Despite the rain, the Founders Square ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on May 26th at the northeast corner of the park. The existing park has undergone further renovations to make the space more family-friendly.
“This project has been an undertaking for the city for some time. The initial investment, of course, was Founders Square a number of years ago, dating back to 2005,” Community Development/Director of Redevelopment A.J. Monroe said. “In more recent years, the next phase of the project was the amphitheater. What the problem was then was that there was a public road running in between two park spaces.”
This project has gotten rid of that road and has created more green spaces within the park, connecting the playground with the amphitheater. This provides a bigger green area to hold events and provides a safe area for children to play without having to worry about crossing the street.
“This is the last step to bringing the two park spaces together to provide safety for kids who may be playing in the playground and then going to visit their parents at the amphitheater, or to create a much better experience as you come to enjoy the food truck vendors, festivals and other events in the park,” Monroe said.
The location of Founders Square also plays a big role in the developments. This park is located in downtown Portage and will provide a beautiful green area for community members to gather among the businesses and residences.
“I'm a downtown gal, and I've always wanted to see us have things downtown,” Mayor Sue Lynch said. “We've had Founders Square, but there were some things that we needed to change to make it more family-friendly and safer for our children. I'm very excited that we're working toward that.”
Having an area such as Founders Square is what is able to combine the downtown, residential area with green space. The Parks Department plans to always maintain and continue to improve this amazing space.
“This is a great thing. It is a great place to have a park when you have all this business and residential space around it, and it's right downtown where people come,” Paul Ciesielski, Parks Department Superintendent, said. “We're really, really proud of it. We look forward to always maintaining it, and continuing to improve it, and this was a major improvement here.”
The creation and further development of this urban park will work to bring the community of Portage together. There will be countless events held at Founders Square throughout the summer and fall months for families and friends to attend together right within the heart of the city.
“it's all about building our downtown making it a gathering place for our families to come. We'll be back in the having the concerts again this year that last year we were not able to do,” Mayor Lynch said. “I'm very excited for our residents because we're going to be able to have something right here in our own city for them to go to.”
