12/18/2009

(Photo: Fraser president Jim Korthals, left, at a March 16, 2009 press conference announcing a $3.7 million state harbor assistance grant for the first phase of improvements.)

Congressman Dave Obey (D-WI) and Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) announced Dec. 18, 2009 they had secured $2 million for the City of Superior in the federal budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation to assist with the expansion and improvement of Fraser Shipyards in Superior. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, which included the funding for Fraser Shipyards, was signed into law by President Obama on Wednesday.

“This is a great example of private industry working cooperatively with government at every level, federal, state and local,” Obey said, “and it will bring jobs and economic development to the region.”

Fraser is embarking upon a three-phase, $10 million-plus expansion of the shipyard which would add or improve on 100 acres of sheet piling to its existing docking facility to enable it to work on more vessels and speed service. Earlier this year, Senator Bob Jauch, Assembleyman Nick Milroy and Governor Jim Doyle teamed up to secure $3.7 million for the first phase of the project with funding through the State Harbor Assistance Program, administered by the City of Superior, with a required 20 percent match from Fraser.

“These additional funds provided by Congress in the Transportation Appropriations bill shows that the federal government will be an active partner in this economic development project,” Obey said.

Fraser Shipyards has been building and repairing vessels for nearly 120 years with both dry dock and floating repair facilities. Currently, it employs up to 125 people during the winter months and has 30 full-time employees during the shipping season. The planned expansion could mean as many as 100 additional jobs at the facility.

The bill also included $450,000 for the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute (GLMRI). Established by the University of Wisconsin-Superior and the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2004, GLMRI is dedicated to developing and improving economically and environmentally sustainable maritime commerce on the Great Lakes through applied research. GLMRI was designated a National Maritime Enhancement Institute by the Maritime Administration in 2005 and works with 12 universities in six states throughout the Great Lakes region. Its work is overseen by an advisory board that includes MARAD, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard and the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Great Lakes ports and shippers. The funding brings to more than $5 million in federal support that Obey has helped secure for the institute.

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