Janesville City News: 3-6-2008

Weekly Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Thursday, March 06, 2008
Contact: Rebecca Smith, Management Assistant
Phone: 608-755-3104
Fax: 608-755-3196
E-mail: smithr@ci.janesville.wi.us
Website: www.ci.janesville.wi.us

Seasonal Employment Applications Now Available!
The City of Janesville hires seasonal employees to work in the Recreation, Parks, Engineering, Operations, Technical Services and Water/Wastewater Divisions. These City Divisions are responsible for the supervision of recreation programs and maintenance of various public facilities including: day camps & recreation programs, Rockport Pool, Dawson Softball Complex, Ice Center, Senior Citizen programs, Parks, Operations and Utilities within the City of Janesville. Seasonal employment packets and applications are available at the Municipal Building at 18 N. Jackson St. in either the Leisure Services Department (Wall Street entrance), in Human Resources (4th floor), or on the city’s website (www.ci.janesville.wi.us (click on jobs)). Call 755-3030 with any questions.

Softball Field Reservation Meeting
Leisure Services will be holding a field reservation meeting on Thursday, March 13th, at 7PM at the Leisure Services office (18 North Jackson Street - use Wall Street entrance). The purpose of this meeting is to have a lottery selection for available school and park softball fields for traveling/competitive youth teams during the summer of 2008. Any team coach or representative wishing to reserve fields should be in attendance at this meeting. Please call Leisure Services with any questions at 755-3030.

Home Buyer’s Workshop to be Offered in March
The Home Buyer’s Workshop is a series of classes geared toward those who have never owned a home and may be wondering what it takes to become a homeowner. Whether you are thinking about buying a home in the near or distant future, these classes will give you the information you need to make a wise purchase decision. Topics discussed include: the benefits of homeownership, household budgeting and credit, the benefits of a home inspection, writing an offer to purchase, the mortgage application process, property taxes, and local down payment and closing cost assistance programs.

The next series of the Home Buyer’s workshop is scheduled for Saturdays, March 15 and 22 from 9AM - 1PM. The classes are held at the City of Janesville Municipal Building, located at 18 N. Jackson Street. Participants must attend all classes to earn a certificate of completion.

The workshop is sponsored by Anchor Bank, Associated Bank, Johnson Bank, M&I Bank, Rock County Planning & Development, Blackhawk Community Credit Union, Commercial Bank and classes are taught by Community Action, Inc. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, please call Neighborhood Services at 755-3065.

Child Safety Seat Inspection Event Planned for March 18
The Janesville Fire Department will hold a car seat inspection event on March 18. This program will take place at Fire Station #5 (1414 Newport Avenue) from 2-6PM.

Four other inspection events have also been planned:
• April 10, 8AM-Noon
• May 8, 2-6PM
• June 12, 8AM-Noon

The purpose of this program is to assist parents in protecting the lives of Janesville’s youngest residents by providing certified child safety seat technicians who will inspect, instruct and correct improperly installed child safety seats. During the event, several technicians from the Janesville Fire and Police Departments will be available to inspect child safety seats. Each inspection takes approximately 30 minutes and is free of charge; however, donations are accepted. The donations will be used to fund the operating costs of the inspection program. The Fire Department also has safety seats available. If a safety seat is found to be unsafe during an inspection, parents may choose to conveniently obtain a new safety seat from the Fire Department. Please contact Firefighter/Paramedic Jamie Kessenich at Fire Station #5 at 752-5815 if you have questions or to schedule an appointment.

Holiday Hours: Good Friday, March 21 & Easter Sunday, March 23
All City of Janesville facilities will be open and all services will be provided as usual on March 21 including trash and recycling collection and JTS bus service. The library will be closed Easter Sunday, March 23.

S.A.F.E Training Scheduled for March 27
On March 27 from 5:30 – 7:30PM the Janesville Police Department will conduct safety training for women who are interested in learning more about personal protection. This event will take place at the Mercy Center at Mercy Hospital (1000 Mineral Point) in Janesville. If you are unable to attend this session, feel free to contact the Police Department to inquire about future training sessions.

What is “S.A.F.E.” Training? S.A.F.E stands for Self defense, Awareness, Familiarization and Exchange. The program is taught by police officers and is designed to educate women on how to protect themselves from crime by introducing them to physical training methods. To register for the class, please contact Mercy Health Systems at 756-6100. For additional information, call Sergeant Donohoue at 755-3133. Register early because classes fill quickly!

2007 Tree City USA Award
The National Arbor Day Foundation has awarded the City of Janesville with a Tree City USA and Growth Award for 2007. This award is presented annually to those communities that demonstrate an active urban forestry program to include education, tree planting and tree care. This is the fourth consecutive year that Janesville has received this award. The Janesville Shade tree Advisory Committee (JSTAC) has been instrumental in educating the community about the environmental and economic benefits of trees. JSTAC recently completed a City-wide inventory of terrace trees in Janesville. The results of this survey will be available in the future. For questions, please call Leisure Services at 755-3030.

Library News
For questions or more information about any of the library items below, please call the library at 758-6607.

PS2 Gaming Day @ Your Library
Teens are invited to get their game on at Teen Central’s Spring Breakaway PS2 Gaming Day on Tuesday, March 18 from 2-4 p.m. at Hedberg Public Library, 316 S. Main St. Students in grades 6-12 will rock out on the big screen with games Guitar Hero and the brand new Rock Band! Registration is required for this free teen event, so stop at the Children’s Service Desk or call 758-6585 to get in on the action today! For more teen programming information, or to download the teen program brochure, visit www.hedbergpubliclibrary.org.

Create a Picture Book @ Your Library
Have you ever wondered how picture books are made? “Book It!” gives kids in grades three through five a behind-the-scenes look at Hedberg Public Library, 316 S. Main St., on Wednesday, March 19 at 2 p.m. Then they’ll become authors themselves when they create their own story and illustrate it with drawings, photos and other cool stuff. All supplies will be provided. Registration is required and space is limited, so call 758-6585 or stop at the Children’s Desk to register. For more programming information, visit www.hedbergpubliclibrary.org.

Egg-stravaganza! @ Your Library
Children age four through grade two are invited to spend an egg-cellent afternoon at Hedberg Public Library, 316 S. Main St., on Thursday, March 20 at 1 p.m. Enjoy egg stories, egg games and egg crafts! All supplies will be provided. An adult must accompany each child to this free program. Registration is required and space is limited, so stop at the Children’s Desk or call 758-6585 to register today. For more programming information visit www.hedbergpubliclibrary.org.


Photo Opportunities Available
There are several City of Janesville events that would make excellent photo opportunities and story ideas. Please mark your calendar for these upcoming events and look for more information in future press releases.

Date Event Time & Location Contact
March 27 S.A.F.E. Training 5:30-7:30PM, Mercy Center at Mercy Hospital (1000 Mineral Point) Sergeant Donohoue, 755-3133.