PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — In our politically divided times, bipartisan agreements seem like a rarity.
But Friday morning in Green Bay, two members of Congress from opposite sides of the aisle appeared together to highlight $5 million in federal funding going toward Green Bay’s new fire station and administration headquarters.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, and Rep. Tony Wied, R-8th District, held a news conference at one of the current fire stations. Both legislators helped secure the funding.
“It’s no secret that Congressman Wied and I don’t always agree on everything,” Baldwin said before emphasizing that both believe in public safety.
“Our firefighters do not think about a political party when they are heading into harm’s way to head to the rescue. And backing our firefighters should never be a partisan issue either,” said Baldwin.
Wied added, “I can’t think of a better use of our taxpayer dollars than ensuring our first responders here in Green Bay have the very best tools at their disposal to keep our families safe in an emergency.”
Green Bay plans to combine operations from the closed Station 1 and outdated Station 3 at the brand-new facility. Administrative offices will also be housed there.
In December, city officials said the project’s costs had grown to $19 million — about $4 million more than originally anticipated. As a result, the city was considering reducing the size of the project. Now, it appears that won’t be necessary, as a new federal spending agreement passed earlier this month includes $5 million for the GBMFD project.
“We’re still trying to get completely within budget, but that $5 million makes it more realistic to get everything we need in this fire station in there, without having to cut parts of it and getting half or three quarters of what we want,” said Eric Jeltema, the interim co-chief of the Green Bay Metro Fire Department. “The new station will improve our operational efficiency and long-term sustainability. It incorporates modern technology and energy-efficient systems. It’s built with durable construction to reduce maintenance costs over time. And it’s designed to accommodate larger, more modern emergency apparatus.”
A few more details still need to be worked out, but the plan is to start construction on the new fire station before the end of the year.
Plans for the development also call for apartments at the complex that will be open for the public to rent. This funding will have no impact on that $25 million dollar project.
Green Bay’s mayor said he hopes the buildings that will be connected to the station can simultaneously be constructed, but the housing complex still needs to secure additional funding.
The federal spending bill that provided the $5 million for the fire station also included money for three other Northeast Wisconsin projects:
- $1 million to the Boys & Girls Club Fox Valley for mental and behavioral health issues
- $480,000 to Veterans 1st of NEW for the construction of affordable housing
- $125,000 to Skanikulat Inc. for preserving and expanding access to the Oneida language
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