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cover the cost of removing many of the trees the village has deemed hazardous. Many of these trees the village identified are located in Windfall Cemetery. Some of those trees, they said, are at least 80 years old and could cause a great deal of damage should a windstorm blow them over.

The board decided to find out the cost to remove 17 trees from Windfall Cemetery before continuing with its application for the grant. Once they receive the estimates, the board plans to review and finalize its application at its May meeting before turning it in before the grant’s June 3 deadline.

In other action taken by the board at its meeting, the board listened to a presentation by the Granton First Responders, who gave the board their annual run numbers. In 2023, the first responders received 116 calls. Broken down by type, they responded to eight accidents, 97 medical calls and 11 fires. By township, the first responders reported responding to 20 calls in the Town of Grant (16 medical, two fires, two accidents); 18 calls in the Town of Lynn (13 medical, three fires, two accidents); 11 calls in the Town of Sherwood (11 medical); 23 calls in the Town of Washburn (16 medical, four fires, three accidents); 18 calls in the Town of York (15 medical, two fires, one accident), 24 calls in the Village of Granton (24 medical) and one call each in the Town of Mentor (Medical) and the city of Neillsville (medical).

The first responders also spoke to the board about efforts to begin fundraising to purchase a new ambulance. Their current ambulance is about a decade old and will have to be replaced with a newer unit. The estimated cost to purchase the new ambulance is between $55,000 to $75,000. In addition to seeking donations, first responders are planning to hold several fundraisers to reach the amount needed for the purchase, with information about those events to come in the next few months.