Ladystardust:
You wrote: “BTW Tater, did you know there have never been a bankruptcy filed in Canada, England or France as a direct result from getting sick and seeking treatment?” – I think you’re buying into some data from someone who is definitely pushing universal health care, with no respect for the facts. Simple reasoning tells you that the word NEVER is kinda hard to believe in a statement like that. But I did a quick Google search anyway and quickly found this: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRele...
For those who don’t want to read the article, a sample paragraph:
"If socialized medicine played a role in reducing personal bankruptcies, we would expect to see a lower rate of personal bankruptcy in Canada compared to the United States. Yet the reverse is true. The personal bankruptcy rate is actually higher in Canada than it is in the U.S.," said Brett Skinner, author of Health Insurance and Bankruptcy Rates in Canada and the United States and Fraser Institute director of bio-pharma, health and insurance policy research.

You also wrote: “Would you actually get out of your car and walk to Old Navy or Gander Mountain? I doubt it.” – I’m not sure what you meant here. I don’t live near enough to that mall to walk there, so no I wouldn’t. But if I lived in that vicinity, I certainly would bike to the mall. I live in an area nowhere near the bike trail, but we enjoy the trail so much that we sometimes bike to the trail (or load our bikes in the truck and drive to the trail because we have a small child) just to use it.

Lastly, please keep in mind what I and several other posters have stated: the money spent on the bike trail wasn’t an either-or proposition for the city of Janesville. It’s not, either use this money for a homeless shelter OR add on to the bike trail. It’s, here is money that you can have IF you use it to fund a non-motorized transportation project in your city. I can’t think of a better project to spend that money on.

janesvillean is THE most logical, intelligent poster on this website. period.

Wow, I'm all for the bike trail but PLEASE! People are out of work and federal stimulus money going for bike trails.....

tater- I regularly walk and I have used the trails. I just think it's ridiculous that Janesville has major economic damages that will take years to repair and yet we can afford $435,000 for a longer bike trail. AND SINCE YOU BROUGHT IT UP IN THIS POST,as an advocate for universal health care, (For CHANGE, btw I didn't vote Obama, so keep your dem bleeding heart lecture to yourself)it's hard for me to see this kind of wasteful spending when I WALK around the neighborhoods and see dozens of foreclosed homes for sale(either because of unemployment by corporations "downsizing", or by expensive medical bills NOT covered by health insurance companies resulting in bankruptcies. BTW Tater, did you know there have never been a bankruptcy filed in Canada, England or France as a direct result from getting sick and seeking treatment? Oh that's only reserved for us Americans). Exercise is important, a bike trail is not. We have many miles of trails already in this city, and many parks to use for rec. activities. When's the last time you used them? Would you actually get out of your car and walk to Old Navy or Gander Mountain ? I doubt it.

Beeferer and Beee80 I couldn't have said it better. Very True!!

deltafox5674, this money was acquired from a fund designated for projects like bike paths, not for supporting public safety. The city does not have discretion in how to use it. If it is not used for the intended purpose, the city would be required to return the money to the state.
http://www.enhancements.org/
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There is a federal program supporting police salaried positions, but I believe the Janesville PD has no money currently coming from that program. In the past, I believe it supported specific positions such as Chad Sullivan as Fourth Ward neighborhood officer.
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/
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As programs have opened up, the city has made several applications for stimulus funds in a variety of areas. We won't get them all, but those that we do get have to be used as intended.

1. The trail is a great thing! I only wish they could come up with a safer way to connect to areas west of the Interstate. Perhaps next project!
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2. Complain about how the funds are spent all you want. The $435k is going to pay local ( I hope!) contractors and workers. Those are good jobs that bring money back into our community.

Many business's and industries look at what a community has to offer. Good work force, good schools, good infrastructure, availability of entertaiment and recreation facilities, etc..
If not avail why waste time going to that community! Something like a bike trail can make a difference. It may not seem right but that's life.

I just think that $435000 would be better suited for another purpose. Like hiring an additional police officer for 10 years...

luvujvl, here is a PDF of the city's brochure on the bike trail. It shows the entire county on the first page, and a close-up of the city on the second page.
http://www.ci.janesville.wi.us/Library/n...
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rooster, in the other thread (news blog version of this story) I posted a general estimate based on asphalt driveway construction that would be in line with this project budget. The city says that the number is based on prior experience with other parts of the trail.

Here's a map of the Janesville bike trails.

http://www.ci.janesville.wi.us/Library/n...

must be a paved four lanes at that price. how many people will get hired from the janesville area to do the job? there should be a minimum number. the council members must have some friends that could use the work.

Is there a map of the entire city-wide bike trail available?

I think this is great. I bike at night after work, and let me tell you this stretch of road is not one I usually look forward to. In the daytime it's just as bad because of the amount of traffic. This will be a great addition to the trail, and when we get the foot bridge over hwy 26 it will be even better. I do agree that another place to cross under the interstate would be nice.
And beeferer; I agree, bike trail = good
complainers : if you don't like it that's fine, but we're still getting it.

Bike trail: good.
Fat lazy bike trail complainers: bad.

oh good, the homeless, jobless people will have a nice path to ride their bikes to the job center...way to go janesville!

Anytime the trail is expanded I look forward to it. Now if they could only figure out a safe way for pedestrians to get on the other side of the interstate in the Pine Tree and Menard's area. I use the trail system daily to get to work and for leisure.

www.spend-local.com

Wow – where do I start?

Gallon76 – you’re glad that you moved out of Janesville 20 years ago, yet the place that you live doesn’t even have money for ordinary street repairs? Well, in comparison, I would say that Janesville did a heck of a lot better than wherever you’re living now, since not only are our streets in good shape, we can even spend a bit of money to enjoy our bikes!

Ladystardust – I’m surprised that you don’t see the wisdom of promoting the bike trail, seeing how active you have been in making sure every one has access to health care in this country. Isn’t the lack of exercise and the excessive use of cars a large part of why so many of us Americans are so fat and lazy? Imagine how nice it would be if a good number of the thousands of people who live in the vicinity of the bike trail would consider walking or biking to the mall, movie theatre, Wal-Mart, etc. That is exactly the kind of progressive thinking that is needed in order to convince companies to locate to Janesville. And really, “people trains”? That’s your solution?? You couldn’t even get a study for that done for the $435,000!

Lastly, the money isn’t money that was sitting in Janesville’s coffers. It’s federal stimulus money that if Janesville wouldn’t have wanted it, might have gone to Madison’s trail system or some other transportation project in another state. Be glad we got it... now go use the trail and enjoy it!

Whose going to be able to afford to shop at Old Navy and Best Buy in this economy? Yes it'd be nice for the residents on THAT part of town to walk or ride to the theatre, but would they actually use it? Why would they when they have cars? There has to be a better way to use $435,000 for the city of Janesville, like bringing back "people" trains to go around the city, building a train station, help reduce pollution and become an environmentally friendly example to set for the towns around us. I know I would use the trains if they actually had stops around town and somehow matched up with the JTS system. I bet having that project would supply some well needed jobs in our community.
We don't NEED a bike trail, we don't NEED a bigger ice arena, we NEED a few MAJOR employers to come to town, USE THE MONEY for tax incentives to bring work to OUR TOWN, then when people are working again, they'd be more inclined to agree to wasteful city project proposals.
When did they VOTE for this? Why did it pass? Almost every article I've seen about the trail was filled with comments objecting the idea.

i still smell a rat..............

This will be an important addition to the bike trail, bringing it into the retail/commercial district of Pine Tree Plaza and Wal-Mart. The trail system is a key amenity underscoring the quality of life in Janesville, and makes the City of Parks nickname doubly apt, because the trail links residential areas to all the major parks and a number of the smaller ones. Obviously not everything that the city builds is used by everyone in the city. There are streets that I have never driven on in 35 years. But they serve someone. The money is already designated for expanding recreational facilities and alternative transportation, so it would be used for somethin glike a bike trail whether Janesville applied for it or not.

Why should the city of Janesville spend $435,000 on a bike trail. I'm sure there are a lot of things that that money could be spent on than a bike trail. Where I live we did not get one cent so we had to raise taxes to pay for street repairs that were in real bad shape and had to be fixed. We did not have the money to do it right so we had to do a temp. repair so we could at least drive on it. We applied for stimulus money to cover part or all of the cost to do it right and we were told that we are not eligible, so we got nothing. But, Janesville got $435,000 for a bike trail. This shows you that the government prioerties are in the wrong place weather in be from the White House, Madison, or your local government. I used to live in Janesville, but moved out 20 years ago and am I glad I did. You look back and see what the city of Janesville has spent and for what and when the got the new city manager still nothing has changed even when they got new people on the city council still nothing changed.