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City Manager’s State of the City video highlights redevelopment, tornado response and new facilities
Summary
City Manager Kevin Lanier presented a prerecorded State of the City video summarizing 2024 accomplishments and 2025 priorities, including downtown redevelopment, housing programs, the Woodman Sports and Convention Center, transit ridership gains and the city’s tornado response.
City Manager Kevin Lanier presented a prerecorded State of the City video at the May 12 meeting that summarized projects and programs from 2024 and outlined priorities for 2025, including redevelopment of the former GM/JATCO site, housing initiatives, parks and recreation investments, and infrastructure and public safety work.
The video described economic development actions in 2024 including an amendment to Tax Increment District (TID) 38 to support redevelopment opportunities in the Uptown Janesville Mall and Milton Avenue corridor, the recruitment of a 12,000-square-foot grocery store on Center Avenue, and plans to continue the acquisition process for the former GM/JATCO site. The city reported $544,984 in HOME funds through the Rock County Home Consortium that assisted seven households to purchase homes and cited the launch of the Revive and Thrive program using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to provide affordable rehabilitation loans; presenters said five home-rehabilitation projects had been completed since fall 2024.
Lanier’s video highlighted parks and recreation results (over 230,000 participants in city events, $58,000 in grants/donations to the recreation division), the planned replacement of Palmer Wading Pool and opening of the Woodman Sports and Convention Center in 2025, and library initiatives (Hedberg Public Library circulation of about 559,000 items in 2024, removal of fines and fundraising for a new bookmobile). The video also noted Janesville Transit provided about 402,000 rides in 2024, received a $580,000 state grant to replace a transit bus, and reported a large increase in middle and high-school student ridership after a partnership with the school district.
Public-safety and utilities highlights included the Janesville Fire Department receiving about $186,000 in grants and donations for equipment and programs; the wastewater division installed a 200-kilowatt microturbine through a Department of Energy grant (city share $50,000 of a $600,000 project) and planned two additional 65-kilowatt microturbines in 2025. The video recounted the June 22, 2024 EF-2 tornado that struck Janesville’s south side, the city’s activation of its emergency operations center, and the debris response: 7,798 cubic yards of tree and brush debris and 42 tons of structural waste were taken in during the first week.
Lanier said city departments will continue work on housing, downtown redevelopment and completion of the Woodman Sports and Convention Center, and he thanked staff, volunteers and community partners for their efforts. The video will be distributed widely through city channels.
