GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The developer behind one of downtown Green Bay's newest apartment buildings, heralded by city officials as a solution to housing issues, owes hundreds of thousands to subcontractors for construction costs.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
The newly built Fort at the Rail Yard apartments downtown was heralded as a major win for the city. However, not everyone was pleased when the project was completed. I'm your Green Bay neighborhood reporter, Pari Apostolakos, and many companies tell me it's taken far too long to get paid for the work they did here.
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"They're kind of getting a free loan," Professional Heating and Air Conditioning owner Michelle Legois said in her office. Legois tells me the Indianapolis-based company that built the apartments, TWG Development, had owed her more than $275,000 since January.
"I've never been in this situation before," Legois said. She worked with t-w-g on a project before the fort, but says this one was different from the start, with payments steadily coming in late.
"You're so invested in this project as far as materials and equipment and labor force," she said. "There really was no backing out."
On Thursday, Legois says half the amount she's owed was finally pending in her bank account.
I also spoke with a Manitowoc-based construction company that stated it had filed a claim against TWG but was later reimbursed in full. Still, other businesses tell me they haven't heard a word from TWG about hundreds of thousands of dollars in invoices. Court records show many of them have filed claims.
The project received half a million dollars in federal COVID relief funding and publicly, the city has promoted the mixed-income development as a solution to housing demands. I asked the city about the unpaid bills and they told me it's private matter between the developer and contractor.
"It's kind of like the city is leaving us hanging out to dry," Legois said. "Yes, it's a private matter. However, you were a key component in bringing the developer into the area."
I have repeatedly reached out to TWG development for comment to ask about plans for repayment and have not yet heard back.
