Door County Granary project progresses, but delays irk Sturgeon Bay City Council

STURGEON BAY – The restoration of the Door County Granary keeps making progress, but not fast enough for the satisfaction for all of the Sturgeon Bay City Council.

Door County Granary Project Manager Nicole Matson told the council last week that it was expected that the 1901 Teweles and Brandeis wooden grain elevator would be placed this week onto its 30 original columns, which were individually restored in Tennessee. On Monday, Matson said, "Unfortunately, with all of the moving parts, our contractors have yet to confirm the date to set the building down."

The timeline frustration was evident during the Aug. 16 City Council meeting when Alderperson Kirsten Reeths pointed out that “way over a month ago” the council was being told about plans to lower the granary into place.

“We have constituents that are calling us saying what's going on with the granary,” Reeths said. “Unfortunately, we don't know if we don't have any information on that.”

Mayor David Ward urged Matson to keep the council in the loop much more frequently than her once-a-month updates during council meetings.

“Just a friendly piece of advice, whatever happens, even if the granary sneezes, it would be good to send an email, so we can distribute it,” Ward said. “And, you know, just get a sense that things are moving forward. Is that something that would be doable?”

Matson said things can change daily when she is at the whim of whether contractors are available following inevitable delays, forcing dates to be written in sand rather than stone.

“I feel like I can answer your questions every four weeks and try to provide as much information as I can, instead of on a daily basis have to report,” Matson said.

For instance, she explained to the council, while it is planned that the granary will be lowered this week, first an engineer needs to make sure the cross bracing is secure to stabilize the building before removing the temporary support system. Once that’s complete, the movers need to be available to complete their task.

“So all those things (have the potential to) make everything delayed,” Matson said.

She also stressed that some tasks involved in refurbishing a three-season gathering space for community events on Sturgeon Bay’s west waterfront, such as ordering windows and doors, require patience and need to be done in order of completion instead of jumping ahead.

“As soon as the building’s set down and shear walls are up, then we can definitely put an order in on what the exact measurements are those windows and doors,” Matson said. “That also could be four to six months (before that is finished).”

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Alderperson J. Spencer Gustafson said some of the frustration comes from the addition of other projects planned for the area.

"The granary was sitting there by itself for a long time. Nothing else was going on around it," he said. "But we have other projects that are going to be starting up, so now it's going to be crunch time, and that's why I think we have some concern here. There's a lot there's a lot more than just the granary coming up and that wasn't the case for years."

Marty Olejniczak, the city's community development director, said they had hoped that the granary project was would be finished by this past June, but an 11-month extension was subsequently approved, making the tentative conclusion May 2023.

Meanwhile, during its meeting, the council approved a revised development agreement for construction of the nearby Sturgeon Bay Plaza. Construction on that bar/deli with outdoor amenities and seating should begin relatively soon as plans are for it to also open next May. The business will be owned by Peter and Jennifer Gentry, who also own One Barrel Brewing Co. in Egg Harbor.

It is also hoped that work could begin on the Breakwater Residences apartment building on East Maple Street as well. Plans for the building include 53 one- and two-bedroom apartments across four floors, an indoor parking lot on the ground floor and a shared parking lot with the proposed plaza.

"These plans been in the works for some time now," Olejniczak said. "We realize everything is being delayed. You can't just get mad at the grain elevator folks, because you look at both the Gentry project and the Breakwater got slowed down because of the same thing – high cost of construction and supply-chain issues and all that sort of stuff. So you know, it'll be touch and go to get those projects in by next May. Anything can happen."

Among the headway that the Granary has made this year, according to the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society, includes:

• In April, 51 pilings were driven into the lakebed and a new foundation was poured. This work allowed DeVooght Home Movers to move the upper levels back over the foundation to their original location.

• In June, a donor funded the purchase of siding from the Globe Grain Elevator in Superior, which is being dismantled. The siding will be used on the Door County Granary, providing another historic, authentic element to the rehabilitation.

• In July, 30 original, old-growth, hand-hewn columns were delivered back after being restored. These were then placed in their original locations by Immel Construction.

• In anticipation of constructing the Granary’s indoor space, the Society’s historical restoration team has begun organizing and inventorying the original equipment and materials that were salvaged when the building was partially dismantled. Plans include repurposing materials in various ways throughout the Door County Granary.

• On Friday, it was announced the project received a $100,000 grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. To date, more than 125 individuals, business and foundations have contributed $2.3 million toward the $4.5 million goal.

“We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made,” Matson said. “It is especially significant in a time when other projects, locally and nationally, have been stalled and delayed due to staffing shortages and supply chain issues. This is a big project funded entirely with private donations and run almost entirely by volunteers. We appreciate the community’s patience, enthusiasm and support as we work to complete a truly significant project for Door County and all of Wisconsin.”

Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-228-0439 or kdittman@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County Granary project delays irk Sturgeon Bay City Council