Dec. 1, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

Trevor Bunde knows a lot about building things.

Now, the longtime construction company owner will try his hand at helping build a community.

Bunde was elected mayor of Colton earlier this year. The area always has been home. He grew up on an acreage outside of Lyons, graduated from Tri-Valley High School and moved to Colton 16 years ago.

We sat down with him to talk about his new role and his goal for a community where he sees work to do but lots of opportunity ahead.

What prompted you to seek out the role of mayor? 

I just felt like we had to make a change. I was on the council before that for about seven years, and I knew as mayor I’d be able to take more aggressive steps in a positive direction for Colton. My biggest thing is wanting community involvement. I don’t like seeing one person try to do everything.

Since becoming mayor this spring, how has the role compared with your expectations? What have been some of your early priorities?

It’s been good – and really busy. We have some catching up to do in order to be community-ready to take advantage of the momentum in our area. So we’re trying to take some pretty big bites and get caught up to the boom. But I really enjoy it, and I’ve met some amazing people along the way.

Jesse Fonkert at Sioux Metro has been a huge advocate for Colton, and Sioux Valley Energy and their development group have been true leaders to keep us moving forward. We have a lot of support on everything we’re trying to do, and that’s been great. But we’re moving fast. 

What kind of year has 2022 been like for Colton? What have been some of the major developments in the community?

We formed the Colton Economic Development group, which is a good group, and we’re seeing momentum from community members joining. We’re waiting to see what direction the state is going with federal funds to support more housing. So we’re preplanning with the hope of securing some funds but also trying to determine our next plan of attack no matter what so we can keep going. 

What are you focused on for 2023? What does Colton need to continue evolving as a community?

We did a housing study last year, and it shows we need homes. We’re behind. I think we could have 20 homes right off the bat go. We’ve purchased more than 70 acres, and the first phase would be 49 homes, and the second would come as soon as that’s 90 percent filled for a total of 102 lots. I think it would be a game-changer for Colton because a lot of residents who have outgrown their homes won’t have to move. Right now, they truly want to stay in Colton, but they’re looking at other communities because everything in Colton is taken.

And that development isn’t our only plan. We’re trying to go after some commercial development and trying to revitalize our downtown. Our biggest focus is our daytime population. Right now, half our population is gone during the day for work, so if we can increase that, it would be tremendous. We have some potential industrial land with rail, so that’s another benefit.

How has your population trended in recent years? What do you think is attracting people to Colton?

We’re at nearly 800 people, and our housing study shows we come down, we come back up, we come down and back up, and right now we’re pretty much maxed out because we just don’t have homes on the market. I believe people are drawn by the small-town community feel.

We have great community organizations that help people connect. It’s a relaxing atmosphere here. We have a beautiful park, we have a swimming pool, and we want to keep improving quality of life. It’s a 20-minute drive to Sioux Falls – I do it every day – and I leave my house probably the same time as others in Sioux Falls. I just don’t have the traffic.

How has connecting with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance helped you in your role and, by extension, the community?

They’ve just been great resources. The connections that Jesse has been able to give me have been priceless. You need the connections, and that’s where Jesse and Sioux Metro Growth Alliance have been great. They get us meeting with and talking to the right people to help us grow. We’re trying to get community-ready, so if a business or any other housing wants to come in, we’re ready for it instead of needing to get ready for it.