On Janesville City Council to consider SHINE agreement
Posted on February 12 at 4:05 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Page 55 of the agenda - "There are environmental concerns with the process. The company is in the early stages of the NEPA process and therefore SHINE has not yet developed a plan to address these concerns. (This will occur, but has not occurred yet.) (The City Manager anticipates hiring an outside consultant to advise the City through the process, although the agreement only provides narrow discretion for the City in the future.)"
There is an article printed in the March edition of Popular Science Magazine. Page 57, "The Boy Who Played With Fission".
The link below isn't the article, but the only info on the internet I can find about Taylor Wilson - the subject of the PS article.
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archive...
To quote this PS article - "Instead of creating those isotopes in multimillion-dollar cyclotrons and then rushing them to patients, what if he could build a fusion reactor small enough, cheap enough and safe enough to produce isotopes as needed, in every hospital in the world?"
They are working on this.....
On Is city offering SHINE too much?
Posted on February 12 at 4 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Page 55 of the Council agenda - "There are environmental concerns with the process. The company is in the early stages of the NEPA process and therefore SHINE has not yet developed a plan to address these concerns. (This will occur, but has not occurred yet.) (The City Manager anticipates hiring an outside consultant to advise the City through the process, although the agreement only provides narrow discretion for the City in the future.)"
Check out the new March edition of Popular Science Magazine. Page 57, "The Boy Who Played With Fission".
The link below isn't the article, but the only info on the internet I can find about Taylor Wilson - the subject of the PS article.
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archive...
To quote this article - "Instead of creating those isotopes in multimillion-dollar cyclotrons and then rushing them to patients, what if he could build a fusion reactor small enough, cheap enough and safe enough to produce isotopes as needed, in every hospital in the world?"
They are working on it right now....
On Janesville City Council to discuss extending insurance
Posted on February 12 at 3:52 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Agree or not agree - this issue should be brought up at budget time.
On Janesville City Council to consider SHINE agreement
Posted on February 10 at 5:35 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Blighted area does not include:
Predominantly open land area that has been developed only for agricultural purposes,
commonly called “Greenfield” development.
On Janesville City Council to consider SHINE agreement
Posted on February 10 at 5:33 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Keep in mind that TIF is a solution to encourage development in blighted areas, those that are
otherwise unlikely to develop/redevelop. The Tax Incremental Law, 66.1105 describes
blighted area to mean any of the following:
a. An area, including a slum area, in which the structures, buildings or improvements,
which by reason of dilapidation, deterioration, age or obsolescence, inadequate
provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces, high density of
population and overcrowding, or the existence of condition which endanger life or
property by fire and other causes, or any combination of these factors is conducive to
ill health, transmission of disease, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, or crime,
and is detrimental to the public health, safety, morals or welfare.
b. An area which is predominantly open and which consists primarily of an abandoned
highway corridor (blight elimination and slum clearance), as defined in s. 66.1333
(2m) (a) or that consists of land upon which buildings or deterioration of structures or
of site improvements, or otherwise, substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of the community. http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/economies/T...
On Janesville City Council to consider SHINE agreement
Posted on February 10 at 4:42 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Currently, the NRC has no application for license on file from Shine. THEY HAVE NOT EVEN APPLIED FOR A LICENSE. It will be SEVERAL years before they can potentially receive a license to do business. The NRC will conduct an environmental review or an environmental impact statement for this project. At that time, there are two opportunities for public involvement and community input. I understand the pressure that our Economic Development team is under to produces jobs, jobs, jobs. But this is not the project. If you have not done so, please read the book "Small, Gritty and Green" by Catherine Tumber concerning small to medium cities that have lost their industrial base, and how we can succeed in a low carbon future. There are tons of ideas in the book on how to accomplish economic development, and ideas from other communities from the midwest and northeast. I know that Council wants to provide jobs to the community, but at what price to the community? As a private business owner, I am not interested in financing anyone else's business; it's hard enough operating our own. Janesville needs some fresh ideas.
On Janesville City Council to consider SHINE agreement
Posted on February 10 at 4:40 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The City/Council has had roughly two years knowledge of this project, and to give the public ONE week to learn about and review what we are getting into - is unfair to residents who are being asked to pay for this project.
1. The 4M loan guarantee (to venture capitalists) does not look at the cost of financing if this debt, if it has to be paid by the City. We will have to borrow for it. If approved, Council is asking the residents to assume a huge risk for this project.
2. There are bench marks that Shine would not agree to before getting this money. Who is in charge here? We are not desperate. Shine wants us to build them a new building, on virgin soils, purchase equipment for a non-proven technology. As a shareholder in the City of Janesville, I am not interested in bankrolling a start-up company that has only produced lab results, and nothing else. No one else is interested in taking this risk, why are we even considering it?
3. This does not fix our unemployment problem. If this facility opens, it will not create any jobs until 2015 or after.
4. Approval or not, there is no guarantee that this project will occur. The State has not given them authority to do business, at which point, the residents are on the hook for the land purchase, infrastructure, and building.
5. If we start giving money like this to private companies, every company will expect it - this is a slippery slope. As a current business owner in Janesville, we too need new equipment. What is to prevent us, and other companies from coming to the Council, (and we have a proven and operational business that currently provide jobs) and asking for financing to KEEP jobs here, or we will sell our business and job locations to the highest bidder. This is a race to the bottom.
6. The City, who can't maintain the infrastructure that we currently have, will be running MORE infrastructure, out PAST vacant land to this parcel - continuing to expand the City without thought for the long term expenses of maintenance. Using TIF money for this project is aggravating to me, as we could offer these funds to companies to open in EXISTING structures that are vacant, with infrastructure already in place. TIF money is my money. It is taxpayer money, and last time I checked, we were broke.
7. Water rates will again be hiked to pay for the infrastructure to this facility. If this is built, and the company does not succeed, the City is on the hook with ANOTHER vacant building with MILES of unneeded infrastructure.
Posted on December 23 at midnight ( Suggest removal )
The time required to build one inch of fertile soil--varies from a few hundred years to ten thousand. Globally, there is 3% of the earth's surface offering inherently fertile soils. I wonder how deep the top-soil is on this site? In some places on the prairie it is 15+ feet deep. Janesville's Comprehensive Plan needs to be revised to protect this irreplaceable resource, as does the City's vision for economic development. "A Nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself" - Franklin D Roosevelt.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/0...
Posted on December 22 at 11:17 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
You kill me: "We need brave and intelligent people to run for elected office who will stand up for good government, free enterprise and sustainable planning. Right now we have none." - Actually, we have one. Tom McDonald. I hope you will run for Council to replace him! This deal absolutely stinks, and wait until you hear how much MORE money the City will end up giving them to come here. Wait - I mean how much WE will give them. Jobs at what cost? We already own TONS of shovel ready property - why not use that? Why not utilize a property that already has infrastructure? Why buy more land (that is not adjacent current development)then run MORE infrastructure to it - when we can't even maintain what we currently have!? We seriously need Council members with vision, like Mr McDonald.
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On Janesville City Council approves incentives for SHINE
Posted on February 14 at 6:15 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
No mention in this article of the violation of Roberts Rules of order. I hope people note that Rashkin was interrupted with a nefarious move to end discussion, trying to stop disclosure of the risks for residents. Mcdonald was not allowed to voice his concerns which was a violation. Voskuil, Steeber, Liebert and Dongarra-Adams voted to stop discussion and force a vote. Who is representing residents, here, and who is representing Shine's interests? With two years of closed meetings about this deal, giving residents less than a week to review, and cutting off discussion about the financial risks, residents should be outraged, even if you support the project. Remember this at election time.