Good evening.

I call to order the January 27th, 2026, Portage City Council meeting in honor of all denominations and personal beliefs.

And as we enter the new year, may we work together to make Portage a stronger, more inclusive and unified community.

Please rise for a moment of personal introspection and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Please join me in the pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

And if I could ask the clerk to please call the role.

Yes, madam mayor, I'll start with Burns.

Here one moment.

Here.

Miller.

Here.

Pearson.

Randall.

Here.

And Young.

Here.

All right, just for the record, um, Dr.

Pearson, our Mayor Pro Tem is watching from afar due to the Open Meetings Act, which changed after COVID.

Um a member can tune in, but they cannot actively participate so shortly, his picture should be appearing on the screen.

Um in moving on with our meeting, um, we have a proclamation this evening celebrating Black History Month, and I would like to ask Councilmember Jihan Young to please read this into the official record.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

City of Portage Proclamation Black History Month 2026.

Whereas Black History Month is observed in February each year, and 2026 marks the 100th year, and whereas Black History Month was originally set in February to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two key figures in the history of African Americans.

And whereas Dr.

Carter G.

Woodson, the son of former slaves, who became the second African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University, developed the idea for Negro History Week in 1926 to annually promote the history, culture, and achievements of African Americans to be celebrated on a nationwide scale.

And whereas the theme for Black History Month 2026 focuses on a century of Black history commemorations marking 100 years since the first national black history celebrations began, and whereas honoring a history of black history highlights the journey of recognizing and celebrating Black life, history and culture over the past century with a focus on promoting accurate and inclusive history amidst current challenges to Black history, education, and whereas on February 10th, 1976, during the United States bicentennial, President Gerald R.

Ford became the first president to issue a message recognizing Black History Month, followed by Congress passing public law 99-244 in 1986, designating February as Black History Month.

And whereas the City of Portage continues to work toward becoming a community in which all citizens, past, present, and future, are sustained, fortified, and respected for their contributions to our community and beyond.

And whereas, to commemorate the birthday of Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

and Black History Month 2026, the City of Portage will host Candacey Taylor, leading Green Book expert and author of the best-selling book, Overground Railroad, The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, a New York Times most notable book of the year, as well as Oprah Magazine's top 26 travel books.

Now, therefore it be resolved that I, Patricia M.

Randall, as mayor of the city do hereby proclaim February as Black History Month in the City of Portage.

Thank you for that.

It was a very nice job.

And um the last part of it was promoting Black History Month at the city is celebrating on February 6th at 6 p.m.

at the airport or at the Air Zoo.

So check your Portager for more details.

All right.

If anyone would like to come forward, now's the appropriate time.

Good evening and welcome.

Judy Kangus Alters, Portage Road Portage.

I am here today.

I have to, I can't stay long, so I have to be brief.

I'm here in support of the phase one that you're working on.

I what makes me happy about it is the safety for the children that live around the Lake Center area.

Also for the movement of the people that live on the west side of Austin Lake where they could ride their, they can soon ride their bikes to school if they choose to in the spring or the following year.

The other thing that makes me very happy is the um from Lakeview Drive, that it's going to go straight across to the park.

Um that's going to be very important because I live right in close to that intersection, and it is a hazard.

Um I appreciate that when they moved it before, but it was the placement could have been just a little bit over further and worked out well.

But I just want to let you know I am in support of the phase one.

Um my concern is that when we move from stage one to or phase one to phase two, is that we continue with that safety feature where we have the safety that moves through the isthmus area.

Um so I just want to make sure that we continue that that talk that's not just going to be phase one and then it ends and see what do whatever it takes to get to the next phase, phase two, because I know as um when I talk to the residents on the west side, and a lot of people do live out of town, but they're here for the summer months, and they have a lot of grandchildren and children.

Um they would love to be able to use their bicycles to go down Portage Road heading north, and they're excited about those new back those bike paths that have been created.

They like to be able to continue their journey with their families along that route.

So I really look forward to seeing phase one, phase two, phase three, but I know phase one is the first step, but I look forward to seeing the the construction of all three phases.

So but thank you and keep up the hard work.