Michael Johnson brought his 6-year-old son, Langston, to see Portage’s new fire station Saturday at a unique ribbon-cutting event.
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“I think it’s fantastic,” Johnson said, admiring four massive, bright red bay doors on Fire Station No. 3. “I’m glad our city services now have sufficient space to do the job we residents need them to do for us.”
Johnson, of Portage, joined hundreds of residents for the open houses for the city’s new police and fire stations, just a few hundred feet away from City Hall. Dignitaries spoke, and, later, a rock band played in the new amphitheater, which will be dedicated later this month.
Visitors toured the new police department, where children could be fingerprinted for ID cards or try their hands at a virtual shooting range, while others rode the bucket of a fire department tower truck about 60 feet in the air.
Officials opened the doors to the fire station by uncoupling two fire hoses and the police station by opening a string of handcuffs linked together.
The buildings are an important addition to the developing downtown area of the city, a place that now includes baseball fields, a splash pad, Founders Square and is increasingly being used for festivals and city activities like a Halloween candy giveaway. The area also will hold the Promenade at Founders Square, a mixed use residential and commercial development.
“This has been a long time in the making,” said Mayor James Snyder, waving his hand around the 4,550-square-foot firehouse and naming his mayoral predecessors. “I’m just in the right place at the right time.”
City officials, from different administrations, have long talked about building a downtown area in Portage, one that would encourage foot traffic, commerce and a sense of community.
But, just opening the new firehouse, at a cost of about $4 million, and turning the former University Center into the new police station, with the rehab costing about $2.5 million, was enough to boost spirits Saturday.
“I think these guys did a great job developing it, designing it and putting it all together,” 21-year veteran firefighter Tom Colvin said of the new station. “It doesn’t change the nature of what we do. It gives us more breathing room as far as our living conditions.”
The close proximity of the new buildings made sense to Deborah Dillon, who attended the open houses with her daughters.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “And, it gives me more of a sense of safety when they’re next to each like this. It’s got to help with better communication.”
While proudly giving a tour of his new digs, Portage Fire Chief Tom Feiffer said his department’s new digs have a number of firsts: the first fire pole in Portage, a shiny 36-foot number; the first commercial kitchen for the firefighters, who work 24-hour shifts; and the first fire station in the city with lockers.
Police Chief Troy Williams watched hundreds of residents work through way through the new, roomy two-story department.
“The response by the community today has been phenomenal,” he said. “We’ve gotten tons of accolades from people just confirming what we knew, that we needed this space.”
Michael Gonzalez is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.