City approves habitat restoration grant

GREEN BAY – During its Dec. 3 meeting, the Green Bay City Council approved a $500,000 DNR/EPA grant to complete the necessary engineering for an “area of concern” habitat restoration project at the Wildlife Sanctuary and Renard Island Nearshore Waterway, adjacent to Bay Beach Amusement Park, brought forward by the city’s parks committee.

“Over the years, we’ve discussed several areas of concern projects that the DNR and EPA have selected and offered to fund. In total, I believe that they selected 12 projects throughout the region of which only a few of them are within the city limits,” said Green Bay Park Director Dan Ditscheit. And really their goal on this is to improve the habitat both in-water and upland for wildlife species, so that they can eventually remove the ‘area of concern’ designation in the lower bay.

“This one is specifically for the wildlife sanctuary and also kind of the water area in between Renard Island and Bay Beach Amusement Park.

“Just recently the EPA awarded a $500,000 grant to complete the necessary engineering, so this is not for the construction; this is just to create the design itself and the necessary bid documents so that we can then construct it at a later date.”

Ditscheit said the future project is expected to come at no cost to the city.

“After the engineering is complete, and we have a project in mind and a cost associated with the project, again the DNR and EPA will seek funding through grants to fund it 100% in full,” he said.

Ditscheit said the scope of the work includes habitat identification and a detailed site information study.

“They would also recommend a habitat improvement project,” he added.

The city would be working with Brown County but will take the lead on the project.

With approval from the council, the city will now work on hiring an engineering consultant to design the project.

Press-Gazette building purchase

During its Dec. 3 meeting, the council also approved a budget amendment resolution recommended by the city’s finance committee at its Nov. 26 meeting to use $2,700,000.00 of general fund balance for the purchase of the properties at 435 E Walnut Street, 503 E Walnut Street, 212-214 S. Madison Street and 512 Cherry Street.

The property — former home to the Green Bay Press Gazette — will be used as a future headquarters for the city’s police department.

The purchase was approved on Aug. 27 and the transaction closed on Sept. 18.