GREEN BAY (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt is warning the Stadium District Board of a legal battle in the future.
The lawsuit would be over a half a million dollars that Schmitt believes should go towards an updated plan for the Shipyard project that he plans to roll out within the next 30 days.
Mayor Schmitt tells Fox 11 that they still intend on fulfilling an agreement with the Green Bay/ Brown County Professional Football Stadium District Board for the $500,000 dollar grant.
“The concept remains the same,” said Schmitt. “We feel good about it. We’re tweaking it right now.”
Changes had to be made after the original plans fell through when the Green Bay Bullfrogs decided to move their home field to Ashwaubenon, after originally deciding to play ball at a new field that was part of the Shipyard plan.
Ron Antonneau, a Stadium District board members says some members feel the change means the money should not go to the city.
“We have done it with other projects and if we don’t put the money back, I think other projects that we’ve had may want to come back and say ‘hey what about us?’” said Ron Antonneau, a member of the board.
One contingency of the grant agreement between Green Bay and the Stadium District Board, which was signed in August 2017, reads the management agreement shall include ‘Green Bay Bullfrogs Baseball, or another franchised Northwoods League team.’
Schmitt says the Shipyard’s updated plan won’t include baseball.
“That’s just a small part of the contingencies,” said Schmitt. “When they gave the money, and it’s well documented, that was to the redevelopment of the Shipyard area and that’s what we believe the money was for.”
Schmitt made his wishes known in the form of a letter to the Stadium District Board.
“It is my understanding that the District intends to terminate the Agreement,” Schmitt wrote in the letter. “While I hope this is not the case, from these conversations it appears that litigation is all but certain at this point.”
“I don’t think it serves the city well to threaten and do that,” said Antonneau. “I think it serves the city better to come back with another proposal like Bay Beach or the Shipyard. They have to put together another proposal.”
The Stadium District Board is expected to discuss Schmitt’s letter and its options for the grant at its meeting next Monday.
