U.S. Department of Transportation announced the transformation of an old power plant at the mouth of the Fox River in Wisconsin into a state-of-the-art port.
The transformation of the Pulliam Power Plant in the Port of Green Bay is made possible by a $10.1 million federal grant, according to a Nov. 7 DredgeWire report. This development will clear the way for other projects upriver, including the elimination of the coal piles to the south of the Mason Street Bridge.
"In Green Bay, Wisconsin, we're helping transform the old Pulliam Power Plant into a port to generate jobs & economic activity," the Department of Transportation said in a Nov. 9 Twitter post. "@DOTMARAD's Port Infrastructure Development Program is strengthening our nation's ports to lower the cost of goods for families."
"This is great news for the Port and our regional economy," Port Director Dean Haen said in the DredgeWire story. "This new port facility at the mouth of the Fox River will generate jobs and economic activity that will be transformational for Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin."
The grant comes from DOT's Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program and is in addition to the $15 million Neighborhood Investment Fund grant previously announced by Brown County and a $1.1 million Wisconsin Department of Transportation Harbor Assistance Program grant, DredgeWire reported. The project also benefits from almost $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act grants for this year and next.
"We are very grateful for all of the support in favor of this federal grant," Haen said. "This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for port operations."
The project bodes well for the future, Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach said, according to DredgeWire.
"For Northeast Wisconsin to be economically viable into the future we need to be continuously leveraging strategic assets to assure our competitiveness to bring in bulk commodities that support many industries and employ thousands of people," Streckenbach said, DredgeWire reported. "Once again, Brown County competitively secured $10 million by being united in our overall support of our Port of Green Bay.”
According to Haen, the design phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year with construction beginning in 2023 and project completion in 2025. GLC Minerals has already committed to buying 9.7 acres of the parcel to expand its operations, DredgeWire reported.
The new facility will be the new home of coal piles that at present are located along 35 acres of riverfront south of the Mason Street Bridge, which in turn will be opened for redevelopment, according to DredgeWire.
"The infusion of these federal dollars makes possible a transformational reinvention of 35 acres of our city's downtown riverfront while strengthening the Port of Green Bay as an important economic engine of the region," Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said, according to DredgeWire
