City Council, the City Manager and Portage Fire Fighters break ground at the site of the new Fire Station No. 2.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Wednesday, August 21 at 4 PM on the site of the new City of Portage Fire Station No. 2 at 6101 Oakland Drive. The Portage City Council, city officials and project contractors, Williams Architects, AVB Commercial and Hall Builders, celebrated the start of construction on this important public safety structure.
Built in 1974, Fire Station No. 2 is the oldest fire station in the city and requires extensive maintenance to ensure the integrity of the structure. Following facility audits and feasibility studies, the Portage City Council voted to move forward with construction of a new, state-of-the-art Fire Station No. 2 on the site of the current fire station. The new station – 18,000 square feet in size and at a total construction cost of $6 million dollars – will serve the most populated region of the City of Portage, including highly-populated residential areas, apartment complexes, multi-story commercial buildings and significant retail facilities. The modern facility will accommodate a variety of fire apparatus and equipment in four bays, and provide individual sleeping quarters for male and female firefighters.
“The importance of this new fire station cannot be overstated,” said City Manager, Laurence Shaffer. “The safety of Portage residents and visitors to the city will be enhanced when the construction of the new Fire Station No. 2 is complete.”