Brown County and C. Reiss Co. have agreed to the final pieces of the lease for the former Pulliam site, a major step ahead in relocating the coal piles in Green Bay.
The county announced the parties reached an agreement May 7, about two weeks after county officials said the deal was at an impasse. The Brown County Board approved the language of the final contract April 21 and was waiting on approval from C. Reiss.
The terms were the last pieces of the lease that needed approval between all the parties after officials worked out the bulk of the contract for the design of the county-owned former Pulliam site in February.
“I’m extremely happy that both sides were able to seize this historic opportunity by agreeing to a long-term lease agreement that will have the utmost positive economic impact on Brown County and northeast Wisconsin,” Troy Streckenbach, Brown County executive, said in a statement. “Thank you to our internal Brown County team, the Brown County board of supervisors, and the city of Green Bay for their cooperation and support during this complicated process, and to the state of Wisconsin and the federal government for their assistance.”
Construction began this year. First steps included ordering the steel for the Port of Green Bay development site.
C. Reiss will lease 16 acres of the former Pulliam site, and the county will have to find another tenant for the rest of the 37-acre area.
The goal is to get the former Pulliam site ready to store salt by 2028 or 2029. The existing coal piles would then slowly deplete and new coal would be stored at the Fox River Terminals.
“This is an important step forward in the effort to expand capacity at the Port of Green Bay, facilitate the relocation of coal piles from the downtown Mason Street riverfront, and advance the community’s long-standing goal of redeveloping that site. C. Reiss has proudly served the Green Bay community for more than 100 years, and we appreciate the work of Brown County, the city of Green Bay, and our state and federal partners to move this project forward,” said Keith Haselhoff, C. Reiss CEO. “We look forward to continuing to work cooperatively with the county as the parties move into execution and implementation.”
What is included in the lease?
“This agreement will further enhance the Port of Green Bay’s current $217 million annual economic impact on our region by providing opportunities for long-term growth,” said Dean Haen, Port of Green Bay director.
On May 7, Streckenbach said the city is also “on deck” with the lease to redevelop the Mason Street site.
County Board members highlight major ‘turning point’ for the community
While Brown County first bought the Pulliam site in 2021, efforts to relocate the coal piles storage has been a decades-long goal for city and county officials and residents in the nearby neighborhoods.
That’s why the lease agreement is “personal one” for County Board members Emily Jacobson and Megan Borchardt, who serve districts surrounding the coal piles.
“For years, residents have shared hopes, frustrations, concerns, and ideas about the future of the Pulliam site and the downtown riverfront. We’ve heard from neighbors who want to see strong jobs and economic growth, and we’ve also heard from families who want cleaner, safer, and more connected waterfront spaces for future generations. Both things can matter at the same time,” Jacobson and Borchardt said in joint statement.
They called the final contract a “major turning point” for Green Bay in “a conversation our community has been having for decades.”
Looking ahead, Borchardt, Jacobson, and County Board Chair Patrick Buckley pointed to what the agreement will mean for the legacy of Green Bay.
“This lease illustrates that when the board and administration work together on historic projects like port development, we collectively can set the course of economic and community prosperity for the next 100 years,” Buckley said.
How we got here
Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Brown County, C. Reiss reach final lease for coal piles in Green Bay
Reporting by Benita Mathew, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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