On Project spent more than voters approved; board wants an accounting
Posted on February 25 at 3:01 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The rich are getting richer. It's like letting the Fox in the hen house. The ice arena will be the same story.
On Ice arena plan could mean new location for fire station No. 1
Posted on December 10 at 2:09 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The economy has obviouly hit some wealthy and influential people in Janesville in the pocket book and the citizens are going to pay. Construction is down so why not create some. This whole thing is insane at this economic time when people have lost jobs and homes, the value of our homes has dropped and our taxes will go up to finance needless spending.
Spending all this money on this is nuts when we should be spending it to entice companies to move into Janesville. We need jobs! Does anyone really think companies will say, "Janesville has a new ice arena and a semi pro hockey team, lets move there!"
Now they need to build a new fire station then what?
It's going to be a domino effect.
On City to issue order to raze or repair Case Feed building
Posted on October 29 at 3:10 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I think this building would be a great art gallery or art center for Janesville. Just as a 5 million dollar ice arena would serve the people of the city so would an art center serve just as many or more. Best thing, it wouldn't cost 5 million and just as many taxpayers would be happy.
Why make one group happy and not the other?
OR
I just got a great idea for the new 5 million dollar ice arena!
Janesville Ice Arena and Art Gallery!
Why not combine both!
Paint and Skate every Thursday night!
Make everyone happy!
Posted on October 29 at 1:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
To clarify what I had written, I think The menards building would have worked well if the roof support system could be modified in such a way that all the supporting posts would not be needed. It wasn't my idea but someone elses and I made the comment it would be a great idea.
If Menards would be willing to work with us would be fantastic. Corporate money is good and it would be great public relations for them.
I had lived in Beloit years ago and worked in Beloit for many and along side people who were involved with Beloit Youth Hockey. They would love to be a part of an ice arena like this.
Thanks for reminding us of what a mess the city owned ice arena had been at one time. It makes it worse knowing the city had owned it at that time.
I remember those days also. I remember being there when the ice was melted and the city was deciding whether to keep shelling money into a seemingly botomless pit. The thought of the skaters and kids in youth hockey not having a place to skate kept it alive.
My concern is location, if anyone in the decision making process is for it solely for their own bennefit and not for the publics intrest and what are the plans to make enough money so that it dosen't become a money pit again?
To think it will support itself solely on hockey games after the newness wears off is nieve.
I've seen projects like this before and they fail if you don't plan to keep the public intrested like I said after the newness wears off. This means other types of events also.
The city council needs to reserch what others have done and what has worked.
In final, to those city council members who want to go ahead with this, please put your name on the building and that you were for the project.
As usual, if things turn out great you will get some of the credit, if things turn out bad, you won't get some of the credit, you will get all of the credit.
Posted on October 29 at 8:11 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
ktsjacko,
If we have to have one, I think your idea of using the old Menards would be great. If they can retrofit the existing roof support system with one which would work. Perhaps the city could cut a deal with Menards I"m sure they would like to get their old building off their books. In return, as part of the deal, the city could offer to name the ice arena The Menards Ice Center or or the Menards Center or something of that nature. The name itself would be a draw to some to see it instead of some hokey pokey name as usual.
The location is great because people would find it easier off the interstate and that's a big plus.
Face it, the people who owned the old ice arena couldn't make a go of it. They ran other ice arenas and they had no answer to make ours profitable. The city decided to have a go of it because of the Youth Hockey Club and high school hockey. They soon found out the overhead of running a ice arena is larger than the profit margin. They depend on allot of volunteer work to get by. The new ice arena will also depend on this and more tax dollars. Perhaps they should put in the paper the real facts of what it takes now.
If they build the new ice arena, I doubt if the hockey club will come up with their part of the money but I'm sure the project will go forward.
So, the questions are; how do we, as largely ignored taxpayers get monitary help with this project? What can be done so that all the citizens of Janesville come away with something out of their investmant? Does it mean other events to be held at the ice arena besides hockey and ice skating?
The place needs to be able to turn a profit and Skating and Hockey alone are not going to do it. If they haven't, the city council members need to go to other facilities and find out what they do to make a profit or be revenue neutral and let the people of Janesville know what they have discovered. Why go in blind.
It's always easy to spend other peoples money without some deturent.
The city council is not the city of Janesville alone. It's the public and the city council as a whole (I'm not saying everyone is needs to sit in the corner), needs to remember they have a responsability in their positions to serve for the public majority.
Posted on October 29 at 8:07 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
ktsjacko,
If we have to have one, I think your idea of using the old Menards would be great. If they can retrofit the existing roof support system with one which would work. Perhaps the city could cut a deal with Menards I"m sure they would like to get their old building off their books. In return, as part of the deal, the city could offer to name the ice arena The Menards Ice Center or or the Menards Center or something of that nature. The name itself would be a draw to some to see it instead of some hokey pokey name as usual.
The location is great because people would find it easier off the interstate and that's a big plus.
Face it, the people who owned the old ice arena couldn't make a go of it. They ran other ice arenas and they had no answer to make ours profitable. The city decided to have a go of it because of the Youth Hockey Club and high school hockey. They soon found out the overhead of running a ice arena is larger than the profit margin. They depend on allot of volunteer work to get by. The new ice arena will also depend on this and more tax dollars. Perhaps they should put in the paper the real facts of what it takes now.
If they build the new ice arena, I doubt if the hockey club will come up with their part of the money but I'm sure the project will go forward.
So, the questions are; how do we, as largely ignored taxpayers get monitary help with this project? What can be done so that all the citizens of Janesville come away with something out of their investmant? Does it mean other events to be held at the ice arena besides hockey and ice skating?
The place needs to be able to turn a profit and Skating and Hockey alone are not going to do it. If they haven't, the city council members need to go to other facilities and find out what they do to make a profit and let the people of Janesville know what they have discovered. Why go in blind.
It's always easy to spend other peoples money without some deturent.
The city council is not the city of Janesville alone. It's the public and the city council as a whole (I'm not saying everyone is needs to sit in the corner), needs to remember they have a responsability in their positions to serve for the public majority.
Posted on October 28 at 3:27 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
What could have been done is to at least approach companies in and around Janesville and ask them if they would have been interested in investing in Janesvilles hockey rink. The building with say 49% ownership or money invested would be named after thier company. Like The Hendricks or Cullen Ice Arena.
Perhaps Beloit would have been interested in half ownership in the facility if located closer to them.
In reality, I don't think either would be interested because of the economy but the idea should have been there.
Sometimes when you shake a bannana tree you get
a bannana, sometimes you get a pissed off gorilla. Unfortunately, this time we are going to get a white elephant and the taxpayers are the ones who are going to have to catch it.
Yes, the poor taxpayers who's market value of their homes has dropped around 20%, average. And they still pay property taxes for their assessment of yesteryear. Yes, the poor people of Janesville who's majority has been ignored for the chosen few, again.
It sure appears that someone or ones on the city council are either going to get their "bread buttered", so to speak or are just plain nieve. So which is it.
Posted on October 27 at 3:30 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Hello city council, it's time to wake up. This was a careless, stupid decision. Janesville has changed and you need to also.
This is not the time to waste or spend big money on a project like this. This is something a city spends money on in good times when they can afford to waste money.
It will take allot of tickets, popcorn and pop to pay for your mistake and even more taxpayers money.
On Brunner threatens resignation, changes his mind
Posted on October 22 at 2:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Zoom,
People who take on positions such as this usually have a personal agenda of some sort. However with these positions is a resposability to serve the public and make improvements for the greater public. Not ignore the public and make hardships.
At this time, people of Janesville cannot afford to have council members who don't understand their responsability or don't have the ability to make changes for Janesville's betterment. Janesville cannot afford to remain unchanged and we need people in office that can either make those changes or can utilize information from those that can.
If needed, our council members should be communicating with people who have the know how. They need to look in our colleges and other cities that have been through these hardships.
I am sure the people on our city council mean or dream for the best but dreams only go so far. Its time to focus on what's best for Janesville and the people who love to live here and hope someday it can be as great a city as the people who live within it.
I love Janesville. If what I write can wake someone up to a greater cause, who has the knowledge to make the needed changes and to lead Janesville, then I am doing my responsability as a citizen of this great sleeping city.
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On Project spent more than voters approved; board wants an accounting
Posted on February 25 at 3:11 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
These people are calling the residents of Janesville stupid to their faces.
YOU HAVE BEEN DUPED AND YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT AS LONG AS THESE PEOPLE ARE IN CONTROL! WE NEED A CHANGE.