Farmers market looking to fill the gap of fresh produce for Gilman

Since the closing of the Gilman Market early this spring, the community has put out a cry for fresh produce. With the Gilman Development Foundation working to get more businesses into Gilman, it was agreed the No. 1 need is a grocery store, but until such time as a new venture moves in, another solution was needed. Hence, the formation of the Gilman Farmers Market.

The market will be held Wednesdays, beginning June 29, from 3-6 p.m., at the Main Street Park, at no charge to vendors this inaugural year. During a regular Gilman Village Board meeting June 8, clerk Candice Grunseth asked people to pass the word around about the market, especially if they know anyone who has goods to sell, such as fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat and handcrafted items.

“It doesn’t have to be just produce,” she said. To reserve a vendor space, contact Lynn Rosemeyer, at 715-827-0027.

When speaking of the development foundation, Grunseth said although she is not part of the group, she did sit in on the last meeting and the work being done is promising.

“It felt like it was productive,” said Grunseth. Helping move things along for development, the board approved a quit claim deed for the Gilman Care Center, dealing with their parking lot and Drangle Drive, which the village discovered they owned. Grunseth said it sounds like the care center might have a buyer.

“They must, because they want this done tonight,” she said.

To keep the village looking nice, residents are reminded that their lawns need to be mowed to the length set by the village. If anyone notices a lawn that is overgrown, they are asked to call the police chief, who will then talk to the homeowners. If nothing is done after the contact, the village will then send a letter.

“If they don’t do it, then we go in and charge them,” said Grunseth.

Grunseth also reported on a park matter, as a group of Amish requested having a bonfire at the park for their events. Grunseth said she doesn’t think the park should have any burning except for the bonfire at the Christmas lights celebration and that they could pay a campground fee and have a fire there.

“There’s really not a decent spot down there, anyway,” said vice president Ericka Bertsinger.

Trustee Deanna Bornheimer pointed out that the Amish horses sometimes run around loose while in the park, while trustee Greg Steinbach says an uncovered fire ring could get out of control in a hurry. Trustee John Novitski said the fire shouldn’t be in the park where kids are running around.

“It’s just not a safe thing to have there,” he said. Grunseth also reported that now that Monte Ahlers retired as the Uniform Dwelling Code (UDC) inspector, Bob Christianson agreed to take on the village, which was approved by the trustees.

“There will be no cost as of right now, so he’ll just be charging the person themselves for the UDC inspections,” said Grunseth.