Fest to mark 'half way' to a rebuilt West Milwaukee Street
Jul. 23—After four months of construction has kept West Milwaukee Street closed in downtown Janesville, the $5.9 million project is said to have reached its midpoint. Choosing to shift the focus from the ongoing inconvenience, some owners of business along the street are celebrating the progress made to date.
To commemorate the milestone, Murphy Brothers LLP is throwing a Halfway There Block Party from 1-3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Organizer Paul Murphy said the event at 200 W. Milwaukee St. will feature the sale of brat lunches for $5 a plate with all of the proceeds are going to the local Everyone Cooperating to Help Others charity. Several downtown merchants are donating an additional 10% of their sales that day to ECHO as well, he said.
Velvet and Tulle Boutique and Home Again Consignments are participating in the ECHO donation program, while Classy Rascals Children's Boutique will donate 10% of their sales to the Rock County Foster Care Program. Riley's Sports Bar and Grill, Cozy Inn and O'Riley and Conway's bar will offer food and drink specials.
Murphy says the main purpose of the event is to bring people downtown to see the progress made at this point in the construction project. He said business owners could use the support as they've experienced multiple hardships in recent months.
"They've had to go through COVID and through West Milwaukee Street construction," he said.
Jim Alverson, owner of Home Again Consignment, said he initially struggled as residents had issues navigating the downtown street closures. During construction, Alverson said his sales were down by 80%.
Despite this, he said his store has bounced back and he sees the project as a positive step for the community.
"Downtown Janesville will be seen as more of a destination for out-of-town shoppers," he said.
Next door, at Velvet and Tulle, owner Kari Reents acknowledged the constraints, but said the short-term roadblocks will be worth the long-term benefits.
"It's a little price to pay for as beautiful as it does look now," she said.
Farther down the street, Jacqueline King at Jacqueline King Designs said she's grateful her business didn't dip during West Milwaukee Street's tear-up.
"I have a business that is a service, and people need my service," she said.
King also sees the reconstruction as a step in the right direction.
"Overall, it's going to draw more people downtown," she said.
On the other side of High Street—where construction is still underway—several business owners are optimistic for the future. But access to their storefronts remain challenging.
Even though the customers haven't disappeared, Kevin Duval of Crazy Joe's Best Deal Furniture said truck drivers have difficulty making deliveries to his building.
"It's going to be nicer when it's done, it's just the process of getting there," he said.
Phase two of the project is slated to continue until Oct. 15, and the city says the project remains on schedule. Work on a new water main was recently finished but sewer line installation continues. After the sewer works is done, new curbs and gutters will go in. Finally, new pavement and sidewalks will be constructed, which will round out the street project.
