Well, gobadgers08.... I'm still waiting for work to resume on the project. After reading the fluff piece in the Reporter last week, it seems that the contractors were 'reviewing' the bank letter. They didn't seem to give a glowing endorsement for it. At this point, I'll take the Reporter article with the same grain of salt that I took the "Closed for Spring Cleaning" sign in the front of Fox Point Grill.

dude, get a life

What I think of when I think of Edgerton is Sex offenders. There are 21 in edgerton alone. lets give them more bars to hang out at. It might keep them away from the parks. Have a look
http://offender.doc.state.wi.us/public/s...
Zip code 53534

"Well after all it is Wisconsin" what a very sad claim to fame. Sounds like just an excuse or justification.
farmdude you may be surprised how many people on this board HAVE tried to make Edgerton a better town with no success. Perhaps that is the reason for bitterness. Ever think of that?
Sure they might very well sell the condo's and retail space and the owners will in turn rent them out and that side will be just like the other side.

I thought Edgerton was originally know for the women who chewed tobacco??

Who cares? There are plenty of towns up north that have a bar or two as their only businesses. Edgerton percentage wise doesn't have that many bars. Plus, it's Wisconsin. The state is known for its beer drinking. I have since moved away and whenever I tell someone I am from Wisconsin, they make some reference to the amount of drinking people do followed by the question, "Is there really anything else to do up there during the winter?" I feel there are worse things to be associated with. You could live in West Virginia and be asked if you married your cousin.

Edgerton?? Were is that?

Where were you all three years ago when the council and RDA started talking about this project, where were you when the papers reported on it? Nobody showed up until the project started and started to cry foul. If you actually look at the plan, parking is temporarily displaced until the project is finished when a brand new lot with the same amount of parking is installed, not to mention the underground parking that is available to the tenents of the new building. If you'dve read the paper you'dve also found out they've already sold retail space, and have HAD interest in the condos, if you don't believe that then why don't you ask the realtors. Sounds like you all want to complain about something you know nothing about, run your mouth about rumors you've heard from people, or are just completely ignorant people that can do nothing but complain. I find it amazing how many people buy property along the railroad tracks in that town on a regular basis and have for over 150 years when the railroad first came through. Oh by the way read the Reporter this week and tell me if you think the developer is going bankrupt? Ignorance, the good ole' boys club, and the unwillingness of the residents to change is why that city is as stagnant as it is.

At least they have a couple people there that stand by their convictions and are trying to make that city a better place for it's citizens.

Edgerton remains a good place to raise a family, and it is home to many people who care about the community. Sometimes I think the town just needs to catch a break. How many people who take joy in calling it a "tavern town" have ever done anything to make it a better place?

I live in downtown Edgerton and can tell you first hand that the Fulton Street condo/Storefront project was a stupid idea to begin with. Who in their right mind would ever buy a condo that has a busy train track right behind it and know first hand that a train comes through between 1-1:30 AM every morning. You have a Bar kiddie corner from it who has live music every Saturday night that can be heard 3 blocks away and noisy people going to and from the bars. The project not only took public parking away as well as tenant parking but also took away space for the farmers market and other vendors who used it for special occasions like Tobacco Days. Now it's an unfinished eye sore and no one knows when it will be completed.
Now I heard that there is a tattoo Parlor going in where the old Al Beyers was or in the now closed fax/printer repair place was. Just what downtown needs. Crossroads Pizza was supposed to rent the vacant old Liquidator store but was told they cannot because of the zoning and then heard they were looking into renting Hoowies Bar but have seen nothing in the works there.
Fox Point is closed and who knows if they are going to re-open. If Edgerton ever wants downtown businesses to flourish, they need to think outside the box and think of something that will attract visitors and make people want to come and visit Edgerton.

Ah...the "White Elephant", just another example of Edgerton's fine leadership. And how much did that cost the taxpayers of Edgerton...was it something like 1.2 million....hmmm most likely just about the amount that is in it now. Oh well, another drink will solve that problem.

OkieFed,
Why so skeptical? Just because the developer has promised the project would be underway "any day" for the past month and a half and yet not only has no work been started, but materials have been hauled away from the work site. C'mon, just listen to the city's leadership, nothing to see here, all is well, move along...and while you're at it have another beer at one of our many taverns.

I don't think it is accurate to assume that Edgerton is known only for its bars. I was raised in Beloit, now live in Janesville and am in my fifth decade of life. Until just recently, I had no knowledge of Edgerton's "reputation" as a bar town. My peers and I only knew Edgerton as the childhood home of writer Sterling North and as a place where they grew (and still grow) tobacco.

Longshot - I just searched the Gazette archive and found photos.
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While I agree with you that no one would want to have a bunch of taverns out their brand new condo window - with all that commotion at bar time - isn't that exactly why the Mayor proposed limiting (perhaps reducing) the taverns downtown?
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Kids hanging out the windows of a new building is all Edgerton will get if taverns are the city council's idea of business development.
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But I must disagree with you on tearing the new building down.
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Why not put city hall in the street level of that building? And Chicago is not the poverty-stricken tenement town you imply.
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Perhaps Edgerton should condemn the other side of that street and bulldoze whatever storefront is now vacant, and use that ground space for parking.

Adding insult to injury ~ have you seen that hidius structure looming over the main street. What a joke. Who or what class of people do they think will rent or own a place where the only thing to see out your windows are taverns and old abandended warehouses? The best hope for that thing is to tear it down and make a parking lot..reminds me of downtown Chicago with kids hanging out the windows.

farmdude - wow. Hope you all can keep that young guy as mayor, and perhaps convince the city council that he can change the outward impression of Edgerton.
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Without new young leaders thinking outside the box in Edgerton, that town will keep watching the Dana Plant rust to the ground - a symbolic death that sadly, my hometown of Janesville, may soon be following.

Yes, LongTimeGone, your third point is accurate. That former mayor who brought politically-motivated scandal to Edgerton is back on the City Council. Thank God Thompson wanted to remain mayor, otherwise the former mayor would probably have the job back.

The Mayor is right - and it is not about underage drinking...it is about what "face" the city of Edgerton wishes to present beyond their borders.
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Edgerton continues to be a joke for a city, despite the Mayor's best efforts.
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Did I read the previous mayor had the previous police chief arrest a former city councilman for lascivious behavior in one those many downtown bars? Wasn't that same former mayor drinking with that councilman when the arrest occurred?
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Instead of Edgerton being known as a quaint little, picturesque town that reminds us all of threshers, and the rich farming heritage, Edgerton has a reputation of a tavern-town.
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And a long time ago, I hate to admit, my Janesville buddies drove Highway 51 to the bars in Edgerton because we never got carded.

Unless teens are drinking in the bars, I fail to see how the number of taverns and teen drinking have a true correlation. What's next, a smoking ban in the tobacco city? While Mayor Thompson is a sharp guy, I am glad to see the Council go against his recommendation on this one.

Edgerton....where Skid Row and Main Street are one and the same. : (

Let em drink!!!! I grew up there and we had 12 bars in town. Some burnt down and changed hands and we didnt have a prob. Edgerton per capita had the highest beer distribution in the county. Now dont take that legacy away it is my fondest memory LOL.

What's that you say? The po-dunk Edgerton City Council flip flopping because a couple "squeaky wheels" show up at a meeting? Say it isn't so. These dopes that run the city spend all this time trying to figure out why nobody will bring any business, why would you? The folks that are supposed to be running the city don't have the brains nor the stones to stick to their convictions on anything. Not the place I would open a business.