The purpose of Design Wisconsin is to help a community find a shared vision for its future.”

UW Madison Extension Land Use and Community Development Specialist Todd Johnson

Hotel Gilman. A bowling alley. Movies in the park. A kayak and canoe launch. Park improvements. Fast food. More opportunities for young people - all of the above came up as possibilities in the Design WI presentation at Gilman High School Saturday, Oct. 12.
Done through the UW Extension office, the Design WI presentation based on prior surveys and community conversations identified several areas that Gilman could improve for the future.
“The purpose of Design Wisconsin is to help a community find a shared vision for its future,” UW Madison Extension Land Use and Community Development Specialist Todd Johnson said in the presentation. “And what a shared vision is, is working with everyone in the community not just the top down but from the bottom up, to help find what are the most important things this community has on their minds or in their hearts.”
Preceded by a Community and Economic Analysis for background, the Design Wisconsin presentation took under two hours to share.
“It’s pretty clear here in Gilman that we have four key groups,” Johnson said. Included in the four main players from the Community and Economic Analysis were school, local groups, local businesses, and local government. The three goals identified in the Community Economic Analysis were: a vibrant downtown, volunteerism and public participation, and a growth mindset and quality of life.
As for survey results, high on the downtown survey was safety, with daytime safety rated at 4.7 out of 5, and nighttime safety rated at 4.1. Pedestrian friendly was rated 3.7 out of 5, upkeep and appearance at 3.7, use and appearance of buildings at 2.9, and variety of shopping and dining activities at 2.4.
Also high on the survey was “center for small business,” those agreeing or strongly agreeing approaching 90 percent. Following this was a focus on residents at just over 80 percent, attracting visitors along with shopping and dining activities at slightly below 80 percent, provide housing at just over 70 percent in agreement, while look different scored bellow 40 and look the same scored under 20 percent agreement.
Strongly agreed upon in the survey was caring for fellow community members, which scored around 90 percent when asking confidence in community willingness to help, over 80 percent of residents agreeing or strongly agreeing when asked their confidence of personal support from the community.
Belonging and community also scored high, with over 80 percent of residents reporting deep caring for Gilman and a like number saying they felt at home in town. Sense of volunteer engagement and ability to make a difference also scored high, with over 80 percent agreeing or strongly agreeing that, “I do small things to help people in my community,” and just under 80 percent agreeing that, “I believe that I could make a difference by participating in community organizations, if I wanted to.”
Also included was a youth survey, presented by Neil Klemme of UW Iron County 4-H Positive Youth Development.
“Obviously you don’t hand out a survey to a bunch of little kids and say ‘Hey, tell me the greatest things about your community. They’re not going to be able to answer those types of questions,” Klemme said. “So what you do is you have them draw pictures, you have them tell you stories, you code what’s in the pictures and look for common themes.”
Taking input in this manner for what kids would like to see in Gilman, fast food scored 21, smoothies/sweets/ice cream scored 17, having a family restaurant scored 15, grocery store scored nine, coffee shop scored four responses, and farmer’s market scored one.
As for community facilities and activities, responses show 12 would like to see a vet/animal shelter/pet store/boarding, nine would like to see festivals, six would like to see a hotel, five would like to see a daycare, four would like to see a pharmacy, three would like to see a dentist, two would like to see an airport, and two would like to see a retirement facility. Storage facility, reservation, jobs for non-drivers, healthcare/clinic, radio, and public art each scored one.
As for indoor recreation facilities and activities, six Gilman youth would most like to see a bowling alley, five wanted a zoo/aquarium museum, and four thought an arcade or live performance space would be good, with casino, trampoline park, teen hangout, and gym each scoring one.
In outdoor recreation facilities and activities, pool and waterpark took top priority for youth with 21 responses, park improvement and activities with 12, more sports/sports facilities with five, a shooting range with three, drive-in movie theater with three, fishing with two, zip line with two, racetrack with one, and glamping with one.
As for additional shopping options, there were many.
“A lot of kids said once they get their license they leave, so I took that as, ‘ok, how do we get kids from other communities so when they get their license and leave they come here?” Klemme said. “Your kids are going to their towns. How do we get their kids to come to your town?”
Included in possible ways to draw traffic from outside Gilman were additional shopping (30), an athletic/sporting goods store (21). Eight would like to see a craft store and six would like a thrift shop.
“Big” convenience store had five responses, bookstore had three, hardware store/lumber had two, hair and beauty salon had two, and taxidermy, car wash, car dealership, and tractor dealership all had one.
“That isn’t saying the hardware store here isn’t good enough, they just want to see more of that,” Klemme said.
Downtown beautification, a bowling alley and laundromat sites, and updated buildings were held to make downtown more vibrant, while better communication and more opportunities for young people were cited as ways to make it easier to get involved.
The adjectives quiet, small town charm, family oriented, welcoming, friendly, and good schools were in the one sentence sales pitch to new residents and visitors, while outdoor recreation, friendly, businesses, swinging bridge, downtown and park were in the one sentence sales pitch to a potential visitor.
As for physical changes, fixing, updating and tearing down old businesses along with housing, new business, and cleaning up the trailer park were listed as important. Housing and appearance of downtown along with more jobs and businesses were also singled out as important.
Along with the above came several more ideas, including a Main Street hotel (commerce downstairs, residential upstairs), a kayak and canoe launch, and park improvements like a ga-ga ball pit and volleyball courts. Holding movies in the park was also set forth as a potential activity in the bandshell.
The river was identified as an asset for promoting outdoor sports, with a riverway trail and Gilman area trail system among suggestions. The Ice Age Trail ends on Highway 64 at present, with the idea of extending it to cross at Beaver Creek west of Miller Lake a way to bring people into town. A school trail near the ballfields, swing bridge park trail, and downtown park network would help connect across town.
Community branding and marketing came next, getting the word out on what Gilman has.
“You’re competing with all those other areas for visitor traffic,” Klemme said.
Michelle Grimm of UW Extension Taylor County helped present. The full Design WI Presentation is posted online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8kefUwUCls.

Options for marketing include place branding, telling Gilman’s story. Also an idea was recruiting food trucks from nearby, such as Medford or the Moo Juice Caboose of Spring Valley, Wisconsin.
Shifting the conversation to comprehensive planning, attention was given to the need for downtown street infill, the original plat showing narrow lots for stores. More infill buildings for entrepreneurs and parking elsewhere or else angled parking were held to promote a vibrant downtown.
The concept of rightsizing Main Street to narrow the drive lane and increase parking space via angled parking also came up, angled parking being deemed more conducive to commerce than the present parallel parking.
Also included in the mix were ways to grow and expand the cheese factory. A village owned triangular parcel on the northwest side was put forth as a possible area for expansion, including cold storage.
District based daycare, a pay Go TID program, and improved housing were also floated as ideas for Gilman to grow.
Michelle Grimm of UW Extension Taylor County helped present. The full Design WI Presentation is posted online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8kefUwUCls