goal to find a way to fund and build a new community center dedicated to the needs of the local community, rather than taking up space at the school. 

“We’d done everything we could to make do with what we had,” says Aldinger. “But we wanted to make something possible so not just the school could benefit but also the whole community. Because everyone wants and needs to be able to have that health and wellness dynamic in their life.”

This new center would provide a welcoming space for all residents to enjoy the social, cultural and recreational activities they engage in, but making the plans a reality wouldn’t be an easy task. 

Since there wasn’t a dedicated person for economic development in Mott, Aldinger attended an Economic Development of North Dakota State Conference in September 2023 to “figure out what we don’t know.” It was there that she found even greater passion for the project and understood that it was going to take a village. Upon her return, she began work with the mayor of Mott to figure out how to make the dream of a community center come true.

Setting the plan in motion

Of course, the prospect of a community center relied heavily on one thing: funding. The team found its opportunity in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, specifically the Department of Energy’s Transmission Siting and Economic Development grant. This $371 million initiative was created to support community infrastructure projects along new and upgraded transmission lines. 

The next step was for Aldinger to write a compelling grant proposal. However, the grant-writing process is competitive and demands a clear vision, detailed planning and impeccable documentation. She admits, “I didn’t exactly know what I was doing. I was not a professional grant writer, but I was going to put my heart and soul into it.”

John Marshall, a fellow community bank president at First State Bank in Grand Forks, N.D., connected Aldinger with an experienced writer who could help. Aldinger then worked side-by-side with the writer to complete and deliver a grant proposal worthy of not only consideration but approval. 

With the proposal underway, the next step was to plan the construction of the community center. Over the course of seven months, Aldinger collaborated with a construction firm and architect who volunteered their services. A neighboring school provided blueprints from a similar project, and a community member donated five acres of land on which the community center will be constructed.

“All these pieces just came together,” says Aldinger, “and it came from relationships, talking to other people with a shared vision of wanting to make a difference and wanting to make this work.”

This community effort resulted in the concept for the Cannonball Community Complex, a multipurpose building with a large gym, kitchen space for catering and concessions, and a community area that can accommodate up to 500 people. 

The center will also serve as an emergency shelter and a base for essential services in emergency situations.

Looking to the future

The town of Mott received good news in July 2024: Its grant request had been approved. “At the Commercial Bank of Mott, we are all just so excited,” says Aldinger. “All of our employees are so community-driven and believe this is a huge opportunity for our community. Knowing the bank and myself are part of something like this … it just makes us all proud.”

While timing for construction has not been announced, Aldinger hopes that next steps and activities toward development of the community center will begin to pick up soon, likely in 2026. 

In the meantime, she says, “There’s excitement in the community … because it is not just an opportunity for Mott—this is an opportunity for our county, for southwest North Dakota and for our region.”