Kewaunee County Represented on Coastal Grant Group for First Time

Chuck Wagner, Kewaunee County Board chair, will serve on the Wisconsin Coastal Management Council, joining Rep. Joel Kitchens and former Door County Soil & Water Conservation Department head Bill Schuster. The council allocates federal funds pegged for water infrastructure projects on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coasts.

Kitchens said this is likely the first time someone from Kewaunee County will serve on the council.

“We needed someone that was in local government and I can’t think of anybody more qualified than Chuck,” Kitchens said.

“I have so much interest in the land and water of Kewaunee County and I’ve been involved at the state level … so I’ve got quite a bit of history in that area,” Wagner said.

The council manages approximately $1.5 million annually in federal grant funds provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.

“Every year there are several in our area that get funding,” Kitchens said.

In 2017, that included $32,000 for plans to expand the Egg Harbor beach, $31,260 toward a management plan for Sturgeon Bay’s Bradley Lake, and $29,500 for the recently completed staircase at Liberty Grove’s Porte des Morts Park.

“I look forward to those challenges in coming up with ways of solving problems,” Wagner said.

Grant applications for awards in 2019-2020 are due Nov. 2. The council meets in Sturgeon Bay on Sept. 20 to review funding recommendations that will be approved by the council at the Feb. 2019 meeting.