Port wants $2.5m from state for lighthouse

With the estimated cost to repair Port Washington’s iconic lighthouse increasing to $2.5 million and improvements at the city’s water plant expected to cost another $15.3 million, Mayor Ted Neitzke is asking the state to pay the bill.

Neitzke is working with State Rep. Rob Brooks and Sen. Duey Stroebel on a plan to ask Gov. Tony Evers to use federal funding for these projects.

“That would be a significant help to the city,” Neitzke said. “I think this is a classic case of if you don’t ask, you don’t know.”

The cost of the two projects is significant, he said, and both would fit within the parameters of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Evers has control of roughly $3 billion in ARPA funds from the federal government, and has pledged to spend $50 million for the tourism industry, $200 million on infrastructure, $500 million toward continuing pandemic response efforts and $600 million to help support businesses.

Brooks said he is ready to work with the city to seek funding for its projects, but noted that there are “a lot of people in line already.”

“You don’t know how it’s going to measure up,” Brooks said. “Everyone’s trying to see how this money gets distributed. It’s kind of a wait-and-see right now.

“There are a lot of things on the list (of projects hoping to be funded). If you stack the lighthouse against shutting a paper mill in northern Wisconsin and putting people out of jobs...”

Brooks said he hopes the State Historical Society, which he said has received “hundreds of thousands of dollars” may be able to help finance repairs to the lighthouse.

“Whether it’s a good fit for Port, I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll talk to the governor and see what the feds can do as well.”

And, he noted, with billions of dollars up for grabs, there may be programs created that the lighthouse would qualify for that he’s not aware of yet.

Port City Administrator Tony Brown said the lighthouse may qualify for not only infrastructure funds but also tourism money.

“The lighthouse is really a unique amenity that draws people to the city,” Brown said. 

Since the city acquired the lighthouse from the federal government three years ago, it has known repairs are needed, the most immediate of which are painting the structure and replacing the broken porthole windows.

Painting the lighthouse has been estimated to cost as much as $1 million, primarily because the paint is lead based, but officials in recent weeks have questioned whether this is a fact or an assumption.

Neitzke said he and Street Commissioner J.D. Hoile recently walked out to the lighthouse and tested the paint.

“Yea, it’s lead,” Neitzke said.

But their visit also revealed other needed repairs, he said. There is exposed rebar on the base of the structure, asbestos and structural issues that need to be addressed.

It will cost at least $400,000 to “get it to stay together,” Neitzke said, and $2.5 million to fully repair the structure inside and out.

“This is our symbol of the city,” Neitzke said, but its rusty, dilapidated facade doesn’t reflect that. “It’s such a beautiful lighthouse. But right now, it’s not a reflection of what our community is. It needs some love.”

This is the year to fix the lighthouse, he said, adding that two contractors will be coming in September to take a close look at the structure and give a firm cost estimate.

Neitzke said his goal is to have the lighthouse repaired by the end of next summer.

“If we get the (state) funding, it’s easy,” he said, but if not, a combination of private funds and the city budget will likely be used for the repairs.

Neitzke said state funding for the water plant repairs, which are being mandated by the Department of Natural Resources after years of being grandfathered, would help residents and businesses avoid an expected 45% water rate increase and allow the city to continue to attract businesses.

“I believe that would put us in a position where our utility would be competitive,” Neitzke said. “If the price of water were to go up 20%, 30% or 40% and you’re someone who uses a lot of water, why would you choose Port?”

Both Brooks and Neitzke noted that the ARPA criteria specifically mentions water infrastructure as a possible use for the money.

“There are some unique things going on with the Port facility,” Brooks said, particularly the fact that it has been grandfathered in until recently. 

But, he said, there are likely many water plants facing similar situations.

“Once the government opens up funding for something like that, everyone’s going to be asking for that,” Brooks said. But, he added, he will at the least work with the DNR to try and get an extension for the city, noting the DNR’s order requires the work to be done by the end of the year. 

While the city hopes to get funding for one or both projects, Brown said officials won’t delay until a decision is made. Instead, they will continue to plan for both the lighthouse and water plant projects.

“We’re not changing our planning based on that request,” he said. “What is the saying — hope is not a good strategy.”