MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis. — The couple that fought for five years to stop the village of Mount Pleasant from removing their home due to the Foxconn development is finally moving out, village board meeting minutes show.
Kim and Jim Mahoney are keeping their home, however.
They agreed to a $951,000 settlement with the village to remove the home at 10640 Prairie View Dr. next to the Foxconn campus to a spot still in the village.
“This is a big day that I was not sure would ever come," said Kelly Gallaher, spokesperson for A Better Mount Pleasant.
Gallaher spoke outside the new home location in support of the Mahoneys, who legally are not allowed to comment on their deal with the village.
On Wednesday, TMJ4 used a drone to capture footage of crews moving the home via a massive flatbed truck. Watch that footage here:
“I think it’s a great thing. I applaud them for not putting the house in a landfill (because) over 80 other houses did. This is the one that made it," said Gallaher.
The move was a massive undertaking, according to general contractor Bower Design and Construction. Badger Contracting did the moving — seven miles in three hours — which required the cooperation of local, county, and state authorities.
"There was a lot of moving parts. And candidly, I think everybody along from Mount Pleasant, to Racine County, to the Department of Transportation — everybody was really great to work with," said Chris Bower, co-owner of Bower Design and Construction.
The Mahoneys built the home in 2016. The next year, the state led by then Gov. Scott Walker agreed to a contract to allow Foxconn to build a massive screen manufactory in the village.
The Foxconn plant was supposed to provide 13,000 jobs and $10 billion in investments, but those goals have not been reached.
The land Foxconn wanted to build the plant on included the property owned by the Mahoneys. They held out for those five years of litigation as the village used eminent domain to force their neighbors to pick up and leave.
The Mahoneys settled with the village in August and agreed to deconstruct their home and move it, according to meeting minutes.
We reached out to Foxconn Technology Group on Wednesday to ask if they have any specific plans for the Mahoney land or updates on manufacturing and jobs. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
"Foxconn is the world's largest consumer electronics contract manufacturer and solutions provider and has invested more than $1 billion to-date in growing its footprint in the State of Wisconsin. With hundreds of employees verified by state economic officials, the company now has over 1,000 employees working in Wisconsin.
"The Park remains a key strategic asset, allowing the company to respond to market demand for Foxconn related activities that involve joint venture partnerships."
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was the first to report the details of the Mahoney deal.
**Correction: This report originally stated Gallaher spoke on behalf of the Mahoneys. She spoke on behalf of A Better Mount Pleasant only.
