Gilman begins to explore village housing needs

The big news of late in Gilman is the formation of the ADHOC Housing/Economic Development Committee, which was created to draw in housing and industry prospects to the area. After the committee’s Jan. 5 meeting, Chairman/ Gilman Police Chief Tom Tallier reported on the progress the ADHOC committee has made so far, during the Gilman Village Board meeting Jan. 12.

Present for the committee gathering, were village representatives; Wally Leipart, Gilman School superintendent; a bank official; a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation representative; and leading business owners from Gilman.

“At our meeting, we had all the players that I think were necessary to be there,” said Tallier.

Previously, it was mentioned that the village could need to complete a housing study. Dave Rasmussen, from MSA Professional Services, said the study might be done on a county level or just in the area of Gilman. There are funds available from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to cover the expense.

To keep development moving, Rasmussen said Gilman needs to know if the village needs senior housing that would free up other homes; workplace housing for singles or families; or a need for lowincome housing. However, Sue Emmerich, president of the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce, said that city did not do a housing study, but brought together industries, the hospital and schools to further discuss the needs of the community.

The next committee meeting has not been set. The group will be meeting with the developer who is working with the city of Medford and the Medford Area Development Foundation to bring a new apartment complex to Medford. The developer had expressed interest in attending the meeting in Gilman. The developer was also involved with a project in the city of Greenwood.

“Greenwood is a small community like us, so this isn’t people who are developing big cities, they’re willing to go to the small areas,” said Tallier.

Something that came out of the committee meeting, is the realization that the village owns both the parking lots of the old nursing home, after the village “took them off the nursing home’s hands” a number of years ago. The move was done in order to receive funding when the village claimed the lots, but that funding never happened.

Members agreed to put the matter on a future agenda, so the nursing home property owner can have legal documentation of the village abandoning the lots.

“We truly do not want either one of those parking lots,” said village president Jane DeStaercke. “It’s certainly not to our advantage to keep those parking lots. That way, maybe the property can be sold and developed for something else.”

DeStaercke also reported that the broadband committee will extend the service to include the Town of Aurora. She also found out that fiber to home is coming to Gilman, through Ntera, who has a grant to provide the service.

The board will ask a Ntera representative to come to the next meeting, to fill in members on what the plans are for the company’s broadband residential service to the village.

During the meeting, members amended Resolution 2022-01, to reflect debt service numbers.

“If you’re over, you have to make a budget amendment…so you don’t lose your state shared revenue,” said village clerk Candice Grunseth.

Grunseth says the village received a 2022 Patrol Grant from the county, that was only $2,500, which is $500 less than the last 12 years, something that is apparently the way of things, according to the coordinating official.

“‘It’s tough times, that’s what he wrote,’” said Grunseth.

Tallier said if anyone questions why they’ve seen a county squad driving around the village so much, it’s because Gilman’s squad is in the shop for repairs and the sheriff’s department gave Gilman the loan of a spare vehicle. Tallier says he is grateful for the use of the loaner and hopes he will get his police squad back in a short time, after dropping it off at the shop in December.

“Like anything, they are waiting on parts,” he said.

In his report to the board, public works director Rick Johnson said the school reported that they’ve experienced dirty water running out of their pipes, off and on. Since Johnson has no other complaints registered from the houses nearby, he knew the problem couldn’t be a cracked pipe from the street.

When recently reading the school’s meter, Johnson discovered a pipe rattling in the basement, causing the dirty water. He took a bacti sample for the school, per their request, which did come back negative. Johnson said he hopes the matter is settled now for the school.

There’s also a problem with the street light that is out on Main Street by the grocery store. Johnson contacted Mueller Electric, who installed the light and the company will bring a boom truck to work on it when they get the chance.

“It’s most likely the drive in the light,” said Johnson.

A village caucus was also held that night, to determine who will run for village trustee in the upcoming spring election. Current trustees Lisa Anderson, Ericka Bertsinger and Cheyrl Rosemeyer are up for re-election. The three were nominated to be placed on the ballot during the caucus, as were Deanna Bornheimer and Russell Baker.

If the village residents accept the nominations, they will vie for the three open seats April 5.