PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — After sitting along the Fox River in downtown Green Bay for the past 125 years, there is a tentative agreement in place to move the coal piles about two miles north to the former Pulliam Power Plant site.
A special meeting of the Brown County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for Thursday night to officially finalize the deal.
Brown County and C. Reiss, the owner of the coal piles, issued a joint statement Tuesday night ahead of another special meeting of the Brown County Board of Supervisors.
The full statement is as follows:
Brown County and C. Reiss Company have reached a tentative agreement that is currently being put into writing. This tentative agreement will then be voted on at a special meeting of the Brown County Board of Supervisors on Thursday, June 5th, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. All parties will not make further comment until after that meeting.
County and city leaders say reaching the agreement wasn’t easy, but they feel it’s a team win for those involved.
The agreement came 11 minutes before Tuesday’s special meeting.
“We spoke with the secretary with the state of Wisconsin from the Department of Administration. They heard all of us discuss that we have a tentative agreement, that all parties agree to the things we discussed,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach. “It’s now just getting it onto paper and ultimately, formally signed.”
Having the state hear there was agreement was key, because it put a deadline of Tuesday at 5 p.m. to reach a deal or a $15 million grant would be taken away. That’s nearly half the $33 million Brown County has accumulated the past several years to expand port operations.
As long as the county board approves the agreement Thursday, those involved say that grant money is secure.
“There’s a lot of work that still has to go into it until everything is completed,” said Brown County Board Chair Pat Buckley.
“This feels a little bit like a small Green Bay miracle to get these things moved,” said Tarl Knight, who lives on Broadway and says his home is closer than any to the coal piles. “After Thursday, if the board doesn’t vote in favor in moving these things and if everyone can’t come to a deal, then we’re all going to get our shovels out and we’re going to move them ourselves. How is that?”
County and city leaders say they’re confident that won’t be necessary.
“It’s taken a lot of time, effort and thought by the county, by C. Reiss, so just really appreciative to the fact that everybody recognizes the opportunity that’s in front of us and is seizing it,” said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich.
After Tuesday’s meeting, a handful of county board members said they’re on board with the agreement, but will have more to say after Thursday’s meeting.
A study has shown the current coal piles land could garner $150 million in new development.
State Rep. David Steffen , R-Howard, is optimistic the agreement will go through. In a statement, he said:
For half a century, our community has endeavored to reclaim and repurpose this 1/4 mile of downtown riverfront property. With today’s announcement, we now begin a new era of opportunity and excitements for downtown Green Bay.
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