Business owners voice reservations about Business Improvement District

By BETH WHEELOCK ( Contact )   Wednesday, July 16, 2008
ADVERTISEMENT
 

Podcast Episode


WCLO's Beth Wheelock reports on how a project that's successful in Beloit can also work for Janesville.

RSS   

Downtown Janesville business owners are learning what the assessments for a Business Improvement District, or BID, would cover.

BID task force member Larry Squire says signs marking the gateway to the downtown are recommended by the consultants performing the city's downtown plan. He says that's one improvement the BID could finance. The signs would be at Atwood and Milwaukee on the east, Racine and Main on the south, Centerway and Main on the north, and Five Points on the west.

Some business owners who attended Wednesday's meeting aren't convinced the idea will work. They say forcing business owners to pay an assessment isn't the right way to go about downtown improvements. Others are concerned it's creating a rift among business owners, and still others say they have reservations based on the timing of the project.

It's expected to come before the city council in August.

Scroll down to hear an audio feature about how Beloit's BID has fared.







reader COMMENTS

Before you post a comment, consider this:

Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy Agreement
  • Keep it clean. Comments that are obscene, vulgar or sexually oriented will be removed. Creative spelling of such terms or implied use of such language is banned, also.
  • Don't threaten to hurt or kill anyone.
  • Be nice. No racism, sexism or any other sort of -ism that degrades another person.
  • Harassing comments. If you are the subject of a harassing comment or personal attack by another user, do not respond in-kind.  Hit the "Suggest Removal" button on offensive comments.
  • Share what you know. Give us your eyewitness accounts, background, observations and history.
  • Do not libel anyone. Libel is writing something false about someone that damages that person's reputation.
  • Ask questions. What more do you want to know about the story?
  • Stay focused. Keep on the story's topic.
  • Help us get it right. If you spot a factual error or misspelling, email newsroom@gazettextra.com or call 1-800-362-6712.
  • Remember, this is our site. We set the rules, and we reserve the right to remove any comments that we deem inappropriate.

Post Comment

Commenting requires registration.

Username:
Password: (Forgotten your password?)

Comment:

ADVERTISEMENT