Tentative agreement reached on Green Bay Coal Piles

GREEN BAY, Wis (WGBW) – Finally, there may be a solution to the coal piles on prime waterfront real estate in downtown Green Bay.

A joint statement from C. Reiss, the coal owner, and Brown County issued Tuesday, June 3, says the entities have reached a tentative agreement. 

“Brown County and C. Reiss Company have reached a tentative agreement that is currently being put into writing,” the statement reads. “This tentative agreement will then be voted on at a special meeting of the Brown County Board of Supervisors on Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m. All parties will not make further comments until after that meeting.”

The deal comes just in time, as the state of Wisconsin had placed a deadline of Tuesday evening for the parties to reach an agreement, or risk losing a state grant of 15 million dollars to expand port operations in the area. That is almost half the $33 million raised to redevelop the area.

The parties involved did not release details of the agreement. But, negotiations for relocating the coal piles have included the former Pulliam Power Plant site and other locations in Brown County. 

Reactions to possible agreement

Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach told reporters that the state knows an agreement is near. 

“It’s now just getting it on to paper and getting it formally signed,” he told reporters Tuesday night.

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich told reporters the negotiations, years in the making, have taken a lot of effort by the city, Brown County, and C.Reiss.  

“(I) really, really appreciate the fact that everybody sees the opportunity in front of us and seizes it,” he said.

Meanwhile, even state lawmakers have an interest in the coal pile drama in Downtown Green Bay. Representative David Steffen (R – Howard) released a statement on the tentative agreement:

“For half a century, our community has endeavored to reclaim and repurpose this ¼ mile of downtown riverfront property. With today’s announcement, we now begin a new era of opportunity and excitements for downtown Green Bay,” the statement read.

The coal piles have been on that riverfront property in the area now called the “Shipyard District” for 125 years. Multiple studies have shown that the area could support $150 million in redevelopment.