The Gilman Village Board met for its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 13 at 6:00 p.m. in the village hall. On the night’s agenda were many items, including a rail safety proclamation, cemetery agreement, NWRPC contract, River Country LP pre-buy, AC quotes, road gravel, and PFAS settlement.
No action was taken on the cemetery agreement with the Town of Ford, the village approving gravel for Delos Street while opting to table AC quotes for the Davlin Building. The meeting agenda also contained an item for the Slaughter property to be declared a public nuisance, as no apparent action had been taken to clean it up since property owner notification by Chief of Police Tom Tallier. The village board opted to give the property owner one month to come up with a timeline to get things cleaned up.
As for the rail safety proclamation on the agenda, the village board proclaimed September 15 to September 21 as See Tracks? Think Train Week. Included in the proclamation text were several rail safety facts, including 2,252 rail grade crossing collisions resulting in 749 personal injuries and 2,698 fatalities in 2024. Additionally, there were 1,465 pedestrian trespassing casualties along rail tracks that resulted in 821 pedestrians being killed and 644 injured while trespassing on rail rights-of-way in 2024. The proclamation supporting rail safety education seeks to remind residents that rail rights-of-way are private property and to enhance awareness of the dangers associated with railroad tracks.
Also from August 13, the Gilman Village Board was notified of a contract held by the Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NWRPC) to administer the Taylor County Housing Rehab Revolving Loan Fund program. The state has indicated plans to close the remaining Revolving Fund Accounts (RLF) in the near future, with the NWRPC promoting the use of available funds in Taylor County. Covered projects under the program include roofing, siding, heating, electrical, insulation, foundation, windows and doors, sewer and water leaks, handicapped accessibility, along with well and septic. Available for both renter and owner-occupied properties, household income limits do apply. More information is available by contacting Abigail Gilberg at 715-635-2197, or by email at agilberg@nwrpc.com.
Next from August 13 Village Board is LP pre-buy, the village board approving the finance committee’s recommendation of 3,900 gallons from River Country at a rate of 1.29 per gallon prepay.
Next in news from August 13, the village approved the accelerated rate for PFAS settlement, the finance committee recommending the village earmark the funds and place into a CD for future PFAS related issues. The accelerated payout is presently valued at $14,981.34, with $18,868.15 the estimated net value. The village filed through Rural Water for inclusion in the nationwide 3M PFAS settlement some two years ago. PFAS refers to a group of hazardous, carcinogenic chemicals used in several manufacturing processes, and present in many household items.
“Ours was a small amount and we didn’t have to do the testing other communities do,” Clerk Grunseth said of obtaining the settlement funds.
Sharing more in the written clerk’s report, meanwhile, Grunseth shared that Board of Review was August 25 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the village hall and that all board members needed to attend. Open book took place August 18. Grunseth additionally wrote that she had completed the insurance renewal paperwork for the Village’s League of Wisconsin insurance along with the updated work for Municipal Property Insurance Company (MPIC).
Grunseth asked that department heads schedule meetings as the budget process looks to get underway again soon. Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Dave Wierzba had notified Grunseth that the group would like to present at the WEDC summit in October, with Grunseth directing Wierzba to Walter Leipart to see if he would be the lead.
Grunseth shared additionally that she and Public Works department head Dave Kroeplin had attended two more EPA meetings with Tony Roche of Wisconsin Rural Water Association (WRWA) and Ezra Johnson from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), as well as representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and engineer AECOM. An onsite visit has been scheduled for August 29. Grunseth also met with Tony Roche of WRWA on a Sewer Use Ordinance for three hours the previous week. Village computers have been updated to Microsoft Windows 11 with added RAM. The village may need to look at new computers, per the IT rep from Yellowstone Computing. Grunseth also wrote that she was looking for quotes on an updated website, as the village had until April 2027, per ADA rules and compliance.
Closing out the Clerk’s update, Grunseth wrote that she had been put in touch with Jim Cleveland of Rural Prosperity and discussed the THRIVE program, a new two-year stint happening in October. THRIVE offers project management, financial support and technical assistance to advance housing and community economic development, with ideas for Gilman including senior housing, a small business incubator, downtown redevelopment, and housing studies.