Administrator Josh VanLieshout at the Sturgeon Bay Common Council Tuesday said recent meetings gave him reason to believe construction on the city’s west waterfront was days away. The Council itself helped that future take a giant step forward, approving a sublease of the granary to the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society with only members Kirsten Reeths and Gary Nault voting against the measure. The 4-2 vote was held after a lengthy presentation from City Attorney James Kalny detailing recent changes to the lease.
Even when work at the granary is complete, two easements will remain on the property. The first is a 30-foot maintenance allowance surrounding the structure, which will house multiple rain gardens to alleviate stormwater runoff. The other is a requirement placed by the City of Sturgeon Bay for permanent fire access from Maple Street. The Historical Society is free to make improvements in the form of gravel or pavement. It could potentially leave the route grass-covered if it can be shown that natural turf is able to handle the weight from fire department vehicles.
The agreement has standard provisions defining abandonment of the project (60 consecutive days without work being done) and a process to cure any potential default with different grace periods if the default is financial in nature versus another difficulty. Kalny fielded questions from council members. Nault said he had concerns about the location and the limited ability of the Door County Maritime Museum to expand in the future. Nault pointed to the growth there with the new tower and said he could see further additions being possible from now on. Reeths and Nault asked about parking. VanLieshout said current plans are for patrons and staff of the granary to use a city-owned lot adjacent to the museum.
