City wants Wal-Mart to fix drainage problem
JANESVILLE — The city is retaining a $54,000 bond posted by Wal-Mart until the retailer corrects a drainage problem southeast of its Supercenter store.
The bond is money posted by Wal-Mart to guarantee that the retailer does the work according to plans, Price said. The city will use the money to do the work itself if Wal-Mart doesn’t.
The area is holding water longer than the intended 72 hours, said Gale Price, building and development services manager.
“Although it is working as they designed it, it’s not working as it was intended,” Price said. “We don’t want any of the area to have standing water.”
At least one neighbor has called the city to complain, and Price said the concern is understandable.
“It was supposed to be just a damp area, not necessarily a water-holding area, “ he said.
Price is meeting with Wal-Mart store representatives today on other complaints forwarded by the neighbor, including trash in the drainage area. The store is responsible for keeping that area clean.
Store management has changed, and Price said he wants to make sure the requirements outlined in the conditional-use permit are understood by the new management team.
Price will ask store management to remove empty trailers left in the back of the store and not in the dock, for example.
In many other places, Wal-Mart stores leave empty trailers sit until they are changed out with the next trailer.
The neighbor also talked about the loss of the tree line in back of Amhurst Road. Those trees and shrubs were removed to create the drainage area.
Price said he will ask Wal-Mart representatives to replace three evergreen trees that have died, but he doubts they will do more. The retailer significantly changed plans in early 2006 and added more trees when the residents along Amhurst Road were shocked how the loss of the trees opened their view to the commercial property behind their homes.
But it’s not possible at this time to require Wal-Mart to plant more, Price said.
The trees were removed when the property was graded and the outlet pipes laid.
In addition, a 50-foot-wide easement owned by ANR Pipeline complicated the design of the drainage area and the installation of the storm water pipes. The easement also must remain tree free.
The easement has existed since 1979, and Price figures that about one-third of the former tree line would have been removed in the future to accommodate the pipeline.
The city had offered residents a chance to buy trees at city costs and plant them on their properties, Price said.
May 11, 2008 at 10:40 p.m.
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Walmart, the place so many love to hate. They sure do have the money making part figured out though. No matter if you shop at Walmart,Farm&Fleet, the Mall, K-mart, Target, Old Navy, wherever, you are buying goods most likely made in China, Malaysia, Lesotho, Vietman, Sri lanka, many others. Sadly, it has actually become difficult to shop American made only.
May 11, 2008 at 9:51 p.m.
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Walmart does offer insurance and the employees seem to enjoy working there as I see some that have been there for years. I LOVE WALMART show me a store that is as affordable and doesnt have foreign merchandise and Ill shop there. do you all shop at the mall???? where are your nikes made or for that matter most name brands shoes. I like the prices and will long live for their seasonal bargains. And the water will drain in natures time. Will the county get on the poor farmers back because his fields are flooded come on get real. THE WETTEST SEASON IN YEARS!!!! Take a look at Traxler Park
May 10, 2008 at 1:57 p.m.
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During my youth growing up in Sheboygan I lived about 6 blocks from the western edge of the south side of town. The land to the west was pretty much undeveloped which meant that during times of heavy precipitation, there was open land for water to drain. In my 20 years there I never saw an intersection flooded or heard about people having their basement walls damaged by excess water.
About 15 years ago, development began in earnest along the business corridor and now runs all the way to I-43 and beyond. Since then, the city has spent an inordinate amount of money to dig up streets and put huge holding tanks under them to deal with excess runoff and homeowners and their insurers have taken financial hits dealing with water problems. Streets were regularly flooding and basements were being damaged in places where that had not happened before.
Unfortunately, communities don't always think about repercussions of development. We in Wisconsin have been building on wetlands for a long time. When we fill one place in, the water has to go somewhere. When huge open areas are suddenly covered with a hard surface that water cannot run through, it's going to go somewhere.
I think businesses & communities need to be able & willing to work through these issues. Regardless of whether it is business or residential development, when development changes the way water flows through a community, a response is necessary.
May 10, 2008 at 1:10 p.m.
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Jackson, whether you are aware of it or not, WalMart does not offer health insurance, but gives out BadgerCare packets to their employees upon hire. Therefore, YOU and I and the rest of the taxpayers in Wisconsin pay for WalMart's employees health care. I don't mind paying for people who are in need of short term assistance for themselves and their children, but paying for employed individuals and families is a hard pill for me to swallow,pun intended, when I have a difficult time paying for my own deductible and out-of-pocket health care costs.
May 10, 2008 at 11:46 a.m.
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Moreover, your same arguments regarding neighbors doing due diligence apply to Walmart. Walmart should have been aware of potential drainage issues. Certainly it was part of the conditional use permit. The precipitation is what it is; deal with it. Therefore, Walmart needs to execute on its contractual obligations.
May 10, 2008 at 9:11 a.m.
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If it is just a matter of the volume of precipitation, it would affect other landowners in Janesville, no? Even factoring in localized land irregularities, there would be other areas in Janesville affected. I am amazed at the number of people defending Walmart. It's like migrant workers defending the company town store gouging them.
May 10, 2008 at 8:55 a.m.
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Does anyone remeber when this land was the KOA campground? It was flooded every spring. Did they really expect it not to flood? Foolish...
May 10, 2008 at 2:03 a.m.
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Wal-Mart® or Sam’s Club®. ~ That's just TOO funny! lol! :)
Hannah, I believe, summed it ALL up w/....
"they knew long ago when they bought these lots to build on it was right next to Commercial land that was going to be developed someday (....NOPE, I DON'T feel "bad" for the home owners either...HEY! They knew....!!)
AND
Opinionsforfree....Hannah if you read the article you would see they are complaining about the drainage. Standing water = Mosquito spawning areas
MOSQUITOS?! There EVERYWHERE! <Hello!> Just spray your OFF on!!! (DEET Free~BTW!! lol!)
May 10, 2008 at 12:50 a.m.
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Pudssweetie is EXACTLY right:
~~ ""Let's see, over 100" of snow this last winter and a very wet spring and a lot of water standing everywhere, how do they expect water to go away in 72 hours when our ground is still saturated? Anyone who has drainage knowledge would know that it will take time for the drainage system to catch up.""~~
Now I think people should start looking around the subdivision directly behind Wal-Mart® because some there have been the "loudest complainers" against the relocation of Wal-Mart® and the addition of a Sam’s Club® in the first place. I would bet money that the original drainage complaint originated from that area!!!! CRY, CRY, CRY! I would really like to see someone take notice or find out if the most vocal complainers against the Wal-Mart® and Sam’s Club® location are doing any shopping at Wal-Mart® or Sam’s Club®.
May 10, 2008 at 12:22 a.m.
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I like when you say the name walmart people say they treat there employees poorly. I have shopped at Janesville Walmart since they opened, and have notice a good twenty to twenty five employees have been there the whole time.
Further more if a person feel so strongly that those employees at walmart are getting a raw deal give them a tip of 15%. I am sure walmart would not mind you all donating some of your personnel income to aid there employees either.
May 9, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.
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Pudssweetie is EXACTLY right. Now I think I will start looking around the city to find violations of city code and ordinances. Especially in the area directly behind WalMart®, fair is fair; right? I have the time, considering you can't find a job in this town, and if you do you will not be remunerated at a rate that enables you to support yourself. I fully expect this comment to be deleted also, the city and the press in this town are very selective about what is published in print and on the Gazette website. In conclusion; Janesville city government and related agencies are incompetently designed, nefariously executed, and above all, whiny.
May 9, 2008 at 4:54 p.m.
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Let's see, over 100" of snow this last winter and a very wet spring and a lot of water standing every where's, how do they expect water to go away in 72 hours when our ground is still saturated? Anyone who has drainage knowledge would know that it will take time for the drainage system to catch up.
May 9, 2008 at 3:12 p.m.
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I shop at Walmart all the time. The prices are good and the people are friendly. I don't live near it but wish I did... then I could take a nice walk to Walmart. It's not going anywhere so if you don't like living with it "in your backyard" then move. Buy a house in the country between Janesville and Milton... I figure you have about 10 more years before that line is gone too.... Goodbye Milton and Janesville... HELLO MILVILLE!!!
May 9, 2008 at 2:43 p.m.
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It is naive to think that you can summon up $226 billion to buy out Walmart and control their operations. It is also naive to think that you can have look into the future an predict that every commercial site may turn into the commercial behemoth that is a Walmart SuperCenter TM and Sam's Club TM. Fact of the matter is that the majority of the public may or may not hear the horrible stories about Walmart's ethics or the effect Walmart is having on the environment/developing nations or rapes/abductions in their parking lots. But when it comes time to shop, it seems to be in one ear and out the other. Walmart's legal team is a bunch of pitbulls. I'll bet that they will do the bare minimum required by the City of Janesville. I certainly will not shop at Walmart.
May 9, 2008 at 2:28 p.m.
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You can SAY blackmail, but you would be incorrect. It seems like the city is holding a performance bond, which is standard for any development. The city using it exactly as intended, which is to make sure Wal-Mart lives up to their end of the contract.
May 9, 2008 at 1:32 p.m.
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yes opinions i read their complaining about standing water. I agree they should fix it. theyre also complaining about some trees missing
May 9, 2008 at 1:08 p.m.
May 9, 2008 at 12:58 p.m.
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When I purchased my new home I did research on my investment, and followed up by seller of land that this was commercial land, and had been for many years. With the way Janesville was growing plan on a large future neighbor, and that was 20 years ago. The City, and County has had several informational meeting over the past 20 year, and even had the lots plotted out.
My thoughts are the same as when Walmart was going to build there. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE IT PUT YOUR MONEY WERE YOUR MOUTH IS. Walmart is forsale so do it the USA way buy them out.
Follow up on parking in parking lots, why less than a mile from there Travel America has truckers there overnight.
May 9, 2008 at 11:56 a.m.
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I would bet that those who object to the direct neighbors standing up for the rights, safety and quality of life in their neighborhood are the same people who have never had to personally deal with an institution in their own backyard! These critics would probably be the loudest and most rancorous if anything of a nonresidential purpose ever encroached upon their lives! All residents of all Janesville neighborhoods should stand up to support and help others who defend against such corporate/institutional violations and abuses of the public trust for tomorrow it MIGHT BE YOU and YOUR FAMILY! (BTW: I do not live near Walmart)
May 9, 2008 at 11:28 a.m.
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Well why not? The city has played games like this before. Walmart gets in trouble to allowing motorhomes to stay in their parking lot overnight, because of a city ordinance? Get real, what other cith has some manager making more than the govenor? Do you job and focus on real problems.... Drugs, schools and family take higher priority than these items
May 9, 2008 at 11:23 a.m.
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Can I say BLACKMAIL! Janesville needs to leave Wally world alone. I know that area very well( back of my hand) The person that is complaining the most about Walmart is the man that purchased his preowned home while Walmart was planning to build. He goes around through the neighborhood door to door looking for support. ALL THIS GUY WANTS IS TO USE TAX PAYER EMPLOYEES TO HELP HIM BLACKMAIL WALMART. I thought this was a crime. This land was zoned commerical back the 1950's correct me if I am wrong. That was when the road was gravel.
May 9, 2008 at 11:09 a.m.
May 9, 2008 at 10:43 a.m.
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Hannah if you read the article you would see they are complaining about the drainage. Standing water = Mosquito spawning areas
May 9, 2008 at 10:02 a.m.
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I dont know why these residents keep complaining about the walmart.
they knew long ago when they bought these lots to build on it was right next to Commercial land that was going to be developed someday
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