The WPS Pulliam Power Plant Site (Fox 11 Online)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The newly signed state budget includes $20 million to expand the Port of Green Bay.
The project involves moving the coal piles out of downtown, but this money will allow the full scope of the work to be done sooner and at a lower cost, according to Port of Green Bay Director Dean Haen.
“It’s a historic investment and we’re going to be able to build that full site out and really create economic growth for generations,” said Haen.
Brown County had accumulated about $33 million in state and federal grants to turn the former Pulliam Power Plant site into a port. That money is being used to get about 19 acres on the north end of the property ready.
Haen says adding in $20 million from the state will allow the southern half to be developed at the same time, likely completing the full project at least five years earlier.
Last month, a deal was reached to have C. Reiss Company take the north half of the site. It will move salt from the Fox River Terminal to the new port, opening up space for its coal that is currently stored downtown.
Haen says the piles that have sat south of the Mason Street Bridge for 124 years will likely be gone sometime in 2027.
“They will distribute their coal to their customers and deplete those piles and new coal will be coming to the Fox River Terminals property, so you’ll start to see less and less between now and then, but they still may have to get a few ships sometime next year to meet their needs,” said Haen.
State Rep. Ben Franklin (R-De Pere) and State Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) submitted the motion for the $20 million shortly after the coal piles deal was struck.
“To square off that port, do the environmental remediation and then setup the entire Northeast Wisconsin to take some major shipping is real good economically,” said Wimberger.
The money allows the port to start looking for an additional operator or two for the Pulliam site much sooner. Interest is expected to be high, along with the impact.
“If we have 14 terminal operators generating $250 million worth of economic activity and we add basically 1 1/2, you can just proportionally assume the economic activity is going to grow by $40 to $75 million a year,” said Haen.
And that’s not counting what could be coming to replace where the coal piles currently sit. Studies have shown the area could generate about $150 million in new development.
The City of Green Bay has agreed to chip in up to $2.2 million for the project if there’s a funding gap.
Haen says saving money by being able to do the full work right away could end up lowering or eliminating the amount the city kicks in.
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