GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Brown County supervisors didn’t approve the latest offer from C. Reiss Company to move the downtown Green Bay coal piles.
Instead, county officials said they will continue to negotiate with C. Reiss Company and will also have talks with other entities that have expressed interest in the Pulliam Power Plant property.
County officials also voted to explore a proposal submitted by the city of Green Bay to relocate the C. Reiss coal piles to an alternate site. The vote was 23-2.
Earlier this month, C. Reiss offered to either buy the former Pulliam Power Plant property (about 37 acres) for $3.5 million or lease the site for $110,000 per year with a 2 percent annual escalator. The initial term would have been 25 years with an option to extend it for three 25-year terms.
C. Reiss CEO Keith Haselhoff released the following statement after the supervisors made their decision on Wednesday night:
The County Board’s actions demonstrate that it’s not interested in working with C. Reiss to move the coal piles or generate the millions in economic activity and job growth that would come from redeveloping our downtown Green Bay location. As a result, Brown County is now at significant risk of losing some $25 million in state and federal grants which were made in order to move the coal piles.”
-C Reiss CEO Keith Haselhoff
Brown County supervisors Emily Jacobson and Megan Borchardt released a statement saying in part:
“We, as County Board Supervisors, stand with the residents of Brown County. While we share the community’s desire to see the coal piles relocated, we cannot support a deal that places an unfair burden on taxpayers. This counteroffer is not a fair agreement—it is an overreach that compromises the county’s long-term interests.”
Supervisors Emily Jacobson and Megan Borchardt
Click here to read their full statement.
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C. Reiss Company and City of Green Bay officials had agreed to a memorandum of understanding that affirmed both parties’ commitment to ensuring that the current site of the coal piles gets developed into something that is economically viable for the city.
Mayor Eric Genrich, city council president Brian Johnson, and former mayors former mayors Jim Schmitt and Paul Jadin released a joint statement on behalf of the city:
“For decades, under our respective tenures and beyond, the City of Green Bay has pursued the goal of relocating the coal piles away from our downtown waterfront to benefit our community, our port, and our regional economy. Recognizing the existing window of opportunity is closing quickly, we urge Brown County leaders to seize the moment and work collaboratively with C. Reiss toward a sound and equitable agreement that uses the allocated grant funds for their intended purpose in a way that brings the relocation project to fruition. The decision before the County Board and C. Reiss is a legacy-making opportunity to transform our riverfront for generations to come, and we urge them both to choose a solution of which they and the community can be proud.”
-City of Green Bay statement
