Help for turning the former Younkers department store into the new Bliss Marketplace is on the way. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation announced Thursday it awarded the City of Sturgeon Bay a $250,000 grant to renovate the building to house additional retail space and public restrooms. The owners of Bliss Marketplace and the city entered a development agreement back in April to help fund the new restrooms and remove an obsolete skywalk. Community Development Director Marty Olejniczak was hopeful for the support back in April.

The grant was part of the WEDC’s Community Development Investment Grant Program, which has distributed over $30 million to approximately 100 communities across the state since 2013. Construction on the project could be completed as soon as October.

Picture courtesy of the City of Sturgeon Bay website