Wisconsin State Journal - Hope for Janesville

Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Journal ran a fairly positive AND balanced story about Janesville. The article points out that while the closure of the GM plant and its auxiliaries has increased our unemployment substantially, the reality is, as always, a mixed picture.

One of the more important points has to do with our state of higher education:

"Only about 21 percent of Janesville residents 25 and older have a bachelor's
degree or higher, for example, compared to 41 percent in Madison, according
to the latest Census Bureau projections. That means high-tech research
organizations likely will still choose the Madison area, Venable said, while
Janesville could help commercialize the products of that research. "

This statement says loud and clear that in today's economy, not providing more higher educational opportunities for Janesville residents, means limiting economic opportunities for all of us.

At the same time, the article does not mention the large number of area residents who have entered programs at Blackhawk Technical College, UW Rock County, UW Whitewater and other schools, to further their education. This fact will go far towards improving the statistic mentioned above of the number of Janesville residents with college education and college degrees. The article also omits any mention of the number of area residents with Associates Degrees, which would include many Registered Nurses. An important factor, especially considering that Janesville's largest employer is Mercy Health System, and that Dean/St. Mary's is planning on building a hospital in Janesville as well.

Other important points from the article center on recommendations for the future. Some of them are self-evident but others deserve a bit more attention:

• Market the location as offering affordable housing, good education and low
cost of living.

Update: Ongoing. The development alliance and the federal grant
will help with these efforts, too.

As anyone who has looked at housing in any metropolitan area outside of Janesville knows all too well: we are incredibly affordable by comparison. This fact gets forgotten until a person looks at buying a house and paying much higher property taxes elsewhere in Wisconsin or in Northern Illinois.

The other important "recommendation for the future" has to do with our downtown:

• Establish a downtown entertainment district.

Update: Not done. Work continues on the idea of a formal district.

Did you know that at this point, you can find live music in Downtown Janesville at the following venues:

• Time Out
• Janesville Armory
• Metropolitan
• Main Street Saloon
• Codo's Coffee
• Quotes
• Speakeasy

Not to mention the street performers on Saturday mornings at the Farmers' Market on Main street. This fact is highlighted by the success of the Rock Around the Block festival.

All of this musical activity is anchored by the Janesville Performing Arts Center, which features high caliber live musical performances on regular basis.

It is time to look closer at establishing a downtown entertainment district, because the city is presented with a great opportunity to support grassroots leadership shown by various business owners and groups. Highlighting the fact that so much live music can be heard within such a small area, surely will go a long way towards helping establish our downtown as a travel destination.

Judi Kneece, advocate for local programming, passes away

It is with great sadness I learned that Judi Kneece, the manager of the Janesville Public Access Channel - JATV - passed away this morning.

Here's a recent Gazette story about Judi, as she was about to be inducted, into the Rock County Hall of Fame. She was also just inducted into the Wisconsin Association of PEG Access Channels Hall of Fame. Judi was the second person and the 1st woman to be inducted.

Judi made JATV what it is now - a station available to most anyone in our community - to further the discussion of important and sometimes not-so important issues. I can't imagine that not too long ago, candidates for the City Council and School Board, did not have a televised forum where the voters could learn about the candidates' positions. Judi was instrumental in making the forums happen. And Judi's involvement in our community went far beyond JATV. She has impacted many lives. Janesville and Rock County are better off because Judi lived and worked to make this a better place for all. Thank you, Judi.