| By Big Radio News Staff |
A Janesville retail landlord has until Monday to fix code violations or multiple tenants could have to vacate.
Janesville Fire Department Fire Marshal Nate Simmons says his office flagged the violations early this year, apparently in vacant parts of the multi-tenant Harmony Square at 2100 E. Milwaukee St.
He says the city of Janesville has sent multiple notices to owner Grafft Investments to fix problems including exposed electric wiring in an area that’s been under construction to build out a planned restaurant, along with and ceiling tiles and fixtures that apparently were obstructing sprinklers.
Another space apparently has too much woodwork coated with a synthetic finish, and the city requires it to be covered with new wall board.
Simmons says the problems affect multiple tenants because the building, a multi-office mercantile mall, isn’t equipped with firewalls that would separate unaffected tenant spaces from other areas apparently flagged for violations.
City inspection documents obtained by WCLO Radio in an open records request show that as of Wednesday, the city has warned Grafft Investments it could issue an order to vacate as early as Monday. But it appears that warning has spurred some recent fixes at Harmony Square.
City documents show as of late this week, Grafft has fixed some of the fire sprinkler problems, but inspection reports indicate there was remaining construction refuse in vacant parts of the building that could potentially block fire exits, and some electrical outlets have exposed wiring inspectors say could pose a safety hazard.
Simmons said this week the fire marshal’s office is taking the fixes day-by-day, with daily inspections slated through Monday to see if the owner is addressing the problems. He says if there are fire code violations remaining by Monday, the city could set a date by which Harmony Square’s active business tenants would need to temporarily vacate the building.
Simmons says if it came down to a vacation order, the deadline for tenants to shut down operations would be based on the severity and scope of lingering code violations.
The violations, many of which seem linked to the ongoing renovations, surfaced early this year after a fire inspection. It’s not clear how long the violations might have existed prior to the city flagging them, ordering correction, and threatening a notice to vacate.
Harmony Square’s owner has been renovating part of the building in a process that’s stretched out over the last several years, with the goal to bring what was initially a planned bar and grill to the building.
Owner Jim Grafft says in an email to WCLO that he finds the city violations and the warning to vacate the building “quite surprising.”
He indicates the city had flagged sprinkler components he says are newly installed equipment the were previously “never required” by the city.
At one point recently, Grafft says the city told him to install sprinklers underneath a vintage carousel he installed in the building. That’s an order Grafft calls “impossible” to follow.
Grafft owns and operates multiple prominent local real estate properties, including the former Monterey Hotel in downtown Janesville, which Grafft has renovated as an apartment building.
His other holdings include a former church sanctuary he converted to an event venue in downtown Janesville, and a strip mall property on Milton Avenue with tenants including a music shop, two Mexican food eateries and a barbecue restaurant.