Residents press Gilman board to address property blight; trustees ask staff to pursue nuisance review and recreation improvements

Residents used the public‑comment period at the Village of Gilman board’s June 11 meeting to press the board on property conditions and park amenities.

Pat Ustianowski told the board a property entering Gilman on Highway B "looks junky" and asked the village to require cleanup. Resident Darrell Romig raised concerns about the Palmer Street Mobile Home Court. Police Chief Tom Tallier said the mobile home court "looks much better than it did a year ago" and said he would call the manager to discuss outstanding issues.

The board directed Chief Tallier to contact the manager and to invite the manager or property owner Mike Slaughter to the next board meeting. Trustee Cheryl Rosemeyer also asked Clerk Candice Grunseth to distribute the village’s Chapter 94 public‑nuisance ordinance so trustees can review enforcement steps before any formal action.

On recreation matters, Chief Tallier asked the board’s permission to obtain estimates to resurface the village’s pickleball court so it meets official court standards; the board agreed he should collect cost estimates and return with them. Clerk Grunseth suggested the project might qualify for inclusion in a T‑Mobile grant that the village is considering for other projects.

Park maintenance items were raised later in the meeting. Trustee Dee Bornheimer said Parks Committee member Liz Schmitt prepared a request to solicit business donations to update the Boy Scout Cabin. The board learned Lions Club member Butch Podolak is preparing an estimate for redecking a walking bridge between the campground and Park Ridge Road; no other estimates exist, so the board did not authorize construction and asked that Podolak be invited to the next parks meeting.

The board took no enforcement action at the meeting and returned the storage‑container ordinance to the Planning Committee for further work.