Green Bay, Brown County vow to move ahead with port expansion, coal piles efforts after missing key grant

GREEN BAY - The Port of Green Bay missed out on a federal grant that would have closed a significant funding gap in a plan to build a new port terminal and relocate the coal piles out of Green Bay's central city.

The port sought $25 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant program after cost estimates to build a new port terminal on the Pulliam Power Plant site came in at almost $49 million, $19 million higher than expected. The community's application included letters of support from 40 businesses, area legislators and Gov. Tony Evers.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a call with media said the department awarded almost 150 projects a total of $1.8 billion, just not to Green Bay. It received more than 1,000 funding requests seeking a total of $13 billion.

The news may be a setback in the Port of Green Bay's efforts to secure the money it needs to finish construction and improvements on the new port terminal site, but Port Director Dean Haen said the new project on the western shore near the mouth of the Fox River will happen.

"We will continue to work with our partners to develop a state-of-the-art port facility, while also working with them on mutually beneficial goals such as riverfront development. Other funding sources and port development options will be explored," Haen said in a prepared statement.

The new terminal would give the port, Brown County , the city of Green Bay and C. Reiss Coal Co. the space needed to potentially relocate C. Reiss' business off prime, riverfront land in a rapidly redeveloping area of Green Bay.

Mayor Eric Genrich, County Executive Troy Streckenbach undeterred by grant decision

Not getting the grant won't deter local officials who remain committed to build a new port terminal and relocate the coal piles.

"While we are disappointed that the port did not receive this grant, Brown County will continue to work with our community partners to develop the former Pulliam Plant site to its highest and best use,” Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach said in a statement. “We are steadfast in achieving the Port of Green Bay’s goals of port growth and expansion, and remain supportive of the city of Green Bay’s effort to redevelop its waterfront.”

Green Bay also remains committed to the effort, Mayor Eric Genrich wrote in a post on X , formerly known as Twitter.

"Progress on a project of this scale rarely proceeds in a straight line. In the days ahead we will be exploring a variety of options with our public and private partners to get it done," Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich postedin a post on X , formerly known as Twitter.

Appleton's Valley Transit secured one of two RAISE grants awarded to Wisconsin projects. Valley Transit was awarded $25 million to fund construction of a new downtown Appleton transit center that includes affordable housing. The city of Waukesha was awarded $1.1 million to plan two bicycle and pedestrian bridges over major state highway interchanges.

More on the Port of Green Bay: What to know about the Port of Green Bay's $217 million economic impact

What's involved in the Port of Green Bay expansion?

Part of the reason the project is so expensive is because it is so expansive.

The project would involve improvements in the Fox River and on the property itself, including rail and road construction. The port expansion plans call for crews to:

• Dredge the Fox River along the site and install a steel dock wall to enable ships to access the site.
• Construct a rail spur.
• Fill in the docking slip on the Pulliam site.
• Build a stormwater detention basin.
• Add mooring facilities and crane pads for port operations.
• Repair the sea wall.

The work would create a publicly owned port terminal with flexibility in the type of cargo and vessels it can handle. The terminal could also potentially create space C. Reiss would need to move its coal operation from its current site just south of the Mason Street bridge. Those negotiations and discussions would occur separately from the port terminal development.

More: A port, a power plant and partnerships: How Green Bay and Brown County could finally relocate the coal piles

If plans move forward, would the coal piles be moved from one site to the other?

It's not likely residents will watch a barge load up with coal from one site and move it to the other.

Instead, C. Reiss would more likely let the coal piles on the site south of the Mason Street bridge dwindle as customers order coal. As new coal deliveries arrive, it would be unloaded at a new, designated coal piles site.

This, of course, assumes the county, city and C. Reiss will reach an agreement to relocate the operation.

Brown County has already have about $30.8 million for the project

Here's a look at the money the port and Brown County have already secured for the port expansion effort.

• $15 million in state American Rescue Plan Act funding
• $10.1 million federal Port Infrastructure Development Program Grant
• $500,000 Idle Sites Grant from Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. used to buy the property
• $3.2 million in Brown County American Rescue Plan Act dollars
• $2.1 million in WisDOT Harbor Assistance Grants

"We are thankful for the support we have received to date from our federal, state and local supporters, and look forward to working with them in the future," Haen said in a statement.

Brown County port expansion, Green Bay coal piles relocation timeline

• January 2021: Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. awards Brown County a $500,000 grant to purchase the former J.P. Pulliam Power Plant site from Wisconsin Public Service Corp.
• February 2021: Brown County approves the $2.7 million purchase of the Pulliam site with plans to develop a new Port of Green Bay terminal, enable GLC Minerals to expand and to potentially relocate the coal piles out of Green Bay's central city.
• March 2023: Gov. Tony Evers awards Brown County a $15 million Neighborhood Investment Fund Grant to support the new port terminal and coal piles relocation effort.
• May 2023: U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tour the former Pulliam site after the port received a $10.1 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant for the expansion.
• August 2023: The new port terminal project cost estimates come in at $48.7 million , more than $19 million higher than port officials expected.
• April 2024: Tom Perez, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, toured the coal piles site and C. Reiss officials publicly backed the county-city collaborative effort.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier .

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay, Brown County vow to move ahead with port expansion, coal piles efforts after missing key grant