Brown County will receive a $500,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to assist in purchasing the former WPS Pulliam Plant property as part of the effort to relocate coal piles away from downtown and expand the economic activity of the Port of Green Bay.

Gov. Tony Evers announced Jan. 4 that Brown County will receive a $500,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to assist in purchasing the former WPS Pulliam Plant property as part of the effort to relocate coal piles away from downtown and expand the economic activity of the Port of Green Bay.

"Acquiring this property and addressing the remaining coal piles has long been an obstacle for folks in Brown County. This grant announcement will help move the county, city and Port of Green Bay forward," said Evers. "Relocating the coal piles not only promotes new opportunities for the area to bolster economic activity, but also will improve the quality of life for many."

WEDC will provide Brown County with an Idle Sites Redevelopment (ISR) grant to partially fund the purchase of the 40-acre parcel at the mouth of the Fox River. The property is considered key to efforts by the county and the city of Green Bay to redevelop not only the port, turning the Pulliam Plant site into a port-related industrial property, but portions of downtown Green Bay.

"WEDC is pleased to partner with the city and the county to help fill in the gaps with this important redevelopment project," said WEDC secretary and CEO Missy Hughes. "We believe that this purchase will enable the city and the county to unlock the economic potential of the port and the entire Fox River corridor."

The Pulliam Plant property has been identified as the most critical parcel for the port expansion project. The port is a designated Foreign Trade Zone and this strategy includes expanding the port activities, which will result in increased economic activity and jobs in Green Bay and the northeast region, resulting in a stronger state economy. The former WPS Pulliam Power Plant property was decommissioned in 2016 after years of retiring operational units.

The WEDC ISR Program offers grants to Wisconsin communities to redevelop sites that have been idle, abandoned or underutilized and redevelopment results in the potential to elevate local economies.

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