The City of Portage has made some significant strides in the advancement of its city this year, both from a community aspect and investments in the city’s infrastructure. This Saturday, two of the largest dreams for the city became a reality as city leaders and the community celebrated a grand opening of not only the city’s new state-of-the-art fire station, but also the opening of the city’s first new police station since 1967.
The fire and police stations are located at 6300 and 6260 Central Avenue, respectively.
The dual “ribbon cuttings,” each celebrated in their own unique fashion by the two departments, symbolized the hard work, cooperation, and effort from city leaders and the community to make these two projects happen so efficiently.
City Administrator, and former firefighter, Joe Calhoun, who also doubled as the day’s Master of Ceremonies, touched on what these buildings meant not only to the community, but also the significance these two new buildings have to the police and fire departments.
“As a firefighter for nearly two decades, I see these buildings as not only a new home we can take immense pride in,” said Calhoun. “But as a promise kept, and and an investment in those who proudly and selflessly provide for the safety of our public.”
Police Chief, Troy Williams, added that as much as the new buildings are an investment in the police and fire departments, they are also an investment in the community.
“It’s important in today’s world of policing that police departments have a good relationship with the community,” said Williams. “There must be trust, transparency, and communication. It is my humblest opinion that we have a great relationship with the residents of Portage, however we do not want to take that for granted.”
“This building can help us connect even further with our residents and garner a deeper engagement with them by conducting university and community outreach programs.”
Fire Chief, Tom Fieffer, emphasized that Portage is a city on the rise, and is so because of an entire community that is dedicated to not only dreaming of a better Portage, but taking action in making it happen.
“We never looked backwards and we always looked forward and said we were going to get this project done,” Fieffer added. “And today, you can see that we got it done.”
And while Fieffer thanked city leaders, architects, and builders for making this project happen, he also mentioned one special person in his life who was watching over it the entire time.
“The day that we broke ground on the station, it was very exciting to me. But I found out minutes later that my Father-In-Law had passed away from Cancer. He looked over us this entire time and made sure we got this done.”
And while the addition of the new stations in Portage today were certainly tremendous accomplishments, it is only the beginning of a number advancements currently in the works for the City.
As Nancy Simpson of the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce says, it’s a great time for Portage to be able to watch the direction of the city’s growth.
“It's exciting to see our new downtown begin to unfold. Founder’s Field Park, including a Splash Pad, has brought a new light to the city providing Movies in the Park, Farmer’s Market, Car Shows and the opportunity for the Chamber to host several community events in this outdoor venue. It's great to know that these stations will serve the city for the next 50 years.”