When it comes to community planning, Steve Sobiek, the director of business development and planning for the City of Portage, is always thinking ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do we want Portage to look like in 10 to 20 years?\u201d Sobiek said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of a partnership between UniverCity Alliance<\/a> and Columbia County from 2021-24, Sobiek worked with University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison students, faculty members, instructors, and staff across several academic disciplines to envision the community\u2019s future by working on economic development projects in Portage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UniverCity connects local governments, like Columbia County and Portage, with resources at UW\u2013Madison to move forward community priorities during a three-year partnership. Columbia County\u2019s partnership was supported by the Alliant Energy Foundation, and Sobiek is a member of the board of directors for the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Portage is in the midst of exciting growth. A developer is building a 100-lot subdivision, which is the first of its kind in Portage in over two decades, according to Sobiek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plans for the development called Rolling Prairie include a dog park and conservancy, which wasn\u2019t scheduled for construction until phase two of the development. But the city and developer decided to move up construction of the dog park because it could help market the new homes to future residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt forced us to get off the dime faster and get this dog park rolling,\u201d Sobiek said. \u201cThe UniverCity project got us moving on the plan quicker than we ordinarily would, and as a result, that was a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n