Fiber broadband access could still be in the works for Gilman residents
It was first thought that the Village of Gilman would be left behind, when it came to recent funding for fiber broadband expansion in Taylor County, but at the latest Gilman Village Board meeting Dec. 8, better news came. According to Gilman Village Board president Jane De-Staerke, it appears the town of Aurora and Gilman village have not been “shoved to the side.”
“There’s money left over,” said DeStaercke. She says hopefully, the entities can come to some agreement with Ntera. The county implied that they will make sure fiber access comes to Gilman through a tower system, but not fiber to home, other than along the main line.
“The tower system will have to work for the next seven to 10 years, because it’s just too expensive to bring the fiber to every home,” said DeStaercke. “And this is a way to reach the entire county.”
No firm decisions have been reached and installation is done for the year, with the expansion picked up in spring.
“They are working and it sounds like we’re not forgotten,” said DeStaercke.
Also discussed, was the recently formed ad hoc Committee for Housing and Economic Development. The committee started as a way to improve the lack of housing in the village, but evolved to include economic development, which can consist of improving existing businesses and bringing in new business to the village.
“We’re going to have a few more players at the table for our next meeting,” said Tom Tallier, Gilman Police chief and committee chairman. “Economic development and housing kind of go hand-in-hand, so we’ll also be exploring those options.”
Tallier mentioned that there is talk of a housing study that should be done to apply for grants, finding out what people’s needs are.
“We are small enough, that I think we all know what people’s needs are,” he said, adding that he thinks Gilman is headed in the right direction.
He also said that right after Gilman set up the committee, a company made contact in the village, looking for land to start a new business in town.
“I think it’s (committee) a really good thing and it can only benefit the village, no matter what comes out of it,” said Tallier.
DeStaercke said it’s possible that it would cost about $15,000 to finance a housing study, but that a Medford Area Chamber of Commerce member is willing to help, as Medford did not do a housing study and have a lot of housing infrastructure.
“It would be interesting to see what generally is involved, what kind of information is gleaned from the housing study,” said village board trustee Cheryl Rosemeyer, adding that the study could show if duplexes or apartments are recommended.
While it’s still somewhat unclear of how they can be used, the village has American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to spend. Village officials are not sure how all the ARPA money can be spent, but do have one item that falls under the criteria, which is meter reading equipment, to the tune of $11,000.
“We ended up not having to buy as much, because our laptop will suffice for the system,” said DeStaercke.
The board approved purchasing the equipment that saved Gilman about $4,200 on the new system.
Members also approved wording changes to the Smoking Ordinance, to reflect that the use of vaping and nicotine products involve a fine, when used on school property.
They also agreed that the park campground fee remain the same on the fee schedule at $15. The village took in a $2,000 increase this year, and since they want people to come and the fee is paying for the electricity used, there was no increase.
As a reminder, the next regular village meeting (and future meetings) will be at 6 p.m., with the village caucus set for Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. If the regular meeting is not over by 6:30 p.m., the board will adjourn for the caucus, then resume when it is complete.
