URL: http://www.gazetteextra.com/Content/SHIFTING_GEARS_FIVE_YEARS_AFTER_GM
URL: http://www.gazetteextra.com/Content/SHIFTING_GEARS_FIVE_YEARS_AFTER_GM
It's been five years since General Motors ended decades of production at its hulking assembly plant in Janesville. In a two-day series, The Gazette takes an in-depth look at the economy and facilities left behind and how they're positioned for the future.
DAY ONE: JANESVILLE RECOVERS
Five years after GM plant closed, local economy recovering nicely
The local economy hasn't replaced the high-paying manufacturing jobs that left with the General Motors assembly plant, but local economic development officials said the area has recovered better than they had hoped.
Approach to job training changes
Looking back, Bob Borremans isn't sure he would have done workforce training any differently in the wake of the General Motors closure.
Life in Janesville hasn't been as bad as often portrayed
A piece that was published in Mother Jones magazine in 2009 painted a much bleaker picture of Janesville than what was actually occurring.
Other sectors help manufacturing losses
It's no secret that the manufacturing sector—for decades the base of Rock County's economy—has been battered.
Frank Schultz: Disaster strikes; Janesville perseveres
The view of Janesville as another town about to dry up and blow away has not proved true, longtime Gazette reporter Frank Schultz writes.
DAY TWO: THE FUTURE OF THE PLANT
City officials hope to turn lemons into lemonade at the idled GM plant
Questions abound about the future of the site of the idled GM site in Janesville. But residents can be hopeful the end result will be good for the community.
GM plant's future hinges on next contract
General Motors has been tight-lipped about the future of the Janesville plant, other than to say that future market conditions and the contract between the automaker and its union will dictate what happens.
Fair officials 'thrilled' with possible option to stay in Janesville
Janesville's assistant city manager has pitched a plan to move the Rock County 4-H Fairgrounds to the General Motors plant site, and the fair board president says he's thrilled.
Officials hopeful contamination at GM site 'manageable'
Longtime Janesville residents might be surprised the General Motors plant doesn't glow at night after almost a century of intense industrial production.
Other cities show what could have been done with GM plant
On the same day General Motors' last SUV rolled off the line in Janesville, a similar scene was unfolding 400 miles away at GM's plant in the small town of Moraine, Ohio.
Our Views: We're building a new economy
Much has been accomplished since General Motors closed its Janesville plant five years ago, and much work remains.
MULTIMEDIA
Former GM plant tour guide Bob Geisler has fond memories of the facility. But as planning proceeds on the property's future, the community's future concerns him more.
Black & white photos documenting the history of Janesville's GM plant.
Color photos documenting the more recent history of Janesville's GM plant.
Photos from the last day of production at Janesville's GM plant on December 23, 2008.
