Larry Gursslin previously served as Hilton’s mayor from 1982-1998. He is now about one month shy of his one-year anniversary back on the job. At the time Gursslin took the current position he said he did not have any particular projects in mind. Last year, during budget time, former Mayor Bill Carter had outlined a year’s worth of work that he would like to have seen accomplished. “For the most part I agreed with his priorities,” Gursslin said. The mayor has been refocusing on economic development and the village has hired Dana Brunett, a professional who will be coordinating with the business community. Backing him up is an economic development team looking at ways to bring in new business, as well as keep existing business in Hilton. Among new businesses is the Unity Health building, a senior living center located in Unionville Station, a development off South Avenue in the village. The building was built last year and is now open. “One of the pluses that I’m particularly proud of is Unity Health building,” said Gursslin. “When I became mayor, I discovered that Unity Health was not aware that they were to donate seven acres of land to the Village of Hilton for our village park.” The planning board had stated in approvals that the land was to be donated as open space to the village park. Since Unity Health had purchased the property from a developer, they were unaware of the stipulation. “It took me some negotiating and understanding with the Board of Directors, with Unity,” said Gursslin. “The Board of Directors signed off and we have had a closing on the property.” The village park is located on West Avenue behind the Quest School. Now with a newly expanded seven acres of land it is approximately 15 acres on one side of the creek and approximately 47 acres on the other with a one-acre retention pond. Gursslin said he would like to have a trail system created. Every time a house is sold in the village of Hilton, a recreation fee is received. That fee is then put into a capital reserve account. Currently there is between $7,000 and $8,000 in the account. “Our goal is to look with the recreation commission, recreation director and our own public works department and put together a system of trailways on that seven acres,” said Gursslin, “and have a five foot black top trail that goes around this pond.” Another project that has been 14 years in the making was Unionville Station. Mayor Gursslin had been working on rezoning the land when Mayor Bill Carter took over. Carter recognized what Gursslin had done in promoting senior housing for the community. “He changed the name of the street,” said Gursslin, “He took away Roberts Road and changed it to Gursslin Lane. I thought he was kidding,” laughed Gursslin. During his earlier terms in office, he said he wanted to understand senior housing needs in the community. He surveyed seniors to see why they were leaving the community and what they needed in order to remain in Hilton. This information helped in the development of Unionville Station. By building a quality of life, seniors can stay in Hilton near their families. People are coming from other towns as well to move closer to their family. The option seems to have proven itself - the housing development currently has five homeowners on the waiting list. Several new local laws have been approved during Gursslin’s first year for his second stint in office. Two have passed and one is in the works. One law is to put restrictions on sheds in the village of Hilton; another is that homeowners cannot convert their garage into living space. Officials hope these laws will protect property values in neighborhoods. A third law in the process of passing is one which would prohibit the use of outdoor wood furnaces. Gursslin said they are not efficient nor are they neighborhood friendly. “There is a lot of smoke involved, especially if they are not cleaned regularly, or if they are not tampered down properly,” Gursslin said. Village board members are also looking into purchasing the village streetlights from RG&E. The money for that has already been bonded but the ownership has not yet been turned over. “We’re looking at approximately $440,000,” Gursslin said. The current cost of the electricity is around $105,000 a year for the lighting through RG&E. Once the village owns the streetlights, it can use its own electricity for the lighting. The cost will then be reduced to about $55,000 a year for lighting village streets. The mayor has had a busy first year. He’s been looking for ways to promote diversity within the village government. Currently, there are openings on the board but he said generally men are the ones who apply for the positions. “It is difficult to find women and minorities to serve in our village government,” Gursslin said. Gursslin is working with Sandra Watkins who took over his position as village newsletter editor and is working to upgrade the Hilton website. Generally, the mayor spends his time attending an average of two to three meetings a week. He takes great pleasure in attending Eagle Scout ceremonies. He enjoys working with the Boy Scouts when they want to earn their government badge. He said he listens to their thinking and what their thoughts are about what being a mayor is. “Most think this is a full-time job, that I live in a White House, and that I’m really wealthy,” said Gursslin, “None of that is true.” March 4, 2007 |
