I bought my house 12years ago in a 1970s development partially because there are no sidewalks here- there should be a grandfather clause in any changes to privately owned properties.

What "plan"? I got stuck with sidewalks that I didn't want just before the "plan" was halted. Try walking this patchwork of nonsense, esp. in the winter!

And the idea of forcing people to pay extra for "inspection" to have their own contractor put in sidewalks and not have to pay the high city rate for their substandard work?! What a complete rip-off and joke (but that's to be expect here, isn't it!).

This city council couldn't come up with a "plan" for anything that would make sense, be fully and honestly explained, be reasonably and honestly priced, and be effectively carried out within budget. I wouldn't believe a word they say. And that's a tragedy for the citizens of this Janesville!

Milton is no better. I also have a sidewalk that goes NOWHERE! I wanted to just take the danged thing out, since no one else has one.

I was told no, "eventually" sidewalks would be put in on our side. What's ridiculous is having to shovel the stupid thing, when no one uses it! AND... get a danged ticket if we don't! How foolish!

A sizable number of well organized people can contact councilmembers and appear at a council meeting and compel the council to call a moratorium on the sidewalks project.

Be sure to NOT associate yourself with the toxic presence of B'moon.

The sidewalks policy is a joke. We had them put in last go round and we had no choice. We lost 2 big beautiful trees so we could have the dumb sidewalk. We lost property value because of the trees and now we have had a cars broken into twice since the sidewalks have been put in. Now they are cracking and it is our resposibility to have it fixed? It should not crack already. Nice job Janesville and thanks for the great contractors.

I say if I had to put them in then have everyone do it and pay for it like we had no choice to do.

cousineddy: You got screwed because of the few people who complained that they wanted sidewalks everywhere. Don't blame the people who are still fighting this. People should have looked at their area, like I did, if they were zoned to put sidewalks in or not. I purchased my house under the assumption that I was not zoned for a sidewalk. Then, you get complainers that want a sidewalk everywhere. That is why this sidewalk plan is so out of wack, it's ridiculous. The city should have stuck to the original plans, unless it was absolutely necessary to put a sidewalk in a certain area. I would never have purchased my house if I had been zoned for a sidewalk.

People are losing their jobs, their health insurance etc....give me a break. Retired people had to get their sidewalks replaced with a fixed income so what is the difference now? Cause GM left? Come on, the city needs to step up and say yes or no. No exceptions. Make all do it or none! Or should we change our motto to Janesville The City of Parks....but you have to walk (wheelchair) in the street to get to them. All you nay sayers out there, what happens if you cannot see or you are disabled and want to enjoy on of Janesvilles fine parks, or go to a store? Would you be happy traveling in the street?

Economy sucks, can't afford this, well my family didn't have the money also, we were hurting terribly when the city came and marked our sidewalks for repair. We called the City, and had them explain why they had to be repaired (the sidewalks were not a hazard at all) and all they kept saying was they need to be fixed.Funny how "certain people" get screwed by the city while others can sit back in their new subdivisions and think they untouchable!

the $185 fee is because they don't make money if the homeowner gets there own contractor or does it themselves. This was always a revenue program for the city--plain and simple

Sidewalks are not a necessity. Neither are tunnels or museums. If we're going to "invest" in anything, let's get our water supply cleaned up - something in the public interest, that affects all !

http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/whatsinyour...

Beeferer:

I'm glad you love this city, and if you want to do what is best for the city MOVE!

When the ecomony recovers....wishful thinking. So those of us who had to endure the city's pittiful description for a sidewalk plan now sit by and watch as no one has to fix any sidewalks for 10+ years? Notice how the article said that the program created anger for some residents? Why is it that my sidewalks have to be repaired but right around the corner of my house a "gigantic" piece of concrete is protruding? Complaints? I think not. The city has botched the sidewalk program from day one. Imposing a $185 fee for getting the work done by someone else than the city? Stupidity at it's finest. You really want to piss of homeowners, try to get that fee passed. I had no extra money when the city came through and made me fix my sidewalk but I did it. So quit using the "economy sucks" get out of fixing your sidewalk for free card...doesn't fly with this homeowner! "I live in a new subdivision" I don't want to hear that excuse either, unless the city made some special agreement with the developer than you shouldn't be exempt either! The city needs to put their foots down and stick to the plan or abandon it all together. Quit making excuses and do it. No more gray areas, "this area is exempt cause."...no more. Either make everyone do it or not.

"-- Levy a $185 fee on those who choose private contractors rather than the city to build or repair their sidewalks."
Sorry this is crap. If we fix our own sidewalk to save money you're going to charge us? If it is just one broken section it isn't very hard to fix it yourself.
Glock21sf- I agree only one side of the road needs a sidewalk.
In case you're to dumb to realize it but we are still trying to recover from this economy. Seems you are cause you keep on spending money we don't have.

I think what alot of people are forgetting, some us are trying real hard to just hang onto our house without thinking of an extra expense. There are alot of people with no jobs or health insurance. I think someday when the economy turns around, it would be wonderful to have sidewalks and all the extras, not right now.

Agreed, justsome1here . . . It's simply common sense that if you live in a city and understand the concept of community upon which cities are built, "you have a sidewalk. End of discussion."

And yes, we do need a mayor (someone that, WE THE PEOPLE, can control)

I've lived both in Metropolitan Chicago and Arizona. I'll tell you right now that if you don't start demanding that our government get back on track and work for the citizens instead of big money,and their own pockets, it will get harder and harder to control their actions. We put these yoyo's into office, we should get them out asap before they do more irrepairable damage. People are losing their jobs and homes,cannot afford healthcare because they need to feed their families,etc. And all our government can think of is new ways to put more burden on the citizens. Until we all wake up and say enough is enough, it will continue. If our local, state and federal government aren't performing to our standards, we need to take the votes back and start impeaching them.

Now calm down MikeF - we are talking about Janesville, not Lake Geneva.

Probably not the best time to press the sidewalk issue. Lots of our citizens are enduring financial hardships right now. Better times will certainly come, but they aren't here yet!

You are right, Mayors are better. Look at how well that is working out in Lake Geneva. The mayor there got into a spat with a few council members, so what does he do? He suspends and tries to replace them! He did not like the representatives that the citizens elected so HE kicked them out and picked new ones that he liked. Yeah, a mayor is better than a city manager.
(That was sarcasm for those that cannot understand.)

The suggestion that there should be sidewalks everywhere on both sides of the street with out exception is silly. Using the argument that every where should be the same would result in speed limits and zoning being the same through the entire municipality as well. There are common sense reasons for variation. Many areas dont need sidewalks, including areas that were developed with city approval excluding them. Why should the council break convenants with these property owners to appease the vindictive "misery loves company" crowd. Stop destroying habitate, stop spendinging our money and resources on unnecessary projects of all kinds.

I think that there should be sidewalks throughout the city. I am a homeowner and was required to "fix" the sidewalks in front of my house. The inspection and subsequent talks with the city engineers were laughable but if Janesville is the "City of Parks" why is it that you still cannot safely walk to all of the parks in the city? Why is is that if I want to take my kids to the park that is located right across the street from my house, I have to walk almost 4 large city blocks in the road? There isn't any sidewalk access? Of course the homeowners are going to be mad, but isn't that part of the deal when you move into Janesville? We all know that Janesville invokes the right to make homeowners take care of their sidewalks at their expense, so why wouldn't the new homeowners have to put in their sidewalks. To make everything fair the city must keep up with this plan and make people put in sidewalks. This MUST include access to all parks. I believe this must be done first! If someone is handicapped and confinded to a wheelchair do we expect them to use the street to get to where they are going? I was told that the reason I had to replace my sidewalk was because it violated the requirements in regards to the handicapped. Well there are quite a few parks here in Janesville that in my opinion violate the requirements for the disabled! Why are some properties being required to pay for sidewalks why some (right next) to the property are not being marked? The city council needs to set a standard and not deviate from the plan. Right now there are too many gray areas. Either do it or don't. Don't penalize those who find a cheaper contractor. The city uses hacks who think they know concrete. Ours had to be poured twice! Second time the city had to come out so I could show them the mess they created!

I havent read all of the comments but it seems to me that sidewalks on both sides of the street everywhere in the city is a total waste of resources and habitat. Look at the silly sidewalk to nowhere by Walmart. The west side of the street has a sidewalk that parallels the interstate in an area that is too narrow for any delvelopment. Wouldnt it be better if this area was planted with trees?

The homeowner has the right to correct sidewalk faults as long as the work is done within code requirements. The suggestion of the $185. fee or any fee assessed if the owner takes care of this themselves or hires a contractor is ridiculous. I need an explanation for this cause I don't buy it. This alternative keeps things above board .

Yes, the city's manager should have to answer to the people directly through the polls, and not to an elected committee that can't be as easily held accountable. The system we have here insulates him from accountability as we saw so obviously with the last manager. We need to try another referendum. If at first you don't succeed.... It works for the school system.

So now they want to charge homeowners who opt to have their sidewalks repaired/replaced on their own? $185 for 3.75 hours of inspection time (almost $50 an hour)? Who is it that inspects these sidewalks, Mr. Magoo? A reasonably healthy middle aged beer drinker with a pot belly could inspect about 10 miles of sidewalks in 3.75 hours (with one or two pit stops along the way) but they want to charge that for only about 130 feet of sidewalk on average per household! Now that's what I call chutzpah!

I love it . COUNCIL RECALL, Its time to clean house !

And the politicians wonder why people and businesses are leaving the city.

Janesville - The city of sidewalks that go nowhere. The solution seems pretty simple to me. You live in the city, you have a sidewalk. End of discussion.

call1 - like I said before, most of us won't bother reading such long-winded posts.

where I live the properties were plotted for no sidewalks--you will be able to touch my picture window if this stupidity goes through----please buy my house so I can get the hell otta here!

Janesville is long over due in selecting the mayor type of govt - and having the City actually 'support' it's residents.

The mayor type of govt involves elections - so the mayor actually wants to PLEASE the city residents. Also, some agreements 'behind closed doors' can be nullified by a judge - as in the Milton case regarding the the United Ethanol use permit.

bobb1951: Use 4th ward sidewalks elsewhere,NOONE walking there uses them!!!... He's right, BUT.. its not only the 4th ward. I've had to go around no brained (I'm trying to be polite here) inconsiderate pedestrians all over town. However.. the majority of them are in the 4th ward. So my question is... why don't they get ticketed Mr Man sitting in the drafting policies seat? I pay my property taxes, shovel my side walks, & Salt them... but they still walk in the streets. So when will these pedestrians get taxed like home owners? Explain my use of the word "Tax".. Government "Fines" (i.e. speeding, parking, tickets, not shoveling, etc).. are nothing more (By definition) then a Tax. Not that I care about the wording.. I do care about fairness, & if I don't shovel my sidewalk, I get taxed by the man by way of a fine. So why don't the people using the street get that same tax (fine). OH wait.. I know.. Because ticking the few is better then ticking off the many. Thats my take anyways.. & it took me quiet a while to become a government skeptic. 9/11 was my wake up, & if that statement isn't understood, I don't plan on debating it in this forum. Besides its been debated to death, & the majority of the people want to accept the governments explanation of events. I'm just with the group that doesn't accept their word at face value. period.

Rosewood: call 1-Why do some towns have mayors and some towns have city managers, what is the difference?.. Hi Rosewood. I think JFK explains it best in a speech he gave back in Feb. 1962. "We (the people. my translation) seek a free flow of information. A Nation (Government) that is affraid to let the people judge the truth or falsehood in an open free market is a nation affraid of its people.".. A Mayor is an Elected Official, elected by the people, usually choosing from City Council Members (I doubt there's any way to get rid of a city council). A City Manager is hired by the City, & is a City Employee. City managers get big fat contracts piled up with benefits, & usually.. outside of them commiting crimes.. there's no getting rid of them unless they retire.. then they get to take their big fat benefits withn them.. Sop no matter how poorly they perform.. as long as they kiss up to the right people, they are safe. Not true for Elected Officials. And the quote from JFK applies (IMO) because City's who have city managers do so because, "They" want to fully control what said city managers do & say. Mayors arn't controled by anyone in City Government.

The $185.00 "fee" is a fine. How stupid do they think we are.

Why is the evaluation of the city manager being done in closed session. He is payed by the taxpayers not the council. Can you say "good ole boy's club". Go to the council meeting at 7:00 p.m. on monday 12-14 and let the council know that you want to be heard.

The 'kids' don't have to walk down my street - they can find a different way to go where ever.

Everyone in the city should have sidewalks. Make it fair. You complain how much it costs. I have to replace mine when they get old. Welcome to my world. What makes anyone more special? Kids shouldn't have to learn to ride a bike in the roads. Get off your high horse and pay like the rest of us. If the city stops this maybe I'll have mine taken out. Then you guys can complain you have to walk in my street!

This and the rest of the games the council plays with your money is exactly why we moved to the utopia of Rock township. I just pity those who are being sucked into the city. May God have mercy on their tax bill.

On the sidewalk issue and other issues, if people can truly unite for valid reasons and not the paranoid hallucinations of B'moon, we can control what the city administration and city council do.

Thousands of people contacting councilmembers and hundreds of people appearing at council meetings would do the job.

If this doesn't happen, then it means that the great majority of the people here are satisfied with the way things are.

The city wants to piss everyone off. This is the impression we all are getting here. What makes them think they can get away with this? When I built my second house in town, the city assessed it the following year for $60,000 more than the first year. Now, 14 years later, it is assessed at what I built it for. They stole extra tax money from me- appeals, of course, don't do any good. They are raping their citizens regularly and all we can do is moan. They told us a few years ago that the following year we would be needing to put in sidewalks. One neighbor got his in right away and the rest of us ended up not having to. Regarding "Neither staff nor Levitt have a recommendation on whether the council should begin its seven-year sidewalk plan next year."- I'll give you a recommendation- get out of the state and never come back if you think this is the right time for this. Our city council is just the laughing stock of Wisconsin. I have relatives way up north who ask me what kind of idiots we have running our city. I'd be afraid to run for city council because I have a conscience and clearly you can not have one and be on the city council at the same time. Eric Levitt "is a huge hockey fan" (From Gazette article: "Sedona residents praise man who could be Janesville’s next manager" By MARCIA NELESEN Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008) and that explains the paradox surrounding the "need" for Janesville to fix the old ice arena by spending umpteen thousand dollars on a contaminated band-aid and then building a new one spending more than a million. Kind of like the old library thing- Remodel or rebuild? Well, let's vote. The results? Remodel- we can't afford to rebuild. New vote called for! Same results. Ok, here's how we'll do it- we'll tear all of out the old stuff except for one I-beam sticking out of the floor and "remodel" everything else (rebuild). Outrageous place to live. House won't sell so I can't escape. Nothing to do but slowly turn into Frank Costanza and log on here and vent. Oh, and before you get all riled up, I was just kidding about everything I said. I... love... this... city... (cough cough)

The former city manager crammed a new sidewalk down my throat and claimed it was for the safety of kids. It's rare for kids to walk on my street and the sidewalk goes nowhere. I often see the former city manager walking with his wife...in the street, just a few feet from the sidewalk he claimed was necessary for the safety of all. Talk about a hypocrite. Sannio: I'm with you. Our city is controlled by the mob.

sannio
Don't forget the property owner has to maintain them as well or face fine for not shoveling/ice removal.
*
Seems like a pretty nice set up for the city that is.

If they force me to put a sidewalk on my property I will move out of this city. There is a sidewalk on the other side of the street, no need for another one 15ft. away. And the bike lanes on N. Wright rd. are a joke, I have never seen anyone use them, except cars using them as a right hand turn lane at N. Wright and E. Rotamer Rd. when I am trying to turn right as well, in my 72 passenger school bus! People, they are not there for you to use as turn lanes!!!

call 1-Why do some towns have mayors and some towns have city managers, what is the difference?

The property owner must donate the land.
The property owner must pay for the sidewalk.
The property owner must pay a fine if they don't use the contractor the city provides.
Sounds like organized crime, pure and simple.

Let me guess - the sidewalks will be ispected by the same engineers that were in charge of inspecting the Tallman House - yeah right.

This is bull loney They already made me replace my side walks down by GM I did it my self and it looks a whole heck of alot better then the contractor that the city got to do i actually took my time and did it right. This is dumb if they want it done don't make the home owners pay for it..

Mayor! Lets do that referendum again for a Mayor, because personally.. I've heard a lot of people who voted against a Mayor form government, change their minds after paying close attention to the Washington mentality when it comes to spending. the Please people! When will enough be enough! Every time I hear a politician say, "No new Taxes"... I think of this kind of crap that will burden our, already burdened finances. Why pay a City Manager outrageous salaries, along with city council members, when you can pay One Mayor?

Why isn't there an ordinance that says if you live within a certain distance from a school you must have sidewalks?

this-----sorry

The city ownes the batting cages on Jackson st---this post will be removed because they don't want you to know tis

my previous post is gone

Twerp...

...When the added fee for doing your own sidewalk was first talked about, we were told that the reason for it is that the "approved" contractor would NOT be getting inspected after the work was done.

The $185 was to pay for the city inspector to come to the site and...are you ready for this?...do what he or she is already paid to do, which is inspect and approve the work that was done.

Well, that was the official reason anyway.

I can think of a few OTHER possible reasons that remind me more of Chicago or Milwaukee, but stuff like that would NEVER happen here, right?

right

Loshing is gone ( ths is CRAP )

I know the article says it is to recoup money for futuer repairs, but that just dosen't sound right,. Also why would it take a avg. of 3.75 hours to decide where it is to go... don't they have a plan already maped out, all they would have to do is give the contractor a copy of the plans and let them have at it.
*
My father worked for a major road construction company and delt with this kind of stuff all of the time, never did he have to spend over 3 hours wondering where to put them (per property at that). Seems like somethings wrong here if that is the case.

What I don't understand is why charge a homeowner a $185 if they find a cheaper cement contractor or do it themselves? So by being thrifty with their money , they get a added fee...? why the need for a fee? just what would that fee be used for? Sounds like the city is just wanting to grab money without having to do anything.

i agree when theres a bike lane why install sidewalks, a good example is rotamer road. they already took alot of property from the home owners when they widened the road and put a bike path on both side s of the street.if they make them put in sidewalks in some cases the sidewalk would be to close to the houses. some homes would also lose trees to put the sidewalks in. it just doesnt make sense to have both. the other thing i see wrong with the way they did it on rotamer road they took all the on street parking away , wright road the bike lane is more into the road allowing street parking rotamer it s right up against the curb taking all the street parking away on both sides of the street.

I think we should wait and see if we can turn the economy around first. Come spring when the unemployment dries up, people will be lucky if they can keep their house. Does the city council really think Janesville is out of the recession? I think we should worry about the homeless and helping people pay their heating bills, or buying people food. Also there is so many of us with no health insurance. Sidewalks, museums,bike trails,skateboard park are all luxury items when and if the economy turns around. We need to think whats important. Do we want or need these items.

I would like to know why the sidewalk was poured just north of hwy 14 on kennedy road this summer. There is a paved bike trail on the west side of the road already. This new sidewalk is on the east side of the road and does not connect to anything on either end of it. It goes in front of the farm house and barn of the old guy that sells asparagus every year. It also goes in front of WP&L next to him. Why did that section have to be put in? Was business slow for the contractor that does that work? Does the city help their buds out even if it is creating a hardship for people? Why make yet another "sidewalk to nowhere"? HMM?

No shoveling for those without sidewalks. I hope their being nice and helping someone in their neighborhood with their shoveling. I love sidewalks, just not in the winter.