New Portage municipal building on schedule for completion next spring (2025)

Construction is progressing on a new facility to be shared by Portage’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments.

“Everybody is looking forward to something that’s new,” said Phil Livingston, director of Public Works. “You get tired of the old building that doesn’t fit your needs, so this is going to be really exciting for the people who get to work out of this facility.”

Work began in April on the 52,000-square-foot building and garage on Cemetery Road just west of Highway 16 near the Alliant Energy building. Livingston said the project is on track to be completed in the spring within the city’s $16 million budget.

The construction crew is working to finish the exterior of the building, and when roofs are installed, interior work will begin, Livingston said.

“All precast walls have been set,” said Livingston. “The construction crews are working on decking the roofing and are also currently prepping the structural steel for the office segment.”

The shared facility will feature a large garage that will be able to hold all of the departments’ vehicles and equipment, with enough storage for gear and other items, locker rooms with showers, bathrooms, breakrooms, offices and a front office area where community members will be able enter for either department.

The city had been planning the project since 2014, when a building needs study determined a combined facility would fit the needs of both departments while helping to streamline operations.

It was determined last year that the current buildings no longer offered the space needed for the fleets, equipment and storage, and that staff facilities, such as locker rooms and restrooms, were outdated.

“This facility really is going to bring us up to current standards,” said Livingston. “Obviously both departments have facilities we are working out of now that just aren’t suitable to our needs, so this is going to get us to the point where we can perform our jobs and functions more efficiently.”

An office space in the new building will also be able to accommodate Public Works and Parks and Recreation administrators and management staff, as well as the Public Works mechanics, Livingston said.

There will also be a community room, which residents can rent, with a capacity of about 65 people.

Three mechanic bays are also being built for staff to work on department vehicles.

“We are going from one bay to three bays, which is warranted for the amount of vehicles we work on,” said Livingston.

A mezzanine is also being built near the ceiling of the garage, where large amounts of equipment can be stored. And bridge crane steel is being installed to extend over the mezzanine so items can be carried over to it from across the room, Livingston said.

Foundations have also been poured for the city’s new salt storage building and cold storage building, which will hold items during the winter that won’t be affected by cold. And the site’s utilities were installed at the of June, he said.

Sean Cormican, onsite supervisor for Keller Inc., said there have been no hiccups so far in the construction efforts and everything has gone according to plan.

“It’s running smoothly and going as good as you could hope for, which is great, because on this project we had a lot to do with the design process and making it a practical facility,” said Cormican. “And working with the city has been a blast.”