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Perch Point
Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) have recently announced the distribution of grants worth $5.3 million for seven harbor maintenance and improvement projects, including the construction of Milwaukee’s Perch Point, located on the city’s outer harbor. The project is headed by Marek Landscaping. The aim of the state grants is to support waterborne freight and economic development in the state of Wisconsin.
Governor Evers said in a statement, “Our state’s geography, stretching from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, provides us with the potential to grow our economy and help businesses expand globally. These grants will help maintain our harbors, secure our ports and strengthen our supply chains, all while supporting our port cities.”
WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson also added, “Having a robust multimodal transportation infrastructure is crucial for the success of Wisconsin's businesses in a global economy. Our harbors play a critical role in this strategy and we are committed to improving their ability to move freight.”
Perch Point joins six other harbor infrastructure projects that received grant approvals on Thursday, and is the only of the projects located in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin’s Harbor Assistance Program was established in 1979 to aid harbor communities in maintaining and improving waterborne commerce. Applications for grants are reviewed by the Harbor Advisory Council, which includes representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and alumni from the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute.
The Harbor Assistance Program accepts applications from public or private harbor facilities for projects that benefit cargo transfer, shipbuilding, commercial fishing, vessel cruises, or ferry services. Projects must have a transportation efficiency benefit-cost ratio greater than one over a 25-year project life and must be identified in a current three-year harbor development plan. The selection criteria for grants include economic impact, urgency, and project type.
information on Wisconsin’s Harbor Assistance program and past grant awards can be found at the WisDOT website.
