GREEN BAY (NBC26) — A big week for Green Bay's iconic riverfront coal piles continues, with the city's Common Council saying this is the best chance to move them after decades of trying.
- We reported Monday that the coal piles off of Mason Street could move, with the help of a vote from the Brown County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday
- The Common Council is fully behind the plan on the table, voting to tell the County so at its meeting Tuesday
- The CEO of the company that manages the coal piles says the company is willing to reimagine the current coal site and lease more of the former Pulliam Plant site, but that time is running out on reaching an agreement
- The general terms of the lease are available in this agenda for the County Board meeting, which will be Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the downtown Brown County Library branch
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The coal piles could finally move out of downtown Green Bay — but their future could be determined by a public meeting Wednesday.
Tuesday night the Green Bay Common Council asked the Brown County board to vote for a plan that could replace the piles with mixed-use development.
The Common Council says this is the County's best chance to achieve a long-time goal — expanding the port at the Fox River's mouth, and moving the coal there.
"This has obviously been a huge city priority, community priority, harbor commission priority, for literal decades," Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich said.
"This is an opportunity that we're not going to see again for a very, very long time — as long as I live, I'll bet," District 4 alderperson Bill Galvin said.
The Council passed a resolution pushing the County to accept the proposed lease terms — which would lock in crucial funding to expand the Pulliam Plant port, and potentially allow the City to develop the 10 acres on Mason sSreet.
"It's more than just moving the coal piles," district 8 alderperson Chris Wery said. "As you've stated, it's about expanding our port, and redeveloping downtown, and it sounds like we have a willing helper here."
That helper is C Reiss, the company that manages the piles — its CEO says they're willing to help reimagine the riverfront property, but implied that the deal on the table Wednesday is its final offer.
"We've compromised a lot over the last year," CEO Keith Hasselhoff said. "That's not how you negotiate, right — last minute changes? It's tough for someone, puts us on the spot right then and there. We had an agreement two weeks ago. Come on, we gotta get this over the finish line at this point in time."
It'll be the County board's final say Wednesday night.
Because this is a financial decision outside of County budgets, it needs two-thirds of the County board’s approval — a steep ask, which is why Wednesday’s meeting at 6 p.m. at the County Library could be so consequential.