GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — From buying new Bay Beach rides to low income home improvement grants, Green Bay’s city council had 46 proposals for the use of part of the city’s remaining $14.6 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
The council held a special meeting Tuesday evening to make decisions on which proposals should receive funding.
Almost half of the public speakers live on Nicolet Drive, along the bay on the city’s far east side, where heavy rains have caused flooding problems for years.
“We’ve experienced flooding every year, so much so that it has created almost $50,000 worth of damage,” said Moira Callan, a resident impacted by the flooding.
The council approved spending $250,000 to address flooding in the area. That is in addition to $500,000 the county has agreed to put toward a solution.
The largest ask was $9 million to build a new fire station to combine and replace fire stations 1 and 3, which are 93 and 85 years old.
“This is something that will last decades, if not generations, and serve our community for a long time,” said Jen Grant, an alderperson advocating for a new fire station. “And again, this is not a project that is ‘if,’ but ‘when.’”
Green Bay City Attorney Joanne Bungert questioned whether the fire station proposal meets federal eligibility for ARPA dollars.
“A big hurdle is the need and impact of replacing the fire stations is proportionately more focused on improving the conditions and security of the employees themselves rather than benefiting the public health that has been connected to or impacted by the pandemic specifically,” said Bungert.
Most city council members agreed these fire stations need to be replaced. A compromise was reached to use $1 million to purchase a site for a new fire station.
Other projects approved include $800,000 to bring two new rides to Bay Beach Amusement Park and $1.4 million to replace the roof and make the Bay Beach pavilion a year-round facility.
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