Decision on Pulliam site, potential Green Bay coal piles move, set to be made next week

Coal piles along the Fox River in Green Bay, April 11, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – It appears a decision could come next week on which direction Brown County will go with land that was purchased with the intent to relocate the coal piles out of downtown Green Bay.

The county’s Planning, Development & Transportation Committee is scheduled to go into closed session Tuesday to discuss a possible direction regarding the request for information responses received for future use of the former Pulliam Power Plant site at the mouth of the Fox River. The agenda also gives the committee the option to take action in open session.

The following day, on Wednesday, the full county board has similar items on its agenda.

Last month, the county reported eight parties answered the request for information, including C. Reiss Company – the owner of the coal piles.

C. Reiss Company sent a letter a to county supervisors a week ago formally rejecting an offer to lease part of the Pulliam site to relocate the coal piles.

The letter comes about a month after C. Reiss submitted a new proposal to Brown County to move the coal piles off the prime riverfront property where they’ve sat for about 125 years.

At its December 18 meeting, the county board agreed to offer C. Reiss a lease for up to 40 years that would pay the county $110,00 per year with a 2.5% annual escalator. The lease also required air and water quality reports and an agreement with the City of Green Bay on how the current coal piles site would be used in the future.

C. Reiss’ new offer sent in February was to either purchase the Pulliam site for $3.5 million or lease it for 25 years with three 25-year options to extend the lease. Lease payments would start at $110,000 per year with a 2% increase each year during the term agreement.

In its rejection letter, C. Reiss explained it couldn’t accept the county’s lease for four reasons:

1. 7 of the 17.5 acres being offered are water.
2. Place a 30-year expiration date on C. Reiss’ business.
3. Arbitrarily require a redevelopment agreement for the Mason Street by June between C. Reiss and Green Bay.
4. Terms require C. Reiss to send duplicative air and water compliance reports to the county that are already sent to the DNR.

C. Reiss notes in its rejection letter that its proposal sent in February expires on March 19, which is the day the county board is scheduled to take up the issue.