We are on the move! Big projects are currently in the works, greatly altering the landscape while enhancing Portage as a great place to live, play and work. These projects will better position Portage to attract new residents along with enriching the lives of current citizens.
Dredging and cleanup of a nearly three-quarter mile section of the Portage Canal moved ahead with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources providing $4.3 million to cover the cost of the work.
This second phase of canal restoration, from Adams Street to the Canadian Pacific Railroad bridge – a 3,600-foot stretch – hadn’t been dredged in nearly a century. Restoration of this section was completed in October 2021.
The canal, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a navigable waterway, though it hasn’t been used in that capacity since 1951. The first phase of the rehabilitation project was completed in 2007 and is shown left.
Portage has not had a Boys and Girls Club, but that soon could change. A local chapter is working with its parent organization, the Boys and Girls Club of West-Central Wisconsin, hoping to start after-school programming soon, which may include a homework group for students; a program on how to manage your finances; teaching students how to garden and much, much more!
The Portage club has a need for volunteers to help with fundraising to create a permanent location here. Interested in helping? Email boysandgirlsclubportage@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for future updates on the status of the Boys and Girls Club.
COMPLETED NOVEMBER 2020 – Phase two construction on the Portage Family Skate Park was recently completed, adding 3,000 square feet to the park’s existing 4,178 square feet of ramps and skating area.
The first phase was completed in July 2016 with its concept derived from the sport of curling. The park is located adjacent to the Splash Pad at Goodyear Park.
A memorial tile is a beautiful addition to the Portage Family Skate Park to honor your loved one. Click Here for an application form. Help raise money for picnic tables around the Skate Park – buy a custom plaque. Click Here for that application form.
Donations are now being accepted for the third and final construction phase of the project. For more information on the project or to make a donation contact Kyle at 608-697-5960.
The Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters is undergoing a restoration, replacing the chinking between the logs on the walls of the Surgeons Quarters cabin. The current chinking was during initial restoration efforts after the DAR purchased the cabin in 1939 and before it opened as a museum in 1954. Work began in April 2021 and is scheduled to end in 2023. The first year of the project, in which Laib Restoration worked on the east and south walls of the cabin, is now complete.
In addition to removing the chinking, Laib Restoration is replacing any sections of the logs that are exhibiting advanced signs of deterioration with new tamarack wood sections. The wood was supplied by the DAR, is cut to size by the workers with machine tools, and then distressed with traditional tools in order to make the new sections resemble the cabin’s historical hand-hewn logs. Also, the white vertical boards on the cabin’s corners are being removed, as they were not part of the cabin’s original 19th-century structure, but were added later in the cabin’s history.
For more information, please visit the Restoration page.
In June 2020, the newest mural was installed on the south wall of the Cottonwood Bar & Grill, 312 DeWitt St., in downtown Portage. The mural depicts the label from Eulberg Brewing Company’s Picnic Beer. The brewery, once located in downtown, closed in 1958.
Kelly Meredith painted this mural, her third and the sixth overall in the art form of traditional mural painting since 2012. Meredith’s prior murals depict three distinct eras of automobiles and gas stations (NAPA Auto Parts, 125 E. Edgewater St.) and the early people of Portage (Wilz Hometown Pharmacy, 140 E. Cook St.).
Other mural locations with artist in parenthesis: DAAR Engineering, 151 E. Cook St. (Chris Dreyer); 806 Silver Lake Dr. (Charles Bradley); and another at the former U.S. Bank drive-up at 212 W. Edgewater St. (Charles Bradley).
Thank you to the Business Improvement District, City of Portage Tourism, Portage Parks and Recreation and Tyler Hoel of H & M Contracting.
The new roof is in place at the Portage Center for the Arts and looks great! The PCA’s ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign is in full swing, with the goal of raising $400,000 to cover the cost of replacing the aging roof at this regionally renowned performing arts center. If you would like to contribute, please contact the Portage Center for the Arts, 301 E. Cook St., at 608-742-5655.
The project entailed structural repairs for deteriorated rafters and joists, replacement of shingles, insulation of attic space, cutting out existing mortar joints and replacing using tuckpointing method, improving ease of access–including handicapped entrance, replacing current HVAC units with modern, high energy efficient models, and working toward acquiring additional property for future expansion.
COMPLETED MAY 2019 – The Portage Lions Club worked hard to raise funds for a bubbler at the Splash Pad at Goodyear Park, providing refreshment to the kids and adults who frequent the park.
COMPLETED JUNE 2018 – A $150 million project at the energy plant to install a catalytic reduction system at the Columbia Energy Center, just south of Portage.
A ribbon cutting ceremony on July, 14, 2014 signaled the completion of a prior $627 million project to install emissions-reduction technology ahead of schedule and under budget, reducing sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions by more than 90%.
For more information, visit alliantenergy.com or call 1-800-ALLIANT (800-255-4268).
COMPLETED, JULY 4, 2013–The Portage Service Club Association saw its goal through! Centrally located in Goodyear Park, the Splash Pad is designed for young children and families. Benches, a shade structure, and a park shelter with restrooms have recently been added.
The Splash Pad will bring many families to the community who will stay, shop and eat.
Avid bikers can rejoice! The Portage Business Improvement District and Portage Parks & Recreation Department installed bike racks in downtown and in parks around town.
Two colors were chosen for the racks — black for the downtown racks and green for the park racks. The invitation for cyclists to come to Portage and our county is wide open as Columbia County boasts a system of bike loops, including four loops that pass through Portage. Bike loop maps are available in the Chamber office.
Those enjoying the summer sun at Silver Lake Beach will notice a couple upgrades. The construction of a new Silver Lake Beach shelter, featuring a concession area, changing rooms and storage area, was completed in 2012. A new retaining wall was constructed to replace the old wall in 2015.
COMPLETED IN OCTOBER 2013 – The reconstruction of the Wisconsin River watch house located along the levee walkway.
Portage Area Chamber of Commerce
104 West Cook Street, STE A
Portage, WI 53901