Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Janesville GM/Jacko Redevelopment Advisory Board Meeting - September 24, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, September 24, 2026

BodyJanesville, Wisconsin

SessionMeeting Portal

DateThursday, September 24, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:10:36

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:02

And John Witchell.

0:04

Okay.

0:05

Paul What I need present and comment here.

0:07

And just apologies, Chair.

0:10

Brief uh notice I hit record on this because this will serve as our video records.

0:16

I just want to let everybody know we're recording.

0:22

We received the minutes from the July 22nd meeting in your packet or on the website.

0:28

Was there any questions or comments on those?

0:38

I have one question for Amy on those.

0:42

You said that we're finishing up some stakeholder interviews.

0:46

Any more of those have been completed since then?

0:49

Oh, since July 20.

0:53

Since July 22nd.

0:55

Yes.

0:56

I would need to check the exact dates to see which ones were completed after July 22nd.

1:02

But I can send those over if that's okay.

1:05

I just don't know them off the top of my head.

1:07

That's fine.

1:08

Well, will those get summarized back into the previous data because I I questioned some of the data we had were at Call of Arch architect agricultural greenhouses, but wanted jobs, and we didn't seem seemingly we didn't have all the information kind of melded together.

1:23

Will that kind of pull it all together then?

1:26

Yeah, so we're gonna release the first like chapter of the planning document and draft to you guys, and that's gonna have summaries of all the different engagements, including um some of the stakeholder feedback.

1:40

Thank you.

1:47

Um I think there might have been a bug.

1:51

Because I don't think I was getting after I signed up, maybe getting the emails, but it's not really obvious on the website like where the sign-up is.

1:59

Has anyone else tried to sign up for emails on the GM Jack website on the bottom?

2:03

Yeah, it's a little bit and that's a great point.

2:06

Amy, I believe we had talked about that and moving that up to the header.

2:10

Do you know if that's yes, because that's where originally we wanted it both at the bottom, but also at the top, so people saw it in two locations.

2:18

Um, I guess the issue was in the header, it wasn't allowing the link, so we may put it in the project introduction, but we are working to move it to the top.

2:27

That's great.

2:28

Thanks so much.

2:30

Yeah, we identified that.

2:31

I completely agree.

2:34

Okay.

2:35

Other questions on the minutes.

2:38

If not, I stand a motion to approve the July 22nd minutes.

2:43

Uh motion by Lindsay, is there a second?

2:47

Second.

2:47

Second by Jacarmo.

2:49

All in favor.

2:50

Opposed.

2:53

Hearing on motion carries.

2:55

Um business.

2:57

So with that, I will turn it over to new business, which Amy and Nottie are here to talk a little bit.

3:04

I think Nick has some things for us also within that.

3:10

You want me to go ahead and yeah, you go ahead.

3:13

Okay.

3:13

That sounds great.

3:15

Thanks for having us here today.

3:17

Um the plans are progressing nicely, and we're excited to give you guys an update today.

3:23

We will be talking about the design workshop.

3:27

That's the main purpose of this meeting today.

3:29

Kind of the overall um how it's gonna work, very similar to the last workshop, but want to go over some of the details on that and then some next steps on what to expect.

3:44

So for the design workshop.

3:46

Okay, so the objective on this one is to highlight the key insights learned from the community, the land, and the market.

3:55

So during the last few months, as you know, we've been doing the community engagement, analyzing the land, um, including the environmental conditions and the market analysis.

4:06

So now we have a good grasp on those, and we want to show the community what those key insights are.

4:12

Um, we also want to show how those are being incorporated into the plan.

4:16

So there's a couple slides to show case that.

4:20

Um, the big thing in the this is when it starts to get exciting is to show the community conceptual redevelopment concepts and to begin to get feedback on those.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████54%

Public Engagement█████████████████████25%

Public Works████████10%

Procedural███4%

Environmental Protection███4%

Data Center Regulation███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Janesville GM/Jacko Redevelopment Advisory Board Meeting - September 24, 2026

On September 24, 2026, the GM/Jacko Redevelopment Advisory Board met to review and plan for the upcoming design workshop, discuss communication strategies, and address potential impacts of a pending referendum on the redevelopment process. The meeting began with approval of previous minutes and included presentations from project consultants Stantec.

Consent Calendar

Minutes Approval: The board unanimously approved the minutes from the July 22, 2026 meeting. Motion by Lindsay, seconded by Jacarmo; all in favor.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were received during the meeting.

Discussion Items

Design Workshop Planning (October 14, 2026): Amy and Nadia from Stantec presented the objectives and format for the upcoming design workshop, scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Hyatt Smith Commons at White Rock. The workshop will be an open house format with multiple stations: welcome/project background, key insights (market, land, community), mobility connections, concept feedback for the GM and Jacko sites separately, and details/amenities. Voting methods will include stickers, dot voting, and sliding scales. The board discussed the importance of showing how community feedback has been integrated and requested larger dots for easier voting.
Environmental Data Presentation: Stantec proposed showing a detailed environmental map indicating areas of soil impact, vapor intrusion risks, and required caps. Board members expressed strong support for presenting this information, combined with a simplified version and an FAQ addressing why GM did not clean up certain areas. The board noted that this transparency would help the public understand constraints and phasing.
Referendum Impact on Process: The board discussed how a pending referendum on the parcel could affect the redevelopment. Members emphasized the city's non-lobbying position and agreed to craft a clear, non-political statement about potential impacts on implementation (but not design). Legal counsel was suggested for review.
Marketing and Communications Plan: Nick and board members outlined outreach efforts, including press releases, social media, email distribution to a registered voter list (14,000 emails), physical posters, transit bus posters, and potential postcard mailings. The board debated whether to use letters or postcards for saturation mail, with a preference for postcards. The cost and logistics were discussed, with a plan to finalize offline.
Online Engagement Clarification: The board noted that the design workshop will be in-person only, with no companion virtual component or post-event survey. Members stressed that communications should clearly state this to avoid confusion.
Site Name and Repository Feedback: The board suggested soliciting a new name for the site (other than GM and Jacko) during the implementation phase and requested that Stantec materials be made available on the city website in a single repository for easier public access.
Website Sign-Up Issue: A board member noted difficulty finding the email sign-up on the project website. Stantec confirmed they are working to move the sign-up link to the header.

Key Outcomes

Design Workshop Confirmed: The workshop will proceed on October 14, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with a post-meeting debrief from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM. The board will receive draft boards by October 8 for review.
Environmental Communication: Stantec will incorporate a simplified time/money intensity continuum map alongside the detailed map, and add an FAQ on why GM didn't clean up contamination.
Referendum Statement: The board and city staff will draft a concise statement on how the referendum may or may not affect implementation, to be reviewed by legal counsel and shared at the workshop if asked.
Marketing Actions: The city will update the event poster to say "in-person design workshop," send at least two more email blasts, and explore placing sandwich boards at the farmers market. A decision on postcard mailings will be made offline.
Stantec Board Materials: Stantec will share workshop boards with the board by October 8 for review prior to the event.

Meeting Transcript

And John Witchell. Okay. Paul What I need present and comment here. And just apologies, Chair. Brief uh notice I hit record on this because this will serve as our video records. I just want to let everybody know we're recording. We received the minutes from the July 22nd meeting in your packet or on the website. Was there any questions or comments on those? I have one question for Amy on those. You said that we're finishing up some stakeholder interviews. Any more of those have been completed since then? Oh, since July 20. Since July 22nd. Yes. I would need to check the exact dates to see which ones were completed after July 22nd. But I can send those over if that's okay. I just don't know them off the top of my head. That's fine. Well, will those get summarized back into the previous data because I I questioned some of the data we had were at Call of Arch architect agricultural greenhouses, but wanted jobs, and we didn't seem seemingly we didn't have all the information kind of melded together. Will that kind of pull it all together then? Yeah, so we're gonna release the first like chapter of the planning document and draft to you guys, and that's gonna have summaries of all the different engagements, including um some of the stakeholder feedback. Thank you. Um I think there might have been a bug. Because I don't think I was getting after I signed up, maybe getting the emails, but it's not really obvious on the website like where the sign-up is. Has anyone else tried to sign up for emails on the GM Jack website on the bottom? Yeah, it's a little bit and that's a great point. Amy, I believe we had talked about that and moving that up to the header. Do you know if that's yes, because that's where originally we wanted it both at the bottom, but also at the top, so people saw it in two locations. Um, I guess the issue was in the header, it wasn't allowing the link, so we may put it in the project introduction, but we are working to move it to the top. That's great. Thanks so much. Yeah, we identified that. I completely agree. Okay. Other questions on the minutes. If not, I stand a motion to approve the July 22nd minutes. Uh motion by Lindsay, is there a second? Second. Second by Jacarmo. All in favor. Opposed. Hearing on motion carries. Um business. So with that, I will turn it over to new business, which Amy and Nottie are here to talk a little bit. I think Nick has some things for us also within that. You want me to go ahead and yeah, you go ahead. Okay. That sounds great. Thanks for having us here today. Um the plans are progressing nicely, and we're excited to give you guys an update today.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com