Buffington named new Granton clerk/ treasurer

By Cheyenne Thomas The village of Granton has a new clerk/treasurer who was hired in August to replace former clerk/treasurer Emily Steinbach, who recently resigned. Fabreann Buffington was hired as the new clerk/treasurer and has been working to learn the ropes of the position since she started on Aug. 19.

Buffington originally comes from Chetek, and moved to Granton with her husband Gregg just a few months ago. She said they decided to come to the area after the couple had been house-hunting for a new place. Buffington said she has long had a dream to renovate an old church into a residence and recently discovered that the former Granton United Methodist Church on Main Street — which closed last year — was for sale.

“We bought a church,” she said on how she and her husband came to Granton. “I have always wanted to redo an old building like a church, library or school, or an old bank, and turn it into a house. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years and with the kids being raised, I found the church and saw that it was perfect for what we wanted.”

Before coming to Granton, Buffington said she worked in the education field, teaching special education for kids between kindergarten and 12th grade for 28 years. Her work took her to school districts in Turtle Lake, Menomonie and Prescott. In her free time, she ran a boutique for about four years, selling art that she created.

“I used to sell jewelry and paintings,” she said. “I also taught some classes in art.”

Since they moved to Granton, Buffington said she has been looking for a job and was attracted to the clerk/ treasurer position when she saw it opened. Her interactions with the wider community and the village board only solidified in her mind that this was the place to not

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only settle, but become a part of by taking on such an integral role in the community.

“I have really enjoyed getting to know people in town since I took this job,” she said. “I really enjoyed the board, and they shared such a love for Granton. They were a group of people who were committed to doing what they can for our little village. “

While she has never done the job of clerk/treasurer before coming to Granton, Buffington said her mother was the treasurer for Prairie Lake for 30 years and she grew up watching her mom complete all sorts of tasks for that community.

“I used to help her stuff envelopes when she would do things like taxes,” she said. “I also had experience with QuickBooks, which is what the village uses, and I learned how to use that through my own business.”

Buffington said that while she is still learning the ropes and getting to know the people of Granton, she has been very happy with what she has learned about Granton so far. She said the residents have been very open and kind since she and her husband moved in and started renovating the old church, and she is eager to take up a long residence in the community.

“This is just a very friendly town,” she said. “Everyone here is so kind and willing to help their neighbors out. People were very glad to see that we bought the old church and have intentions to refurbish it. There is a lot of amazing history in this community and I can’t wait to learn more about it.”

As she settles into her new role as clerk/treasurer, Buffington said that she has a few ideas to make improvements to the position. One of her objectives is to update the village website to keep it up to date with current information about the community and projects that are going on in the area.

“This is about everybody working together, not just about the bottom dollar,” she said. “This is about bringing the community together and I’m hoping to be a part of the community and be an asset.”