Site to have office building, storage units
Photo
Work continues at the intersection of Hackbarth Rd and Hwy 14 on Janesville's northwest side. An office building and storage facility is being constructed with local contractors.
What it is: An office building and self-storage units under development on a 12-acre parcel bordered by Highway 14, County E and Hackbarth Road in Janesville Township.
In March, Janesville businessman and developer Jim Grafft sold the triangle-shaped parcel to Jeff Fox, owner of Fox LLC, a development company that builds and manages storage facilities.
Fox is building a 5,000-square-foot, single-story office building on part of the property. The office building will house Fox LLC. The property also will include four buildings of mini-storage units.
Over the years, the parcel has been home to several businesses that fronted Highway 14. One of the more notable was LaPods, a popular supper club in the 1950s and '60s.
Fox, the retired president and chief executive office of LeMans Corp. in Janesville, also is building a storage facility in Fort Knox, Tenn., and has plans for other storage facilities. The Janesville office will manage the other storage facilities.
Fox said he is using all local contractors on the project. They include Ivan Rice & Sons, Van Brocklin Electric, H&H Electric, Fanning Excavating and Lloyd's Plumbing. Prairie Craftsmen is the general contractor.
"The local economy is horrendous," Fox said. "I wanted to keep all the work local to help these companies out."
May 19, 2012 at 12:53 p.m.
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Fort Knox, Tenn....? And all this time I thought it was in Kentucky.
Anyway, it's a great use for that property that has been vacant for many years.
May 15, 2012 at 7:09 p.m.
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People would bitch if someone gave them a million dollars in a red bag, only because they like blue instead. Just be happy Mr. Fox is spending his hard earned money in this county and not another country.
May 15, 2012 at 6:15 p.m.
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a1percenter,
Do you speak for lemans employees? Are people forced to work there? perhaps they prefer root beer to cola?
May 15, 2012 at 4:58 p.m.
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this is great that these buildings are coming to the local area and whats the argument here? all i see are positives in this site, obviously he's doing more than any of us which is having faith in this community and investing in a promising future.
May 15, 2012 at 12:57 p.m.
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Janesvillean, Really? Had you seen that property at any time over the last 10 years? It was an eyeshore as a run down former supper club with equipment parked all around it. The neighbors should be thrilled as well as the County for the increased tax value. Thank you to Jeff Fox for the improvements and investment.
May 15, 2012 at 12:07 p.m.
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sigma40, next time by pull the laser level out of your trunk and give us the slope. We'll figure this one out. :)
May 15, 2012 at 11:13 a.m.
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Good one diver. LOL.
May 15, 2012 at 10:54 a.m.
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I'm impressed. 10 blog entries and no Walker bashing. But then again, I'm sure that the un-level cement leans to the right.
May 15, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.
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dude, maybe it's the new way they build storage units, so they can drain properly without the driveway being too steep at the end unit.
May 15, 2012 at 9:16 a.m.
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2 slabs side by side, you can see from the road one is at least a foot higher end to end. Of course it needs to be level. And what do approved plans have to do with ones ability to follow them? Nothing, I see it all the time, people not being able to follow a print. Drive by and look....very noticable.
May 15, 2012 at 9:07 a.m.
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a1percenter: My mother just retired from Lemans and has no complaints whats so ever for her time working there. Lemans is one of the most family friendly employers in the area!
May 15, 2012 at 8:10 a.m.
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While I'm sure local contractors enjoy the business, COLA raises for his employees at LeMans Corp would also stimulate the economy.
May 15, 2012 at 7:42 a.m.
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Ah Sigma....the God of knowledge.
May 15, 2012 at 6:28 a.m.
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sigma, i would guess that there is an approved set of plans for the project. If you drive by everyday, why dont you stop in and supervise the job since it sounds like you believe you know whats going on by just passing by. Thanks Mr. Fox for helping out some local businesses.
May 15, 2012 at 4:20 a.m.
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I would assume that it's as level as it needs to be, really. Do storage units need to be level?
.
It is too bad, though, that such a prominent site will have such an unattractive development. I wonder if the residents across Hackbarth are happy about it.
May 14, 2012 at 9:42 p.m.
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Kind of bad marketing for whoever is doing the work... out of the 2 concrete slabs one is a foot higher on one end than the other...must not know how to level things. I drive by every day.
May 14, 2012 at 4:25 p.m.
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This is a great story about using the local workforce in the area. More builders need to use this kind of thinking.
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