GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The estimated cost of Brown County’s new port terminal project at the former Pulliam Power Plant site, which could be the new home for the coal piles that currently sit in downtown Green Bay, has gone up nearly $19 million, according to county officials.
It’s now expected to cost $48.74 million to put a new port at the mouth of the Fox River, a 62% increase from the county’s earlier estimate of about $30 million.
“It was a hard pill to swallow,” said Dean Haen, the director of the Port of Green Bay. “We thought we had all the resources we needed for this project and it just changed.”
Haen says the cost of steel is largely to blame. He says the cost was $2,500 a linear foot for a recent county project, but the price for an even more recent project in Superior was $5,500 a linear foot.
“So it’s more than doubled in just six months,” said Haen.
“As much as I’m disappointed, it’s not a shock because we’re seeing the inflationary cost impact us everywhere, whether it’s in our highway shop or if it’s with our staffing levels,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.
The county plans to apply for grants to close the funding gap, starting with a state Harbor Assistance Program grant request of $17 million.
“This is going to take some time no matter what, so we have some time to work either finding more money, or hoping the commodity prices come down,” said Streckenbach.
County officials admit the new funding gap could mean construction in phases. Money is in place to start dredging and construction of a new dock wall. As more money comes in, work on stormwater management, rail lines, and roads would begin.
While engineering work revealed the increased cost estimate, it also confirmed the new port would work for C. Reiss Coal Company, the owner of the coal piles, two miles downriver in downtown Green Bay.
“We ran it by them and the site would accommodate them,” said Haen. “We’ve had no further discussions about lease payments or property sales or anything like that at this time.”
Haen says the goal is still to potentially start construction next year, with a majority of the work happening in 2025.
