17 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/71dc5d4942a30649dde737a59c70b18f.pdf ea42231700577704d772919e1ff939df PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Cathy Adorno-Centeno Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 8/24/2012 Biography and Description Cathy Adorno-Centeno is the daughter of Angie Navedo-Rizzo, a Young Lord who also founded “Mothers and Others,” a sub-group within the Young Lords that organized around women’s rights issues. Born in Chicago, Ms. Adorno-Centeno describes growing up surrounded by Young Lords and in a home that was a central gathering for pot luck family dinners for members of the organization and their supporters. Following the brutal death of her Young Lord father Jose “Pancho” Lind, Ms. Adorno-Centeno and her brothers and mother went underground; staying at a rented farm near Tomah, Wisconsin that would become the Young Lords’ Training Camp. Her most vivid childhood memories are of the warmth and support she enjoyed as a member of the Young Lords community. It included block parties, farmworker pickets, demonstrations and social events held near or in the Young Lords headquarters on Wilton and Grace streets. She also spent time at Rico’s Club (which her mother owned) and enjoyed company for the Sunday pasta dinners in her home. Today, Ms. Adorno-Centeno still lives in Chicago, where she is a leader within her community. Each year she organizes Angie’s Fighter’s, a cancer walk in her mother’s memory. She works as a Human Resource Executive. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: Okay, let me (inaudible). (laughs) CATHY ADORNO-CENTENO: JJ: Okay. Okay, Cathy, if you can give me your full name, your date of birth, and where you were born. CAC: My birth name or my name now? JJ: Your name now -- either way. Whatever you want to do. CAC: My birth name was Catherine [Marie?] Lind, and my name now is Catherine Adorno-Centeno. JJ: Okay, and who are your parents? CAC: My mom was Angela Rizzo, and my father was José Lind. Oh, I forgot my birthday, I’m sorry. March 8, 1969. JJ: 19 CAC: Born in Chicago -- Cook County. JJ: Okay. CAC: Hey. (laughter) JJ: In Cook County Hospital? CAC: Yes. JJ: Okay, all right. And your brother and sisters, what are they -- CAC: I have four brothers: Joe, Peter, Dominic, and Rico. JJ: What kind of work [00:01:00] are they into (inaudible)? CAC: What kind of work are they into? 1 �JJ: Yeah. CAC: Well, two of them are in cable contracting, so they install all the cable contracting. They fly around different cities and do that. Peter works for Federal Express, and Rico works for Jewel as customer service. JJ: Okay, and what kind of work do you do? CAC: I am in human resources for an insurance brokerage firm. JJ: Okay. And have you been there for a while or -- CAC: Thirteen years. JJ: And what do you do there? CAC: I do everything but insurance, (laughter) so I basically -- I’m office manager, so I have four different offices that I manage; I’m the assistant to the president, so I do whatever he wants; and then I manage all the personnel, and I have about 100 people -- actually, about 110 with all my offices. JJ: One hundred and ten people that you manage? CAC: Mm-hmm. JJ: That is impressive. CAC: Yeah. JJ: [00:02:00] Now your mom, what did she do? CAC: My mom was in property management, and she managed housing for lower income. JJ: And she did that for a few years. Was she also a member of the Young Lords? 2 �CAC: My mom was -- I’m not even quite sure what you’d call her, but she was one of the originals in the Young Lords, and she was a part of that up until she passed away. JJ: Okay, so for many years then until she passed away. CAC: Yes. JJ: So you’re saying original, way back from the youth days? CAC: Original, way back. When it started in Chicago, she was alongside my father, alongside you, and alongside a lot of the other individuals that were trying to help the [00:03:00] community. JJ: Okay, but even before that when we were just kind of just from the community. CAC: Yeah, my mom was probably kind of like a lone ranger. She was different. She wasn’t a minority, but she was the minority in the minority. (laughter) She was second descendant Sicilian, and grew up just, you know -- she wasn’t privileged, but she grew up not needy, not really needing anything. You know, she was the only child in a home with two parents and no other children. But she had a big heart, and just opened up to everybody else, and -JJ: Do you remember your grandparents’ names? CAC: Oh, yeah. JJ: What were they? CAC: Joseph Rizzo and Josephine Rizzo. JJ: And Angie, you said she’s second Sicilian? CAC: Yeah, well, second generation here. JJ: Second generation, okay. [00:04:00] Was she pretty proud of her heritage? 3 �CAC: My mom was very proud of her heritage, but when my mom decided to fight a battle, and stand beside those who she felt she needed to stand up for, and married a Hispanic, a lot of her Sicilian family members shunned her. And she was okay with that. So she was proud of who she was, but she was also proud of whatever she stood for. JJ: And she actually spoke Spanish pretty well. CAC: She was fluent. Completely fluent. All three languages. And if you spoke to her, people always assumed that she was Latin. They didn’t know she was not Latina unless she said it. JJ: And she also went to college, also, right? CAC: She did, but she -- my mom’s history is she dropped out of high school. And she was pregnant at a young age with my dad. [00:05:00] And when my dad passed away, she was I want to say maybe 20 at the time, she was with four children, a widow, no degree. And she ended up going back to school, finished high school, and then got a bachelor’s degree in criminal law. She put herself through Northeastern, as a matter of fact. JJ: Her title, I guess, communications secretary, so she had a lot of friends, right? CAC: Yes. JJ: Who were some of the people that were around? That you knew were Young Lords. CAC: Wow. At the time, I didn’t know they were Young Lords, they were just -- people hear the name Cha Cha José Jimenez, and they’re like, “Oh,” and I’m like, 4 �“Okay, he’s like an uncle.” To me, it was normal. But, goodness, [00:06:00] I’m trying to remember names now. I don’t even remember names. JJ: One or two. CAC: Rory. JJ: Rory, okay. CAC: Slim. JJ: Okay. (laughter) CAC: Have you met Slim? JJ: Yes. (laughter) CAC: God, I’m trying to think back now. I see faces. JJ: What about some of the women? Did you know they were Young Lords? CAC: At the time, I didn’t. I didn’t know they were anything different than our family. JJ: Did you know [Sheila?] was a Young Lord? CAC: My Aunt Sheila? JJ: Yeah. CAC: No, I did not. JJ: You did not know? CAC: No. JJ: Okay. Mary, of course, her sister was one. CAC: Yeah, see? JJ: You didn’t know that. CAC: They were just -- it was normal for us. JJ: What about [Yolanda?]? What about Yolanda? 5 �CAC: At the time, no. I didn’t know. JJ: But later on -- later on. CAC: Later on, yeah. I didn’t know how involved -- I really didn’t even know how involved my mom was. JJ: [Hilda Ortiz?], did you know she was a Young Lord? (laughter) CAC: See? F1: It’s like a grand interrogation. CAC: It is. I didn’t at the time -JJ: [Nona?]? [Angie Chansky?]? CAC: They were all friends, [00:07:00] but they weren’t anything else other than our family and friends. JJ: So they related to you just as friends? CAC: Yeah, we were -- to me, it was just normal to have everybody around us not knowing what they meant to anybody else, but they were just -F1: So what are some of your earliest memories from growing up? CAC: Parties. F1: Yeah? CAC: I remember we had -- in relation to the Young Lord, we lived by Wilton and Grace, and the Young Lords had a storefront that they rent, like an office, next to Wilton Cleaners. JJ: Do you remember the colors or no? 6 �CAC: Purple and gold. (laughter) And I remember the parties there. And every adult had a right to tell us what to do or to reprimand us. (laughter) That’s what I do remember. F1: It takes a village and all that, right? (laughs) CAC: Yeah. So I watched my brothers get in trouble all the time. (laughter) [00:08:00] But I remember. I just remember always people around. That’s what I remember. But it was normal. People weren’t sitting around, you know, with papers or trying to do things, they just made normal conversation over Sunday pasta. It was just normal stuff. JJ: So people would get together like on a Sunday -- CAC: Yeah. JJ: At different people’s homes or -- but usually your mom’s? CAC: My mom’s. My mom’s was pasta Sunday. Up until she passed away, everybody knew pasta Sunday. And mom didn’t invite you, mom didn’t make a big deal out of it, you came, and mom had pasta. JJ: Remember that? Yeah. Yeah, because they said like potluck dinners, but I mean they said (inaudible.) CAC: Yep, but that’s what I remember. And the funny thing is I carry that over to now because I love having people over. And it’s not for anything in particular, it’s just people coming over. F1: That’s great. CAC: [00:09:00] Mm-hmm. 7 �JJ: That’s a good thing. Wilton and Grace. You said they were communicating, but that they were at the office, what other ways did they relate? Or what else do you remember? CAC: I remember boycotting. (laughter) We boycotted Gallo Wines as children. (laughter) And the phrase was, “Boycott” -- I’m trying to remember now -“Boycott Gallo Wine, you gotta organize, you got to unionize. You gotta boycott lettuce, boycott grapes, boycott Gallo Wine.” I remember doing that. JJ: Do you remember singing the song? CAC: Oh, yeah. It was like a -- you know, a kid’s rhyme. We just knew it so well. (laughter) F1: This is a good rhyme to know. CAC: Yeah. JJ: [00:10:00] That means you were a Marxist. CAC: We were activists and didn’t even know it. JJ: Had the pickets, had the pickets (inaudible) ’cause on Saturday morning, at the stores, you mean you were there? CAC: Mm-hmm. JJ: Okay. We would have them take out all the grapes and all the lettuce with the farm workers? CAC: Yeah, but we didn’t know. JJ: There was a group called the farm workers we were working with at that time. CAC: Yeah, but it was normal. It wasn’t anything where nobody wanted to not go. Mom’s going, “Yay, let’s go.” (laughter) 8 �JJ: So what you’re saying by normal, people didn’t get dressed up in soldier outfits or anything like that? CAC: No. It was normal. It was as if you’re taking your kid to the park or to the zoo. We just got up and we did it. JJ: And, in fact, is that most of like the parties and everything? Was it just -- CAC: It was all normal. There was nothing that stood out. We learned later on in life that we hid away at a farm. [00:11:00] And my mom said it was a trip, (laughter) so we all went on a trip. But it was just normal. That’s why I never knew the impact of anybody who was surrounding us, what they were to anybody else ’cause with us it was just normal. F1: When did you find out that this was part of a larger story? CAC: You know, I don’t really know if it’s even hit how large. I watched my mom throughout the years when she would be interviewed, or she would meet with you, and you guys would have all these pictures and go through documents, but it was a part of her stuff, so I never got involved with it. But I think the first time it really hit me was when DePaul University was doing a play, and there were actors portraying my mom, and my dad, and their friends for the first time. And that’s when it was really like, [00:12:00] “Wow, okay, we’re part of something here.” (laughs) Didn’t know it, but, yeah, we’re part of something. But at the time, we didn’t know it. F1: Did that change at all for you -- how you thought about those memories looking back? 9 �CAC: Yeah. I mean I’m always very quiet about them. I don’t talk about them to other people very often. But to know that my parents and my family -- my family -were a part of something, that’s big. That’s big because they were doing something that people don’t do anymore -- or they do it in other countries, not necessarily here, and they were doing it over here. And to start out as a young unorganized group of kids and have these thoughts and these dreams and you turn it in to something, yeah, it’s amazing. JJ: There’s no lighting (inaudible). CAC: Yeah, I’m gonna turn on another light. [00:13:00] (break in audio) JJ: Okay, so you mentioned that you were in a farm on a trip, that your mom took you on a trip. That was like a training school, we called it, at that time. So what do you remember? I mean how did it look? How did the farm look? CAC: You know, I don’t know other than we were told when we got older that we had gone on this trip, and we found out why we had gone on this trip. JJ: And what did you find out? CAC: What did we find out? JJ: Yeah. CAC: That we were underground. (laughter) That’s what I was told, that we were underground. JJ: And what did that mean? CAC: That meant that there was somebody that was being sought after, and we all left. (laughter) 10 �F1: On a trip to a farm? CAC: Yeah, we all went on a trip. And it was just a trip, though. I mean it wasn’t anything -- there wasn’t anything [00:14:00] bad. You know, as a child, you don’t necessarily remember everything, so nothing stood out. JJ: Do you remember that you stayed more than one day? CAC: I don’t remember. JJ: Or like a year? (laughter) F1: It was a long vacation. CAC: Maybe that’s why I don’t remember. JJ: That’s good that you don’t remember. CAC: Whatever it was, it was just something that was normal and we were surrounded by people that took care of us. JJ: Oh, so there were other people there? CAC: I’m assuming that there were other people there. JJ: Okay, you don’t remember anything else. CAC: No. (laughs) JJ: We hope you don’t recall any (inaudible). CAC: I don’t recall anything. JJ: Okay, but you did go to that trip? CAC: Yeah. JJ: You did take that trip. Okay. So we come back from the trip, and we’re back in Chicago, and do you remember anything then? ’Cause there was another house in there. 11 �CAC: We went on two trips? (laughs) JJ: [00:15:00] No, now we’re on Wilton and Grace. CAC: Now we’re Wilton and Grace, okay. JJ: What do you remember from Wilton and Grace? CAC: God, what do I remember? I remember playing out on the streets all the time, and all these adults were always around us. Nobody bothered us, but the adults were always there. We were safe. It was so normal. Nothing ever stood out that -- you know, like, “Hmm.” Nothing stood out like that. JJ: But there were a lot of adults that you knew? CAC: There were always adults that knew us, and they were like our aunts and uncles. We just grew up with them. JJ: I mean a lot of adults or -- CAC: Yeah. JJ: Okay. And then the Young Lords had an office on the corner? CAC: They did. They had the office next to Wilton Cleaners. JJ: Okay. Was your mother there at all at the office? Did she work there? CAC: I’m assuming because I don’t know why else we would have moved just [00:16:00] around the corner from there. JJ: Other people, like myself, I lived on this corner. [Yolanda?] -- CAC: Yeah, I mean everybody was there. JJ: So everybody was living there. CAC: Yeah. I don’t know where everybody lived, but everybody was there. Everybody was there. 12 �JJ: Okay. So here you’re walking down the street and there’s a bunch of people that you know and it’s like your family. CAC: Yeah. On the corner and on the -JJ: Your whole family’s living there. CAC: All the families are living there, and right on the wall, on the corner of Wilton and Grace, apparently there was a gang at the time, the Eagles. They didn’t bother us, us kids played there, but it was -- it wasn’t graffiti at the time. JJ: No, they cleaned the graffiti. Yeah, they cleaned the graffiti, that was the agreement. But it used to be a vicious neighborhood, but it was cleaned up by the Young Lords and the Eagles. CAC: When we were there, [00:17:00] I never -- I don’t have any memories of anything being vicious there. JJ: Anything vicious. By that time, it was okay. And the kids were playing in the street again. CAC: Kids were playing like nothing. There’s pictures -JJ: You didn’t know it was a drug corner before? CAC: No. (laughter) No. Thanks, mom. No, I would’ve had no idea. JJ: Thanks to your mom. Thanks to your mom and her friends that they cleaned it up. CAC: Wouldn’t have any idea. JJ: They cleaned it up. So you don’t remember the campaign, [alderman?] campaign, at all? Or hearing about it or anything? CAC: I remember hearing about it, but I don’t remember what any of it entailed. 13 �JJ: What did you hear? CAC: Uptown. That’s when things started happening in Uptown. That’s what I do remember. There was a legal aid office on the second floor of one of the buildings on Broadway in Uptown, and I remember going there with my mom a lot, but I don’t know what it was for. F1: [00:18:00] I want to know what some of your other memories are from that time. I mean if you were to list some of your fondest childhood memories from that area -- you mentioned the parties, but what else stands out in your mind? CAC: What else stands out? F1: It doesn’t have to be politically significant stuff, just what stands out in your mind as being especially wonderful? CAC: My mom always made something special. You know, nowadays, the kids have all these processed treats and things. We didn’t have money, we were on food stamps at the time. And my mom, I remember her making -- she called it elephant ears with flour tortillas. She would fry them and put brown sugar and sugar. It was the little things that -- we just thought it was the biggest thing in the world. And it wasn’t even a big deal that we were on stamps, but I remember my mom being happy when we weren’t [00:19:00] on stamps anymore because she achieved something. She did it. JJ: So you say on stamps, food stamps? CAC: We were on food stamps for whatever period of time. As long as we remember having the block of cheese and the peanut butter. (laughs) F1: Right. The giant block of cheese, the giant peanut butter. (laughter) 14 �CAC: And the peanut butter that just wasn’t sweet. F1: Right. (laughs) CAC: But, you know, and she was proud. It wasn’t anything to her. But it was just so normal. I’m trying to remember what else. It was just a normal childhood. Being surrounded by so much, I don’t know how we grew up with it being -- everybody else says it was a lot, but it was nothing for us. It was nothing. We just went along, and we saw everybody, and yeah. JJ: When do you start remembering at Rico’s? [00:20:00] When you moved this way? Because you lived up north, too. CAC: We lived up north. When we were up north -JJ: With [Julio?]. CAC: Yeah. My mom was still involved with everything. She wasn’t involved as much, that’s when she was going to -- she was working, going to school, taking care of the family. But, yeah, every so often, I knew that you guys got together. I don’t even want to say she was quiet ’cause she wasn’t hiding anything, but it just wasn’t anything that was so profound like -- you know, it was normal. JJ: So you knew she was a main person in the group? CAC: I knew she was in the group, but I didn’t know she was a main person in the group ’cause she was mom. I didn’t know you were a main person, (laughs) or the main person in the group. You were Cha Cha. JJ: Right. Okay. CAC: So to grow up in the [00:21:00] middle of so much, you guys did a good job of not making a big deal out of it. 15 �JJ: Okay. So you don’t remember any people going to jail or anything like that? CAC: No because mom didn’t put that stuff there. JJ: She didn’t put that to you. Okay. Not a lot of people went, but (inaudible). CAC: Yeah, she didn’t make a big deal out of anything. Even when our dad died, I mean she didn’t talk about what he had done. I actually learned a lot about what he had done through you. F1: Which was what? CAC: That he was -- my dad was -- I’m trying to remember the word that you used. My dad was kind of brave, he was stand-up, a stand-up guy. And I’m going to use the word soldier, but you may not have used soldier. JJ: Security. CAC: Security because he stood up. He stood up to whatever it was. And he wasn’t a big guy, he was a little guy, but he just -- I remember stories [00:22:00] from you about that. JJ: Yeah, he was like security. And he was also from the youth. We knew each other from when we were just hanging out. You know, we had social clubs at the time. Fact, that’s why they were called clubs. So up north -- ’cause you remember the socials, you said, right? Friday night. And by that time, Julio was -- CAC: Yeah, my stepdad was already -JJ: He had a number, what was he 56 or something? He had a t-shirt, in the back with a number. CAC: I don’t remember what the number was. 16 �JJ: Okay, but it was a number. Fifty-one or something. Something like that. So they moved up north. CAC: Yeah, we moved to Rogers Park. And I think, at that point in time, my mom probably took a step back just because we were all in school, you know, grammar school and kind of growing up. And mom probably took a more [00:23:00] silent -- and I don’t know if it was because of her husband at the time, but she was kind of, you know, a little bit more quiet about it, but she still did whatever she was doing, but she didn’t talk about what she was doing. JJ: Right. Well, there was a distance, too. I think at that time I was in Michigan, so the group wasn’t functioning completely at that time. CAC: But whenever you heard the Young Lords, there was a sparkle in -- and she was proud of it. She was proud of all of that. I remember running into one of the gentleman who was part of the Young Lords, and he told me -JJ: Hold on one sec. (break in audio) CAC: -- how much my mom was involved with everybody. And I think it was at the play, the first play that we saw, one of the gentleman there said, “Do you know when you were a little kid, I lived with you for a while?” I said, “What?” (laughs) He said, “Yeah, your mom took me in. Your mom took care of me.” [00:24:00] But for whatever reason, it was just, you know, everything seemed -- nobody was an outsider. JJ: So this person told you that he lived there? CAC: Yeah. 17 �JJ: Okay. And that makes sense because (inaudible) would let -- you guys would be in the back of the house, and the front of the house we kind of hung out. CAC: So we didn’t see -- he said, “I remember your mom always cooking.” JJ: But only a few people hung out there, that he trusted. CAC: The one who said it to me was Rory. JJ: Oh, yeah. So Rory stayed at your house. CAC: I just thought, “Wow, how cool.” And then I remember asking my mom, “Mom, did Rory come with us?” And she was like, “Yeah.” She just never -- she didn’t talk about -JJ: We used to hang out in the front of the house because Angie knew the (inaudible) -- [00:25:00] this is your interview and I’m explaining. CAC: That’s okay. JJ: But just so that you’re aware. But Angie was kind of the leader of the women in the group, and so we had socials. CAC: Oh. Then that goes to the story of the block party because I had heard about that. I didn’t know it at the time, but -JJ: What did you hear? CAC: Apparently there was gonna be a block party, and the police had come and said that they could not congregate and have a block party. I was told that my mom had all the moms come out with their strollers and stood in the middle of the street. The little rebel that she was. (laughter) JJ: Right. The police had told ’em-- “Guys, you cannot get -- you better not or we’ll arrest you.” 18 �CAC: So the moms went out in the middle of the street with the kids. (laughter) JJ: Yeah, that was great. And, in fact, they won an Emmy (inaudible), that’s true. The famous Studs Turkel won an Emmy for describing that (inaudible). CAC: Really? JJ: Yeah. He taped the event. CAC: Wow, [00:26:00] I didn’t know that. JJ: Yeah, somewhere there’s an Emmy (inaudible). CAC: Oh, I would love to see that. I had no idea. JJ: Yeah because he was interviewing people right there. He might have interviewed Angie. F1: I think it’s in the Chicago Historical Society, actually. CAC: Really? F1: So if you were to go and look for it, you should be able to find it. CAC: Uh-oh. They’re watching the Bears game over there. (laughter) Another thing I remember was mom had a paper weight. And it was a clear -- ever since we were children. And it was a little paper weight that had like a rainbow of colors, and mom got this paper weight from -- was it a school? The Young Lords had taken over a building, and mom stole (laughter) a paper weight. JJ: From McCormick Center, you mean? CAC: I don’t know. I don’t remember where it was at, but mom -- and the history around that was that, you know, you guys had taken over this place [00:27:00] and weren’t leaving. You weren’t leaving the premises, and from there, mom 19 �took someone’s paper weight from their desk, (laughed) and it stayed in our house. JJ: It was a souvenir. F1: Do you still have it? CAC: I think one of my brothers have it. F1: Yeah? That’s good. So it stayed in the family. (laughs) CAC: It did, but every time we saw something like that, it was just like -- you know, at the time, you -- “What is this?” But as you grow older and you think, “Wow. Mom still has this thing.” (laughter) JJ: So she never explained anything about the Young Lords or you learned it from other people? CAC: We learned from other people. She just didn’t -- and I don’t know why she didn’t. I honestly think that because of everything that everyone else had gone through when they had this fight, and we had lost our dad very young, that she felt that she didn’t want for her children to have anything held against them or to -- she was afraid of losing somebody else. So I think she [00:28:00] kept us enough away from it so that we weren’t directly in it, but yet, it surrounded us. We weren’t active in it, I should say. F1: Where do you fall in the birth order with your brothers? CAC: I’m in the middle. F1: Okay. CAC: Smack dab in the middle. (laughter) 20 �JJ: So now what else do you remember about up north? ’Cause there were parties at your house. CAC: Yeah, there were always parties. There were always -JJ: What else do you remember up there? What do you remember about Julio? CAC: Can we not talk about him? JJ: Yeah, sure. Juan or no? CAC: Oh, yes. Yes. JJ: Okay. CAC: I’m sorry. F1: Not at all. Use the right refuse anything you want. JJ: This is your interview. CAC: Okay. Oh, you make me cry. Okay. [00:29:00] Yeah, Juan, I loved Juan. I loved Juan. My mom was married three times, and three times she was a widow. F1: That’s a lot to go through. CAC: Yeah. Yeah. And her third husband, Juan Navedo, was wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a better father, step-father -- I didn’t know my father, so -- but Juan was just absolutely incredible. He loved the Young Lords. (laughter) JJ: So you had Rico’s, right? That was -- Juan was -- CAC: Rico’s was a bar -- my mom and Juan, they owned a bar on North Avenue. JJ: Can you describe what that is and how they started it? CAC: I don’t even know where they got that idea from. They wanted a place for -- oh, I know how it got started because everybody used to hang out on Rosemont at the 21 �house. All the couples were there, we were surrounded by Albert and Nelly, and we were just surrounded by all these different people all of the time. And [00:30:00] they had talked about doing something a little bit bigger, a little bit grander scale. And they purchased a building that had a storefront and they created a bar out of it. And every weekend, their friends were at the bar. So the parties we had in the kitchen then came over into the bar. F1: And where was Rico’s? CAC: It was on North Avenue. North Avenue and [Talman?], I think it was. JJ: So you have Angie who was really running the office at Wilton and Grace, and we have the Friday night socials, and then we had the kitchen parties at your house, and then now you gotta club called Rico’s. CAC: Now we got a club called Rico’s. JJ: And is it the same people, basically, or -- CAC: It was always the same people. Rico’s always felt like family. And even though new people would come in, they would always keep coming back ’cause it was just like family. You knew everybody. Everybody was just good, everybody was safe, and it wasn’t -- there were no problems. It was good. JJ: And then she had the Sunday -- CAC: [00:31:00] Her Sunday pasta. Mom worked full-time with property management, did the bar, and then every Sunday was still her pasta. JJ: Okay. And so these same people keep going? CAC: The same people. JJ: They keep coming. They’re still around. 22 �CAC: Yeah. JJ: So they haven’t left? CAC: No. JJ: Basically. And you didn’t know they were Young Lords? CAC: No. JJ: (laughs) Okay. CAC: They were just our family. Didn’t know -JJ: She kinda kept ’em together a little bit, Angie did? CAC: Yeah, she did. Not until I think when my mom -- after my mom was diagnosed with cancer -- did I realize the full impact of who she was with everybody because that’s when people started talking about -- because everybody didn’t talk about it. But people started talking more and more about the Young Lords, and about what mom did, and about who this was after she was sick. And that’s when it was a full impact of, “This was my life?” (laughs) F1: All kinds of stuff, yeah. JJ: [00:32:00] Where did you go to school? CAC: Grammar school? F1: All the way through. CAC: I remember going to Le Moyne School by Wilton and Grace, and then when we moved to Rogers Park, I went to Stone Academy. JJ: What do you remember of Le Moyne? CAC: Le Moyne? I remember the charter song. I was in kindergarten, but I remember the charter song. And there were all of our friends, and it was a mix of people. It 23 �was every nationality. And when we moved to Rogers Park, we were the minority in the school. We were the minority in the neighborhood. And it was really hard when we first moved in because, you know, I wasn’t blonde and didn’t have the green eyes, and I didn’t have the straight hair, and I was different. But then little by little through the years, it changed, and a lot of other people started moving in the neighborhood. [00:33:00] I felt like we were surrounded by a mix of people, again, which was good. And then I went to St. Gregory High School, and that was it. JJ: What was St. Gregory’s? CAC: St. Gregory’s was, of course, a Catholic high school, but it was a mix of boys and girls. It was a very small school. We probably had maybe 400 kids in the whole school, so we were never in a school that had, you know, 1,000 kids. We were always kinda kept in smaller groups of people. I was a junior class president. That had to be my mom. I don’t know. (laughter) I haven’t figure that out yet. I don’t know how I did that one. (laughs) And that was it. Moved out, got married. JJ: So junior class president. How did that come about (inaudible)? CAC: I don’t know how that came about. I don’t know what it was. I like [00:34:00] being in the middle of everything, but I don’t like being in the front of it. Even to this day, I don’t mind doing whatever it is, but I don’t wanna be in the front. When I do training or I talk to my employees, I’ll do that, but I don’t want to be the first person in the receiving line for anything. F1: Do you know why? 24 �CAC: I think because my mom was in the forefront. I’m not my mom, and I don’t think I’m as strong as my mom was. She stood up for something more than herself, and while I’ll stand up for something, I don’t know -- not to the same measures that my mom would have done. JJ: You growing up, what about your brothers and that? How are they growing up? Are they doing okay or having problems? CAC: No, no. Everybody’s good. You know, as teenagers -JJ: I mean growing up, [00:35:00] as teenagers. CAC: As teenagers, everybody goes through their own growing pains. And my mom was not going to lose her children to the streets. She refused. She fought it. I had one brother who declared one day that he was in a gang, and mom showed him otherwise, and he wasn’t in a gang anymore. (laughs) JJ: What do you mean she showed him otherwise? F1: How did she do that? CAC: You know, I just think she stayed on him. She was involved. She went to the schools, she did everything she could do. If you were at this corner and there was a problem, mom was there. I remember as a young adult, one of my brothers was walking home in Rogers Park. And the neighborhood had just started changing, and there were some gangs that were coming in. And they jumped him, and he went inside, and my mom was there with Juan, and Myrna, Hector, Albert, Nelly, and all of the adults went outside [00:36:00] to where these guys were at, and my mom threatened them. She didn’t play when it came to her kids. So I think that helped keep her children -- you know, “You don’t need that. 25 �You’ve got family, you’ve got love, you’ve got everything you need, you don’t need anything.” So, thankfully -- knock on wood, there’s no wood right here -but everybody was okay. JJ: So she was able to stay on top of ’em and that’s what -- CAC: Yeah, she was always on top of it. Always. And it made me think about that with my son. My son is 21 now, and I thought, “It’s one child. I’m not gonna lose him.” JJ: What’s your son’s name? CAC: Alberto. And when he was born, I thought, “Okay, my son has two strikes against him.” JJ: And what’s your husband’s name? I didn’t get your husband’s name. CAC: My husband’s David. I’m sorry. I thought my son had two strikes against him. One, he was a boy; and two, he was Hispanic. And it’s not a good way to think about your [00:37:00] child, but that was my thought. And I was gonna do whatever I could for him not to be a statistic in anything. And I think he’s good. He goes to school part-time --college, and he works part-time, and he’s a very -he’s very honest. Tells me things that you don’t think a son should tell a mother. (laughs) F1: That’s good. CAC: Yeah, he’s very honest. He’ll still ask permission for things. If he’s not gonna come home, he still calls. JJ: You mentioned my sister, Myrna. So were there other relatives that you stayed close to or -- I mean friends or -- I mean was there like a core group of people? 26 �CAC: There was. The core group of people that I remember more -- this was in my teenage to my later -- was Cha Cha’s sister, Myrna, her husband, Hector, and their friends, Albert and Nelly -- [00:38:00] Lucas -- who was [Yoeli’s?] family. And Yoeli is Cha Cha’s ex-wife. And we grew up with them in a part of everything that we did. Now that my mom passed away, I’ve grown a little bit away from that. Not as close with it. I think I realized that my mom was a lot of the center of the glue that held things together and people stayed together. And after she passed, there were a lot of things that started out coming from people that I just didn’t want to be part of. But while she was alive, it just -- she was really the center of all of it. JJ: So now you have like a different grouping of friends? CAC: I do. JJ: (inaudible). CAC: I do. I have my own group of friends that helped me actually through my mom’s passing. When my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer, she was married [00:39:00] to Juan, and Juan hit a very depressive state. They told us that my mom had six months to live, and several months into her treatments and after her surgery, he committed suicide. And it was very devastating. He was the person for her. And suddenly, I was -- even though I was a grown up, I was thrown into an adult position where I had to become a person for her. F1: Sure. How old were you at that time? CAC: I was 35, maybe. Right before she was diagnosed, I was recently engaged and I was planning a wedding. And then this happened. It was like a week later when 27 �she was diagnosed with this. She was always my confidant. I shared everything. Even though I was grown, living in my own [00:40:00] place, raising my son, I would still go and spend weekends by her. And I lived in the same city, but I wanted my mom, so I would always be with her. So suddenly when I didn’t have that confidant because I didn’t want to share my emotions with her, I had a close group of friends that supported me kind of the way my mom supported me. And to this day, my friends are just -- they’re wonderful. They’ll do my cancer walks with me in my mom’s name. JJ: You organize the cancer walks, right? CAC: Yeah. JJ: I haven’t been to any of them. I’m sorry. But how are they like? CAC: We’re surrounded by people who either knew my mom, or didn’t know her, but were moved by her through me. JJ: [00:41:00] And (inaudible) your mission, I guess. CAC: But were moved by her through me. When she was sick, I started sending out weekly updates to people ’cause it was my way of sharing what was going on -“Don’t call the house, don’t talk to mom, let me just tell you what it is, and let me get it out.” And it started from there. And my mom and I had gone on a cancer walk before she was sick, and she loved it so much. We did it for my boss at the time, his four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer, and we did the cancer walk for her. So when the next year came around, and mom had been diagnosed, I changed it and we created a group called Angie’s Fighters. So it was all of her people that supported her. And mom didn’t want to be the center 28 �of attention. She argued it, she did not want it. But when she was there, it was good. We all had shirts that had her picture on there, and just -- we supported her. And then it kinda grew from there. People who I met through the years learned about what I did or I told them what I was doing, [00:42:00] and they would tell me, “I’m so sorry I never met your mom, but I’m gonna do this. I want to be a part of this with you.” And they’re still around which is great. JJ: So that’s still done every year? CAC: Yeah. JJ: I just missed it again, right? When is it? CAC: Yeah, we just did another one. JJ: When is it done? CAC: It’s normally in May. For several years, we did it through the American Cancer Society, and this last year we did it through the Brain Tumor Association because her cancer was specific to brain tumor. JJ: Is it like first week of May? CAC: They change it. This past year they changed it to like two weeks early. JJ: But they usually do it in May? CAC: Normally do it the middle of May, yeah. And we all wear our shirts, and rah, rah, and it’s great. JJ: So tell me a little bit more about Rico’s. CAC: [00:43:00] Rico’s? JJ: Yeah. Did you go to the club? 29 �CAC: Oh, I was always there. That was my club. (laughter) But I loved it because at the time I could go out and have a good time, but I was in a safe place. Everybody knew me, I was Angie and Juan’s daughter, and I could have a drink and go upstairs and go to sleep. JJ: Who were some of the people that used to go frequently that you recall? CAC: Oh, wow. All of the normal people. I mean all the people I grew up with. But then I remember one of the best parties we ever had there was with some of your family -- [Calisto?]? JJ: Oh, yeah, Calisto. CAC: Yes. And all of your family was there, and we had a party with them. It was called [Pisces?] Party, (laughter) and it was a disco theme. And one of your family members had this big afro, they wore one of the wigs. (laughter) Just this big afro. JJ: Okay, so they would joke around a lot? They were friendly. CAC: Yeah. There was always a theme, there was always something going on, but it was a safe place. [00:44:00] You were part of something when you were there. You know, when you watch Cheers, when Norm walks in, everybody yells, “Norm!” It was kind of like that. (laughter) Everybody knew who you were and nobody bothered you. So I would even bring my girlfriends there because as women, young women, who are single, you don’t necessarily want to go out to a club that you don’t know, but at Rico’s, you were safe. You could dance with all the uncles, you can have a good time, and you knew that you were okay. You didn’t have to think or worry about anything, and that’s what Rico’s was. 30 �JJ: And you say uncles meaning Angie’s close friends? CAC: All the extended -- yeah. Remember, my mom had no brothers. JJ: The extended Young Lords? (laughs) CAC: Yeah, my mom had no brothers or sisters, so all these aunts and uncles were people just that I grew up with. It wasn’t the blood, it was who they were in my life, and it’s still like that. JJ: I mean they weren’t all Young Lords. I mean (inaudible). CAC: No, they were just all her -JJ: But they were either Young Lords, or friends, or -- CAC: All her friends. JJ: All her friends, [00:45:00] Angie’s friends. CAC: Yeah. We didn’t grow up with a lot of blood family because the Sicilian family had shunned my mom other than her parents. So our family, our growing up was filled with aunts, and uncles, and cousins that were friends at one point in time and just became part of our normal day to day. JJ: But Angie did go to the Sicilian festivals, didn’t she? CAC: Oh, yeah. We did that. It’s mixed emotions. We have this annual festival we go to, and we pray to the Virgin Mary. When we were going on as children, we were the only minorities, so us kids stuck out, you know? You had all the salt and you had like five peppers (laughter) ’cause there were five of us, and we stuck out. We stuck out. And we were different, and we didn’t know why we were different, we didn’t know what was wrong. But my mom never -- [00:46:00] she never told us that her family -- she had family members (audio cuts out; inaudible). They 31 �didn’t acknowledge her, we didn’t know that. Now I see that and it bothers me, you know, that they treated my mother like this. But she never allowed it to affect what she was doing. She made some choices and she stuck by her choices. We didn’t miss anything by not having them involved in our lives ’cause we were raised with so much more, and it was real. You know, when you have a family member, you love your family member because they’re your family member. But when you grow up with friends that become family, it’s because this relationship has grown and just -- it’s beyond the blood. And that’s really what happened to all of our relationships. F1: Well, I have a question. So do you share these memories, this context, [00:47:00] with your son? What do you tell him about your mom, and her work, and the Young Lords? CAC: I do. I always tell him that he was no idea what amazing -- what an amazing grandmother he had. I can’t share a lot of stories about my dad because I don’t remember my dad. He died when I was two, so I only can do a lot of the hearsay, but I share -- I tell him the things that she fought for, the things that he doesn’t realize, he doesn’t know. All people, as they’re coming into their own, start having their own feelings and try to stay away from things that mom likes or mom wants ’cause I did that. You know, mom was involved with this, I’m doing this. And that’s what my son does now. He has not yet grown into the appreciation of what his grandmother has done other than it was normal for him because that was his grandma. Grandma loved him beyond anything, and he can’t imagine she was anything to anybody else because that was his grandma. 32 �JJ: [00:48:00] I know (inaudible) something else, but she did certain things, you said, that you tell your son? CAC: For me, I always felt -- and this was only in my head, though -- I felt that the Young Lords were political, in my mind, because I didn’t know what all of it stood for. All I knew was mom was involved with this, but mom didn’t include us. JJ: So political meaning what? What do you mean? CAC: As a kid, I just thought political. And I lumped everything in political. I lumped Republican, Young Lord, Democrat, I lumped it all together just because mom was fighting for something. JJ: And we did have a alderman campaign. We did things. CAC: So maybe that’s what -- but I just always thought political. JJ: Wilton and Grace was the alderman campaign. CAC: Okay, so that’s probably how -- I never thought of that’s how I related them, but I just always related that being political, [00:49:00] so I stayed away from anything political. I didn’t voice my opinions, I didn’t, you know -JJ: Said, “I’m not voting now.” (laughs) CAC: Well, I voted, but I always kept it to myself. And now my son pushes me. He pushes my boundaries because now I’ll stand up. I’ve got Obama on my refrigerator, (laughter) and I have a sticker called, “Not a Republican,” on my refrigerator, (laughter) and me and my son fight, but we do it quietly ’cause he’ll put a magnet over my “Not a,” and it says, “Republican,” and I always have to move it. So we’re fighting. “Not a” -F1: Just antagonizing. (laughs) 33 �CAC: Yes, he does it on purpose to me, but I’m not political. And I always try to remind him of politics is something very personal, and that’s not something you really ask about or you bring up to somebody else because my son is ready to battle when it comes to his feeling of politics. But it’s opposite of me, so we don’t go there. He doesn’t understand it just yet. F1: [00:50:00] It sounds like his politics might also be different than his grandmother’s. (laughs) CAC: Yeah, very, very. ’Cause I even tell him, “If your grandma were here today, you just” -- You know, Nona -- “If Nona were here today, you just don’t know.” But he has to grow into his own. My mom never pushed it on us, so just like that, I’m allowing him -- I’ll answer the questions, or if he says -- I remember one time he said, “Mom, I want to go and do” -- he wanted to go do the walk for Mexicans. I forget what the rallies were here in Chicago several years ago. And I allowed him to miss school to go attend the rally. And I think it was for the Mexicans that weren’t citizens and wanted to be able to work, and I allowed him to do it. I want him to understand it. I want him to understand why -- you know, what democracy really is and what freedom really is because when you’re born into it, you don’t know it. [00:51:00] It just becomes so normal, you know, and that’s what happened with me. It became so normal that I didn’t realize everything else that was going on around me. JJ: And, in fact, your husband is of Mexican descent? CAC: My husband is Puerto Rican -- well, this is my second marriage. My first husband was Mexican, my second husband is Guatemalan and Puerto Rican. 34 �JJ: Oh, Guatemalan. Okay. CAC: Yeah. JJ: So these demonstrations had to do with not all Guatemalans, but some Guatemalans and some Mexicans. CAC: Yeah, but he wanted to do it, so I support it. As long as he truly believes in something, and he can tell me why, I’ll support it because that’s the only way he’s gonna realize for himself who he is or what he wants. He needs to find it for himself. [00:52:00] Like I said, I don’t talk politics even in my house just because I want my son to have his own vision. And he has a vision, and I have to steer him a little bit, (laughter) but I’m trying to do it quietly. F1: Start with the magnets. CAC: Yes. (laughter) He doesn’t realize all of it. JJ: Like you said, you still had people to get together, your peer groups. How do you develop in terms of your peer groups? CAC: How do I? JJ: Yeah. Maybe that’s -- CAC: The funny part -- I’ve never been a leader. JJ: I mean [relax?]. CAC: Well, I’ve never been a leader. You know, I always wanted to be in the background. And I took a lead role with my group of friends, I have about 20 female friends, and I took the lead with these women, and we get together on a monthly basis. JJ: Who are some of these people? Just the first names. 35 �CAC: Goodness. [00:53:00] I have [Sonia?], Jenny, Gigi -- it’s a mix of people. Somebody from New York, somebody -- you know, I have one girlfriend who is of Irish descent, but you meet her and you think -- she’s like my mom. You would think she’s Latin (laughter) completely. And she speaks it, and she’s married to it, you know what I mean? So it’s just a mix of people. And it’s probably the only place I take the lead and I feel comfortable. I’ll organize it, I’ll plan things for just us as women to go out and have one night a month where we can talk. Go out for dinner, have a few drinks, and talk about anything we want to talk about, do whatever we want to do, and that’s our let down our hair day. But then we also plan things for families. So I kinda feel like my mom right now. (laughter) We do, we plan things for families. I include the kids. F1: That’s great. CAC: Yeah. JJ: So that’s your group right now? CAC: That’s [00:54:00] my group. JJ: What other things do you remember about Rico’s? CAC: About Rico’s? JJ: Yeah, that was kind of important. That was a phase during that time. CAC: There was a phase, but do you know what? I wasn’t living there. So when I would go over there, I would see -- I remember my mom having a box of photos of all these Young Lords. All these different things, all these photos of different -JJ: What happened to that box? CAC: My brother, Joe, has it in Florida. 36 �JJ: Okay, ’cause we might (inaudible) -- CAC: I can ask him. We gave it to Joe because Joe was the oldest and Joe remembered more than we did. JJ: No, no, we just want to see if we can make the copies. F1: If Joe would be willing to scan copies. CAC: Okay, let me ask him. F1: Yeah, definitely ask him. CAC: He’s the one that we decided to give the whole box to just because he remembered more of the names, he remembered -JJ: Yeah, we just want a copy. CAC: I don’t know [00:55:00] if he still has it, but I remember he had a Young Lords’ beret. He remembered all that ’cause he remembered my dad. We don’t remember my dad at all. But I will ask him. JJ: Do you remember anything? I mean what does he tell you about him? CAC: He doesn’t talk -- Joe is the quiet one. I think Joe felt the impact most with my dad dying young. He was the oldest, and suddenly his dad, his friend, wasn’t there anymore. So I think he just felt that impact. And he’s probably the one who least -- you don’t see him around, he moved to Florida, but he didn’t -- as we were growing up involved in all the parties and stuff and such, he didn’t participate in any of that ’cause I think he might have related to my dad passing away not necessarily knowing everything around why he passed away -- he relates that to -JJ: [00:56:00] He never mentioned -- I know it’s kind of difficult to talk about. 37 �CAC: No, that’s okay. JJ: He never mentioned what happened? CAC: I didn’t know until I was older what happened. JJ: So what did you know? CAC: That my father was walking along the street with my uncle and my aunt -- or my uncle’s girlfriend, I don’t know what she was at the time -- and they were passing by a pool hall -- and this is was my uncle who relayed this information to us who was there. And the gentlemen came out of the pool hall and were taunting my dad and my uncle. My dad was dark-skinned Puerto Rican, and they were taunting racial slurs to them. And the men weren’t saying anything, but my aunt turned around and made a response to them, and then a fight broke out. They came out. And, apparently, the police arrived in a paddy wagon, and threw my uncle in the paddy wagon. [00:57:00] My uncle was older than my dad, my dad was the baby. And they allowed a gentleman or a few gentleman to beat my father. The police allowed this while my uncle was in the paddy wagon. And my uncle, before he passed away, what he said was, “You have no idea what it felt like.” He said, “I felt like I was an animal locked in a cage, and here they are beating my brother, and there’s nothing that I could do.” And then when it was over, my father, he died as a result of the injuries. They threw my father, his body, in there with my uncle. He was still alive at the time, but they threw him in there with my uncle. And it affected my uncle because my uncle never recovered from that. He never grew up. He was always in the park, he was always at 38 �Humboldt Park. I don’t know if he did drugs, I think he drank, but I don’t know if he did drugs. JJ: I think he drank. CAC: He never grew up. JJ: [00:58:00] So he hung around Humboldt Park, you mean? CAC: Yeah, he was just -JJ: Was he homeless? CAC: I think kinda homeless and then bounced around. But he said that his father never forgave him for my father’s death, so he carried that with him until he died. He never passed it, kind of like it froze in that time. JJ: To add to that so that you know -- and we were going to court because we were trying to get the people arrested and put in court, and Angie was leading a lot that. And the courtrooms were full. The Young Lords were filling up the court rooms and that. But nothing happened. No one was arrested that -- CAC: Nobody was convicted. JJ: So you heard some of that, too? CAC: I did hear that. I remember reading an article -- [00:59:00] and I think this was probably when I first started asking questions. There was an article that was published, and it mentioned my dad -- his beating, his death -- and I remember so clearly and they said my mom was away at a women’s conference in Canada at the time. She had four children, not a high school graduate, she was at a conference, and she received a phone call that she needed to come home. And the article said that she arrived home, she was at the airport, and Hilda was 39 �there, and Hilda had to tell my mom what happened to my dad, that my dad didn’t make it. And he ended up passing away the day before my brother’s third birthday. JJ: I know it was right after that you went to that school. CAC: Yeah, see? JJ: (inaudible) school, but she decided to go, (inaudible). CAC: My dog’s knocking on the door. Do you hear her? (laughter) [01:00:00] But, yeah, so that I do -- after we saw the play, I remember Hilda telling me -because Hilda was there at the play -- and Hilda said, “You know, I was the person who was there.” But mom never talked about it. JJ: So how did you feel about the play? CAC: Wow. You know, what I remember from the play was the young man who played my father, when they did the scene where they pretended to beat him and he fell to the floor, all I wanted to do was go up and hold this man. You know what I mean? When you hear the stories, there’s no real picture to it. There’s nothing. You hear the stories, and it’s like, “Okay.” But there’s no photo, there’s nothing. And for the first time, there was a photo to what had happened and the things that were going around surrounding that. It was very emotional. JJ: I saw (inaudible). CAC: Yeah, it was very -- [01:01:00] I was taken aback. I didn’t know what to expect. I mean I knew they were going to do the play, but I didn’t know -- I didn’t know what I was gonna feel. And it was just, you know, “Wow, this really happened. This was my dad. This was my mom. This was Ch -Cha. This was” -- I could 40 �name the people, who they were talking about. That’s when it all kinda comes full circle, and wow. That’s when you realize, “Okay, there’s a lot more going on over here than I remember.” JJ: And, in fact, what Angie did, your mom did, and your father, and all that, spread to a lot of other cities. Matter of fact, right now they play at (inaudible). CAC: Yeah, I wanna go. JJ: (inaudible). CAC: I wanna see the play. JJ: It’s gonna be there till November. I guess they’re trying to get some other things in there. It’s gonna be there till November. CAC: [01:02:00] People asking about what your parents do or what your parents have done, and I just find it amazing that my mom was a staple for something somewhere, but, yet, she was mom. We had dinner on the table every day, you know? She never missed a beat. JJ: You know, I do have her on the website, and I did that intentionally because I didn’t want -- that’s sort of our commitment that we’re not gonna let her -- just forgotten her work. Hopefully, that doesn’t -- CAC: No. JJ: That’s okay with you. CAC: Oh, yeah. I love that people look at my mom, and I love that people are remembering or talking about what she did. None of that phases me at all. I’m proud of my mom. I ended up growing into not just a daughter, but just some -you know, I had a hero [01:03:00] in my house that did these amazing things, but 41 �it wasn’t the glory, she didn’t talk about it, she didn’t want to be patted on the back, she just -- she just did it. And I would ask her questions, later on after the play, and just got to know more about her and how she did it. I mean when you think about it, here she was, nineteen, four kids, a widow -JJ: On food stamps. CAC: On food stamps, living in what wasn’t necessarily her, you know what I mean? She chose this is the life she wanted to live. She could’ve lived something different. You know, typical in those days, they wanted to marry my mom off, and she would have been married to a Sicilian man. I wouldn’t be here. (laughter) But she chose different. And for her to go through all of that and still [01:04:00] come out -- you know, she ended up getting remarried, she ended up having one more child who’s autistic. She never let any of that slow her down. And he’s different. He doesn’t know he’s different, we don’t talk about it, we just do whatever we need to do. That’s what mom taught us. You just do whatever you need to do, and that’s what makes it okay. JJ: What about her work? Was it Palmer Square? CAC: Palmer Square where she did the -JJ: How did that happen? How did that come about? CAC: Originally, I don’t know how she got into property management. She was managing in a property in Rogers Park off of Howard and Ashland. The buildings over there were populated with a majority of African American or -- yeah, I think I said that right. F1: You did. 42 �CAC: Okay. Populated [01:05:00] mostly with that. And all of a sudden, they gave her an opportunity to manage this complex that was Hispanic -- majority Hispanic -and that’s what she did. And she brought in -JJ: Was it like Section 8 housing? CAC: Yeah, a lot of Section 8. They had several apartments that weren’t Section 8, but maybe 90 percent of it was lower-income. JJ: And, in fact, the company is pretty well known for trying to get Section 8 housing, low-income housing. CAC: Yes. JJ: So the company -- CAC: The funny piece is my husband ended up working for the same company that my mom was with, and he was at the first site where she was at -- at Northpoint on Howard. JJ: Oh, he was over there? CAC: Yeah. JJ: Okay, so she’s managing the -- CAC: She managed it, and she brought in -- she kind of created a -- it was a community there. She was part of it with them. She wasn’t the Sicilian, [01:06:00] she was one of them. And she did everything she could to make it better for everybody. She brought it in a lot of programs, and they loved her. I remember when she passed away, they bused in -- they rented a bus to bring in tenants from the building who wanted to come to her wake. And they all said, “Your mom” -- there were so many stories. It doesn’t feel real, but when you 43 �think back to some of these conversations just that day -- “Your mom was just so amazing. She gave me the chance, and now I’m doing this,” or, “Your mom did that.” My mom didn’t talk about it, though. JJ: These are the tenants? CAC: These are tenants, yeah. JJ: That were talking about her? CAC: Yeah. “Because of your mom,” “Because of your mom,” “Your mom this,” “Your mom that.” It came at a really good time ’cause I needed that, [01:07:00] but it was just -- it was wonderful to see how much my mom was loved and respected by people. JJ: And you took it kinda hard at that time, too. How are you doing now? Any better? CAC: I’m good. I mean, you know, she became my life for two years, and we lived in the same building. I remember waking up early every morning to have coffee with her so she wouldn’t wake up by herself. We had dinner together every night. I mean she just became such -- every day with me. And even when she was in the hospital, I would sleep in the hospital. My job was wonderful. I would either go in real early and then go back with her so when it was time to eat I was with her, or I would go in in the evenings to work, and they allowed me to do that to take care of my mom. And suddenly when mom passed, [01:08:00] you know, my whole -- I felt like my -- like I hit a wall ’cause nothing was the same. I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore ’cause she wasn’t there. And then, you know, you’re thrown into a role where now what do I do? Suddenly I’ve got my 44 �brothers looking at me, I’ve got my youngest brother who’s autistic (audio cuts out; inaudible) to him. Yeah, she was everything, and how do I step into those shoes? What do I do now to make it seem seamless for him? He was gonna hurt, but I didn’t want for him to be so hurt that he couldn’t keep going forward because she wanted him to keep going forward. And now you see him and you - you know, he misses her, but everything in his life is still the same. We have pictures of mom in the house, he knows mom is around us, [01:09:00] he works, he just -- he’s a man. JJ: He’s working now? CAC: Yeah. JJ: What kind of work? CAC: He does groceries at the corner. The Jewel food store where we -- you know, we picketed Jewel as children, (laughter) but he was working for Jewel, and he’s -JJ: Didn’t Alex work at Jewel, too? CAC: He does. Not the same one, but a different one. But Rico’s good. He’s going to be with me the rest of my life, and I have to -- I always do what mom would want for him. Doesn’t matter anything else, it’s like, “What would mom want for him?” I’ll remind him, “You know, Rico, you’re an adult, you’re a grown man, what do you want to do? You tell me what you wanna do.” ’Cause mom was very -- mom fought for him. When he was born, he -- they classified him as being borderline [01:10:00] mentally retarded, and mom fought it. Mom said, “We know there’s a problem, that’s not what the problem is.” And she had him tested, and retested, 45 �and she fought long and hard for him. And he finished high school, you know, he did it. He did it. Although I get nervous when he takes off on his bike. JJ: I know he’s on the computer. CAC: Oh, he’s always on the computer. JJ: On the computer, yeah. CAC: He loves his computer. (laughter) He’s got every toy imaginable up in his room. He doesn’t need anything. F1: That’s good. CAC: Yeah. I hope that mom -- that part of what we do is mom’s legacy, you know what I mean? I hope that. We’re not the same, but, hopefully, in some of what we do, people can say, “You know what? You were your mother’s child there.” (laughs) Nothing is more complimentary to me than for someone to tell me, “You are so your mother.” [01:11:00] As a kid, you’re like, “No, I’m not my mother.” But now it’s like, “Wow. Thank you. (laughter) Tell me a story.” JJ: What else do you think we should say about your mom? CAC: My mom. She was a firecracker. I remember stories of her, too. She would go out and she always stood up for somebody who wouldn’t stand up for themselves. She didn’t care who it was. Juan would tell us stories. He would say, “Your mother, (laughter) we went out last night, and some guy was picking on another guy, and your mom spit at him,” and I’m like (laughter) -- he goes, “I know.” He’s like, “Angie, you’re doing this, and this guy’s gonna wanna fight me.” And all she said was, “But did you see how he was treating so and so?” That’s all that mattered to her [01:12:00] was that people were treated fair and proper. 46 �That’s all that mattered to her. And she actually told me that she learned that from her dad. My grandparents were much older, they had her later in life, and my grandfather told her, “You know, everything around you, when you hear these people talking about, ‘They’re not us, they don’t fit in,’” he said, “If you go in a war with somebody, then they deserve everything that you have.” And mom said that’s what she always remembered. That everybody was the same. If they’re gonna battle together, then they deserve all the same rights, and she stood up for that. And that’s probably why when she chose to marry a Hispanic, my grandparents supported her because, “You know what? This is what she wants.” And it’s okay if their families weren’t gonna talk to them anymore, this was their daughter and they were gonna support their daughter. JJ: [01:13:00] Did she ever say why she married -- they were all Hispanics, but AfroHispanics. CAC: They were all dark Latinos. (laughter) She loved that. She did, I swear. (laughter) All of them. All three of them. They were all dark, and had the real little short curly hair. I don’t know if my dad had an accent, but I think (inaudible) had an accent, and Juan had an accent. JJ: No, he didn’t -- CAC: (inaudible) didn’t have one? JJ: Well -- CAC: Juan did. JJ: You mean your dad? CAC: Well, okay, did my dad have an accent? 47 �JJ: No, he -- CAC: He didn’t? JJ: A street accent. No, he grew up here. CAC: But I think both of my stepdads had somewhat of an accent. And you know what’s funny is they never spoke Spanish in the house when we were kids. We didn’t grow up bilingual. JJ: Okay. [01:14:00] Rory, myself, Raul -- CAC: I saw him recently. JJ: Those are people from our group with your dad. So he was like that. CAC: I saw Raul recently. JJ: You saw Raul? CAC: I was at a concert, and I chased him ’cause I saw the side of the him, and I chased him down the -- we were at (inaudible). JJ: Oh, yeah. Actually, I’ve been to (inaudible) with the (inaudible). A couple of times we got tickets to go there. CAC: That’s great. He was there, so it was fun to see him. JJ: And you went by Carlos, too? You saw Carlos or something you told me? CAC: Carlos Flores? JJ: Yeah. CAC: I see him everywhere. JJ: ’Cause he does the jazz -- 48 �CAC: Yes. Yeah, he was at the Humboldt Park jazz -- I have a friend who plays saxophone in a jazz band, Latin jazz. And they were playing that night, and that’s where I saw Carlos. JJ: So are you just into these concerts now? Is that what you’re doing? CAC: Yeah, I mean one of my girlfriends who I hang around with, her husband [01:15:00] is in the band. JJ: Okay, so you just follow the band? CAC: Yeah, he’s gonna play, and we just go, and then I end up seeing -- you know, you don’t think you’re gonna run into anybody, and my husband’s like, “You always see people.” (laughter) JJ: I know you like to party ’cause one time I came here and opened the door downstairs and (laughs) -- CAC: Yeah, we have parties. JJ: It was wild. It was a wild party. (laughs) CAC: We have parties. The group that’s involved with the play in Oregon-JJ: It mean it was very respectful, but it was loud. Everybody was (inaudible). CAC: Oh, yeah. They were here for -- what play were they doing? They were doing a play here in February. JJ: Oh, you mean Universes (inaudible)? CAC: Universes, yes. They were doing a play over here. JJ: That was recently, yeah. CAC: And they came to my house, and we were having a party at my house. And it was our beach party in the middle of February, we call it our winter barbecue. 49 �And, matter of fact, I carried that down from my mom ’cause my mom would celebrate her birthday which was in February, [01:16:00] and they would do a summer party in February. So we do a winter barbecue which is our version, and they came for that night. And they were here with Melissa -- your daughter was here. And we had a big winter barbecue with all my friends. It was wonderful. JJ: My daughter was here? CAC: Your daughter was here. JJ: So that had to be a pretty crazy party. CAC: She was actually really -- she was quiet. (laughter) She was quiet. I think when she walked in, she wasn’t quite sure what she was walking into, and they weren’t quite sure ’cause I said, “All my friends are coming over, we’re having a party, you’re in town, come on over.” And they’re like, “Oh, well, it’ll be late.” I’m like, “No, no, no. We’ll still be up.” “What do I bring?” “Nothing, nothing. We’re good, just come.” And it was like 11 o’clock at night, and my husband started grilling on the stick in the middle of winter hamburgers for them because it was our winter barbecue. And by the time they left, they just said, “Oh, my God. Your party is absolutely wonderful.” (laughter) Yeah, they loved it. I’m on Facebook with all of them, [01:17:00] and to this day, one of them -- (inaudible)? JJ: Ninja? CAC: No, Ninja’s the younger brother. JJ: Right. And then you have -- [Steven?]? CAC: There was another gentleman from New Orleans. [Steven Staff?] is her husband. 50 �JJ: Oh, (inaudible). CAC: He emailed me recently via Facebook and just told me -- you know, “Hope everything was” -JJ: (inaudible) is his name. CAC: Okay. He had hoped everything was going well. He said, “And by the way, I’m still thinking about your party, (laughter) and how wonderful it was.” Another spirit of mom in me is that party. (laughter) JJ: What other thing that you feel is important about your life? CAC: My life. JJ: This is about you talking about your mom. CAC: I wouldn’t change it for anything. Now what I know I probably would have [01:18:00] asked more when I was younger, but when mom didn’t talk about it or kept it away from us, we didn’t ask any questions. But now I would like to know more about how she felt, and why she did certain things, and kinda walk through all of that with her. I would have liked to learn more about all that part of her life that she kept away from us kids. But I wouldn’t change it. JJ: Do you think it was that she was probably protecting you -- CAC: Yeah, she was. JJ: But there wasn’t anything that she felt ashamed of? CAC: No, I don’t think it was shame, I think it was just more -- I think in the back of her mind, losing my dad very young and being with all of us kids, she just felt -- and seeing what a lot of -- at that point in time, a lot of what the Latinos were going 51 �through, she wasn’t going to lose [01:19:00] her children to anything. You know what I mean? JJ: Because she had that loss. Yeah, that’s what she had -- CAC: Yeah because she suffered her loss, she wasn’t going to lose her children. And maybe it was kind of along the lines of how I felt with my son, you know? Two strikes against him. He’s a Latino and he’s a male, and at that point in time, gangs in Chicago were really coming up. And it was always, you know, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and so I think it was more all of that. M1: I have to get going. CAC: Okay. M1: I’m going to use your car. CAC: Okay. M2: I need your keys. CAC: My keys are in the other room. M2: Where? CAC: I don’t (inaudible). (break in audio) CAC: Sorry, she calmed down. JJ: Who is the new person in the black? CAC: This is my daughter, [Nika?]. She’s a little party girl, too. F1: Nika, you’re a beauty. CAC: Yeah. And she’s very protective. F1: That’s good. 52 �CAC: Yes. But, you know, going back to my mom, I think my mom probably felt the same way, [01:20:00] just that she wasn’t going to lose her children to any of that stuff, so she kept us away from it. Maybe she felt because she wasn’t a minority that, you know -- and being female it wasn’t going to be as hard for her, but for her children it was going to be hard. Like I said earlier, we were not bilingual. And I don’t know if it was her or if it was (inaudible) at the time, but they felt that - one of them felt that speaking Spanish was gonna hinder our future. JJ: I was gonna ask you about that. CAC: Yeah, they thought it was gonna hinder. And then now, it’s so a part of everything normal that it would have been a benefit. There are times, you know, when I was looking for job -JJ: I don’t think it was Angie that said that. CAC: You think it was him? JJ: I think it could have been (inaudible). CAC: They didn’t speak it. JJ: I think it was (inaudible) because -- but I mean I’m assuming -- CAC: No, that’s okay. JJ: But only because [01:21:00] there were issues there. There were issues there in terms of skin and some form of racism in Puerto Rico that -- where people are kind of sometimes almost ashamed of who they are. They kind of shame themselves. CAC: They only spoke it when they didn’t want us to know what they were talking about. 53 �JJ: And then when you think of the word Young Lords, you think of gang. Was that a -- CAC: No, see, for me, Young Lord was political. It wasn’t a gang. And to find out that you guys actually started out as a gang, a group of people, even that I was like, “What? (laughter) A gang?” “Well, yeah, Cathy, not the same kind of gang you’re thinking about.” But, you know, I just always thought it was political. JJ: Well, it definitely is not like the gangs of today, but that’s the image that people get. CAC: Exactly. Right. JJ: It was like a neighborhood [squad?]. CAC: It was a young group of [01:22:00] individuals who were together. JJ: Not that we didn’t (inaudible) -- CAC: No, but that’s okay. JJ: -- drinks, or beers, or weed, whatever. CAC: That’s okay. JJ: But we didn’t -- CAC: What was that? Weed? What? (laughter) JJ: That was (inaudible). (laughter) But -- CAC: Delete. (laughter) JJ: No, no. We’ll have to delete that. (laughter) You know what I’m saying? We were not a drug enterprise. CAC: Right. I mean we had everybody around us. If my mom was worried about the people she was with, then they wouldn’t have been around us. But we just didn’t 54 �know what it was. We knew that everybody was around, but we didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t know any of that. JJ: And what did you see? I mean some people do call us that, a gang. But what did you see? CAC: It wasn’t a gang. JJ: What type of people did you see? CAC: It was my family. It wasn’t a [01:23:00] gang. It was a family. The children were involved in everything that was going on. We were part of the parties, we were part of -- I don’t feel like things were hidden from us even though my mom didn’t tell us what she did. Nothing was hidden from us. We participated in stuff. We participated. It wasn’t a gang. For us, it was just normal. It was our life. It wasn’t anything but our life. JJ: So it didn’t have any semblance of a gang? CAC: No. It was nothing -JJ: To you. CAC: Yeah. JJ: What did it look like to you? CAC: It was just family to me. It wasn’t anything but family. There was nothing else there but family. That’s why when I heard more in life the things that you had fought for, what everybody had stood up for, I’m like -JJ: [01:24:00] What did you hear that had been fought for? CAC: For the community, for people who were being displaced from their homes, for people who weren’t being given opportunities. Those are things that you guys 55 �fought for. You were developing a community of people that weren’t developing themselves. They didn’t know how to develop themselves, really. There was nothing structured there for them to do it, and you guys were doing it. So it was normal. I can’t describe it as anything but that it was just my life. It was normal, and I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t change that we were in the mix of so many different things without even knowing it. I wouldn’t change that. Living in a suburb with a little picket fence? No. (laughter) No. I could still chant my boycotts (laughter) and [01:25:00] I was proud of my people. These are my people. I’m going to use Cha Cha as an example. To other people, Cha Cha is this amazing figure who led this cause, and still believes in this cause, and still fights this fight, and he fought through it for years. And I was like, “Cha Cha? Cha Cha was my uncle. I’m the godmother to your granddaughter.” (laughter) You know? It’s just family. It’s nothing other than family for me. But it’s just amazing how everybody else looks at it from the outside. I have a girlfriend who is from Brooklyn, and she has talked about Young Lords. And when I was telling her the history -- my version of the history and how the Young Lords started here, she loved it. And she talked to all the actors when [01:26:00] they were here at my party, if they bring that play over here, they’re gonna go to that play. JJ: I think they’re planning (inaudible). CAC: I hope so. I’m curious to see it. JJ: It plays there until November and then they plan to -- CAC: They’re hoping to come out? JJ: To at least bring it to Chicago and New York. 56 �CAC: That would be wonderful. But, yeah, my friends are amazed with it. Okay, back inside the house. (laughter) Sorry. Hi. F2: Vicious, vicious dog. (laughter) You are a killer. She is a killer. CAC: I know she is. (laughs) Stop it. You’re walking very good. F2: Huh? CAC: You’re walking very good. F2: So much better. CAC: Good. F2: So much better. CAC: Good for you. F2: It’s amazing. CAC: Enjoy your evening. F2: (inaudible). I see you. I see you through the screen. JJ: [01:27:00] What kind of final thoughts do you have? (inaudible) CAC: Okay, my final thoughts? JJ: (inaudible). CAC: Okay. Nika. She’s gonna go over the deck. F2: Yeah, I’m waiting. One of these days. CAC: She is. She climbs over to the edge, and one day she’s gonna slip. My final thought. It’s hard because I don’t know anything different than what I was raised in, but to know that my mom was a part of it, you know, and that she believed in it her entire life, truly her entire life, I’m in awe. 57 �JJ: You said she believed in it her entire life, [01:28:00] and you could tell that she was proud of it all the time? CAC: Oh, yeah. Even in the years where we may not have seen each other, as soon as everybody got together, it picked up like there was never any time between it. I remember you videotaping -- interviewing her on the deck on North Avenue. JJ: Right. (inaudible). CAC: It was just a part of her. It was truly a part of her. But it was normal. It was normal for us. JJ: Just the way of growing up? CAC: Yeah. And I wish that other children can grow up having memories of things that are outside of their home ’cause it does open your eyes to a lot, and I wish that other children could see that. JJ: Any special plans? Are you planning to stay here? CAC: [01:29:00] In Chicago, definitely. I’m always gonna be Chicago. Where we end up from here, though, you know, probably not here, this neighborhood itself. At one point in time, it was a lot of gangs in this neighborhood and it was a lower income. A lot of them have moved out -- condos. We’re sitting next to condos that run for $400,000, $500,000. They’re increasing my property taxes as we speak. (laughter) So we probably won’t stay here. But at the same time, I like being in the mix of everything. We’re close to everything. So I don’t know. I can’t picture anything different right now. 58 �JJ: How do you feel about -- I know you really didn’t remember it, living through it ’cause they had a house, your grandparents had a house [01:30:00] on Armitage. But I’m sure people have talked about it. The housing has improved, it’s not -- CAC: It’s improved for some, but other people lose. JJ: But how do you feel about poor people being displaced? CAC: I don’t like it. I don’t like it all. I don’t think it’s fair. What you’re building in one place, you’re bringing down someplace else -- intentionally, in my opinion, is what it is. JJ: Intentionally? CAC: Intentionally. JJ: But don’t you think it’s a way to get rid of the gangs? CAC: Well, no, because you got to put them some place, and you’re putting them all in one place, and now that place is going to be just as bad as the place where it started. It’s revolving. It’s not here, then it’s there. And once it’s not there, it’s there. It’s just gonna keep revolving, is what it’s doing. But I feel bad for those people who they spent their lives in a home [01:31:00] and they lose their homes. They can no longer afford it because of everything else that is being created around them. I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t know how it affected my grandparents when they lived on Armitage, but -JJ: But I’m sure they’re probably (inaudible). CAC: Oh, yeah. Yeah. JJ: Didn’t they sell and they moved up with Angie? 59 �CAC: No, they moved to New Jersey for a while, and then my mom sent for them to live with us. JJ: Okay, that’s what happened? But did they lose their house or did they sell it? CAC: I don’t know. I don’t know. I do recall what -- I’m talking about phrases. JJ: I know ’cause I used to have to paint. I used to have to paint for your grandfather. CAC: See? (laughter) The phrases of the daily machine? We were scared. We didn’t know what that was, but we knew we didn’t want to be around that. JJ: That’s a bad term. CAC: Yeah. All I pictured was one of those big wrecking balls, that’s what I pictured the daily machines. (laughs) [01:32:00] But it was normal, you know, things that we grew up with that we heard around us. JJ: Yeah ’cause your mother used to say urban (inaudible). CAC: Yeah, and we were like, “Oh, daily? Who’s that? (laughed) He was in charge of this.” JJ: No, it was (inaudible) or something. CAC: Yeah, we couldn’t pronounce it right. JJ: Yes, you would say (inaudible). CAC: Yeah, but all I pictured was that big wrecking ball. And we never saw one in real life, but that’s what I pictured. So leave it to a kid’s imagination. It was this big wrecking ball. And we just knew that Mayor Daley just wasn’t the right -- he wasn’t a good man (laughter) -- whoever he was. 60 �JJ: Your mother ran the group. I did have to -- for some demonstrations got incarcerated, and your mother ran the group -- was the only person ever to run the group, was your mom. [01:33:00] But what was my question? Now I lost my question. (laughter) CAC: Did she talk about it? Did we know? JJ: Yeah, can you sense that she was a leader? CAC: No. JJ: With the people that come around, they didn’t look up to her? CAC: Maybe they did, but she was mom. JJ: But I mean wasn’t there a lot of respect towards her or from the group? CAC: Yeah, but you respected my mom or mom was gonna kick your ass. (laughter) JJ: She definitely would do that. CAC: Right. Mom didn’t hesitate to tell you what she was feeling. It was just normal. I’m telling you, she wasn’t anything but our mom. You weren’t anything but Cha Cha. You know what I mean? You guys made it so normal for us that we didn’t know what was going on around us. Had no idea. No idea at all until you read the books -- “Cha Cha got arrested? (laughter) When was this?” You know what I mean? I didn’t know. JJ: So there was a little [01:34:00] gasp in between or -- CAC: When you look up things now. JJ: You know, in grapevine. In the grapevine, this is what happened. 61 �CAC: Well, when you look it up online, it’ll talk about -- you look up some of the history on certain things and you’ll see things like that. Mom never talked about that stuff. JJ: She never did? CAC: Never ever. I knew you ran for an alderman, and I’m assuming it was Uptown, and that’s all I remember. And then I remember Helen Shiller, I know she’s still an alderman, and I remember her being with Slim. But, see, other than that, I don’t remember any of the politics. JJ: (inaudible). CAC: Yeah, I don’t remember any of the politics around it at all. JJ: How about the Harold Washington campaign? Do you remember anything? CAC: No, but I do -- when I was first legally able to vote, I did vote for him. I remember that. (laughter) JJ: But I mean did you know that we worked on his campaign? CAC: No. Mom didn’t -- [01:35:00] when she felt true to something, she did it, but she didn’t push it. She never pushed us kids to follow. JJ: Well, she pushed it, but not with her kids. CAC: Right, not with us kids. She wanted us kind of I think how I am with my son. I’m allowing him to make his own decision, his own choice, and that’s what she did with each of us. With all the politics going on now, oh. JJ: It’s kind of crazy, yeah. CAC: Oh, my God. Yeah, she’d be real crazy with this. (laughs) But everything was just normal. We didn’t know. We didn’t know anything. We knew the parties, we 62 �knew -- all the fun stuff we knew, but anything else behind it, if there was sadness behind it, we didn’t see it. You guys never showed it to us. JJ: Now, that’s good in one sense, but on the other sense, do you feel that’s because everybody knows each other from all those years, [01:36:00] same crowd, I know you have your own grouping of friends now, but every once in a while, they do come together whether it’s a wedding, or a funeral, or something, but do you feel that some of the members, some of these people have any shame? You don’t have -- CAC: Do they have shame? JJ: Do they have shame or they don’t want to talk about it? CAC: You know, since you put it that way, maybe some of them do because I don’t remember seeing some of the faces with the plays and some of get togethers. But I don’t know for what reasons they chose to -- whatever they chose, I don’t know why they chose what they have. JJ: To be honest, I even hear some negative things. Some negative thinking, or talk, [01:37:00] or could be my imagination. (laughter) CAC: Are they embarrassed? JJ: Yeah, I’m wondering if they’re embarrassed, if there’s any guilt feelings, any shame, if they’re worried about the gang because they’ve thrown that at us. I don’t know, I’m just trying to do find out ’cause you’re here, I’m not here. CAC: I don’t hear any of that, but maybe because my mom didn’t feel that way. Maybe that’s why I don’t hear it. JJ: No, she didn’t. 63 �CAC: That’s probably why I don’t. Mom never had guilt. JJ: When people mention the Young Lords, how do they mention it? CAC: I think a lot of the generation now, they don’t know it started here, and they don’t know the fight that you had here, the steps that you guys took here. I don’t think they realize that. I think that when they hear Young Lords, they think that it started [01:38:00] in New York because that’s where it became bigger at that time, but they don’t know that it started here and who was involved in that. They don’t know that. And my friends find it amazing that my mom was in -- when they hear about it, they find out it’s amazing she was involved in that. JJ: Okay, that’s your -- CAC: That’s my friends. JJ: Your friends, your peer group. But what about the older ones? Your uncles and aunts? CAC: None of them talk about it. I think my mom was really the only one in the immediate group that still held strong to what she felt. JJ: So they don’t talk about it? That’s what I mean. CAC: Yeah, none of them. JJ: Do you find that odd? I mean that they were involved and then -- CAC: Yeah. If it were me and I was involved in something like that, I would want people to know about it, and I would want to clarify, and I would want to talk about it as much as I could, and they don’t [01:39:00] talk about it. I’m not around a lot of them anymore. I’ll see them at functions. Of course, we don’t 64 �even talk about any of that, but, yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know. It is weird. I guess I didn’t think about it till you said it right now. That’s my son. It is weird. JJ: It is kinda weird though, right? CAC: Yeah. I wasn’t a part of it, but I know I talk about it with my son -- things that I’ve heard ’cause I want him to be proud of his grandparents and to really understand how he -- why we have what we have, why we’re at where we’re at, and how we got there. JJ: I mean there are some Young Lords that still talk about it, but then there’s a bunch of other Young Lords that come around here, that you know, that came around Angie, that won’t. CAC: Yeah, they didn’t. JJ: [01:40:00] And sometimes I think that maybe it’s -- you know, there was a lot -instead of interviewing I’m telling my story. CAC: That’s okay. JJ: But there was a lot of what I call repression (inaudible). They were trying to stop the group, they were afraid of the group ’cause it was challenging the -- CAC: The system. JJ: The status quo, the system. So you think now that you know that there’s a weird thing going on -- assuming, making assumptions that we shouldn’t, but what do you think? CAC: I don’t think they should feel that way. I could see that they may feel that way. I don’t think they should, though. I mean you guys didn’t do anything wrong. You guys had a cause and you made a difference. You made a difference for a lot of 65 �people, and that’s what they need to remember. Tt’s not a gang, it wasn’t a gang, it wasn’t the gang bangers that [01:41:00] we see in neighborhoods nowadays. It’s nothing like that, and they need to remember that. And maybe they’re not happy with their past, but they -- or maybe they did something else that led them to not be happy with their past, but mom was proud of her past. She was very proud of it. JJ: Any final thoughts? I asked you that earlier. CAC: No. My mom was an amazing person, and I’m glad she was raised the way she was and she did what she did ’cause it definitely made her a different person. People remember her. JJ: And now you got your own circle of friends, you’re an amazing person. CAC: I do mine on a different level. (laughter) On a very different level. JJ: Okay. CAC: Yeah. JJ: That’s it. CAC: Okay. JJ: All right, thank you. END OF VIDEO FILE 66 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e8af58196d7a09867520b27e6a6db423.mp4 cf711dd7ba96f07c1a3973e055d73b0b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Cathy Adorno-Centeno vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Narrativas personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Adorno-Centeno_Cathy Title A name given to the resource Cathy Adorno-Centeno video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Adorno-Centeno, Cathy Description An account of the resource Interview of Cathy Adorno-Centeno on August 24, 2012 by José "Cha-Cha" Jiménez and Melanie Shell-Weiss (identified in the transcript as "F1"). In the video, a Latina woman sits facing the camera and speaks to the interviewer who is off camera. Cathy Adorno-Centeno is the daughter of Angie Navedo-Rizzo, a Young Lord who also founded “Mothers and Others,” a sub-group within the Young Lords that organized around women’s rights issues. Born in Chicago, Ms. Adorno-Centeno describes growing up surrounded by Young Lords and in a home that was a central gathering for pot luck family dinners for members of the organization and their supporters. Following the brutal death of her Young Lord father Jose “Pancho” Lind, Ms. Adorno-Centeno and her brothers and mother went underground; staying at a rented farm near Tomah, Wisconsin that would become the Young Lords’ Training Camp. Her most vivid childhood memories are of the warmth and support she enjoyed as a member of the Young Lords community. It included block parties, farmworker pickets, demonstrations and social events held near or in the Young Lords headquarters on Wilton and Grace streets. She also spent time at Rico’s Club (which her mother owned) and enjoyed company for the Sunday pasta dinners in her home. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- (interviewer) Shell-Weiss, Melanie (interviewer) Audio Transcription Center (transcriber) Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-08-04 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dae194aae7565d3e7ef929416efad07f.pdf 2cc99505b434dd6c71700aec05bab4a9 PDF Text Text Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives Johnson Center for Philanthropy Grand Valley State University Oral History Interview with Kathryn A. Agard, Ed.D., April 6, 2010 The Council of Michigan Foundations, Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), and GVSU Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives Present: An oral history interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010. Conducted by Dr. James Smither of the History Department at GVSU. Recorded at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This interview is part of a series in the Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project documenting the history of philanthropy in Michigan. Preferred citation: Researchers wishing to cite this collection should use the following credit line: Oral history interview with Kathryn A. Agard, April 6, 2010. "Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project", Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives of the Special Collection & University Archives, Grand Valley State University Libraries. James Smither (JS): Today’s conversation is with Kathy Agard who is Executive Director of the Dorothy Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University. This oral history interview is being conducted for the Johnson Center as part of an ongoing series and the interviewer is James Smither of the History Department at Grand Valley State University. Alright, Kathy, can you start by giving us just a little bit of background on yourself? To begin with, where and when were you born? 00:00:25 Kathy Agard (KA): Sure, I was born, do I have to tell the date [laughter], in 1949 in Muskegon, Michigan. And my parents are there. We have lived there their whole lives. JS: Alright. And what did your family do for a living? KA: My dad worked in the shop. He worked at Camel White and Cannon as a tool filer and fitter. He had been a farm boy and had won a chicken scholarship, judging scholarship, to Michigan State University but he was from a big family of thirteen and Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 1 �after his freshman year they didn’t have money for him to be able to finish school, so he came back home, went to work, helped the other kids go through school and then stayed there the rest of his life. JS: Alright, and how many kids were in your family? 00:01:07 KA: Well in my family, there’s only two. I have an older brother and myself and then in his family there were thirteen and in my mother’s family there were seven. So they both came from big families. JS: But they downsized a little. And what kind of schooling did you have? KA: I went to, I was in the third graduating class from Mona Shores High School, which was a brand-new suburban high school that had just been built and it was the typical suburban high school I would say. We had a lot of advantages. One of the things that was fun about being in the third class was that there were lots of opportunities because everything was brand new. So we were setting the theme song, we were setting all of the colors, we were setting the mascot, we had all of that fun of setting up a brand new high school. JS: And when you were going through high school, was it your expectation that you were going to go on to college? 00:01:57 KA: Oh absolutely. Because of my dad’s experience, I never was, and I’m sure this story is very common, was one of those kids who never had the choice whether to go or not. It was where I was going to go or not. And then I had an unusual high school experience that probably helped to shape some of my own background, in that Mona Shores had a very unusual high school debate team. So I started debating when I was in the ninth grade and there were seventy-five kids on our debate team. And I debated all during high school ending up on a national championship team as a senior. And because of that, was able to get a scholarship to go to the college of my choice. My parents were really high on me going to community college for two years because of the money. So once I could prove that I could pay to go somewhere else, I was able to do that, which was nice. JS: And where did you want to go? 00:02:47 KA: I went to Albion College which is a small liberal arts Methodist college just down the road from Grand Rapids in Albion, Michigan. And I went there because it had beautiful gas lamps and because they gave me the money to be able to debate and had a national championship team at the time. JS: Alright and then what did you study while you were there? Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 2 �KA: I started out, I was going to be a high school debate coach because that’s what I knew. And about halfway through my schooling, about as a junior, I took my first political science course and I fell in love with political science. My dad had been very active politically on the local level. Part of the advantage of working at the shop was he was done at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and then he would start his real life. And so he was a volunteer fireman and my mother was the person who called the volunteer firemen before 9-1-1 existed and my brother was a volunteer fireman and my dad had been a founder of the city of Norton Shores, had been involved in a lot of political campaigns and so I ended up really falling in love with American political theory, had a great professor, took every course I possibly could get from him and my original intention was then to teach political science at, which would be civics at the high school level, and coach debate. And then when I graduated I found out that the combination in high school that you have to have as a teacher is English and debate not the civics and debate, so I never was able to find a high school teaching job. JS: At that point, was there not yet an expectation; you went through teacher certification process and extra certification or things like that? 00:04:25 KA: I went through…I was certified to teach at high school but I think I probably got frankly bad counseling. And because I had such a passion for political science, or I wasn’t listening, you know, I stayed on that track rather than picking up the English major. JS: So you were technically qualified to teach. The catch was that you didn’t have the right combination of fields to do what they wanted to hire. Now, what year did you finish college? KA: It would have been ’71. JS: Okay, well things are getting kind of interesting in the American political scene by then too. Antiwar protests going on, and a lot of other things going on at the same time. I mean did you get caught up in that yourself? 00:05:04 KA: Some. I considered it a very hard time to have been in college partly because I didn’t want to be involved politically. I wanted to learn. I thought, you know, I was so set to go to college and I had this vision of it being a place that would be safe and that I could go deep into a topic. I actually probably had an unusual experience. I suppose everyone in the sixties had an unusual experience, in that I wanted it to go away because I wanted to study and I was a serious student. Of course the University of Michigan was just down the road and a lot of that would fall over onto Albion or we would go back when there were protests. And there was a lot of protesting on campus. My graduation was very politicized. We had no senior year book because no one wanted to do it at the time. Everyone was too involved in things. And I suppose from that point of history the most memorable time for me was that one of my jobs, I had several on campus, was to be the Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 3 �telephone operator in our dorm which was a co-ed dorm, and the day of the first lottery I was working the telephone and watching the guys come up from the basement and tear up, and I actually tear up even thinking about it now, tearing up their all of their acceptances to medical school and to law school and to graduate school and having their moms call in tears saying, you know, “I’m really sorry you were born on this day because you were number one or number two for the draft.” I’ll never forget it. Those experiences go deep, I guess. JS: The draft itself is something that is now an unfamiliar experience to anyone not at least in their 40s, to have much clue of even what that was about. 00:06:44 KA: Yeah, that someone could come and say you have to go and that was the time. JS: And so of course, college students, in a lot of cases had deferments, or at least that was the principal. But… KA: These were the seniors. JS: So they were graduating. So they were, Uncle Sam could now catch up with them at that point. So you finished college. How long did you spend trying to find a teaching job? KA: Really my whole senior year, so just about a year. Then, I actually had fallen in love, which does, a woman’s job description ought to have a parallel line that says, you know, “fell in love, got married, husband decided to move, had a kid, had a child, had the next child, decided to move somewhere else…” because there’s this parallel structure going on in life. My husband was in the Air Force. He had been called up for the draft, had gone in for medical deferment, found out that his medical condition could in fact be fixed which was a big surprise the day before he was on his way to Detroit. So he ran and signed up right away for the Air Force and was a translator. He spent two years in Monterey, California in the language school and then a couple of years in Turkey as a Russian translator in the security service. So the timing was such that when I graduated, he was on the, just getting done with his tour and so we were planning on getting married. My first job really was hanging out at Albion as an admissions counselor and basically, I was hanging out to get married. It was an interesting job. I didn’t know what else I was going to do. I couldn’t find a teaching job and so this seemed like a fun thing to do. I went and talked to high school students about going to college. JS: Alright so you do that for a year and then what? 00:08:31 KA: Well, we decided, he decided to use his G.I. Bill to go back to school. So he went to Hope College. We were married. We were there for his last two years and again I was basically just looking for a job and I was hired that summer as a social worker for a woman who had just had a pregnancy leave. I, of course, knew nothing about social work but I was hired as a social work replacement for the regional center for people with Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 4 �disabilities, to help to, this is when Michigan was de-institutionalizing a lot of people and so my job was to make the connection from the institution back to the home community when mental health agencies were first being set up, and to begin to look at what kind of supports could be given to populations as they were returning home. So I did that for the summer and then when my husband went to Hope, as it turned out Ottawa County’s Mental Health was just getting organized and they hired me because I had a relationship with the institution that was sending people to their community. So while I was there, I developed their Life Consultation Center which is meant to be a lifelong support system for families when there’s a child with disabilities. I worked with the hospitals setting up those connections. I did a lot of getting volunteers involved in mentoring and support for families, and working with older families who never expected that their loved one would be coming home again. If you can imagine at the age of seventy, when you’ve put a child in an institution at birth to suddenly have that child be coming home to live with you was really quite traumatic for families and so we were doing a lot of support for them JS: What kind of instruction or guidance or direction did you get while you were doing this? 00:10:23 KA: [laughter] None. It’s my favorite kind of a job actually, which is make it up as you go along. I think I was well served by Albion in terms of having a general education so I knew how to learn and I knew how to teach myself. And so I would just go talk to people and I would go read things. I would go to conferences and basically just picked it up as I went along. JS: So maybe, even that initial counseling experience, or just going and talking to people and meeting people you don’t know, sort of ties in with that. KA: It does. Yeah, I think it does. I would say most of my life, and this is probably, I feel fairly fearless about those kinds of things. That given some time I can figure it out, and so it wasn’t scary. It was just a matter of trying to get in there and figure it out and do the best I could with it. JS: Do you think that if you were today starting out with that kind of thing, in the world, society and government and things the way they are, could you do the same thing as easily? Could you just walk in and create programs? 00:11:26 KA: Well, probably not because the regulatory environment is much - right then was one of those moments in history where no one knew what should happen, and the surface reasons for deinstitutionalizing people were about great values: about that it’s better to be treated closer to home, it’s better to mainstream people with disabilities so that they have a more normal life circumstance. The reality was that the real reasons were dollars, and promises were made that money would follow the patients and that never happened. And so, at that point, it was a bit of a mess in terms of nobody really knew how to make it Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 5 �happen. So there’s an opportunity in that then to create what you think ought to happen. I had that chance to do that. JS: Alright. Now, how long did you stay with that work? 00:12:17 KA: I was there two years, the same two years my husband was in school and then we had our first child, my son, and moved back to Muskegon. And I was then, worked for Muskegon Community Mental Health, doing the same job now for Muskegon County. So I worked for mental health there for about two years and then had my daughter, had a second child. And then we were trying to figure out what to do with our lives, and my husband said “Well, why don’t I go back, since I have this great Russian language background, why don’t I go back and get a Ph.D. in Russian language and be a business translator?” So this sounded like a good plan. So we sold the house, packed up the kids and went to the University of Michigan, lived in married housing. My son started kindergarten there and again I was looking for a job. Oh, I missed a step. I missed a step. I’ll go back. JS: That’s alright. 00:13:07 KA: When we were in Muskegon, for about three years, I had worked as the, I was home with the kids a little while, about 2 years, and while I was home, I decided to go back and get a Master’s degree because I was not happy being home just with the kids. So I went back at night and got a Master’s degree in Public Administration because it was the closest thing to what I thought I was interested in which is this community organizing, world changing, you know, point of view. And so I went back to get the Master’s degree and while I was home one of my friends called and said well there’s an opening as the Director of Planned Parenthood in Muskegon so I took a job as a half time director of the Planned Parenthood affiliate there and then finished up my Master’s degree and then we decided that we would move. So when we moved to Ann Arbor, they had an opening in the regional office of Planned Parenthood Federation of America doing multi-state technical assistance for the nonprofit organizations. So I had a great background in terms of professional development. They did a good job with things like risk management, and human resource development, and board development and all of the things it takes to run a nonprofit. And then I was in a training position at that point, and I think that’s when I really became fascinated with how nonprofit organizations operate, and became very interested in the organizational theory underneath them. JS: Let’s plug in a couple more pieces here. Where did you get your Master’s degree from? KA: Oh, Western Michigan University because it was the closest campus available at the time. JS: And did you have to commute down to Kalamazoo to take the courses? Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 6 �KA: About half and half. I had half here and I had half at Western that I would commute down. I was one of those people who left work at 5 o’clock got to school at 7 o’clock, tried to stay awake until 9:30 and then drove home and got home at 11:30. 00:15:04 JS: Alright, and Planned Parenthood, at that point in time, we’re kind of getting at early to mid 70s here? KA: Yes. JS: Was their principal activity largely promoting knowledge and education of birth control or were they involved in abortion issues at that point? KA: I was right at the transition. It was primarily related to birth control and my real interest going in was around zero population growth. I was very concerned about, having read the books about, you know, what I would say are environmentalists by ilk and we were very concerned about how many children can this world actually support. And so I went in it from that point of view and about half way through, I ended up spending about ten years in Planned Parenthood, about halfway through was when Faye Wattleton came in as president, and there was much more of an emphasis on abortion rights. But of course the abortion, the Roe v. Wade happened in ’72 so it was a year after I graduated from college, and really, it was sort of amid the midstream, that the idea of protecting abortion rights actually started to take hold. So I was in Planned Parenthood as a Director in Philadelphia, moving forward a little bit, during the Reagan years and we literally had a GAO auditor who had an office right next to mine who would sit and watch all of our books and everything that we did. We got to know him so well we would like hold birthday parties for his kids [laughter] because he was there all the time. We decided it would be better to include him than not to include him. 00:16:35 JS: Alright, so let’s kind of follow your itinerary a little bit. You’ve gone out; you’ve been at the University of Michigan. How long were you in Ann Arbor? KA: We were in Ann Arbor about a year and a half. My husband, as he went through it, he was expecting to learn to be a translator, to deepen is knowledge in terms of translation. The University of Michigan teaches the history of Russian in English and so it was not the program that he thought he was going to get. And so he said to me “You know, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Why don’t you go ahead and do what you want to do and I’ll figure it out.” And so we, I then went as the Associate Director of Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia which is a multi-county… there were fourteen birth control clinics for example. It was a big organization. And then he came along and he stayed home and then took some photography classes, and tried to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. So he was the stay at home dad and I was the working mom at a time when that was not, it was new. It was the leading edge I would say of that kind of lifestyle. Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 7 �JS: Alright, then how long did you spend in Philadelphia? 00:17:44 KA: I think it was about four years and I really became tired a) of always being on the front lines because it was a top-ten media market. Always being on the top, the front lines on the abortion issue because it’s not my favorite issue to be advocating. And we also decided that we wanted our children to be raised in the Midwest. There’s a different style from the East coast than the Midwest, and we wanted our kids to be around their grandparents and their cousins. And so we actually made one of those choices where we stood in the kitchen one day and said let’s go home, and sold the house, no jobs, came back, just shipped the kids and everybody came back home. So I was literally looking for a job. And a hospital there, a local hospital, had had a number of years where they had had fairly bad publicity, and because I had had so much PR experience in Philadelphia, they hired me on as a public relations director. Again, I knew nothing about public relations. I remember bringing in the, one of our guys who was working on our brochures. One afternoon I said, “Okay, now I need to know everything you can tell me about print media and I have about an hour and a half.” [laughter] And, you know, only later did I realize what an outrageous question that was. But you know I did the job as public relations and then I was promoted there to be vice president of planning, so I did their planning and their marketing and handled the volunteers, and was their lobbyist for about six years at Hackley Hospital in Muskegon. And while I was there, they had this great benefit that they paid for higher education. So I was going to go back and get a second Masters in health administration when my advisor at Western said why don’t you get the Doctorate in public administration that we have. So I started in the D.P.A. program, and that was held in Lansing and I did that for two years and decided I didn’t like it because it was mainly about state government. And at this point in my life, I knew what I wanted to learn, and I didn’t know where I could get it. I wanted a place like the Johnson Center and it didn’t exist. So I went back and I took six months off and then I went into the Ed school at Western because it had the most electives of any of the doctoral programs. And I was able to, I sat through the higher-ed finance courses that you have to, but then I was able to pick and choose from the university what courses I wanted to take. I really knew what I wanted to learn so I was able to piece together really my own doctorate. 00:20:16 JS: So you were kind of in a program geared towards people who were superintendents and things like that, and to what degree did you sort of fit in or not with the people who were in your classes? KA: Not at all. In fact my dissertation took me about ten years. And the reason was that I was educating my committee all the time because they were not in that discipline, in fact no one was in that discipline. And I was trying to say to them, you know there is this whole field called nonprofit, and so I had two educators and a political scientist on my committee that I’m not sure, I think the only reason that I actually got my dissertation Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 8 �was that my chairman wanted to retire, and he finally one day said to me “We need to wrap this up.” And I thought this sounds like a good thing. Let’s wrap this up. JS: What kind of schedule did you have while you were doing that because you’re having to juggle dissertation, work and everything else? 00:21:04 KA: Yes, It was a lot. I mean not only was I working full time at the hospital but then two days a week I was driving to Lansing for classes during the early part of this, and then when I left the hospital, I had finished my coursework at Western, and was ready to start my dissertation work, and I decided that I was tired of hospital work. And I actually had an interview here to come in as a faculty member in the Communications school. In the morning I had that interview and I met with the Dean at noon, and then at 1 o’clock I met with this woman named Dorothy Johnson. And I asked Dottie, I talked to Dottie. One of my friends said that before you take the job at Grand Valley you have to talk to Dottie cause she has a job that should be interesting. So I met Dottie and she said to me, why don’t, I have this job its doing organizational development work for community foundations. I didn’t know what a community foundation was, but she said, “And it will only be three years. You’ll learn about foundations which will be interesting and then you can go teach at Grand Valley.” So I said okay, I’ll do that. And that was a twenty year span that I spent at the Council of Michigan Foundations. So while I left the hospital I went to the Council of Michigan Foundations and then while I was there was when I did my dissertation work. JS: Alright. Explain a little bit, what is the Council of Michigan Foundations. 00:22:25 KA: Yes, the Council of Michigan Foundations is a membership association of the foundations in the state of Michigan that make grants. So you might, for example, have a school foundation that raises money for a school, they would not be members of the Council of Michigan Foundations. So it’s Kellogg, Kresge, Mott, all of the community foundations, corporate grant makers like Steelcase, and what they have in common is their role as grant makers. And it was founded in ’69 following the ’69 Tax Act. Because, at that point, Congress had put a lot of restrictions on foundations, and the foundations came together to act politically to begin to roll back some of those restrictions that had been placed on them. JS: What kinds of restrictions had been placed on them? 00:23:09 KA: Well, it was interesting. Partly it goes back further to the 60s, in that the Ford Foundation had been using its money to register voters in the south, and the Congress did not like the fact that all of these black folks who hadn’t ever been able to vote, suddenly were able to vote, knew where to vote, knew that they had the right to vote. And so Congress got upset with Ford about that. And then they also got upset with Ford because they had put majority ownership of the company into the foundation so that it couldn’t be Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 9 �touched by anybody else coming in wanting to buy the foundation, I’m sorry, buy the company. So they called in Ford and the Ford president, at the time, said to them, “Who are you? You have no right to control us. We were here before you were. The nonprofit sector existed before government did in this country.” And we both argue over the Mayflower Compact, whether it was government [laughter], whether it was a nonprofit association and Congress said, here’s who we are. So they put a whole bunch of restrictions. One of the restrictions was, for example, they required a payout that if you’re having a private foundation that gets tax advantage, you have to give some of the money away. You just can’t sit on it. They put restrictions on the amount of money that can be spent on your own overhead or on travel, on what they call self-dealing, so you can’t hire your own children at exorbitant salaries. And there were, in fact, abuses at the time. So the regulations weren’t unwarranted, and the field, the mature part of the field like the Council of Michigan Foundations, when they responded, basically said some of this we like, some of it we think went too far. Let’s roll back what we think went too far. And some of that was taxation that they thought would erode the value of the asset over time. And so what they did instead was they rolled back some of the requirement for payout and then they gave, private foundations gave some of the money to the IRS to help support regulating the industry. So the Council of Michigan Foundations started out very small and ended up, and still is the largest association of its kind in the country, and is a national leader. JS: Alright, and now what range of things did you do for them? 00:25:30 KA: I had a little project that was going to be three years and it was funded by the Kellogg Foundation, and it was to encourage the foundations to engage young people under the age of 21 as grant makers. This was really the beginning of youth empowerment and the healthy youth, where instead of always looking at young people as problems or always looking for distress in young people, the Kellogg Foundation’s philosophy was, you know, young people are very strong, very healthy, very smart. Let’s use that energy now. Let’s not wait for them as potential leaders. Let’s use it currently. And so the community foundations, and at the time there were about thirteen of them in Michigan, got together through the Council of Michigan Foundations and asked the Kellogg Foundation for a grant to build youth advisory committees, and also to help them build their assets. At the same time, there was new research coming out of Boston College, that talked about the largest inter-generational transfer of wealth in the history of mankind which is the fact of course that the United States had the only major industrial economy in the world post WWII for lots of years. So there’s a generation that had a tremendous amount of wealth, and still is in the process of transferring that over to their children who are now in their fifties and sixties. I mean the children are getting up there. But that, there was a lot of conversation in the field about, Muskegon is a good example, about how at one point in time, Muskegon had more millionaires than anywhere else in the country, post the cutting of all the white pine, and that money totally dissipated. And it would, we think how could we go from being one of the most wealthy places in the world, to having almost nothing in a couple three generations. So the community Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 10 �foundations were talking how do we capture some portion of this intergenerational transfer of wealth, and keep it working in our communities forever? So Kellogg gave this grant. We tested this theory that young people would be good grant makers, and what we found out was that they were fabulous grant makers, and we went back to Kellogg and said we think we now have a model. What if we do this in a big way? And the proposal that we gave to Kellogg was they should invest sixty million dollars over five years as challenges to Michigan’s communities, and we promised that we would cover the state of Michigan with community foundation service, and that every community foundation would have a youth advisory committee that would have real power over money, not just advisory power, and that they, we would bring each organization up to a minimum level of organizational viability. So for the next six years that was my job. I would drive into little towns in Michigan and I would say, have you ever heard of a community foundation? Let me tell you about it. I have a million dollars in Kellogg challenge for you if you can raise two million dollars, and one of your commitments has to be that forever there will be an advisory committee of young people. And Kellogg’s million dollars would go into that fund that the young people would advise on the giving, so that young people would be giving away fifty or sixty thousand dollars a year of interest earnings on that endowment, and then the money that was raised locally, the two million to match it would be unrestricted or very broadly restricted, so the community could make decisions about urgent needs. 00:29:02 JS: Now, when you’re saying young people, what age range are we talking about? KA: Under the age of twenty-one. Most of them were high-schoolers, and most of the community foundations made the decision to try to build community capital in that generation by having young people from various schools. And we used to have a phrase that would say leave your letter jacket at the door because when you come into the room you need to be looking at the whole community not just your own high school, and would engage young people then from every high school in the community. And then Kellogg really encouraged us, and smartly so, to encourage young people and bring them in, draw in young people who were not the normal kids that you might put on that kind of committee, particularly if you were concerned about handing them fifty thousand dollars a year. So we would go after the kids who might be leaders but are leading in the wrong way...kids smashing mailboxes. You know, they haven’t murdered anybody but they were headed the wrong direction. And we have fabulous stories of young people that this experience helped to turn around, because it was the first time adults had ever given them real authority and real responsibility to make decisions. And what we found was that the youth committees were incredibly honest outside of the normal politics of the community. So they didn’t care who you were that was asking for money and then they would ask hard questions. Can’t you get this copying done somewhere else? Why are you spending $5.50 on postage when you could hand deliver it cheaper? Really, I have great stories of one sheriff that, the Grand Haven Community Foundation is right next door to the Council of Michigan Foundations, so one day we were coming in, all of us, and the local sheriff was standing in the hallway, shuffling papers and looking nervous and we Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 11 �said well, we know, hi. How are you? What are you doing? I have this proposal to make to the youth committee and I’m really afraid they’re not going to fund it. They’re going to ask me hard questions. And they did. I mean, they were really terrific. And that still is going on. That is a forever commitment on the part of the Community Foundations. 00:31:15 JS: Is that something you find across Michigan in a lot of different communities? KA: Oh yes. We met our goals. Every community is now covered by a community foundation. Almost all of them have a youth advisory committee, and almost all of them are doing well. They have had a professional staff. They’ve begun to grow and they’ve begun to capture some of this inter-generational transfer of wealth. JS: And the youth committees themselves. Are they still kind of made up of the same kind of people or have they gotten more conventional over time? KA: Well, you know, I don’t know. I haven’t watched them lately. But my guess is that those who, not every committee ended up doing unconventional kids, but those who did have stayed that way. One of them, for example, held their meeting at Juvenile Justice Hall up at Traverse City because the chair of the committee had been picked up for grand theft auto. [laughter] So a really nice car that he thought he’d like to take for a spin and ended up having his committee there. But many of them, of the kids have ended up, who would not have normally gone on to school, or even those who had other career paths, have changed their career path because of this experience of being able to give away money. JS: Alright. So that’s kind of the first thing that you go and develop for the Michigan Foundations and what does that grow into or lead in to? 00:32:34 KA: Well, it led a lot of, it led into a lot of different things and one of them that it led into was that, we became–we do a summer camp for the young people because we were, actually we weren’t, but a lot of the community foundation board members, who as you can imagine are the bankers and the lawyers and the more conservative people in the community, were concerned about turning a million dollars over to a group of seventeen year olds. And so we would have a summer camp every summer for the young people and begin to talk with them about grantmaking, about evaluating budgets, you know, what kind of questions to ask. And at this summer camp what we began to realize is that they didn’t have the background or the depth of background, they didn’t have a language, they didn’t have a way to think about the nonprofit sector. And on a parallel course to this project was the development of the IU Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University which was really the first big academic center that began to consciously build a field of study. So they had a historian looking at the history of philanthropy, they have an economist looking at the economics; they have a geographer looking at the spread. I mean they really took all of the major academic Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 12 �disciplines and said, okay let’s put our focus and really begin to build a field of knowledge. So that was happening at the same time, and as we were working with the young people we thought we ought to be teaching them all of this great material that’s being created, and the Johnson Center started, sort of, in the middle of all of this. And so we looked at whether we could infuse into the curriculum of the K-12 school, the teaching of philanthropic principals. That was my next project for the Council of Michigan Foundations. I had gotten tired of doing workshops and seminars on Saturdays and evenings which was when the Community Foundation boards are available, and so really my passion has been around these ideas, so we created this project called Learning to Give. And it was taking the content, the graduate level at this point, content on philanthropy and looking at where the connections were kindergarten through 12th grade, and knowing that the teachers have way too much to teach K-12 than they possibly have time to do. That we couldn’t add another course called Philanthropy, and actually we thought that probably wasn’t the smartest way to do it because philanthropy is woven throughout our culture. So we took a look at everything that’s taught and said, how can we begin to infuse philanthropic messages? And so we started with the social studies because they are our most natural home. So we started with history and geography and civics and began to look at every place that’s taught. And we would, again I went to teachers and said I don’t know anything about your lives in the classroom. You’re the experts on that but we have this content. We think it’s really important because our thesis, at the time, was that having knowledge about the sector, also would have an impact on student behavior, because people would begin to think of themselves as philanthropists, students would. We had a group of thirty-five teachers from various ages and various kinds of schools who helped to shape the curriculum and we built a whole standards and benchmarks and learning outcomes for philanthropy K-12. And then off of that we built a set of classroom lessons, lesson plans, and because of Kellogg’s support they were always, they are currently still all available for free to teachers on the website and they’ve all been recently coded to every set of state standards. So a teacher, a third grade teacher, I want to teach about the Underground Railroad, I can go online and find a lesson plan that talks about the Underground Railroad because it’s required by my state, and on the M.E.A.P. test, but this lesson plan talks about the fact that they were all volunteers, and who were the abolitionists and how did they organize themselves, and why do they think they have a right to confront government, and who were the Underground Railroad conductors, and what was this role as volunteers that they held? So we tried to take this theory of philanthropy in every single thing that was taught. The next big area we picked up was English, because there’s a lot of philanthropy in the normal books that are taught in all the way through the K-12 curriculum. And then we did a high school level text book that has been out there. I don’t know how many copies they’ve sold but it’s available and available online and that project is still continuing. 00:37:26 JS: Now, a text book in philanthropy or is it an English textbook that has philanthropy in it? Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 13 �KA: It’s a textbook in philanthropy, but the chapters are in civics. So it’s philanthropy in history—American history, philanthropy in U.S.—in world history, philanthropy in government, philanthropy in world government, world governments, politically plural, philanthropy in geography, and so we went—I think it’s a seven chapter book. It was about the discipline that is required to be taught in high school, but it’s from the philanthropic slant. JS: You’re combining the different disciplines in the one volume? KA: Yes. It’s one volume. JS: Is that designed actually for student use or for teachers? KA: We did both a student volume and then we did a teacher volume. And of course at high school it’s a little difficult because the teachers are in their own slot; you know they don’t teach across the disciplines. But it was cheaper to do them as one volume for each, so there’s a teacher guide and a student textbook. JS: Was there any way to measure the extent to which anybody is using it? 00:38:33 KA: Only on the sales and I don’t think it has sold very well. Most people are going to the website and downloading lesson plans, and they were downloadable so that, every classroom, they always want to make them their own, so you can download the lesson plan into a word document and then actually manipulate it and add your own content. JS: Are the lesson plans set up to be geared towards specific topics that are in these different fields? You mentioned the Underground Railroad for example. You’re trying to look for material on the Underground Railroad that you can go use in your class. You can find this and in its design to work for them that it has the philanthropic part of it emphasized or woven into it. KA: There’s a search engine and you can search by academic strand or requirement. So like the Underground Railroad, that’s how you would search, or you can search by philanthropic topic, or you can search by grade level, or you can search by keyword. So it has a lot of ways to be able to get at the material. JS: Have you got then additional programs or initiatives, or kind of what after you’ve developed this, what then did you kind of get into? 00:39:41 KA: I was there ten years. That was a long haul for me. That was ten years. And we were ready to take it to, we were beta testing it in Michigan, with the idea that it would be a national model, and we were looking for ways to make it national. And there are all kinds of issues, as you can imagine, between being able to do something in depth in one state, versus trying to go broad in multiple states, especially in K-12 education because it’s Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 14 �state by state. I had a very wonderful group of advisors, Michigan advisors. And I bet we looked for two years about how to take it national, when a young guy came in who has done these kinds of projects before, and he was very interested in service learning, which would be a teaching methodology for all of this content. And he had asked if we couldn’t partner in it. As we talked more and more with them, we decided that we would merge Learning to Give with this project called The League. And that we would be the academic content, and then he would have a sort of jazzy marketing. And it allows, what happens is there’s a calendar during the year in The League, that starts with a fall cleanup and then young people earn so many points for doing these kinds of acts of kindness and philanthropy. And so they would learn about it in their classroom and then they would go out and do the service learning and get points for it and then they would be set up in leagues and there would be league play and national reporting on it. And I think maybe this spring will be the first time in Parade Magazine they’re going to start to talk about how The League is doing in different parts of the country. So it’s gone to that level. So we were ready to, we merged with them; we were ready for it to go national. The organizational role was that I would become the chief operating officer and Bill would be the CEO and then I decided that I a) didn’t want to be a chief operating officer. That’s not really my good skills. And that I was at a point in my life where I didn’t want to do a national launch because it would mean not only working hard but traveling a lot nationally. And this job was open at the Johnson Center, so every time it has been open I would lay it face down on my desk and I would look at it and think, ooh, that’s a really nice job. I really like that job. And this is the first time that it’s happened to be open at a time when I could leave a project and it’s just a place where I wanted to be so I was fortunate enough to come here. JS: And then when was that exactly when you started? 00:42:10 KA: Four years ago in April. So I’ve just been here four years JS: Alright. Now tell us a little bit just about the Johnson Center itself for people outside of here. What is it designed to do? What is its function? What kind of function does it have? KA: Yes. We’re one of forty-four, what are called academic centers on philanthropy, that are university-based. We’re probably the second or the third largest depending on what you count, and we’re maybe the second or the third oldest depending on which programs you count. Often some of the programs are a faculty member or two, who have had an interest in philanthropy and have built their own scholarly work in that field. But once those faculty members retire, probably that program will go away. So the Johnson Center is different in that we’re institutional. And it really doesn’t matter who’s here. The institution will continue because the university and the Kellogg Foundation have both made a commitment to it. So we started when Kellogg looked at the IU Center and said we really like what’s happening there. We’d like one of these for the state of Michigan. And the president of the Kellogg Foundation at the time, Russ Mawby, brought together all of the university presidents from the state of Michigan, had a meeting, and said we Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 15 �would like to fund one of these, but university, we want you to make a commitment of money, and a real commitment that you will develop a center. And of the fourteen universities, two put in proposals and Grand Valley’s was the strongest so it ended up at Grand Valley. There was a $990,000 challenge grant from Kellogg matched by $900,000 from Grand Valley which launched the Center. So in our early years, the first director, Thom Jeavons, again this was the start of service learning, he really stressed bringing service learning to the faculty members at Grand Valley, trying to introduce this as teaching methodology, as a pedagogy, and that they would begin to embrace it. He left and our second director was Dott Freeman and she came out of the corporate philanthropy side of the family, and so she was really stressing work with corporations. And then when she left one of the faculty members from our School of Public Administration, Donna VanIwaarden, came, and Donna was the third director and really stressed more of the scholarship and the research. At that same time, Joel Orosz, who had been the head of the program officer for philanthropy and volunteerism at Kellogg, came here as our distinguished professor, and really helped to launch the Center as a national presence. Before that, we were pretty Grand Valley and pretty West Michigan focused. And Donna, because of her ties in the community, launched one of our main services which is the Community Research Institute. So taking them kind of one a time, the Community Research Institute, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation wanted to do data-based decision-making and they had to make a choice, do we build this capacity inside our own organization or do we build it at Grand Valley, so it’s available to everyone? And they made the choice to do it at Grand Valley. So the Community Research Institute started doing research first for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and now we do it for most of the foundations in West Michigan. And we’re looking, it makes us a little different from the other centers on philanthropy, because they’re looking at doing research about the sector, so their research says how many volunteers are there, how much are people giving, what kinds of organizations are in the sector. Our research is more research for the sector. So we’re looking at what are the rates of child abuse, then giving that information to the nonprofit organizations, so they can use that data to make data-based decision-makings, working with the food pantries to find out where is hunger. And we do a lot of geo-coding and mapping, so where does hunger exist in West Michigan? And then we work with the food pantries to help them look at where they should be delivering services. So that’s the Community Research Institute. 00:46:24 JS: So you have, sort of, organizations or groups or whatever, who have an idea, they think they want to help in a particular sector or do something but they’re not sure where exactly to put the money. This information helps them figure out how to do that. KA: We’ll do regular program evaluations, so some of them get grants and we do the program evaluation for them. But the more interesting work is this work, and the food pantries is a good example. We did research about where do senior citizens live in Kent County, who are hungry, who need food support. And then on the geo-mapping what we overlaid were the pockets of concentration of those populations, and then we overlaid Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 16 �what are the public transportation routes, and then we overlaid where are the food centers, so where can they get food. And immediately, you can look at the map and say, Oh my gosh. Here’s a group of senior citizens who don’t have access to transportation and who don’t have access to food support. And then we can take that and work with the food pantries and they, we would then overlay where are the churches and synagogues and religious communities, and where are the schools, the elementary and public schools. So the pantries could begin to say, who could be our natural partner where we could deliver service and we do that kind of work for foundations and for nonprofits all the time. And so that’s the Community Research Institute. When Joel came in, we really became involved in providing support and doing research and training for foundations, for grantmaking foundations. And that again makes us very different from our peers because most of the other academic centers don’t touch the grant maker’s side of the family at all. We launched The Grantmaking School, which is a national school to help grant makers learn their craft. A problem for grant makers is that most of them when they’re hired are hired, because they have deep content knowledge. They may be the premier water quality person in the world, and the Annenberg Foundation can hire them. They’re hired; they know everything there is to know about fresh water quality in rivers in the upper Midwest. So they have this deep, deep content knowledge and suddenly their job is to look at budgets, and make decisions about how the money ought to be given away, and how do I strategically look at six grants to make sure that they interact with one another. In some ways, it’s a difficult job in that the person loves the content, and often they’re making grants to people who have very good project ideas, and they have to say no to more than, what ninety percent of them. So they’re saying no to things that they care about to people who know are doing really good work, and they have to say no just because there’s not enough money to go around. And they really need help. And what is this transition from being, from having deep content knowledge to being the person who’s giving the money away, and we do that in The Grantmaking School. We do that all over the country, we do it in major cities, and that part’s been going pretty well. 00:49:26 JS: How would you characterize your own job description right now? What is it that you do here day-to-day? KA: What do I do here? A little bit of everything. It’s a cook and bottle washer kind of job. I raise money. I do strategic planning. I have, there are seven program directors. I have a lot of staff supervision. I handle all of the, or most of the relationships, relationship building, I would say both within the university and outside in the community. Because we are not an academic center, in a sense that we don’t give the degrees. You know, the School for Public Administration is the place that actually gives the degrees. So I partner, we partner with them. We have a lot of graduate students working here, and a lot of what I do is trying to keep it all headed the right way, you know, as things pull you other directions and to be able to raise the money to be able to support it. We’re mainly supported by outside money to a great extent. Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 17 �The other, the third thing we do is, so that we don’t loose that piece, is that we also do training and support for nonprofit organizations. Grand Rapids had a program called the Direction Center. It was one of the first in the country that had been designed and funded by the area foundations to support nonprofits, and it was supposed to become selfsufficient but they never could charge enough to be able to do that. So when it failed, it came into the Johnson Center, and we still do a lot of training on how to be a nonprofit board member, how to be a CEO, and mainly we’re doing that for smaller, midsized nonprofits. Spectrum Health doesn’t need our help. They go and hire whoever they want. It’s the women’s shelter, it’s the neighborhood association, it’s the Paws for a Cause, it’s all of the, you know, it’s Latin Americans for Progress, those kind of organizations who are coming to us for assistance. 00:51:22 JS: Alright, now, to back up a little bit in another section. You talked about the Johnson Center being created and so forth. When this got set up at Grand Valley who was instrumental in terms making that happen? Was this one of these ideas that captured President Lubbers’ imagination? KA: Yes. It was launched from Russ Mawby, the president of the Kellogg Foundation, whose, I would say his 30 year tenure at Kellogg would be typified by being a builder of the infrastructure organizations to support the whole sector. That’s really how he’s known. And so when he launched it, he made the offer to President Lubbers, who had the right kind of entrepreneurial spirit and the vision to be able to say, I could see what this would look like twenty years from now. We’ll be twenty years old two years from now. So that was a natural, a natural combination, and the university has continued to be extremely supportive, even as Kellogg’s support has gone up and down. The university built this new space for us, and built it to our specifications. They want it to a place where the community comes in and interacts with the university. So we’ve been very fortunate to have the kind of support that we do. 00:52:35 JS: Okay. What’s the relationship with the Johnson family? KA: Oh, yes. What happened was that when Dottie Johnson retired from the Council of Michigan Foundations, they were looking for a way to honor her at that point twenty-five years of service. And she really had built the Council of Michigan Foundations from nothing. She was at half time in a closet, basically when she started it. And is a well known national leader; she started the Foundation Center, she was involved with the Council on Foundations, was on the Corporation for National Community Service Board. When Dottie retired, we were trying to, I was at CMF at the time, we were trying to find a way to honor her. And the thought was that we could talk with the university, because her family’s been involved and she’s been involved with Grand Valley, about naming the Center after her. So the CEO at that time of the Council of Michigan Foundations, Rob Collier, raised the money to be able to bring over all of the library resources of the Council of Michigan Foundations, and a half a million dollar endowment for the library, and then the name, the Center was named in her honor. And no one deserves it better. She Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 18 �really has been a great leader both for Grand Valley and for the field. Now, the materials that came over, some of them were videotapes, original videotapes of people like Mr. Kresge talking about his philanthropy that are irreplaceable, and those are all out at the archives. So this tape that we’re doing is a part of a continuing effort to say, let’s capture this rich Michigan history. Michigan is known nationally as being a very unusual state because we’re so well, our philanthropic community is so well organized and works so well together that we’re somewhat the envy of the rest of the country and we want to capture some of those stories. 00:54:33 JS: Alright. And finally, I would like to ask where do you see this particular center going after the next decade or so? What are you going to be trying to accomplish from here? KA: I had three goals when I started. One was our own building, a twenty million endowment, and a Ph.D. So far I have the building. (laughter) I would like to see us selfsufficient, on our own, so if we were self-sufficient with an endowment, a large endowment, then we would be able to continue to help these smaller organizations that have no where else to go, and I, we’re continuing to do that even though that’s the part of our budget that struggles. And the reason is that I think that it keeps us honest. It’s very easy to come into a very nice building and a very nice university and be taken care of, and forget what its like to run the neighborhood association where you can’t get a copy machine and you don’t know how you’re going to pay people for the next payroll. And so I want us to stay rooted deeply in the community and to become a place where nonprofit leaders can always come and always feel supported and that they’re getting the knowledge that they need. We, in partnership with the School for Public Administration, are just proposing a new Master’s degree in philanthropy that we’re hoping that we can launch in the fall. And that would be a first step towards the possibility of a Ph.D. Now, Grand Valley is not a Ph.D. granting institution, so I’ve been talking with IU about whether we could do their Ph.D. here by extension. Or there is some conversation on campus about an Ed.D. and if we did an Ed.D. whether there could be a major in philanthropy and nonprofits, because where our counter part academic centers are really focused on producing academic research and academic practitioners and faculty members for centers on philanthropy, we are much more applied and so the Ed.D. would make sense for us because we would be preparing, what I call reflective practitioners, people who want to be out in the field running nonprofits but also want to do it with, within the scope and scale of a discipline and with deep knowledge about what they’re doing, and I can see us preparing that kind of a professional here and would like us to be on the cutting edge of that. 00:56:53 JS: Alright. Now let’s see. Do you think that there is anything significant about what you’ve done in your career that we’ve managed to leave out at this point? KA: No. The kids grew up. My husband became a teacher [laughter], a sixth grade science teacher. So yes, the life went on, but yes, I think that’s a good coverage. Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 19 �JS: Alright. Well, thank you very much then. KA: Thank you, Jim. Good. Oral History Interview with Kathy Agard, April 6, 2010 20 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aa10b790082faa25d40504056ef5df6d.mp4 83a33cc988eafb1345a03dcdec8986fc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project Interviews Subject The topic of the resource Philanthropy and society--Personal narratives Family foundations--Michigan Charities--Michigan Description An account of the resource The Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project (MPOHP) was initiated in 2006 as an innovative partnership between the Council of Michigan Foundations, StoryCorps, Michigan Radio and the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University to create an oral history of Michigan philanthropy. Additional video interviews were created by the Johnson Center for Philanthropy to add to the depth and breadth of the collection. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/516">Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project (MPOHP) (JCPA-08). Johnson Center for Philanthropy Archives</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-05-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Sound Text Moving Image Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf video/mp4 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context JCPA-08 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2006-2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Johnson Center for Philantrhopy Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource StoryCorps (Project) Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/516">Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project (JCPA-08)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Agard, Kathryn A., video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Agard, Kathryn, A. Description An account of the resource Kathryn A. Agard, Executive Director of the Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, 2006-2010. She discusses her early life, education, family, and work in the Mental Health field, at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Hackley Hospital, Council of Michigan Foundations, and the Johnson Center. She discusses developing Youth Advisory Committees in Michigan Community Foundations, Learning to Give and the development of philanthropy curriculum for grades K-12. She shares the history of the Johnson Center, development of its programs and partnerships, efforts to capture Michigan’s philanthropic history and her goals as director. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project Subject The topic of the resource Philanthropy and society Personal narratives Charities Michigan Associations, institutions, etc. Muskegon (Mich.) Grand Rapids (Mich.) Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Women Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context JCPA-08_AgardK Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Relation A related resource Johnson Center for Philanthropy Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-04-06 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c3a049d0e33c849ec1c1a34e316ea311.pdf 83c691670db4a70b95058e576585d971 PDF Text Text 1 Grand Valley State University Special Collections Kent County Oral History collections, RHC-23 C. Bennett Ainsworth S. P. Bennett Fuel and Ice Company Interviewed on October 1, 1971 Edited and indexed by Don Bryant, 2010 – bryant@wellswooster.com Tape #24 (31:59) Biographical Information Calvin Bennett Ainsworth was born 3 December 1890 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Calvin Bennett Ainsworth married Agnes M. Warnick on 20 March 1922. He was married to Emily L. Hine about 1926. He died 6 October 1974 leaving a widow, Florence J. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Grand Rapids. C. Bennett was the son of Arthur Sardius Ainsworth and Ella Elizabeth Innes who were married 18 August 1887 in Grand Rapids. Arthur was born about July 1862 in Rome, Henry County, Iowa the son of Calvin and Harriet (Fairchild) Ainsworth. He died in Grand Rapids in January 1950. The mother, Ella Innes was born 18 March 1861 in Pueblo, Colorado, the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Brennan) Innes. Ella died in Grand Rapids 11 April 1916. As his second wife, Arthur married Amye Firth on 5 October 1918. Amye died in Grand Rapids in 1940. Interments in Oak Hill Cemetery in Grand Rapids. ___________ Interviewer: Were you born in Grand Rapids? Mr. Ainsworth: Yes, yes I was. I was born in Grand Rapids. I don‟t remember the house because I was too young, moved away from there as a small boy or as an infant probably. It was on Washington and we moved away from there to James Street, two fifty-four James. And that is where I grew up-my early, early days of my life. In fact I… after I left college, my family moved to five forty-nine South College, and we lived there and sold that house to the Park Congregational Church. It‟s kind of unusual because I had another house on Madison. I sold that to the church-the colored church and Mayor Parks lives there now. He‟s a minister of this church and also the mayor of the city-a very nice house. Well, then I moved out here three years ago and been living here ever since. I can remember many of the old things about the city. I can remember Cherry Street, which I was kind of close to on James, being paved with blocks-not blocks- they‟re some circle pieces of wood made from a tree. They‟re about six inches deep and maybe a foot in diameter or so, depending on the tree that was cut. This was packed in with gravel, as I remember, and then… and then covered with tar. And that was a street. And Lower Monroe was a… had the same sort of a pavement and, I don‟t know, maybe other streets were paved that way but I can remember those. And when it… when they wanted to do away with the street and put asphalt or cement in, they tore it up and anybody who �2 wanted any of these blocks of wood would get them free and they made good firewood because they were certainly well-seasoned and they had some kind of oil or tar in them. Interviewer: When was, when was that street torn up? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, I don‟t know but I would guess, let‟s see I can only guess from my age, probably I was twelve or thirteen and that would make it nineteen hundred and two or three-around in there. Interviewer: What kind of a street did they put down after that? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, I‟m not sure. I think it was probably brick or tar some kind of… it was an improvement on the wood street. Although a street made of wood like that was awfully nice for the horses, and they had a lot of horses in those days. Milk trucks and people were going around in, in vehicles hauled by horses and it‟s a lot better for them than the paved street. Interviewer: Why, why is that? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, on account of their hoofs. I was always taught that you shouldn‟t run a horse on a hard paved street if you could avoid it. It‟s hard on the shoes and on their legs. It‟s so hard whereas the wooden pavement would take up some of the shock and it‟d be a lot better. I also remember about the lighting system in Grand Rapids in … I think that would be about the same period. We had steel towers and there were quite… oh, I would say they were t- at the base anyway, they were probably twelve, fifteen feet in diameter and they rose to maybe, oh I‟m just guessing but I would say, four to five hundred feet. And they had several lights up there that were made with carbon- carbon sticks they looked like. And they‟d have to replace these every once in a while and they would throw them down to the ground below and we boys would pick them up and use them in place of crayons-except they made a black mark instead of a white mark. But they tore that… I don‟t know when they tore those down and replaced them but, at that time, it was a good lighting system although I don‟t think it ever was quite as good as they claimed it would be. You would be able to read a newspaper anywhere in the citythe city then being probably one-fifth the size it is now. I remember at one time there was a flock of geese that came either going north or south I don‟t know which, but there was a fog and they flew into this…one of these towers and I think it was on the corner of Paris and Logan. I‟m not sure of that, but anyway, the… it killed several of the geese and they were dead at the bottom of the tower and they were there for the grabs-anybody that wanted them could have them. I don‟t know, maybe, that‟s about all I can think of. Interviewer: These towers… were the towers kind of ringing the city or… Mr. Ainsworth: Well, they were spaced in logical places so that they would distribute the light throughout pretty well. But I don‟t think it was nearly as good a system as it is now and they claimed a lot more than they claim now. But we had a lot of trees and these lights were way up and the trees would shadow them and make dark places so I‟m sure �3 they would have left them up until now if they were practical. But they‟re gone and, of course, they have a different system of… we don‟t have any carbon lights, maybe you can remember those. They kind of fizz once in a while. They‟d make quite a loud singing sound. There was a spark going between the carbons is what it was-that made that noise. Interviewer: Well, when you were growing up on James Street, was that on the outskirts of the city? Mr. Ainsworth: No, but Eastern Avenue was pretty well on the outskirts. I suppose it was named Eastern because it was the east, more or less, the eastern limits of the city. And I remember just beyond there on Wealthy, they used to have a big open space there. That would be from Eastern east of there and well east there-pretty close to Diamond. Where Diamond is now was all open and they use to have the circus that came to town would put up tents there. There was plenty of room for them. It was… it was all open territory. Interviewer: Would the shows be there? Mr. Ainsworth: Yeah, the shows-they put the big tent there and the show would be there. Interviewer: How would, how would people get out to the circus if it was on the outskirts of town? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, they had streetcars, I suppose. I know… I know they did because they had streetcars running out to Reeds Lake. As a boy, I use to go out to Reeds Lake in the summer and my mother would put up a sandwich or two and some milk and then we‟d go out to Rose‟s swimming beach and take our lunch and we‟d stay in the water all day long-swim all morning and afternoon. The water was clean and clear. And then in the winter, we use to do the same thing only we‟d take our skates out and they cleared a space out there and we were in…I can‟t tell you the name of it, but it was a big open saloon, that‟s what it was and a couple of stoves in there, these pot-bellied stoves and we‟d get cold and come in there and we‟d…I think we had our lunch in there. They let us have our lunch there. I can‟t remember much about it being a bar but I‟m pretty sure that was what it was. And we‟d put up our… put our feet up against this iron stove with our skates on, you know, and it would thaw them out and get warm then go back out and skate. It was quite a trek out there for us, either bicycle or streetcar. So you wouldn‟t go out there for just a little while, you go out there for the whole day-the entire day. I remember shooting squirrels right down by Fisk Lake and around in there. It was beginning to be a little inhabited there and this-right here where I am used to be a track here. Mr. Bonnell, as I recall, had some horses, and he had a track which he would run „em around here. Jefferson Avenue was-in the winter- was a place I think they blocked it off and some of the rich people with horses and sleighs would have races down there. They raced down Jefferson Avenue. Interviewer: Did you ever go down to see them? �4 Mr. Ainsworth: I don‟t think I did. I remember hearing about it, but I wasn‟t particularly interested. But on Washington Street they used to block that off for us kids and we‟d start at Madison with bobsleds and slide down there and then walk back up. We use to do that a lot. I can‟t remember those horse races at all, seeing one. I can remember hearin‟ „em, talking about them though. I‟m sure they had them. Interviewer: Did you go to school in Grand Rapids? Mr. Ainsworth: Yes, I graduated from Central High School in nineteen-ten. That was the last year of the old high school. Then there was the new one which I guess is the one standing now-was built in, I think the class of eleven [1911] got into that school. I was the last one there and… I graduated in nineteen-ten and remember hearing I was the last class in the school. Interviewer: Did everybody in those days graduate from Central? Mr. Ainsworth: I think they did. I don‟t think we had another high school. Interviewer: Another four year school? Mr. Ainsworth: No, I don‟t believe we did. Of course, you got how many now-three, four…? Interviewer: Well, there‟s Creston, Union, Central, Ottawa Hills-I guess they‟ve got four, plus the Catholic High School. Mr. Ainsworth: Well, I guess there weren‟t a lot of kids never went to high school, you know, in those days. I don‟t suppose over half of them went. And so, of course, the city was so much smaller so that you didn‟t need as many. Interviewer: Who were the kids that went onto high school and who were the ones that didn‟t? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, some of them had to go to work and they didn‟t. Some of „em just weren‟t interested. There wasn‟t the importance put on an education in those days as it is today. So… and the world wasn‟t as sophisticated. I mean you… you have to have an education to run these machines now and the computers and everything. Most every kind of work there is takes a good deal of education. In those days, we didn‟t have those and the work that was open for you didn‟t require it so you just didn‟t spend the time and money on it. I went over to the University of Michigan and it seemed to me there were nine thousand there then and they thought that was a big, big school. My granddaughter is going over here to Central Michigan at Mt. Pleasant, yeah, Mt. Pleasant. And I think she said there were something like twelve, fourteen thousand, and they, they consider that a small school now. I never, I really never heard if it until she went there. And yet that‟s �5 much bigger than the University of Michigan was in those days. And the University of Michigan was-and is today-well recognized as a big and good college. Interviewer: What… what kind of business were you in in Grand Rapids? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, I was in the coal business-the Bennett Fuel Company. My father worked there first and got to own the company, and then I took it over when I came back from college and I ran it until sixteen years ago when I retired. It‟s about that time gas kept came in and there‟s very little coal sold in the city now, very little. Even the industries are not buying it because of the smoke that they‟re creating. So, it‟s been hit very hard but my son is running the company as best he can and he‟s gone into oil… selling oil along with coal for heating and other purposes. So he‟s struggling along with it still in the city. It‟s over-it‟s about ninety-eight years old now. It‟s almost a hundred years old-the company is. And we had an interesting thing about that. We were on the corner of Fulton and Ottawa. I think we were there for eighty-eight years and the property was owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. We rented it from them and we rented it for eighty-eight years and all we had was month-to-month lease. The railroads are a little different than other people. If you ship over their lines, they won‟t sell to you and they give you cheap rent. They won‟t sell to you because they want to hold you on their… they want to have something over your head. It‟s to make you stay there and ship over their road. And on the other hand, they give you very, very reasonable rent. In fact, they‟d give it to you for nothing if they could but the Interstate Commerce Commission won‟t let them do that. They have to charge at least, as I understand it, six percent the valuation, assessed valuation of the property. But that‟s all they charged. Well, I think that‟s all they charged us. Now, now that the railroads are having a hard time, maybe, they‟re… they‟ll get into the more equitable rent. Interviewer: Well, if people were burning… would that be the predominant fuel in homes-coal? Mr. Ainsworth: Yes, it was up to about nineteen forty, I‟d say. nineteen forty then gas started coming in, oil, there was, some oil in… there was some gas but not anything like what it is now. Though I would say an eighty percent or eighty-five percent of the heat was generated from coal at that time. And there were over a hundred coal dealers in this city at one time-at least a hundred licenses taken out. Now there is just our own, that‟s the only one left. And we‟re… we just can‟t, I don‟t know how he can live off what he gets there. There‟s just nobody‟s burning coal. I don‟t burn it myself …and fewer every year. But he‟s got little other outlets that, like oil, trying to go into the fertilizing business, too. Doing a little of that he can, that goes a very little investment necessary if you have oil trucks, you can just clean „m out, put the water and the chemical in there and then you got your own pump, your spray and the whole thing so all throughout the country quite a few coal yards have gone into fertilizing by liquid spraying. Interviewer: Well, if most of the homes were burning coal, was there… was there much smog or smoke in the city? �6 Mr. Ainsworth: Yes, there was, there was no complaint about it but there was at times. I know that in the winter you get a nice clean fall of snow and all, everything would be just as white and pure and clean as it could be in the morning maybe, and then by the next morning you‟d see these globs of soot around. And the snow would get real dirty mostly from… of course, it gets dirty now but it‟s largely from coal. It seems to me as though the air should be much cleaner now than it used to be due to the fact that there‟s no coal used but, of course, there weren‟t very many automobiles in those days and they say they‟re responsible for 60% of the pollution-air pollution. So maybe we got a worse victim in the car than it was in coal. I don‟t think coal will ever come back as a home heating. Interviewer: Well what, what, how would these homes that were heated on coal, what was the operation involved in keeping your house warm. Mr. Ainsworth: Well, at first it was really just hand fired. You just didn‟t… you never had a fire furnace with coal? You didn‟t? Interviewer: Well, I did at my parents‟ cottage at one time. But… Mr. Ainsworth: Well, it‟s merely shovel in the coal usually in the morning and set your drafts and you‟d get over-runs and under-runs and, it was good, good and cold you couldn‟t keep the house at an even temperature-or it was very difficult to. Then they had the… they would get an automatic thermostat for the furnace and it was much better than without one. It would open and close the draft itself. When the temperature went over a certain degree, it would drop the draft so that the fire would die down and when it got cold it would be the reverse. And then… then they introduced the stoker and the stoker is much cleaner burning. It burns fuel much cleaner than the hand fired by means of a screw it pushes the coal in so that the fire is fed from below and as that fresh coal comes in from below, it gets hot and it begins to release its volatile matter as smoke. The smoke has to go through the bed of flames and it gets burned off. So it burned the coal more efficiently and cleanly-but it isn‟t. I hate to say it as a coal man, but it isn‟t as clean as the gas or oil. But, of course, you‟re just practically unconscious of the furnace and then I… just, your house is held at seventy-two degrees with either coal or oil. So you‟re unconscious of it. Interviewer: Well in other words, before they developed the thermostat, it was pretty difficult keeping your house at an even temperature. Mr. Ainsworth: Yeah. You had a little dial up here that you could operate around and it had a chain on it and the chain would close or open the drafts down below. So if it gets cold, well, you walk over to this operator and just turn it one way or the other and it would adjust the drafts instead of having to go down below to do anything. You boys missed a lot of hard work. Interviewer: Well were there, when people were burning coal in their houses, were there any coal strikes? �7 Mr. Ainsworth: Yes, I can remember one but they- the contracts were all written so they expired, I think, on April first. And we did have coal strikes but the season was pretty well along for one thing and we could load up on another thing and I remember one year they had a strike and they had this coal… they loaded cars. Of course, the miner was anxious to get all the money he could so he was trying to put in all the time he could and some-so most of „em were on a tonnage basis so the more tons you got out the more you got paid. And he was trying to build up a nest egg to protect him against the strike. So they were trying to get a lot of coal out in shipping and we‟d load up and they‟d have sometimes… there‟s every miner had maybe a hundred cars loaded with coal and they would… all during April they would ship that to you. And I can‟t remember any time when, oh yes, I did too, was that a strike? There was one time here we were in real bad shape one winter. We…we had the supply turned over to the city. I think that was… that must have been a strike. I remember George Welsh was mayor, I believe, at that time or city commissioner and the city confiscated all the coal there was in the city. I mean they came to your yards and now, “You cannot deliver any coal except on an order from the city.” And then the people had to go to the city hall and declare their need of coal and they‟d get a certificate and they… we‟d come down and deliver them a ton. We did have quite a serious shortage one year, I can remember. Interviewer: Do you remember what year that was? Mr. Ainsworth: No, I can‟t. No, I can‟t. I just have to guess it was the late thirties or in the forties. We did have quite a serious shortage at that time, but I don‟t think anybody froze. I remember greenhouses got preference, hospitals got preference and some institutions that were vital were… got the first chance. There were… there always… when they have a strike, there‟s always a few miners at work-they‟re not unionized so there‟s a trickling of coal that comes out always, even in spite of a strike. There‟s a strike on right now, isn‟t there? I know that their contract expired last night at midnight. Interviewer: Oh, I don‟t know about this. Mr. Ainsworth: I, I didn‟t turn it on there… the television this morning… and so I don‟t know what happened. Interviewer: Was the Grand River used for anything when you were a kid? Mr. Ainsworth: I can‟t remember any of those boats going up and down. I… I can remember seeing pictures of the boats and I think there were some boats there and they docked right down there by Fulton Street, but I can‟t remember very much about them but I‟ve seen pictures. I think maybe most of my memory of that is from pictures rather than from the actual boats although I can remember a very bad flood we had one year. I was only a kid. Gosh, I don‟t know. It was probably nineteen-I‟m guessing again but probably in nineteen-let‟s see, probably nineteen hundred and five or six… around in there. I remember the… in the Pantlind Hotel in the barber shop-in the basement-they, they had water right up to… almost to the ceiling. And they used to have a mark there �8 and then years afterwards they‟d come in and say, well, right up there is where the water was on such and such a date. And the west side was quite badly flooded. There was some water over there. Interviewer: What did… what did happen? Why were there such serious floods then and not now? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, if you don‟t, there was no wall there at that time and it was the year in which we had a lot of snow and it melted all fast. Maybe even today it comes up pretty high. We have walls of protection but if you get a lot of snow and then you get a warm rain with this two or three feet of snow on the ground, it‟s just running off everywhere, just in rivers. All over the country, every tributary is feeding into Grand River and it goes way up and it depends on the condition at the time and at that year. We were not protected as well as we are now and we had a big run-off of snow and water. Interviewer: You said you mentioned that your family had a home down on South College, five forty-nine South College? Mr. Ainsworth: Yes. Interviewer: Did you grow up or did you spend any time… Mr. Ainsworth: Well, I spent a few years there, yes. Most of my time was spent on James Street. Then they moved out to eighteen thirty-nine Lake Drive, but then I was married and I didn‟t live at eighteen thirty-nine Lake Drive. They kept going east as most of us do-east or out in the outskirts. Interviewer: What kind of a neighborhood was James Street, what kind of people lived there? Mr. Ainsworth: Well, there were colored people on the south side of Wealthy and they used to have what we called the Wealthies and the Cherries. I belonged to Cherry Street and most of the Wealthies were the people on the Wealthy side. South of Wealthy were colored… were half, about half-colored and half white at that time. And we used to have snowball fights and so forth. At that time was more or less a pleasant relationship. There was rivalry and then sometimes it resulted in bloody noses and so forth but that was the extent of it. But we… we were… we were divided even then in those days between… and Wealthy Avenue divided us off. And we got our names from the…from the two streets, Wealthy and Cherry. Interviewer: Did they go to the same school? Mr. Ainsworth: Yeah, we went to the same school. It‟s there now, Henry Street School. It runs from Henry over through to James and just a little bit south of Wealthy. It seems to me… I know it‟s there yet, isn‟t it? �9 Interviewer: Henry School? I think so, yeah. Yeah, I‟m sure it‟s there. Did, well… did the… the Negroes and the whites get along alright together? Mr. Ainsworth: In school we did. I can‟t remember anything… any difference or having problems or even giving it a moment‟s thought. We had no serious trouble, we accepted each other as we were and we didn‟t have a football team or baseball team I don‟t think…at least I know I didn‟t-wasn‟t in it. But I had some friends. I can remember two or three of „em down there and later they got to be waiters at the Pantlind Hotel and I used to get pretty good service over at the Pantlind Hotel. The boys would… quite a few of them became waiters in various places. Do you have this thing going? Is anybody going to listen to all this? Interviewer: Oh, yeah. Mr. Ainsworth: Are they? Interviewer: Yeah, I think so. INDEX A I Ainsworth, Arthur Sardius (Father) · 5 Interstate Commerce Commission · 5 B M Bennett Fuel Company · 5 Bonnell, Mr. · 3 Mayor Parks · 1 C P Pantlind Hotel · 8, 9 Central High School · 4 Central Michigan · 4 R F Reeds Lake · 3 Fisk Lake · 3 U G University of Michigan · 4 Grand River · 7, 8 W H Henry Street School · 9 Welsh, George · 7 �10 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8c09728a2dc129661aa8a36f3e572527.mp3 a44bf0baae9471a406f703cd9bd0f7eb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grand Rapids Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Heritage Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Local histories Memoirs Michigan--History Oral histories (document genre) Description An account of the resource Taped and transcribed interviews conducted in the early 1970s primarily of the children and grandchildren of many of the founders of Grand Rapids, Michigan; many of whom were residents of the Heritage Hill neighborhood. Interviews were collected to develop a significant collection of oral resources that would supplement other primary and secondary local history materials. Initially funded as a private project, Grand Valley State College (now University) assumed responsibility for continuing the project until 1977. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/452">Grand Rapids oral history collection (RHC-23)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf; audio/mp3 Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text; Sound Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-23 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1971 - 1977 Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-23_24Ainsworth Title A name given to the resource Ainsworth, C. Bennett Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ainsworth, C. Bennett Description An account of the resource C. Bennett Ainsworth was born in Grand Rapids on December 3, 1890. He graduated from Central High School in 1910, and attended the University of Michigan. He was the owner of Bennett Fuel Co. He died October 7, 1974. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan--History Local histories Memoirs Oral histories (document genre) Grand Rapids (Mich.) Personal narratives Heritage Hill (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Grand Valley State University Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf audio/mp3 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Grand Rapids oral history collection (RHC-23) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1971 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6449ef5b46a9da04e7a991aa6e5deba6.m4v 9b97509a37e7ff7ff81239fde87db331 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4646931beaa002fb1820c2a6a1a2c100.pdf 5f57a41dc29573173d00bf2ba59a9168 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project Margaret Akines Note: Widow of Bill Akines (World War II veteran and survivor of the USS Indianapolis sinking.) 46 minutes 48 seconds (00:00:39) Margaret’s Early Life -Born in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 18, 1938 -Father was a tomato farmer and mother helped on the farm until she got a management job -Loved growing up in Nashville -Had three brothers and three sisters -One brother is still alive (as of 2016) -All of her sisters are still alive (as of 2016) -She is the oldest child (00:03:06) Margaret’s Adult Life -Got married when she was 15 years old -Had four children before she turned 20 years old -Got her GED when she was 40 years old -First marriage didn’t work -Worked for the Krystal fast food chain for 29 years -Became the first female area manager -Started working on a grill and through various promotions became an area manager -Retired from Krystal in 1985 -Met her second husband, Bill Akines, working at Krystal -He was her boss -Love at first sight -He had a tough exterior, but was actually a gentle man -He had two children from a previous marriage -Daughter is still alive, but son has since died -Met in 1971 and got married in 1978 -Had met her before when he came to one of the stores (00:08:48) Bill’s Involvement with the USS Indianapolis -Knew he had served during the Second World War aboard the USS Indianapolis -He didn’t talk about it often, and those details stayed in the background -He started talking about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis later in life -Invited to the dedication of the USS Indianapolis memorial in Indianapolis in 1995 -She learned more about the sinking from the other survivors and, Only 317 Survived! -Bill always shrugged off the “hero” label -He was just grateful to have survived, and remembered the comrades that died -Had gone to one or two reunions before they got married -The reunion group had lost his address, so he didn’t go to any reunions until 1995 -Sponsor of the memorial dedication reached out to him -Allowed him to go to the ceremony and reconnect with the group (00:13:12) Sinking of the USS Indianapolis -Note: USS Indianapolis torpedoed on July 30, 1945; only 317 men survived out of 1,196 �-She knew almost nothing about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis -Learned more about the sinking during the memorial dedication in 1995 -Most survivors couldn’t talk about the sinking without being emotional -Bill was only 17 years old when the ship sank -On the last day before getting rescued his life-jacket approached failure -He was on the ship’s bridge and had just gotten off duty at midnight on July 30 -Doing some quartermaster work -At 12:14 a.m. a Japanese submarine torpedoed the Indianapolis -He may have jumped overboard, or waited to slide down into the water as the ship sank -He managed to get with a larger group of survivors -Remembers sharks being in the water around his group, but not in the group -Saw sharks attacking survivors, and survivors fighting off the sharks -Sharks had been attracted by the open wounds on some of the men -Remembers the light coming from the USS Cecil J. Doyle, first ship to arrive on the scene -Like a light from heaven -Note: Began rescue operations on August 2, 1945 -Brought to Guam to recover -Bill knew they had classified material, and it was important, but didn’t know what it was -The Indianapolis had brought the atomic bomb components to Tinian on July 26, 1945 -He felt the bomb ended the war and brought about a quicker victory for the United States -Supported Captain Charles B. McVay III during the court-martial -Note: Captain McVay was court-martialed in November 1945 for losing the ship -Bill never held any ill-feelings for the captain -Felt it was a tragedy that he was being tried for losing a ship during wartime -Note: Captain McVay committed suicide in 1968 (00:25:42) Public Awareness of the Sinking -Jaws was the first time Margaret remembers seeing widespread exposure of the sinking -The dedication of the memorial in 1995 was the next major event -Remembers the campaign to exonerate Captain McVay of his court-martial -Mochitsura Hashimoto (Commander of submarine that sank the Indianapolis) -Hunter Scott (sixth grade student) -Commander of the USS Indianapolis (submarine) -All worked to see Captain McVay exonerated -Captain McVay, via Congressional resolution, had his record exonerated in July 2001 -Margaret and Bill felt it was a long time coming and the right thing to do (00:27:51) USS Indianapolis Reunions Pt. 1 -Thinks it’s wonderful that Hashimoto’s daughter and granddaughter come to the reunions -The survivors understand that it was part of the war and nothing personal -None of the men carry any hate for Commander Hashimoto or his family -She never saw any disrespect of the daughter or granddaughter -Accepted them into the reunion group and treated them like family (00:30:48) Media & Teaching about the USS Indianapolis Pt. 1 -Thrilled with the new documentary by Sarah Vladic, USS Indianapolis: The Legacy -Margaret feels the documentary is well done and serving a good purpose -Getting more public attention about the sinking in the United States and abroad -Good for the survivors to have their story known by more people -Believes the sinking ought to be taught in American History lessons -Ignored because the Navy made a fatal mistake that killed over 900 men and lost a ship -Note: Distress signal from the USS Indianapolis ignored by Navy personnel �-Feels the Navy tries to distance itself from the sinking because of the negative PR -Doesn’t surprise her (00:35:03) USS Indianapolis Reunions Pt. 2 -Bill passed away in 2011, but she still attends the reunions every year -Bill would have wanted her to go -She cares about the other survivors and the friends she made in the reunion group -Her way of staying connected to Bill (00:35:45) Media & Teaching about the USS Indianapolis Pt. 2 -People often confuse the USS Indianapolis with the USS Arizona (sunk at Pearl Harbor) -Understands why people confuse the two ships -Has found that more people are learning about the sinking -Getting more public involvement and attention -There are plans to have a memorial erected in Lansing, Michigan, for the Michigan survivor -Addition to memorials in Colorado, Texas, Connecticut and Indiana -She feels that anyone involved in the sinking deserves recognition -Every detail is important -Feels that Doug Stanton’s book, In Harm’s Way, is one of the best books about the sinking -Outstanding job of chronicling the survivors’ thoughts and feelings -Feels that Only 317 Survived! is the most personal record, In Harm’s Way best overview (00:45:21) Reflections -Proud to have been Bill’s wife -Glad she can still represent him and the story of the USS Indianapolis � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AkinesM1951V Title A name given to the resource Akines, Margaret (Interview outline and video), 2016 Description An account of the resource Margaret Akines was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 18, 1938. She married Bill Akines in 1978. He was one of the 317 men that survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and in this interview she tells about his experience surviving that catastrophe. Bill was active in the USS Indianapolis survivors’ group, and since his death in 2011 Margaret still attends the annual reunions and maintains contact with the other survivors. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Akines, Margaret Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hammond, Steve (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-09-12 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b73a7e5f993aa23580f5d974ee4dfca1.pdf 56d02c3fe2370c51d1564ed980d476e3 PDF Text Text Speaking Out Western Michigan’s Civil Rights Histories Interviewee: Arlene Akker Interviewers: Kelly Gorajec, L. Bailey, B. Harter, and Z. Huyser Supervising Faculty: Melanie Shell-Weiss Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 2/22/2012 Biography and Description Arlene Akker is a teacher at Muskegon High school. She was born and raised in Muskegon Heights. She discusses racism and diversity growing up in Muskegon. Transcript Kelly Gorajec (GORAJEC): I’m here today with Arlene Akker, my name is Kelly Gorajec, its February 22nd, at 3:03 PM at Muskegon High School in Muskegon, Michigan. We’re here today to talk about your experiences with civil rights in west Michigan. So, can you give me some basic information about yourself? Arlene Akker (AKKER): Well, my name is Arlene Akker; I’m a teacher at Muskegon High School. I was born and raised in Muskegon Heights, Muskegon. I have lived on Amity Avenue by Steele Middle School. I went through Angel and Steele, and then because my mother taught at Muskegon High School, I had to go through a private high school, but I took classes here. And, I have a degree in History and English and I have lived in Muskegon for a long time. GORAJEC: do you have any children? AKKER: I have two children, they are both adults. GORAJEC: Can you tell me about where you went to school? AKKER: Well I went to Angel and Steele school, which as you know, an elementary or at least it was an elementary school and middle school to Muskegon public schools. I had, when I was at Angel school, the very first African American teacher in the Muskegon Public Schools. She was my fifth grade teacher (that’s interesting) she was also my teacher at the time that Kennedy was assassinated so there’s a lot of history there. And she’s still very active in the school and I am so glad when I see her. I went to Steele during the civil rights movement and I was also a student at Steele school at the time Martin Luther King was assassinated. So I lived through riots down Amity Avenue where our windows were broken in our homes, and I didn’t really feel safe all the time walking home, but that did pass. GORAJEC: Yeah. So, since you have always lived in west Michigan, can you tell me why you didn’t decide to leave, or can you elaborate why you’re still here? Page 1 �AKKER: Well it’s my home. It’s where my husband grew up, and my *immediate+ family is here and, actually my *extended+ family is not here any longer they’ve moved away. I did live for a year in Holland or two years when I went to Hope College, and I lived one year in Florida, very glad I don’t live there anymore. , I have always felt the Muskegon had a certain diversity that I appreciated. Living in Florida in a city called Altarnonte Springs, I taught in a city called Sanford in an all-white school where they were very segregated and would not allow students of color into their school, which drove me nuts, that was not my life. So I was very glad to get back here. GORAJEC: Did race like, play a big role in your growing up? AKKER: I think racial tensions when I was little were very covert in Muskegon. I didn’t realize that we had any racial tensions. Angel school was, at the time, probably a very diverse school, but it would look very “white” today, but I had friends of all colors, friends of all ethnicities. I had two best friends, one was Jewish, one was black and that just never occurred to me that there was any problem, not in elementary school. When our neighbor, my first neighbors, sold their house to a black family, I found out what racism was because my parents were racist. They were extremely upset. GORAJEC: Can you tell me about your experience with that, like, were you surprised? AKKER: I was shocked. It’s like “what’s going on?” you know? It was not something that I really felt was a problem cause I had not felt any racial tensions, but, my parents continued to live there several years later. But it was something that I was aware of and as that house sold, many houses in our neighborhood went up for sale and that was probably my first real experience of understanding what racism was. I also had a very good friend who was black in elementary school and we went through sixth grade. So sixth grade went to, we got taken out to lunch with our teachers if we won the math quiz and my friend and I went out to lunch without teacher and we were not served because my friend was black. That was at Walgreen’s downtown, and no one realizes that Walgreen’s had a restaurant back then, before we had a mall, before the mall was torn down, so yeah, we were served, but much later than we had planned. Much later than when everyone else was served. GORAJEC: Have you, you said that you’ve traveled outside of west Michigan, has that affected your view of the world and where you come from in a way? Like how has that compared to here in west Michigan? AKKER: Hmm I’ve traveled through the United States, Mexico, Canada, and seven European countries and the world outside of Muskegon is much larger than people realize. I think that going to Europe really opened my eyes because Americans at the time that I was in Europe were not really appreciated. It was after Vietnam, but it was before some of the tensions that we have in the Middle East at this point, so we had that tension between the Cold War, I mean it was kind of??? and being in Europe and being in America after, even though I was in Western Europe and they were not a part of the so called “Iron Curtain” countries or the Soviet Union, there was still a certain amount of tension. the United States, just traveling around you see all types of people and it doesn’t matter what color they are. There are some very wealthy, very impoverished, and that’s what I see when I travel and I see different pockets of the country much different from Muskegon is or west Michigan. I have a very close friend in Kentucky who was taught in high school that slavery was necessary to run the tobacco fields in Kentucky, because that’s how they made their money, they didn’t have to learn economics. It was an industry that they had that they felt it was necessary. It wasn’t right but it was necessary. When she told me that I about died, I was like “whoa, this is not something I’m familiar with”. Page 2 �GORAJEC: You mentioned some of the major changes you’ve lived through; can you tell me about some that you had a personal connection with? AKKER: Well I have several things that I have personal connection with. First of all I have the first African American teacher at Angel school when Kennedy was assassinated, and Kennedy was a person that we have really no idea what kind of president he would have become had he served out two terms, but he was the kind of president that people worshipped. He was young and vibrant and he was definitely a person who wanted to see much more civil rights within our country. That being said, having an African American teacher kind of enhanced that, and we all got into watching his presidency and being so excited that we was president. And she really didn’t swear political beliefs, just wanted to present to us what was going on nationally in our government and being in fifth grade that was a lot to take in and then, being there on November 22 in school when it was announce he had been assassinated and having her as a teacher, going through that with her helped me understand just the kind of connection she had and it brought me into a connection with the Kennedys that has always been there. I have always been an infatuated person with the Kennedys. GORAJEC: Is there anything else? AKKER: yeah, several years ago, probably two or three, there was a movie made in west Michigan, in Muskegon actually, called “Up From the Bottoms.” It was about the influx of black people from the south to work in the north work in Muskegon in the factories as cheap labor during World War II, and they were actually housed in an area that was substandard from where most of the ordinary people in Muskegon lived. Well, my uncle was one of the people in the movie, he has since passed away, but he was one that was instrental in bringing them into Muskegon working for some of the labor factories. He was a personal director for a factory, but he was also one who had a personal transformation when he realized the living conditions and the ignorance that people in Muskegon had toward our “immigrants” you might say, coming in to work in our city, and he actually helped them find jobs or find homes that were suitable. But if you look at the makeup of Muskegon, you can see how Muskegon is laid out. If you go up Russell Road, in the North Muskegon area, you can see a congregation or, inhabitants of black in nature. You’ll see them in Muskegon Heights, and then they have immigrated and migrated into Muskegon. But that’s where the pockets were: Russell Road and Muskegon Heights. GORAJEC: Okay, have you seen any significant progress regarding quality in west Michigan throughout the years? AKKER: Oh yeah. When I talk about my growing up for years thinking that most racism was very covert, I have seen a tremendous change in the school’s makeup, our society’s makeup, how we view people. As I got older and I saw much more racism, I realized that we we’re supposed to all be created equal, so what’s going on with this little pocket of racism? So, I saw a transformation in people. Especially working in the position I do, in the school district I do. I’ve seen it evolve into an acceptance; not that you don’t see color, but an acceptance of everybody. It doesn’t matter what the color of a person’s skin is, it’s a matter of “Hey, you’re a kid and I’m going to go teach you!”, and so, that’s how I’ve seen a change. GORAJEC: Have you seen any areas where not much progress has been made? AKKER: In our court system. Page 3 �GORAJEC: Can you tell me more about that? AKKER: I still see a very large amount of people who are tried and being found, being tried for crimes, being jailed for crimes. And I can’t say that they aren’t guilty, but it just seems to me that there’s many more black people in our prison system than there is white. There’s also more Hispanic in our system than there is white, and that’s where I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it on advertisements on TV, there’s still an inequality. Oh, and probably in our law enforcement. There’s still inequality there, I still believe that people are targeted for their race in our law enforcement. GORAJEC: Do you feel that a lot of the progress is unjust like in the courts system or does it feel wrong to you at all? AKKER: Mhmm GORAJEC: Is there any specific reason? AKKER: I don’t have an answer for it yet, okay, it feels wrong. I can’t say people aren’t guilty that are being tried I just feel that more people are arrested that are black than of white skin color. GORAJEC: Okay, was there any point in your life that you felt discriminated by others or felt that you didn’t fit in for some reasons? AKKER: I’m a woman, and I’ve been alive for fifty plus years. I’ve seen discrimination because I am a woman. , I have lost out on jobs. Not necessarily in teaching, but other jobs because I am a woman. As I started my career, I worked in management at a hospital and I lost out on a couple of the higher management positions because I am female. I have evolved into not seeing that anymore, maybe because in teaching I don’t think there is a discrimination between male and female, but there certainly was as I was growing into an adult, going into school, wanting to take certain classes being told “Eh, you know, you’re a female, you probably shouldn’t have goals to do that. You should be a secretary, or a nurse. That was the things I was told rather than ‘be anything you want’.” GORAJEC: Okay, have there been any moments in your life that you faced adversity in a memorable way? AKKER: Hmm well this has nothing to do with diversity. But, as a young child I was teased because I had a wart, so I mean, students teased me. I was teased as a youngster, because I was not terribly athletic, but I became athletic as I grew older. , I was fearful of....well, I don’t know what I was fearful as a youngster, but I became more athletic so I faced adversity as I was teased, but I think that as I’ve grown older I haven’t faced a lot of adversity. Gee, that’s terrible I should think about that. Maybe I’ve blocked some of it out! I don’t know, I was never as smart as I wanted to be, even though I was very smart. , but adversity is within the person, but not society. GORAJEC: you’ve already talked a little about your relationship with the civil rights movement, but have you or somebody you know ever been personally affected by the time period as a whole? AKKER: During the early seventies, when we had some real racial tensions, it was after the Civil Rights Movement, after Martin Luther King was assassinated, we still had some real racial tensions here in Muskegon. My brother in law was driving home from a place on Wood Street where he worked, and he Page 4 �had his window open, and he drove down Jackson Avenue, and at the time it was a stereotypical area where people of my race would fear because there were a lot of uprisings against whites. But, his car window was open and somebody threw a pop bottle at him, and cut his face all the way down where he had to have stitches, and to this day my, brother in law can’t even talk to me without having some type of racial slur, even though I’ve talked and talked and talked to him that that was an isolated incident. Things have changed, we have all changed, no matter what race we are, but that has continuously stayed with him. And other than that, the riots I have countered growing up, I was actually in Chicago in April 1968 when King was assassinated, and there were riots all over the streets, and we were shocked. We didn’t know what to do. We were actually escorted out of Chicago to get safely on the highway because of total chaos going on in the city. And that was a scary thing for somebody who was 14 years old. GORAJEC: Do you personally have any civil rights heroes? AKKER: Martin Luther King. , Civil Rights in America, or the world? Because Nelson Mandela is one of my heroes and will always be one for standing up and going to jail. I mean, Martin Luther King went to jail too, but not for 27 years. , to stand up against a party, to stand up against your government and become president of your government is just something that is amazing to me. , a person like a Malcolm X, who takes the “X” as his last name because he has a “slave name”, you know, he has a “name of his master”, as you want to say or speak about it, and even though he was militant, even though he really reacted militantly against so many governmental programs and people, he came to terms with himself. He did convert to Islam, he did become a peaceful person who on his pilgrimage really realized what his heart needed to be, and that really caused his death and caused his people to t against him. John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, you know, there are people all through my growing up years that I’m going to say are probably heroes of mine, because they all had something to do. Even President Johnson people don’t realize how impassioned he was upon civil rights. GORAJEC: Is there any reason why they are significant to you personally or do you just admire them? AKKER: They’re significant because I lived it, and because I saw and followed what they did all throughout my life. My parents, even though there were racial tensions within my family, my parents were very politically in tune with things, and made sure we knew what was going on in the world. I sometimes think that people had distorted images or thoughts or understanding of what was going on, and I think that because my parents were the way they were, I had more of an insight. GORAJEC: Okay, well moving on to your career as a teacher, can you tell me about the predominate background of your students at Muskegon High School? AKKER: Muskegon is an intercity, urban school, and we do say “intercity, urban” because we do include Lakeside and do include Glenside, and those are areas that wealthier (whether that’s good or bad), and that includes outlying areas: the “intercity” of Muskegon. Muskegon has changed drastically since I was a child. There’s a tremendous amount of poverty and, people who aren’t in poverty don’t understand how poverty works, and so the values of my “poverished students” are different from the people in my class, middle class lower middle class, whatever. That being said, the backgrounds of my students fall into several different categories with poverished, to the people whose parents work, to the people who might have a lawyer, doctor, or teacher or professor as a parent. That’s the vast difference when you look at the breakdown of test scores for our school. We are still considered an urban school, and that works against us for testing, unfortunately. Page 5 �GORAJEC: Do you think that.., because the background of the students is so diverse, do you think that has any effect on the school as a whole? AKKER: I think it makes it better. I think it makes everyone understand each other. I mean, I do see pockets of racism. I can’t help it. I can go down to the cafeteria and see an all white table, and an all African American table, and all Hispanic table. But, then I also see an all football team player table, and an all baseball team player table. I would like to see more mix in that. Then, in my classes I don’t, and maybe I’m blind to it, but I don’t see a lot of racism. I see a lot of people working together. GORAJEC: Do you that because students are more willing to mix together in the classroom does that make you feel better? AKKER: It makes me feel better about the fact that my school is probably one of all the schools in the Muskegon country area, my school is most diverse, and I say that because we do have a percentage of African American, a percentage of Hispanic, and a percentage of white. The percentage of African American is higher than white or Hispanic, but it’s not as high as it is in our other schools, and the white population is not as high as it is in other schools. Which, I think helps us become little more diverse, and have more understating of the world around us. GORAJEC: In your career as a teacher have you ever had any memorable instance where one of your students has been discrimination against or faced adversity? AKKER: Yeah, probably too many to come up with right at this moment, and I can’t even think of one specific reason or adverse condition. I’ve had students who are homeless, I’ve had students come to me and say “I don’t have a clean pair of clothes, and people are going to laugh at me cause I’m going to start to smell”. I’ve had students whose parents have just up and left, and they’ve stayed there behind, and that to me is the ultimate in adversity because you’re trying to handle school, and trying to handle whatever extracurricular activities you have, as well as trying to find a home. GORAJEC: Do you think that because you have seen adversity in that way you feel more connected with your students? AKKER: Oh yeah. I’ve heard from people who have been with other teachers from other school districts who look at us and say “How do you do what you do? You go to school, you stay all day, you give kids your phone numbers, you give kids rides home, you do this, you do that. How can you have that kind of connection?” Well, because they don’t have that connection. GORAJEC: So as teacher, do you think that it is important to have that relationship with your student? AKKER: Absolutely, I want my students to trust me. I want my students, if they have any problems, to feel comfortable enough to come talk to me. Whether they tell me their problem or they say “I need help”. I need to know that so that I can point them in the right direction. I think it’s the function of any teacher, but you find it more with urban sprawl. GORAJEC: Have you ever seen the diversity in Muskegon affect the education of the students in any way? Page 6 �AKKER: Ah, yeah. I don’t see that it affects the students in what we teach them, I mean, at this point. What it does, what we’re affected by now is our government interceding and saying “Oh, by the way, your test scores are low; you are going to be evaluated lower. If your test scores are low we are not going to give you as much money,” and everything is dealing with test scores, and no one is looking at the family makeup, no one is looking at the support that our students have, besides the teachers or in school. They’re only looking at “This is the makeup of your test scores,” and instead of dealing with the real problem, which is probably the breakdown of the family, maybe no parental supervision because mom is working five jobs or dad is maybe out of the picture or in prison. I mean, those things happen. And our government just looks at what the teachers do based on test scores. Then I see, as racism or something that is radically wrong with our system, because if you look at the test scores of a suburban school, and I use Mona Shores because my children graduated from Mona Shores, (like that nor not), if you look at the test scores at Mona Shores they’re higher compared to a little bit of a more diverse school. But, many of those kids come from families where their parents are college-educated and employed. Our students are not necessarily from parents like that, or houses like that or homes, you name it. And so because my children, and I can only speak for my children alone, came from a home with two college graduates, they were made to do their homework, they were . . .they traveled everywhere, they saw everything. They had more of a connection to the world than maybe my students have, who have maybe not even seen the shores of Lake Michigan and they live in Muskegon. GORAJEC: Do you think that limits the students in a way? AKKER: I think it limits, our ability to teach the students the best we can because we continually teach to the test because we have to get our students up to the levels that will pass the test in order to become proficient with anything. We are judged by the progress, and if we do not make that a priority, we will not get the funding that we need. And this is happening at Muskegon Heights, which is just a total travesty for the kids there. GORAJEC: Can you tell me a little bit about what’s happening at Muskegon Heights? I haven’t heard anything about that. AKKER: Muskegon Heights has been taken over. , it’s very much in debt and that isn’t necessarily the government’s fault. , but test scores are low. The teachers are doing the best they can. But they have some major problems with funding. They can’t pay teachers and possibly, well intermediate has taken over as far as a superintendent and they are looking at other options. So they do not know what is going on right now. GORAJEC: Do you think that, as a whole, the STMRS community gained a lot from the civil rights struggle, regarding the community makeup and the students and parents? AKKER: That’s a hard one because I think that there has been a major amount of progress in some areas, and in other areas there wasn’t progress at all. , just judging by the people that I’ve known all my life, that may be who I went to school with or who I go to church with, and they are not necessarily as whole on understanding diversity as I am because of whatever they do in this world. They’re not necessarily teachers. And they have some real prejudices set up, and I think that that affects the diversity in the community. GORAJEC: Do you think that, currently, there are issues in Muskegon that need civil rights advocacy? Page 7 �AKKER: Well, yeah because civil rights expand to so much more than things just based on race. There’s gender, there’s disabilities, there’s employment. Who will get the best job? Who will go into a restaurant? Who will be hired first at a job? You know, would it be a white person or would it be a person that is African American or Hispanic? I still can’t solve our problems within our society. But I also think that the knowledge that people need is lacking, because knowledge gives us power. And if we don’t understand and have knowledge of people in general and how they work, they’ll never be fixed. GORAJEC: Is there anything else that you would like to add? AKKER: You know, it’s really funny because you are asking pointed questions that I am all of a sudden going “Huh! I don’t know”. , through all my life I’ve seen definite change. I don’t think that I’ve really emphasized how much change that I’ve seen in Muskegon and in Muskegon High School. When I was a student coming to classes here at Muskegon High School, my mother taught here. The classes were tracked. And so, when you have tracked classes you have people who said quote, unquote “These are the smarter kids.” And well, those classes were predominantly white. “And these are the kids that are struggling,” and those classes were predominantly made up of minorities, at the time mostly African American and possibly some Hispanic. My mother had that impression. When I first started teaching here, she would say “Do you have any honors classes, or all of your classes black?” And I’d look at her and go (makes face) “Ahhh, my classes have all colors in them.” Because my mother was still of that mindset. She was a great teacher, but she was still of that mindset that’s how you are tracking classes. And that doesn’t say to me that all white kids are going to be successful, and all classes with kids of different ethnicities, or minorities, aren’t. Because that’s not true. But I still think that people have that little bit of mindset, and so we don’t track classes other than International Baccalaureate or obviously AP. GORAJEC: Is there anything else about Muskegon as a whole that you’d like to mention? AKKER: Well, it’s changed. The demographics of Muskegon have changed drastically. First of all, you have a downtown section that has stores that people that live in Muskegon can go to, and then you tear it down and you put the mall out in Fruitport. Which is ridiculous. I mean, we all go to the mall, we all love the mall, but then the people who live in poverty in the center of Muskegon have no place to go. So what do we do? We have the city founders coming in, or the city government come in, and say ‘let’s build up Muskegon!’ So you put all these expensive shops in downtown Muskegon, bordering on the demographics of the impoverished of Muskegon, so the poor still can’t go buy anything. And then the couple places that you have that may be inviting to people who are of maybe a lower class, those are (post dp?). And so, that’s what I see with the change in Muskegon. When I grew up we had a downtown. I grew up and I walked right down to Apple Avenue down to stores downtown. I think driving in downtown Muskegon is beautiful, but it does not lend itself to helping those, who surround that area, who have no place to go. GORAJEC: Is there anything else? AKKER: You know, it’s really hard for me to talk about because there’s been so much change and I don’t know where to begin to have a timeline of the change. Great, from the time I was a little girl to the time I live now, I have been involved with Muskegon Public Schools in one way or another. My parents graduated from here in 1935. So I have seen the change, not that I was alive in 1935, but I’ve seen the change in my lifetime. Yet, it has been a gradual change and I don’t see it as drastically as some of the other teachers would say ‘Well, I remember 15 or so years ago when my classes weren’t like they are Page 8 �today,” and they probably weren’t, but it’s been a gradual change for me. And so, I don’t see that as a negative. I see that as part of my job. GORAJEC: Is there anything else that you would like to add? AKKER: You know, I am a child of the civil rights age. I am a child of watching changes, going through the Cold War; I am a Cold War child. I’ve seen ideologies that include the fear of communism. I’ve seen drills that we had in school because we were going to be bombed. And I think that all played into almost making, at least in the sixties, making civil rights more of a minor problem. And it was really a major problem. And I think that we have already seen politicians correct that in some ways. I mean my goodness, in 2008 we elected an African American as president. Never, in my lifetime, did I think that I’d ever see that GORAJEC: Okay, well, thank you so much for your time! AKKER: Thanks END OF INTERVIEW Page 9 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4cad70488270817fd77546c5afc1a551.mp3 a73af457cd5adfa9fb8ccbba13db29ce Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Personal narratives Oral histories African Americans--Personal narratives Gays--Personal narratives Lesbians--Personal narratives Bisexual people--Personal narratives Transgender people--Personal narratives Veterans--Personal narratives Women--Personal narratives People with disabilities--Personal narratives Muslims--United States--Personal narratives Hispanic Americans--Personal narratives Homophobia Discrimination Islamophobia Stereotypes (Social psychology)--Upper Penninsula (Mich.) Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history recordings documenting the history of civil rights and social justice advocacy in Western Michigan. The collection was created by faculty and students as a project of the LIB 201 (formerly US 201): "Diversity in the U.S." course from 2011-2012. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project (GV248-01) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-05-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV248-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1930-2011 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV248-01_Akker_Arlene Title A name given to the resource Arlene Akker audio interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Akker, Arlene Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gorajec, Kelly Bailey, L. Harter, B. Huyser, Z. Description An account of the resource Arlene Akker is a teacher at Muskegon High school. She was born and raised in Muskegon Heights. She discusses racism and diversity growing up in Muskegon Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Racism Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Relation A related resource Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-02-22 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fb2685cf74a33a81e19017bb9798742c.pdf bc05edb429957620a7884f6c37759b53 PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Howard Alan Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 8/22/2012 Biography and Description Howard Alan is an architect who specializes in organic architecture, passive and active solar and alternative energy conservation. He grew up in Chicago and first learned architecture in high school before going on to attend the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California. In 1969, Mr. Alan invited and brought the world renowned architect, Buckminster Fuller, to the People’s Church to meet with Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez and the Young Lords. The Young Lords and the Poor People’s Coalition of Lincoln Park (which Mr. Jiménez was also their president) hired Mr. Alan to draw up plans for a multi-unit, affordable housing complex, as a concrete cooperative alternative to Daley’s Master Plan; a plan which was displacing Latinos and the poor from across Chicago’s near-downtown and lakefront neighborhoods. Mr. Alan’s plans were supported by and presented to a broad group of businesses and community organizations, including the former head of the Department of Urban Renewal, Mr. Ira Bach. However, in a packed and tumultuous housing committee meeting of the City Council, Mr. Alan’s plans were rejected. In this oral history interview, Mr. Alan reflects on the Young Lord’s and Mr. Jiménez’s commitment to the poor and why this was such a controversial stance.Today, Mr. Alan’s office remains in Lincoln Park, on Armitage Avenue. His award-winning, innovative, and sustainable designs can be seen all over Chicago and beyond. He regularly gives talks around the country on topics related to sustainable and organic architecture. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: Howard, if you can give me your name -- full name -- and then give me date of birth and where you were born. HOWARD ALAN: All right. My name is Howard Alan. I was born in the city of Chicago on the South Side. JJ: Which part of the South Side? HA: I’m not sure I know what it’s called, but -- JJ: Which streets? HA: Somewhere around Carpenter Street and maybe 6300 South. JJ: 6300 South. HA: Yeah, my grandfather owned a two-level [frame?] building, and the earliest I can remember is that’s where I was born and lived until I was close to five. JJ: [00:01:00] Okay, [now, I was walkin’ around?]. So, you were born here in Chicago. HA: I am born in Chicago. JJ: And you said what year again? I’m sorry. HA: I didn’t. JJ: I was walkin’ around. HA: I am born in Chicago in the year 1931. JJ: ’31? Okay. HA: July 7 is my lucky birthday. JJ: And you’ve never left Chicago. 1 �HA: Oh, that’s not true. JJ: That’s not true? Okay. HA: I stayed in Chicago until I graduated high school and went to Los Angeles. JJ: And so, you went to which grammar school? HA: In Chicago, I went to several grammar schools, but the one that I spent the most time was Kozminski on the South Side, 5400 South Ingleside. JJ: Okay. That’s -- HA: And I -- JJ: That’s the East Side, isn’t it? HA: Hmm? JJ: That’s the East. Ingleside? Or is that West? HA: It’s East. JJ: [00:02:00] East, okay. HA: It was a good school, and, when I graduated -- that’s grammar school. JJ: Was it Hyde Park, or --? HA: I went to Hyde Park -- JJ: Okay, [that was?] Hyde Park High School. HA: -- after that. Hyde Park High School, where I was fortunate to have three years of high school architecture classes, and, by the time I was 15, I’d already determined that’s what I wanted to be. I never had another thought about where I was going. JJ: I mean, what brought you to that thinking? Were you parents involved with that, or...? 2 �HA: Well, no. My parents were not involved, except that my mother -- JJ: Your mother’s name is what? HA: Her name is [Betty Banks?]. That was her maiden name, and [00:03:00] her married name -- well, she had several marriages, so we can skip that. JJ: Okay. Your father’s name? HA: My father’s name is [Murray?]. He was born [Morris?], and his last name is [Spiegel?]. But my folks were divorced when I was 10. JJ: Ten, okay. HA: Some people say 12, but I think 10. So -- JJ: Any brothers or sisters? HA: I’m an only child. JJ: Okay. Now, they grew up also in Chicago, your parents, or no? HA: No. My father is Canadian, came to the United States during the Depression or a little bit before the Depression. I think he was about 16 when he came, and he came to make his way [00:04:00] with his older brother. And -- JJ: And your mom? HA: My mother came with six others from Poland. She came from probably a Polish shtetl, if you know what a shtetl is. JJ: No. Can you explain what that is? HA: It’s an area in Poland, which had a whole flock of rules against the Jews, and they had their own area called a shtetl, which was mixed with buildings to live in, and shops, and stores, and they had their own legal system as well. And so, I’m told that my mother came from a shtetl and from a farm, but my grandfather 3 �[00:05:00] came first, and he came to the South Side, and he was -- he made shoes, and he set himself up until he had enough of a environment and a steady bit of work, and then he brought all his kids over. Seven kids, all together. JJ: And so, they came around what years, did they [move?]? HA: Oh, gee. JJ: This was way before you were born, or...? HA: Way before I was born. JJ: Early 1900s or something like that? HA: No, I’m sure it was after 1900, but they were -- I know my -- I think they were here some time -- I don’t know the dates. JJ: Okay. No, [that’s fine?]. HA: I really don’t know the dates. JJ: [Just a idea?]. HA: As far as I was concerned, I needed something to [00:06:00] give me a direction, and, when it was architecture, that was what I wanted. I was always making things in between playing baseball, and football, and all that stuff you did on the South Side. But it was the doing which I loved the most. So, I -- JJ: Were your friends, any friends in school, into architecture, or no? HA: None of my early friends would -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: -- dream of going into architecture. No, no. They were -- JJ: (inaudible)? HA: Hmm? 4 �JJ: I mean -- HA: Was there a group of people that I was involved in? What do you mean? JJ: Right? Why would, all of a sudden, you think about architecture? You know, people think about baseball or -- like, you did play baseball and football. HA: I played lots of sports. JJ: Lots of sports. HA: I was very -- I climbed every tree in Washington Park, [00:07:00] and, sure, I did do those things, but there was something about me that recognized that there was more in life, and it had to do with the fact that I could do things myself. I could build things. I could -- JJ: What sort of things were you building? HA: Oh, I had an Erector Set, and I threw away the plans, and I made what I wanted to make with it, and that kind of thing. JJ: [What kind of set?]? HA: An Erector Set. Erector Set was very popular in the late ’30s. JJ: Okay. What is that? HA: It was a box of beams, and columns, and screws, and things you wound up, and I was forever making things with it. JJ: Okay. I got you. I got you. HA: And then, [00:08:00] Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, who was responsible for the Lincoln Logs that were sold at -- JJ: Those I remember. HA: -- Marshall Field’s. 5 �JJ: Right, those I remember. HA: I played a lot with that, but I played with everything. I made model airplanes. You know, I learned how to whistle. I did all kinds of things back then. And, when I graduated from -- JJ: So, then, you went to Hyde Park High School? HA: Yes, I went to Hyde Park High School and was really fortunate to have -- JJ: Was that a mixed school at that time, or --? HA: Mixed? JJ: Yeah. (overlapping dialogue). HA: Human beings and doggies? JJ: Well, [human beings?]. I mean in terms of ethnic -- HA: Ethnic? I think there were probably three Blacks in the school at the time. I’m not certain -- JJ: Can you --? HA: -- but I think that’s -- there were very few -- most everybody was light-colored. [00:09:00] But the teacher I had was wonderful. He came just when I was entering the school, and, after the first semester, I got him as a teacher in the architecture class -- JJ: What’s his name? [Do you?] remember? HA: His name is [Napieralski?], and he was a graduate of the architecture department at University of Illinois in Champaign, and, of course, it was the Depression when he graduated, and there was no work, so he became a teacher. But, before him, there was another teacher who turned out to be kind of an alcoholic and would 6 �go down into the boiler room and drink with the building [00:10:00] superintendent or building fixer-upper. And he was teaching architecture with shades and shadows on Roman and Greek facades. But, when I took the first class of Napieralski, he didn’t do that. He gave us buildings to design, and render, and make kindergarten working drawings out of, and -- so, for three years, we did that. There were four of us that were really focused on it and felt serious about it. JJ: And this was at the university? HA: No, no. JJ: [No, it was at the high school?]. HA: This is at Hyde Park High School. JJ: High school, okay. HA: We were making our drawings, and we [00:11:00] were holding things out of the window to make blueprints because the sun would work on the chemicals and would produce a blue print, which was white on blue. JJ: So, who were the designers that you were studying at that time? The architectural designers. HA: Well, the only people I knew of were Frank Lloyd Wright, and I don’t think I even knew of Sullivan or Adler from those days. But, when I left Chicago, I went to Los Angeles, and I went thinking that, somehow or other, my father would help me get through college, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. So, I went to work for architects. JJ: So, where did you live in Los Angeles? Where were you living there? 7 �HA: What happened was [00:12:00] I got my first job with an architect two blocks away from where I was living, and I did shop drawings for all the metal in the twostory building, and they couldn’t believe I could do it, but this was all extremely simple to me. JJ: What part of Los Angeles? What part? HA: It was in the Leimert Park area. JJ: Leimert Park. Okay. HA: Which is now all Black now and has been Black for 50 years or so. JJ: So, you said you were doing some drawings. HA: I would do construction drawings that would be the shop drawings of detailing every steel item in the building, which would then -- you had to do each one and make it clear. That was my first job. JJ: And that was given to the [00:13:00] contractor, or...? HA: Yes, that was given to the contractor to construct the building or to bid the costs. And so, I worked for that guy, whose name was H.W. Underhill. JJ: Okay. So, the contractor w-- how long did you work in there? HA: Oh, probably not more than four months because he gave me another job, and I designed it, and they got a price for it, and he was outraged at how much it was costing, so I wasn’t there anymore. JJ: Okay. So, it was too costly or something? HA: Well, yeah. JJ: The other bids were going through, though, right? With the contractors? HA: Yes, sure. 8 �JJ: So, you had a lot of -- HA: I didn’t design the building. I just took the metal parts out and individually made them clear so that people knew, you know, where the [holes?] were going, how long the pieces were, what [00:14:00] type pieces they were. Yeah. JJ: But those were being used by contractors. HA: Of course. JJ: Okay. HA: Yes. JJ: And there were many of those. HA: Yes, there were many. There were [heaps?] of it. JJ: Okay. All right. But then, you got the (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: Then, they asked me to do some kind of a small design of a house. And so, I did it, and it turned out to be too expensive, and we parted ways. That’s all. But what actually happened was I began to get very -- even more serious. I found an apartment. Oh, I went through a whole series of strange things. I joined a fraternity because I didn’t know anybody there. And then, I found out about the fraternity, and I got fed up with it. And so, I did not last in that fraternity. It was too much baloney. [00:15:00] To me, it was baloney, but, you know, it was social, and it was -- this is the way you make friends, and this is your business friends, and so on. I was interested in being a creative person and working, and it just -- that’s how it all started. So -- JJ: What year was this? HA: That was 1950. 9 �JJ: 1950, okay. HA: And so, I began reading, and I began reading a great deal. JJ: What were you reading? HA: Well, one book I read was Kindergarten Chats by Louis Henry Sullivan, which was something that I was extremely influenced by back then. JJ: What was that about, [00:16:00] Kindergarten Chats? HA: That was about architecture, and honesty, and what organic architecture meant. Those are things which I was interested in. JJ: What is organic architecture? What is that? I mean, (inaudible). HA: Well, it’s very difficult to kind of define it, but what it really means is that it is a whole design. It’s not just an image that you’re gonna build. It’s the design, what it’s made out of, and the wholeness of it. That’s my way of speaking about it. It can be called a design where you don’t do anything that doesn’t belong in your thinking when you begin to design it, and [00:17:00] it takes -- it considers every aspect of it. Where the building is, who’s gonna be in it, what the materials ought to be, what kind of environment, which then relates to how the environment informs and supports the people in it. It’s alive. It’s a nice way of saying it, that we’re building buildings that are alive. The new word these days is biophilic, and we’ve discovered, suddenly, as if we didn’t know it already, that buildings that include nature and the organic aspect of it speaks to nature, speaks of nature. We are connected to nature, and I didn’t realize all [00:18:00] of that when I first started reading, but it seemed to be important to me. So, I got myself in the 10 �University of Southern California while I was working part-time and, in summers, full-time, and I, for some unknown connection, met wonderful architects. JJ: Who were some of them? HA: Well, the first one that I -- the only architect I could actually take my work, the work that I did at USC -- I went right through the third-year design, and I was having trouble because I was naive, I suppose, and I was under the impression that I could design the way I wanted to design in school because you weren’t hurting anybody. And so, I would take the classes in the first semester [00:19:00] of third year and answer the requirements without having a concern. The architect that I knew that I was extremely influenced by was a man named John Lautner, and Lautner was in the first fellowship of Frank Lloyd Wright’s back in the ’30s, when he and Olgivanna opened up their fellowship. So, Lautner was there, amongst a number of other people who are now -- who are actually well known. I have books from those people as well, but Lautner was the only person who would sit with me and talk to me about the work that I did, [00:20:00] and I would march up just above Hollywood Boulevard to where he was working out of his garage, and he would take the time to talk, and it was very important to me because I couldn’t get a response from my third-year professor because he was a nutcase as far as I was concerned. And a lot of that happened after the Second World War, and people who were in it and found themselves teaching instead of doing were not very open. They took the academic approach, which was you have to do this in my class. So, I didn’t know that. What it was was -[00:21:00] I discovered that I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. And so, he 11 �wouldn’t grade my work, which frustrated me no end after I looked at the sheets posted on the board for the grade I got ’cause I worked my tail of doin’ that stuff. And then, I went up to the teacher, and I don’t know why this is important, but -JJ: (inaudible). HA: I said, “What’s going on? Why don’t I have a grade?” And he said, “Well, you didn’t do the final drawings,” and I said, “Yes, I did.” And he said, “All right.” I’ll go back to his office, and we opened up the boards that -- I had three boards, which separated all the sketches, and then the final drawings were between the last two boards. And we opened it up, and there they were, and he said, “Oh, I didn’t see those.” Bullshit. Anyway, [00:22:00] he said, “You can go on to the next semester.” That is the second half of the third year. “And, if you do what we want you to do, well, you can go on to the fourth year.” There were two of us like that, and I was a good friend -- we were both friends too. Well, I got very... JJ: Frustrated? HA: No, I got angry. I got very angry, and I said -- you know, and I kept growing in this other organic attitude, and I said, “I’m gonna explore that.” I’m not going to do just -- supposed to be architecture like they wanted it. I’m gonna look for things that make good sense to me, and I’m not hurting a soul. I’m [00:23:00] just finding out -- I thought that’s what school was about. Well, I did that for the second semester, and he told me at that time, “I’m going to give you an N.” Of course, there was no such grade as an N. And so, it meant not evaluable. And I turned in all my work, and I quit. It was bad because I had -- JJ: This was your third year? 12 �HA: Yeah. At the end of the third year, and I had -- I didn’t have -- what’s the word? I don’t know what the word is. The word is -- I had a way not to have to go into the service because of the war, the Korean War, but I [00:24:00] decided I would go to work for Lautner, and I wanted to work in the field and work with my hands too, as well as my imagination and sensibility. JJ: So, you started working with him at that time? HA: No. I went up there, and I met two people, and one was -- well, one was a student in the fellowship, Wright’s fellowship, and he was working with Lautner, and the other one was Herb Greene, who did the most wonderful drawings. He is really a talented guy. JJ: Now, you mentioned fellowship. You mean the group that -- HA: The fellowship was Wright’s group. JJ: [Wright’s group?]. HA: Frank Lloyd Wright’s group was considered a fellowship and was a [00:25:00] draw right through the war, the second war, and a lot of his people had to go in the Army or went into the service. JJ: Now, I did hear his name, but I don’t know that much about architecture. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: Yes, Frank Lloyd Wright is extremely well known. There’s a postage stamp with him. JJ: [I see. I’m sorry?]. HA: While he was alive, he was a very independent, creative architect who did things that nobody ever saw before, in Oak Park, actually, at the beginning, in 1906 or 13 �’04 [and ’06?] and beyond. He built his own studio and house and carried on in his way, and he built [00:26:00] many buildings in Oak Park, all of which were much different than the usual stuff, and I -JJ: Oak Park, Illinois? HA: Huh? JJ: Oak Park, Illinois? HA: Uh-huh. JJ: Okay. HA: Yeah. He’s actually from Wisconsin. He was born in Wisconsin. He had a couple of years of school at [then Madison?], mostly engineering, I think, and -but he was determined. His mother had put pictures of Gothic cathedrals around his room when he was born to be an architect. JJ: So, now you’re in the fellowship with -- HA: Hmm? JJ: You’re at the fellowship with him? HA: I was never at the fellowship with him. I did not go to the fellowship -- JJ: But these other people were part of the fellowship? HA: -- because everybody usually -- he wasn’t an easy guy to get to -- [00:27:00] he wasn’t -- there were only a few people who got out of that fellowship that really had their own ideas, and one of them was Lautner because Lautner had helped his dad and his mom build a house in Michigan. Yeah, in Michigan. And he was used to the understanding of how to build things, and he invented for the rest of his life. Really for the rest of his life. Well, what happened to me after I left USC 14 �and when I met Alvin Wiehle -- he told me that he was going up to San Francisco, and he and a friend of his -- also a Frank Lloyd Wright fellowship member -- [00:28:00] were going to build a wooden spiral house in Mill Valley, California. He said, “Why don’t you come up and help us build it?” And I thought, shucks, that’s what I’m looking for. So, I -JJ: Spiral in the middle of it, or...? HA: No, a spiral house. A house where the walls went around like this. JJ: Oh, okay. Okay. HA: And so, that really excited me, so I sold what little I had, and I got out of my little, one-room apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom -- a kitchen in a closet -- and it was -- I went. And, in some way -- I can’t remember the other guy’s name. He had access to a house on the highest foothill in [00:29:00] Mount Tamalpais, just above one of the small areas there. No, I can’t remember. I know the name of that area like the back of my hand. I can’t think of it. Well, so, we went up there, and that’s where I stayed. That was at the beginning of the summer of 1952. I stayed up there, and Alvin was up there for one night, and he decided to go down to his friend’s place in Richardson Bay. And so, I had this house. I didn’t know who owned it. It had electricity. I could cook. And then, what happened once we started building that [00:30:00] building and the other guy -- I don’t know why I can’t remember his name. The other guy fell ill. And so, construction stopped, and I went into San Francisco to get a job, and I found Charles Warren Callister, who had a small office in San Francisco, just adjacent to Chinatown. And then, I met him, and I told him what I wanted, and -- oh, I never told you either, before 15 �that, by the time I was 19 and when I was in that fraternity, one of the fraternity friends’ father wanted to build a plumbing supply warehouse and sales office. And so, they asked me if I would make the plans, [00:31:00] and I said, “Certainly.” And so, I made the plans and got him the building permit because you didn’t need to be an architect when the cost of the project was under a certain amount. So, that was my first job, and that building was built, and I would go down there and try to supervise it, this 19-year-old kid trying to supervise it and telling people, “You’re building it wrong.” And they would look at me and say, “That’s the way we do it.” Anyway, I was totally happy that it was built because it gave me a foundation. That all happened before I went off to San Francisco, and -JJ: Now, who was this person in San Francisco? HA: Charles Warren Callister? JJ: Yeah. HA: He was an architect. He was an architect, and [00:32:00] he wasn’t licensed, and he refused to take the exam because he thought it was illegal, and he never did take the exam. I think, by the time he got to be 75, they gave him a license. JJ: Now, [there are a lot of?] construction people that don’t have licenses either. HA: Oh, yeah. Construction people, yes. JJ: Yeah. So, was that common, or --? HA: Yeah, that’s common. JJ: But not the architect? 16 �HA: Yeah, you don’t have to have a license to be a contractor. You have to pay the city or whatever you do, and, to my knowledge, there’s no -- well, there used to be a test. JJ: Well, I think, now, they’re [turning to that?]. HA: Well, everything is getting more and more regulated by, you know, by the city system and by our government. Totally regulated. Regulated to the point where, if you think about something, they’ll put you in jail. JJ: Just for thinking about it. HA: [00:33:00] Bad news. JJ: So, now, you’re going to work with -- HA: So, I went to work for Callister that summer, and I worked for 15 dollars a week. That’s really all I needed. So, I could go and explore, you know, and that’s when I just completely -- that’s when I began my development. I mean, my real development and where nature became much more important to me than anything. Religion had nothing to do with it. It was nature that made sense to me, and I loved it, and I truly loved it. JJ: This was in the ’50s. HA: Mm-hmm. JJ: And -- HA: So, Callister -- I’d let my hair grow. I’d put moccasins on my feet so I could feel the ground as I climbed up to the top of the foothill. I wanted to feel everything, and I wanted to be alive, [00:34:00] and nature was gonna be my source. Well, it came time -- I was three months on that mountain foothill, and I have such 17 �memories of it that will never go away. So, I’d read about Bruce Goff in Life magazine when I was working on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. JJ: Who’s Bruce Goff? HA: My teacher. JJ: Okay. HA: Well, this is Bruce Goff. This is two of his buildings in here. Anyway -- JJ: [Can you show that to the camera?]? P1: Okay. I don’t know if you can see any of that. JJ: (inaudible). HA: [00:35:00] Bruce was -- JJ: The cover. HA: -- an amazing man. JJ: What kind of magazine is this? HA: This is a Japanese magazine. JJ: Japanese magazine? Okay. HA: And it’s a very difficult -- P2: (inaudible). HA: All right. JJ: So, (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: I had known about him, and Callister also knew about him, and he knew more about him than I did, and he said that Bruce teaches architecture with music, and I just -- I had to go. So, I wrote Goff a letter that I sent from the mountain area, and I got a letter back saying -- I asked him if I could come and see the school 18 �and if I really liked it, and I got a letter back saying, “Come ahead.” So, I hitchhiked from California to Oklahoma and [00:36:00] met Goff, walked into the school, which was in a barracks building from the Second World War, the Navy barracks, building 10 miles away from the main campus at the university, which I thought was great. And I walked into the front door and down the long central corridor, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was amazing. Kids were doing things there that were never seen. The openness of Goff -- because Goff never went to college, which is unheard of now, but the president of the school interviewed him, and he said, “You’re gonna be the chairman of the architecture school.” Totally amazing. Huh? JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) What were these kids doing? HA: Well, they were doing their own drawings and [00:37:00] following the class requirements, but the class requirements were freer. So, everybody had to take a basic design course, whether they went to another college or not, and there was an area that brought young people who were fed up with the schools they were in, and they went there, so -- I still maintain friendships with people there. Okay. So, then, I spent two years, a year and a half there, and then I had to go in the Army. JJ: Okay. So, you got drafted? HA: I was drafted, even after we wrote letters and Goff wrote a letter saying that this boy would be better off if he didn’t go, and -- but that didn’t work. So, I was in for 20 months. I didn’t go overseas. I begged them to send me to Germany or some [00:38:00] place, but they didn’t. They just kept me here, doing -- (pause) 19 �(inaudible) can’t think of the right word, but we would be traveling from Georgia to Alabama and back again and doing these movements in order to make sure that we would outlast an atomic war. So, then, I got out, and I went back to Oklahoma and finished. I finished in 1958. And then, it was time to decide what was I gonna do after that, and how was I going to start? Well, I had worked for [00:39:00] architects in Los Angeles, and I had amassed a certain amount of credits, annual credits, so I could take my licensing exam in Chicago in 1960. That’s when I was first licensed. JJ: So, you moved to Chicago in -- HA: I came home, and I had in my mind, well, I better go home and find out whether I can do the things I want to do in the area that I was born. To me, that was a requirement. So, I had to come here and see what I could do, and I started building right away. Did all kinds of things. Took another license exam in California. JJ: What do you mean, you started building? HA: I literally started building things. I remember doing a church for a Black group on Ogden Avenue, that church in a movie theater. JJ: Now, you did the [00:40:00] design, but when you say building, were you --? HA: No, I was contracting. I was -- JJ: Oh, you were contracting. HA: I was designing and contracting. JJ: And contracting also. HA: And I did that for -- 20 �JJ: You did a church. What else did you do? HA: That was a Black church, and I designed their -- where the chorus would be, which is -- in the movie theater, it was where the screen would be. And I did an addition to a house, [my first project?], an addition to a house in Evanston. Evanston? I think so. And my client was very happy with what we did, and I had fun doing it, so -- I wasn’t licensed at the time I did that, I don’t think. [00:41:00] Anyway, so, then, it came to, well, what do I do? And I got myself involved in being a part of the design team for the Fermilab?. JJ: Family Lab? HA: Fermilab. JJ: Fermi? HA: Yeah. The big organization that was shooting particles at smaller particles and busting then up so they could discover what is the source of our world. It was the largest of the proton accelerators until recently, until five years, six years ago. Now, there’s one in Europe. JJ: So, you were doing projects for them? HA: I was involved in the design team for the central laboratory building, [00:42:00] and we were maybe six of us, five or six of us at the time, and this was a major group of people. Two architects, one from New York, one from LA, a construction company from Texas, mechanical engineers, and we were having a lot of trouble answering the main physicist’s requirements. So, I took the thing, and I designed something, and I thought that it was responsive to their building program. And so, the first design for the central laboratory building was mine, 21 �and I made presentations to the Atomic Energy Commission during the [00:43:00] presentation time and this whole thing, but I couldn’t get the rest of the -- I couldn’t get the engineers to back the method I was using, which is something that’s been used thousands of times now. And, you know, you think that you are the only one who has designed whatever it is that you are designing, but you recognize much later in life that these things are here right now, and you are just tuned into them. You are tuned into that just as you’re tuned into other people and tuned into nature, and how nature grows, and all the diversity, which is really important, which we keep crunching because we don’t understand, and that always -- you know, that’s in the front of my mind all the [00:44:00] time. Well, subsequently, there were 35 other designs for the central laboratory building. I left about a year and a half after I started. So -JJ: Okay, so you said, subsequently, there were some other designs, but you were still working there for a year and a half, doing these designs. HA: Yes. That was how I was earning a living. For a year and a half, I was in that group. I got a wonderful letter afterwards actually mentioning the design (audio cuts out; inaudible) from Wilson, who was the man who was responsible for having that accelerator built. [He was?] really an amazing guy. Fancied himself a sculptor and was not your usual [00:45:00] scientist. He was far more than that. And I would go to dinner with those people, and I’d draw in the things I was interested in and share what I thought I could share with them and felt comfortable. But then, you know, I’m not a wealthy man. I mean, I wasn’t a wealthy kid. I didn’t come from wealth, although my father’s family had money 22 �until they lost it, which is what caused my father to come to America and try to get it all back. JJ: What do you mean? How did they lose it? HA: Huh? JJ: How did they lose it? HA: Well, my grandfather made the money with his -- he made clothes in New York after my father’s side of the family came from Austria. [00:46:00] I don’t know much about the grandfather. I met him only a few times, and I don’t want to get too deep into that story, but he made his money, and, from what I’m told by a cousin I had, he went to Canada, which is where my father was born, and invested, you know. They were well off, and they -- but he invested, and there was a recession, and he lost a lot of his investment, and my grandmother owned and was responsible for a business which brought people [00:47:00] in, and they could live there and have room and board, and she took care of cousins of mine, and she was really strong. She was certainly one of the people that I recognize my father really loved, but he wasn’t very happy with his own father. Well, you know, I got born, and my folks were divorced when I was 10, and we didn’t hear from him for two years. And then, suddenly, we began getting checks because he got drafted into the Second War, and we got Army checks. [That was a big?] -- that’s a long time ago now. That’s [00:48:00] back in the ’40s, early ’40s. So, after the Fermilab and after I got my license, I set about -- JJ: Contractor or architectural? HA: Huh? 23 �JJ: Contractor or architectural license? HA: My architecture license. There is no contractor license. JJ: Okay. [There wasn’t?]. I only mention that because I was told in Michigan to try to get a license for contracting, which would have been a mistake if I did. HA: Yeah, I think so. I don’t think there -- they may have something, you know, that they can test you with, but I don’t know what it is. It certainly wasn’t around when I was a kid or when I was doing that stuff. JJ: I don’t think I would [00:49:00] [do good?] building houses. HA: So, I got married, and both families were there in this big, fancy wedding that was paid for by my wife’s father, and it was a woman I loved, but she had a nervous -she had a -- JJ: What’s her name? HA: Hmm? JJ: What’s her name? HA: Her name was Linda. JJ: Linda. Okay. HA: Linda Goffen was her maiden name. Alan was her married name. And, after about 17 months, she had a nervous breakdown and went to the hospital, and it never -- so, we got [00:50:00] a divorce, and I have a relative who was a lawyer and helped me through all that. There are no children or -- it was really -- I was very surprised, and it was kind of a shock, but she just couldn’t be -- at that time, she went back to school, got her music degree, and went to Los Angeles, and we’d see each other periodically, and she died when she was 50 of uterus cancer 24 �or one of those cancers. I sat with her when she was in the hospital on her painreducing drugs. It was kinda sad. [00:51:00] And so, a couple of years later, I got married again, and that’s when I had my first two children. JJ: What are their names, and what’s your wife’s name? HA: My second wife’s name was Jean, and my daughter’s name is Jessica, first daughter, and second daughter is [Ruthie?], and they are both kinda named after, I think -- Ruth was named after my grandmother. No, my -- yeah, my grandmother. You know, I had already made a place to live [00:52:00] with my first wife. And so, I did all the carpentry in the house and fixed it up to some, you know, decent degree. Had fun doin’ it. And -- JJ: What neighborhood was it in? HA: It was Old Town. JJ: Oh, in Old Town. Okay. HA: It was just west of Sedgwick. It’s kind of an alley there, which has its own name, but that’s where the building was or is. Subsequently, I’ve done projects like it not far from there. Anyway -- JJ: And you built the whole building? I mean, [was it an old?] house, or --? HA: No, it was in a two-flat [00:53:00] frame building facing that street. I don’t remember the name of the street. At least I got Sedgwick right. JJ: (inaudible). HA: And I continued working. I got projects, and I would work up in the attic of that building, doing construction drawings and whatever was necessary for clients. JJ: We’re talking about ’60s now, or...? 25 �HA: We are talking about -- JJ: Just trying to get a timeline. Early ’60s? Late ’60s? HA: Middle ’60s -- JJ: Middle ’60s, okay. HA: -- because I had came here and bought this property in 1969, late 1969. JJ: [00:54:00] Okay, so you came in 196-- HA: Well, actually, I bought it in early 1970. JJ: Okay. From Old Town, you came here, so -- HA: Hmm? JJ: From Old Town, you came here. HA: Yes, that’s right. JJ: Which is right across from -- HA: The church. JJ: The People’s Church, yeah. (inaudible) church. HA: Yeah, well, it wasn’t -- JJ: [Which we call?] (inaudible). HA: -- People’s Church when I came. That started shortly after -- maybe it was that summer, when we heard of the death of the reverend. JJ: Reverend Bruce Johnson and Eugenia -- HA: Yeah. JJ: -- Johnson, his wife. HA: And it’s also when -- boy, I have a terrible problem. It was a kid from IIT. He was in the architecture school, came to my -- I had my office in the front [00:55:00] 26 �store for quite a long time, and he came in that store to ask me if I was interested in getting involved with housing for a group called the Young Lords, and I said, “Sure.” And that’s how it all started. So, I went with the group, which you headed, to sit in -- I think it was the second sit-in for the McCormick Theological Seminary. JJ: No, the first. It was the only one. HA: The first. Okay. JJ: It was the only one, yeah. HA: So, I went with you, and all the people involved, and their children to sit in and not want to move until some decision was made by -- JJ: So, you were in McCormick Seminary? HA: Yes. JJ: During the takeover? HA: That’s right. JJ: Oh, okay. Okay. I mean, I don’t remember everybody. I know that [00:56:00] it was around that time that we met, yeah. HA: Yes. I was there, and I, you know, got -- we left after you got some response from the board -- JJ: Did you stay overnight there, or did you --? HA: No, I didn’t stay overnight. JJ: [You would come over?] -- ’cause a lot of people came home and then came back the next day. 27 �HA: No. I didn’t go back the next day. I thought, at that night, we had found out that they -- or maybe they just said they were gonna think about it that night, but I thought. JJ: Oh, it was Sunday. You probably went there on the Sunday. That’s when we concluded the takeover. HA: They were going to then come up with a -- on the basis of the fact that their place was here and they ought to contribute to the community. JJ: Okay. So, that -- HA: And they apparently came up with some money, which -- JJ: So, you went inside the -- if you can describe how -- what did you see? HA: I sat with everyone at a [00:57:00] very -- JJ: [And what did it look like?]? HA: -- large table, and sat in the room, and listened to everybody talk. JJ: So, everybody was just discussing different things, or...? HA: Well, they were discussing the needs of the people who were there, you and the others, and I realized that this was all happening because they had a sense that, if they didn’t do something, they were gonna be heaved out of the neighborhood. I understood that. So, when there was a -- JJ: And who was this student, again, that went to you from ITT, or do you remember --? HA: I know his name. I know his name. Gee. JJ: If you think of it [00:58:00] later, it’s fine. But, anyway, a student approached you. 28 �HA: Yes, a student came, and approached me, and asked me if I’d be interested in working out housing on some urban renewal sites. JJ: Okay. For the Young Lords at the time. HA: Yes. Well, the Young Lords grew to -- the whole thing grew to a bigger -- [the three churches?], the -- JJ: Okay. Okay, so it was a bigger coalition -- HA: Yes. JJ: -- of people. HA: Yeah, calling themselves the Poor People’s Coalition [Development Corporation?]. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). Okay, the -- HA: No, Poor People’s Development -- JJ: Corporation. That’s what it was called. Okay. HA: Yeah. JJ: All right. HA: Bad choice. JJ: [Thank you?]. It was a bad choice? HA: Yes, it was a bad choice. JJ: Why was it a bad choice? HA: ’Cause the rest of the population here, when they see the word “poor,” they will have nothin’ to do with it. [00:59:00] They don’t want to be poor. They all came here and bought property for the first time in their lives and came from Europe 29 �and all kinds of other places, and the word “poor” was not healthy. Not a good choice. JJ: So, it was [not a great choice?]. HA: No, it was honest, but -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: It was honest, but it wasn’t right. JJ: Okay. So, [it isn’t you’re saying it’s dishonest. It was?] -- HA: And then, we -- JJ: But we could have did better in marketing. [That’s what you say?]. HA: Yes. You should have marketed yourself as brilliant. So, what else is going on here? JJ: So, you went there, and you designed -- can you describe the design that you made, or...? HA: Well, what I did was -- JJ: Did you do that right away? Did you design it --? HA: No, I certainly did not know it right away. I found out about the property. I found out about what had to be presented to the [01:00:00] Urban Renewal Board for acceptance, and the city had appointed -- it’s another name I can’t remember. JJ: Well, there was a guy named Ira Bach. HA: Ira Bach. Oh, my God. I couldn’t remember his name. Geez Louise. Give me a piece of paper. (inaudible). I knew of him before I even came to Chicago. He was a friend of -- (break in audio) 30 �HA: -- from Callister because Bach was at the University of Texas, where Callister was a student, and I’d heard of Ira Bach as a planner, as a city planner, and he was Mayor Daley’s planner. So, he -- JJ: Wasn’t he the head of [01:01:00] the Department of Urban Renewal for a while, or the planner? That’s what you’re saying? HA: I think he was only with the city. JJ: Oh, with the city. HA: I don’t think he was ever a member of the urban renewal organization. That was Lou Hill was the -- JJ: Was the director, yeah. HA: Was the director. JJ: So, did he work -- Ira Bach would work under Lou Hill, or -- is that how that worked, or (inaudible)? HA: I don’t know. Maybe side-by-side. JJ: Side-by-side. HA: Separate organizations. So, he was the one who would oversee the drawings we made and made sure that we had taken care of all the things that were required because this whole urban renewal thing was federal. And we submitted everything, and we went through all the presentations to the neighborhood associations. I think there was a [01:02:00] couple of years of that, and -- JJ: A couple of years of going through (overlapping dialogue; inaudible)? 31 �HA: A couple of years of making -- well, maybe it was only one year of making presentations to the neighborhood associations and to the umbrella group, the Lincoln Park Conservation -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: -- Association, LPCA, and then to the CCC group. JJ: Community Conservation Council. HA: Yes. Community Conservation Council, which was supposed to have people on it that represented all the different groups that lived in the neighborhood, lived in this community. I hesitate to call it a community ’cause it almost never was a community, and we continue to make sure that it doesn’t happen because politicians and the economy are only happy to separate. JJ: So, how was Ira Bach in terms of the [01:03:00] plan? Was he against it, or --? HA: No. Well, he wasn’t either -- he didn’t come out and say he was for or against it. What happened is that I would -- living here and would oversee or look at the community of very diverse people, and we had -- this building over here, we had an Italian group that had been there for three generations. And then, we had a Mexican grocery store, and the woman there really took care of the street as well, and took care of the kids in the neighborhood, and was very active across the street from the church that you finally occupied. And I realized that people were -- JJ: [At New Methodist Church?], yeah. HA: Yeah. Yeah. [01:04:00] I realized that people were helping each other, and that whole social world seemed to make a great deal of sense to me, and I wanted to 32 �make these buildings that I designed for the urban renewal sites of which they were for and including one that was nearly a block long so that we could have 12 units on each floor, and it was a three-story affair. And what I did was to place 10-foot streets on every floor. JJ: Ten-foot -- HA: Ten-foot-wide streets or decks. JJ: Decks, okay. HA: So that kids could play on the decks and not necessarily on the street and for people to take care of each other’s kids. JJ: How many stories was it? HA: Three. JJ: Three stories, okay. HA: Three stories. So, it was all designed for the public part of the apartments to face the street, and then to separate those with [01:05:00] closets all the way across each apartment and then put the bedrooms behind it so the street noises wouldn’t be too difficult. But the idea was it was a semi-shared life design with everybody coming home from after work or whatever they did during the day, and have this deck to sit out on in decent weather, and have children play up there, and have one person, you know, be a babysitter for all 12 units if that was the case. That was what I had in my mind. These days, it was called a socially focused project, or a socially focused design, or a shared lifestyle design, which is now coming back, [01:06:00] and I remember my California days, when the [favelas?] in South America -- there was one design I had read about in a 33 �magazine that I’d really enjoyed, and that was, instead of designing some new, fancy place that would sort of be like what was generally accepted, the architect had designed this new project using the concept of the [favelas?] so that there were places for people to go and watch TV, not have to have a TV in their house or couldn’t afford it but -- that all made such great sense to me. You know, it wasn’t a question of running out, and working your tail off, and then buying everything that you’re supposed to buy to have in your house. That didn’t make any sense to me. [01:07:00] It was an act of making people get along. Well, I got terribly disappointed during the project for not just -- I was disappointed at first because, when it came time -- oh, I want to add something there. Do what you can with it. We were told by the local urban renewal office that we were going to be accepted. The CCC voted in favor of our project with only one abstention that I remember. So, we all thought we were going to be the developer, and I was kinda happy about being the architect. JJ: And this is the group from the community that’s supposed to represent the community, they told us that [01:08:00] it was gonna be accepted? HA: Well, during the (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) -- JJ: [The city official representative?] -- HA: No, no. It was from the local office of the Department of Urban Renewal after the CCC had voted in favor of our project with only one abstention. JJ: Okay. HA: And, at that time, I was doing work for another organization, the Construction Aggregates Corporation, and I went to Jamaica to look at a housing system. And 34 �I was really coming back thinking, well, just got this one more hurdle to get through, which was the Board of Urban Renewal and their vote, and I had been supported by Walter Netsch, who was the only architect I could get to do this kind of support because Walter had a sense of what was -- you know, what should be [01:09:00] done and was a very inventive architect who passed away -- I don’t know, about four, five years ago. And he was standing over here, and the man who was teaching at Northwestern University and wrote a book called Proxemics, which was about the distance between people of different ethnic backgrounds or different [local?] backgrounds, like Germans would talk to each other, and they have to have a lot of space in between. South Americans would talk to you like this. JJ: Closer? HA: Closer. Much closer. But he wrote that [01:10:00] book, and he was there -- who was also supporting the project. And we had what? Eleven editorials and a great many newspaper articles about this shared lifestyle method. And we were all getting ready to talk, as you know. JJ: Was Ira Bach there too, or no? HA: I don’t remember seeing Ira. JJ: Okay. Okay. All right. HA: And so, we’re waiting for -- because, since it was a federal program and federal money that was going into this, there had to be this meeting where everybody had a chance to talk either for or against. JJ: This was at City Hall? 35 �HA: Hmm? Yes, this was at City Hall in the Alderman’s Chambers, and we were waiting to talk, and, suddenly -- JJ: Was this the Housing Committee or --? HA: The [01:11:00] Urban Renewal Board -- JJ: Board, okay. HA: -- was way down in the center of the space, sitting at a table with the board members all around it, and we were waiting for -- everybody was waiting to talk. We were all in the perimeter, standing there, waiting -- JJ: Now, how many people were there? HA: Oh, I’m sure there’s at least a hundred people there, all waiting to talk. And then, suddenly, we were told that the board had already voted, and they voted for the other team. And that’s when the one guy who was part of our group jumped over the rail and raced down to the center, where the board members were, and, of course, he was picked up by the [01:12:00] cops and used his head to open a door to take him out of there, and he went to the hospital. JJ: How did you feel about it? HA: I felt bad. I felt tricked because one of the political ways of making people relax is to tell ’em they’re going to win, and then they don’t -- they’re far more relaxed and not involved as much because they believe what they’ve been told, and that -- it is a political trick. So, I felt depressed. After all of those years, and the time we did things, and -- [01:13:00] so, I was building a building out of concrete, one of my favorite materials, and it wasn’t gonna burn down, and it was going to be difficult to destroy. Well, I was learning. I mean, would I do the same thing 36 �again? I’d be interested in the social aspects of a building where we might be able to make community, and community has suddenly become really important, and here I am, on my property, building a building that nobody’s ever seen before, and it’s taken 20 years for people to get used to it. And I have my property up for sale because of 2008, when the economy dropped. Then, I wasn’t getting very much work, and the work that I did have wasn’t going forward. [01:14:00] So, I’ve been struggling since 2008 to now, and I have a couple of projects now, and I continue to work on things that I feel are important, like that 47th and Michigan Avenue project. In some way, I’m going to get this idea across. JJ: So, after that, what -- you know, everybody’s feeling down, depressed, and -- HA: Well, everything started to popcorn, and people started leaving, which is -- JJ: People started leaving where? HA: Well, you weren’t leaving. You went further north, and -- JJ: [That’s right, we went up to?] -- HA: Yes. JJ: [We had a training school?]. (inaudible). HA: [01:15:00] And you ran for alderman (inaudible) -- JJ: In the North Side. HA: -- Award in the North Side. JJ: (inaudible), yeah. HA: Yeah. 37 �JJ: Okay. Now, some other things happened. What about the thing with People’s Park? Was that before or after? HA: That was before. JJ: That was before? Can you describe --? HA: Yes, People’s Park was -- JJ: ’Cause there was also Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic -- HA: We build the dome in this yard. JJ: Okay. What was that? I don’t understand the geodesic dome [by?] Buckminster Fuller ’cause I don’t know -- I met him. HA: Yes, you did. JJ: [But I didn’t know him?]. HA: Yeah, gave you a kiss. JJ: He gave me a kiss and everything, and I didn’t [met him before?]. HA: That was great. He -- JJ: [Who was he? Who was he?]? HA: I’ve heard him talk. Before all of that, I’ve heard him talk twice, and, if he has an opportunity [01:16:00] to talk to a group, he never talks for less than four hours. Amazing man. And he was a whole systems thinker. Not just what it looked like, not just how it functioned, but how the whole thing worked together. In my estimation, the greatest source of whole system-type thinking is just to look at your body. You know, as long as you’re reasonably healthy, your body does everything. It relates to everything. That’s an amazing whole system that we are, and buildings should be designed in the same way instead of a lot -- well, 38 �that’s all coming now because we are in [01:17:00] very difficult straits. We cut down mountaintops for the sake of cheaper coal. We’ve got more gas wells in the United States. People go up to their faucets in the kitchen and light a match, and the water lights up because of the gas. We’ve screwed up the oceans. We are really bad, and we don’t care, and most people won’t even think about it. JJ: So, what? Mr. Fuller is a whole person? HA: He is a whole systems person. JJ: Whole systems person. HA: And what he did and all the things which he developed were based on that. JJ: And he designed the -- HA: Well, he started doing buildings with a dome for the sake of weight and for less materials. So, we would be doing buildings that didn’t weigh nearly [01:18:00] as much, and he always loved to say, “Well, how much did your building weigh?” So, buildings (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). JJ: But wasn’t his design accepted for (inaudible) --? HA: Montreal World’s Fair? JJ: Montreal World’s Fair and the -- HA: Oh, yes. JJ: They were talking about the [moon?] and everything in there. HA: That’s right, yeah. Course, they all leaked. JJ: They all leaked? HA: Yeah. Oh, those things move. Everything moves in those things. And so, they always had to deal with stopping the leaks. 39 �JJ: So, all these geodesic domes leak. HA: All of the ones that were made back then, yeah, did leak. JJ: But he’s the one that designed it for the Montreal Fair, you’re saying? HA: Fuller is, yes. He designed the big -- JJ: Buckminster -- HA: -- almost a complete sphere in the Montreal World’s Fair. JJ: Okay. [01:19:00] And so, we had a -- HA: As well as an automobile with three wheels called the Dymaxion car. The Dymaxion houses he designed. The stuff that was [pertinent?] was kind of taken in by the United States military and used for quick enclosures. They flew him out to Alaska and further north ’cause you already had a lightweight something you could carry underneath a helicopter. JJ: So, why did he come here, to the church and (overlapping dialogue; inaudible)? HA: He came because of Bill Becker, who was one of his students who knew about the meeting that was taking place, and, somehow, he -- JJ: Talking about this meeting in City Hall? HA: No. JJ: Okay, what meeting? HA: No, the meeting that Fuller spoke -- at [01:20:00] the church. JJ: Okay. All right. HA: He knew about that meeting, and he picked Bucky -- JJ: Fuller. HA: -- at the airport and brought him here. 40 �JJ: Oh, okay. Brought him to the meeting. HA: And Fuller always loved grassroots people and always loved people who were trying to do something that made more sense, at least to us. And so, that’s why he was there. And I gave copies of the magazine to -- JJ: I think he also, at one point, lived in Lincoln Park. HA: He did. JJ: [Years ago?]. HA: Yes, he almost committed suicide here. JJ: Oh, he did? HA: Because his first child died, and he sort of almost didn’t want to go any further, and the story goes that he went to Lake Michigan and was getting ready to jump in, but something came to him, and he decided that he was gonna do this kind of work for the rest of his life. [01:21:00] He didn’t care about business, and he wasn’t a businessman. He was an inventor. He was somebody who was open. His system was open to the things which made sense, and he worked that way with those things, inventing what made the most sense. He did maps. He did automobiles. He did housing. He did metal housing. He would suspend things from cables. That’s the way he was, and he was a nonstop talker. He could talk -- you know, he spent maybe an hour talking to the people at the church. I doubt whether they understood much of what he said, but [he?] said, “We don’t need water. We can take showers with gas, and we don’t have to pay for water into the city, and [01:22:00] all that stuff.” All of these things always have to face people who don’t want change. I grew up thinking that, if you showed something 41 �to someone that they’d never seen before, they ought to be overjoyed to see that. Oh, but they’re not. They’re terrified, and I can’t figure it out. Why wouldn’t you want to take a look, at least, and try and understand whatever this was that you’d never seen before? So, when I built this studio -- it’s a passive solar studio -- people would walk down the alley. They’d look at that piece of junk across the way. That’s it. And, you know, I knew that that’s the way it was, but did I want to be that way? No. I didn’t want to be that way. JJ: [01:23:00] Now, you went into the (inaudible) the McCormick Seminary takeover. HA: Yes. JJ: And the Young Lords were there. HA: Yes, and -- JJ: How did you feel? Because [it’s said?] they were a former gang. Did you feel threatened? And you lived right across the street from the church. So, [how did you feel?]? HA: No. I didn’t feel threatened. I felt that this was something that I’d never done before. And so, I was a little concerned in marching over there with you and the group to do the sit-in, but I did. I think you were -- I wanted to do the work, so probably would have done anything to get the work. JJ: Okay. So, your [idea?] was to get the work. [There was at the time?] (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: [01:24:00] Well, then, it was. Yeah. I’m an architect. I wanted to practice what was important to me, and, you know, you gave me the opportunity to do it. 42 �JJ: And, I mean, you came in 1969, which was really after the community was really -- most of them were evicted by that time. HA: Oh, they were, yeah. JJ: Yeah, I mean, ’cause that started, like, in the ’50s, the Puerto Rican (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HA: I understood that some of the parents of the group, the Young Lords group, owned some property. Not very many, but they did own property. JJ: Yeah, they did own property, but, like, you said you were tricked. My perspective, my thinking, is that they were tricked also because it was prime real estate. HA: Oh, yes. Everybody was tricked. JJ: I mean, I’m not putting words in your mouth. HA: No, everybody was tricked. The real estate brokers would knock on everybody’s doors here and tell [01:25:00] ’em, after they’ve been here for three generations, “If you stay here, your property values are gonna go down, so this is the right time to sell. Best time in the world to sell.” And they bought this stuff for nothin’. JJ: So, you saw that, or you heard that people were knocking on doors? HA: Oh, yes. I was. I was. JJ: What about taxes? You’re probably [aware about?] taxes. Was that going on, or...? HA: I think taxes were quite low. JJ: Oh, really? HA: Yeah, back then. A lot lower than they are now. 43 �JJ: Well, yeah, no, they were lower then. HA: Yes, lower then. Yes. JJ: They started going up. HA: They started going up. JJ: How significantly did they go up? HA: I don’t know. [01:26:00] I’m an old man, so I’m a senior citizen. And so, my taxes don’t really change much on a business zone, so I’m not suffering from the taxes. I’m just suffering for not having very much money. JJ: (inaudible). HA: Yeah. JJ: [Basically?]. But what about your neighbors? HA: I don’t know enough to say. I’ve heard lots of people griping about their taxes, and they had been going up steadily. JJ: And perhaps that’s not an issue. You know, a lot of people lost their houses, and -- so, I’m trying to figure out how -- HA: Yeah, that’s because -- JJ: What were the pressures? HA: -- they don’t have the money to pay the mortgage. It’s not just the taxes -- JJ: Mortgage. HA: -- which does it. It’s the fact that, in order to keep what you’ve got, you have to continue paying [the fee?] to the mortgage banks, which I’m doing. JJ: Okay. I see. [01:27:00] Okay. HA: No, and it has been tough for me. 44 �JJ: What has been the change from the time that you moved here in ’69 until now? I mean, what kind of changes did you see? HA: Well, the changes which I see is that the diversity is gone. The different kinds of people aren’t here, and, back in the early days, everybody had ideas and were interested in producing them or finding ways to do them, were interested in listening to other people talk about their ideas. Now, it’s just money that’s here. It isn’t really anything else. It’s only money. But I do get the sense that some new commercial places [01:28:00] are coming that -- well, of course they are. Anything commercial is here because of the chance to sell what they can sell. So, it is essentially money, and, you know, I designed an [arcade?] over Armitage Street, going from Halsted to Sheffield, and taking the cars off the street, and having a place to walk underneath a translucent cover, and providing landscaping and seating, and you just took the cars off at certain times during the day, and people then -- then, the development of the business world would relate to that arcade, and it would draw people here so that the economy would be better, and [01:29:00] there would be a social aspect to the location. JJ: So, is that going through, or no? HA: No. I keep talking about it and showing it to people, and I showed it to the businesspeople at a meeting, and they were more worried about, if you build it, will that hurt my business? Fear, you know. It’s just fear. But, if we did it, their business would grow again if they could get through it, and they wouldn’t have to shut down ’cause the arcade didn’t go from touching building to touching building on either side of the street. It left five feet of open space so that you could fix 45 �your facades. And then came the [land marking?] of the facades of all the buildings on Armitage Street. The facades, the face piece, the faces of the [01:30:00] buildings, you couldn’t touch. You had to keep it, except I didn’t. I already changed the face before. It was land marked, and I finally got them to agree that I could remodel the front building in the way that produced a good solar-efficient building. So, I managed to get that, you know, 70 percent done. It has a roof on it that allows sunlight into the building, and I get it eight hours a day. I only get five hours a day in this building, but I get eight hours a day in that building. But I don’t have the money to finish the clay plastering of the upper floor, and just finishing that, putting a finished floor down, and finishing the bathroom. [01:31:00] That’s all that’s left, plus some sun shades on the building. JJ: So, you’re more into solar now, or [you’ve always been?]? HA: Yeah. That was something that’s -- because of nature, I realized, after years of understanding, that we’re not paying any attention to nature, and we don’t see the value of it until now. Now, there’s a lot more movement in that direction. We know that nature is a healer, and we’re now providing hospitals with natural environments so that you could get out of your room, and people have been known to heal twice as fast -- or faster. It’s called biophilic. And, now, in [01:32:00] architecture, you’ll see walls of things growing up the walls that can even be food if you can handle it. JJ: So, this is what you’re -- the biophilic is what -- 46 �HA: That’s one of the things I am interested in. That’s why I have this garden, so that I can see it, and I can always be aware of it. I have bamboo. We just picked boxes of pears off the pear tree. JJ: You have a pear tree? HA: Yeah. It was loaded this year. Amazing. It had more pears on it than I can remember. And I have grapes growing up there too. And then -- JJ: When I was growing up, they had a rooster next door to you. The community (inaudible). I’m serious. I’m not joking. They actually had a rooster in that -- so, they were [01:33:00] natural. They were naturalists at that time too. HA: When you were growing --? JJ: When I was growing up here. HA: Oh. Oh, sure. JJ: I mean, I’m serious. [That’s actually?] -- HA: I know people who have chickens now. JJ: Oh, they still have -- they do have chickens? HA: Not here. On Saint Louis. JJ: I’m not being facetious. They did have -- HA: No, right. Right. JJ: -- rooster. I remember [walkin’ and hearin’ it?]. But, so, you have a pear tree, and the -- HA: I have grapes and a pear tree, and I planted bamboo, and a lot of the original planting was done when I was married the second time and I bought this building, but a lot of it, I’ve added since I’ve been here. 47 �JJ: Okay. I wanted to ask you about Reverend Bruce Johnson, and then we’ll probably wanna do some final thoughts ’cause it’s -- [considering the time?]. HA: All right. JJ: But Reverend Bruce Johnson -- because you were here, and you lived here when [01:34:00] that happened. HA: Yes. JJ: So, what was the climate or the feeling of people in the community at that time? I mean, can you describe how the community was taking that? I mean, I was even incarcerated, and the day that it happened, the bishop [bonded?] me out of the jail to come to the wake. HA: Oh. Oh. Oh. JJ: Yeah, I had been [almost bond jumped?], but they gave me an extra charge of bond jumping because I was late for court. So, I had to get bonded out, but it’s all right. I know that it was about two months before Freddy Hampton of the Panthers was killed. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) -- HA: Yeah, and I knew all those people too, and I was in the building that he was killed in the day after it happened. JJ: So, you went there -- HA: I went there because I knew the lawyers. JJ: Okay, [01:35:00] right. Oh, you mean Dennis Cunningham. HA: Yeah, Cunningham and -- JJ: So, can you describe the community? Because, here, you’ve got the lawyers. You’re here. There’s (inaudible). There’s other people, the Young Lords Church. 48 �I mean, this community -- can you describe what you saw when you first got here in terms of the --? HA: Well, I can only tell you that I saw what was here, and the things that we did -- we were part of the [parent school?]. That’s the first school that was literally owned and governed by the parents of the children, and it started with pre-school. JJ: This is a separate thing, right? You’re talking about the day care center? HA: I’m talking about this neighborhood. JJ: Okay, the parents school [in?] the neighborhood. Okay. HA: Yes, I’m talking about -- it was basically the idea Dennis Cunningham and his [01:36:00] wife -- JJ: Okay. Oh, that’s right. HA: -- that started the school, and we became part of it, and my girls were in it from pre-school through -- well, one went through eighth grade. One went up to eighth grade, and the other was four years younger. The school folded before she -- she had to go to a public school for a few years before she went to high school. But we were part of that, and part of all the meetings, and part of the squabbles, and the thing would start, and then it would fold up, and then it would start again, all in different locations, and even that church was used as [01:37:00] a place where -- in the back area, that was a place where the parent school started up again. So, it was quite a time, you know. It was when people were wanting to do things -- the people that we knew, the lawyers and people interested in a decent education, were actively involved in. We were. I saw that. And I knew, you know, three generations of Italians next door. I knew the woman 49 �who ran the grocery store on the corner of Dayton and Armitage, and I didn’t know a whole lot of other people. I [01:38:00] [would grant you that?] the drugstore was here, and the Old Town School of Music was here, and I was aware of that, and I was on -- (pause) that’s terrible. I can’t remember names. At the moment, I can’t remember those names. Wait a minute. I wanted to write something down. I -JJ: You were talking about Ira Bach last time. HA: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) Ira Bach. JJ: Yeah, Ira Bach. Yeah. HA: You know, he used to walk. He lived way on the North Side. He’d walk to work at City Hall every day, rain or shine. JJ: What do you mean? He walked from here to City Hall? HA: He would walk from way north to the city. He lived somewhere in the North Side. He lived way on the North Side. JJ: And why was he important to you? HA: Well, he was important to me [01:39:00] because he was the city planner, because I had heard of him before I came to Chicago, because he was well respected. That’s why. JJ: And did you meet him personally, or --? HA: Yes, I’ve met him personally. JJ: Okay. HA: Yeah. Even if I can’t remember his name, I remember [him personally?]. JJ: Okay. Now, my understanding is that he was for the plan -- 50 �HA: I think he -- I -- JJ: -- even though he couldn’t say it. HA: No, he couldn’t say it, but I was -- all of our editorials and newspaper articles were very positive about what we were doing, very positive about a grassroots development and the social aspects of it. I didn’t mention that, during that whole process, I had to go before the Urban Renewal Board [01:40:00] prior to the final vote, and I heard one of the -- they [quizzed me?], and one of the -- whether it was the head of the Urban Renewal, Lou Hill, or not, I don’t know, but it was a politician who told me that, because of the decks I had built -- you know, they didn’t think that was gonna work, or it was gonna leak, or whatever, and, you know, what could I say? ’Cause I was too young, and I know what I should have said now that I’ve have the damn experience. I should have said, “What the hell do you know about those things? You’re just a politician.” Fuckers. I hate politicians. JJ: But do you really think it had to do with the deck, or it had to do with -- it was also supporting --? HA: No, they always picked on the buildings to put something they don’t want to have happen. [01:41:00] They blame it on the building. They don’t blame it on people. JJ: Right, ’cause my impression was they didn’t want it because it was our plan. It was something coming from the people of the community and the poor people [or whatever?]. Like you said, (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). 51 �HA: Well, yeah. They’re not gonna say, “We don’t want it there because we don’t want your people here.” They’re gonna say, “The building doesn’t work, so it’s probably a bad choice.” They might -- JJ: Do you think it’s what happened, or am I putting words in your mouth? HA: I’m sure your words are also part of the truth, but I’m also sure that, at that meeting, what was said out loud was not that we don’t want you. It was that the building won’t work or the building is -- nobody -- whatever it was. JJ: (inaudible). HA: Didn’t look like one they were aware of or -- and it didn’t even have anything to do with that. It just [01:42:00] had something to say about -- that the building wouldn’t work, and I should have just blew my mind, and I should have made that comment right then and there. It probably would have been a big mistake to do it because that would have made it even worse. JJ: But, since that time, you’ve seen that the diversity has -- HA: Oh, the diversity has reduced itself to no diversity at all, and people still living in their boxes, and fixing them up, and spending a lot of facade money, and, now, we have all these new buildings here, but at least all the walls are the same material. I mean, they used to build them with the -- only the facade was what you wanted, and the rear was something cheaper because it was in the rear. It was kind of like doing a [01:43:00] Renaissance front and [Marianne?] behind. JJ: Any final thoughts? HA: That’s a Frank Lloyd Wright statement, by the way. JJ: (inaudible). Okay. Frank Lloyd Wright’s. Okay. 52 �HA: I’ve forgotten what -- he didn’t use the word -- JJ: A quote from him. Okay. HA: He didn’t use the word Renaissance. He used a different work. So -- JJ: Final thoughts? HA: Hmm? JJ: Final thoughts? HA: Final thoughts. (pause) Well, one thought I have is that that situation I was part of was something I had no previous experience [doing?], and it seemed as though [01:44:00] it made sense. You were asking for people to participate in their community, and that was way back -- that’s 52 years ago, which seemed sensible. But the neighborhood has changed to such an extent that -- I don’t know. I had this problem with what buildings should be like. I couldn’t stand the land marking aspect of the front and leaving people to change the insides the way -- it was like giving [01:45:00] yourself a facelift while your cancer is still grabbing you. To me, that’s what that is. I think that living is wonderful and requires a investment (audio cuts out; inaudible). You know, I’m not talkin’ about investing your dollars so that you can spend it after you die. I’m not talkin’ about that. I’m talkin’ about a real future with humanity involved, whatever they are. That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t know what to say. It’s not as though I had a lot of control over it, over the changes. Most of the people that used to live here are gone. There’s really only one or two of us [01:46:00] that have been here all these years, and I’m here because I built this, and it’s my environment. And there are a couple of other people that are doing things in a positive way, and I 53 �finally got people from this community to come here to the studio to see the passive solar aspect of the building. I’ve been published many times. This building has been published in various magazines and books, so -- and I’m going to give a talk some time in -- well, November 2, along with a lot of other people who feel the same way in different areas. I know quite a few of them, and I’m really happy to do that. [01:47:00] So, I think we all have to keep at it, and there’s no other choice. But what can I say to you that relates to -- well, I wouldn’t be the same person I am now without having the experience I had with the Young Lords and the act of wanting to make a place, which is what you were doing. JJ: Okay. I appreciate that. Thank you. END OF VIDEO FILE 54 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57fe7e87e84a77651b6c12da3f0e0b59.mp4 1ccceed034e4067ad3ba09897cb08f59 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Howard Alan vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Narrativas personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Alan_Howard Title A name given to the resource Howard Alan video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alan, Howard Description An account of the resource Interview of Howard Alan on August 22, 2012 by José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez. In the video, a man in glasses sits in front of a bookshelf and speaks to the interviewer who is off camera. Howard Alan is an architect who specializes in organic architecture, passive and active solar and alternative energy conservation. He grew up in Chicago and first learned architecture in high school before going on to attend the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California. In 1969, Mr. Alan invited and brought the world renowned architect, Buckminster Fuller, to the People’s Church to meet with Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez and the Young Lords. The Young Lords and the Poor People’s Coalition of Lincoln Park (which Mr. Jiménez was also their president) hired Mr. Alan to draw up plans for a multi-unit, affordable housing complex, as a concrete cooperative alternative to Daley’s Master Plan; a plan which was displacing Latinos and the poor from across Chicago’s near-downtown and lakefront neighborhoods. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- (interviewer) Audio Transcription Center (transcriber) Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-08-22 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/86bc18479d064e5b9c40b55f30031d91.pdf b791bf441d3a05f14c6e32b0c6428574 PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Vicente “Panama” Alba Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 5/14/2012 Biography and Description English Vicente “Panama” Alba is a Young Lord who was born in Panama, immigrated to New York City in 1961, and now lives in Puerto Rico. He worked many years as an organizer with Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) of the AFL/CIO, advocating for immigrant and undocumented workers in the solid waste and recycling industry. During the Attica Rebellion, September 9, 1971, he supported the inmates in their negotiations. Mr. Alba has been involved in two takeovers of the Statue of Liberty, first supporting the occupation and the planting of the Puerto Rican flag on the Statue as part of a campaign to free the Puerto Rican Nationalist prisoners and the second in support of the struggle of the people of Vieques. A fervent admirer of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Mr. Alba continues to advocate for self- determination for Puerto Rico and has been involved with the Nationalists and other parties, including several community organizing campaigns to free political prisoners, including Oscar López. Spanish Vicente “Panamá” Alba es un Young Lord quien nació en Panamá, migro a la ciudad de Nueva York en 1961 y ahora vive en Puerto Rico. El a trabajado por muchos años con la organización Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) de AFL/CIO, quien defiende los trabajadores inmigrantes y los indocumentaditos en los �industriosas de recicla y las eliminación de los desechos. Durante la rebelión de Attica, (Septiembre 9, 1971) Señor Alba soportó reclusos en sus negaciones. Señor Alaba ha sido parte de dos tomadas de la Estatua de Libertad, la primera es plantando la bandera de Puerto Rico en la Estatua en parte de una campaña para libertar los Nacionalistas Puertorriqueños que fueron encarcelados y el segundo fue en soportar la lucha de la gente de Vieques. Un ferviente admirador de Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Señor Alba continua abogar por autodeterminación por Puerto Rico y a sido parte de los Nacionalistas y otros grupos, incluyendo unas organizaciones en la comunidad que hacen campañas para libertar los prisioneros de política, uno siendo Oscar López. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: Okay, now we’re going to do it again. Name, date of birth. VICENTE ALBA: Vicente Alba, called Panama, and I was born April 3, 1951, in Panama City, Panama. JJ: So, you were born, so when did you come to the States? VA: I went to New York in 1961 at the age of 10. And I think it’s important to understand that I went to New York with a lot of dreams, a lot of illusions about where I was going to. And that very quickly turned into a nightmare. JJ: What about your parents? Did they come with you? VA: My father, my father was already in New York. My mother came and my sister came with me. JJ: And your father’s name? VA: My father’s name is Tito -- was Tito Alba. JJ: He’s passed away? VA: He’s passed away. [00:01:00] My mother also passed away; name is [Espere Alba?]. And my sister Maria. JJ: Your sister Maria? VA: And I. So, we settled in the southeast section of the Bronx. The place was very segregated. JJ: We’re talking about what years? VA: Nineteen sixty-one. JJ: It was segregated. 1 �VA: Very segregated. I mean, south of the Bronx River was all Black and Latino. Where my parents got the apartment, which is just north of that, in the southeast section of the Bronx. It was mixed, but right -- JJ: [San Risa?]? VA: Soundview. JJ: (inaudible) [00:02:00] VA: Soundview was mixed, and right north of there, right after the overpass to the Bronx River Parkway, it was white. And if you got caught in that side of the tracks, you were done. JJ: And when you say white, Italian, Italian, Irish? VA: Italian Irish. You know, as I said, I came very naïve, very sheltered. JJ: What do you mean, sheltered? VA: Sheltered, I mean, my, you know, my parents were very protective of me. I had no sense of the streets. But I had a very rapid transformation. By the age of 14, I was totally rebellious. JJ: So, you came from very sheltered, [what do you mean by that]? VA: Let me explain. I’ll do that. I, [00:03:00] you know, I had encounters. For example, I started rebelling first with -- what happened to me was this. I didn’t even know how to speak English at the time. I was about 13. The police raided my neighborhood, there was something called the TPF Tactical Police Force, and they were the riot cops, the riot police. When they were not involved in a siege in a community where there was upheaval, they hit Black and Puerto Rican communities throughout the city. One day they came to my neighborhood, and it 2 �was early summer, and they grabbed all the kids and took us into a backyard. And I had never experienced anything like this. These [00:04:00] white cops, they was big mountain boys, huge white guys, calling me dirty fucking Puerto Ricans. And, you know, cops, they used to carry rubber hoses, and beat you with, and blackjacks. The cop is beating me with a rubber hose that’s calling me a dirty Puerto Rican, so I’m trying to get out of an ass whipping, I said, “Officer, not Puerto Rican, Panamanian.” He says, “I don’t give a fuck what kind of Puerto Rican you are, I’m just whipping you.” And I got very angry. I said, “Motherfucker, I am a Puerto Rican. Whatever that is, I am now.” You know? Um, you gotta remember the time that it was. It was a time of a lot of social upheaval. I mean, it was the time of Malcolm X, the time of Black Power, the time of the antiwar movement -JJ: Sixty-four, sixty-six? [00:05:00] VA: -- ’62, ’63, ’64. And, you know, the youth revolution, the antiwar movement, the Black Power movement, the Civil Rights movement, all of these things are happening. JJ: And when you come in here from Panama, you already (inaudible)? VA: No, I’m not. Well, I mean, that’s another story. Because see, in Panama, my grandfather owned a boarding house. And my first social consciousness had to do with the fact that there were a lot of Cuban exiles, young men, mainly college students, that were exiled because Batista wanted to kill them because they were supporting Movimiento 26 de Julio. So, that was my first recollection as a child. And Fidel was a hero in Latin America. You know? [00:06:00] He was a hero, 3 �until he declared that he was a Communist, and then all of a sudden, he was the devil, you know? But he took on a dictatorship backed by the United States when there were a lot of dictatorships backed by the United States, and he beat them, and took over and created a society that was for Cubans. So, that was my first political experience. And my grandfather, my grandfather had been an anarchist, and fought against Franco in Spain. So, I had those things, you know. But when I came to the United States, none of that made any sense to me, initially. I just got very rebellious, became very self-destructive. I mean, some of us were self-destroying from gangs, others were self-destroying from drugs. [00:07:00] I turned to a lot of drugs. JJ: So, you were involved in a gang, too? VA: I didn’t join the gang, but I was doing a lot of drugs. JJ: (inaudible) you got into the drug scene. VA: I got into this drug scene, very heavy. JJ: And you’re talking about hard drugs, too? VA: Very hard drugs, because I was shooting heroin at the age of 14, you know? Um, I got into a lot of the rock scene. I went to the Fillmore East, I went to Woodstock, you know, the heavy drugs. And I was very confused. I mean, I was just angry. Angry because the world was really fucked up. And I had come to this place that was supposed to be the home of democracy and the land of the free, and it was hell. You know? JJ: You were already a little bit (inaudible) angry, anyway. VA: Sure. 4 �JJ: And then the drug scene and all that is putting you down, putting you down, [00:08:00] more or less. Or at least, you know, people using drugs were put down at that time, (inaudible). VA: Yeah, but I mean. I was at the point I didn’t give a fuck. I frankly didn’t give a fuck. I stopped giving a fuck about everything. JJ: (inaudible) VA: You know, I used to see the Black Liberation movement, the Black Power movement, I used to see Malcolm X on TV, then the Black Panthers hit the scene. I didn’t know about these other movements in the United States, but I knew about the Black Panthers. And I was struggling with my mind that I want to join the Black Panthers. JJ: When was the first time you heard about the Black Panthers? VA: In the newspapers. The shootouts, everything that was going on. When they marched on the governor’s, you know, the Capitol in California, all of that caught the press. And, you know, [00:09:00] I didn’t speak good English, but I read, and I watched the news. And then I’m into the drugs and I’m thinking, you know, like, I gotta do something. The world’s fucked up. I gotta do something. Um, and then one day, it’s around Christmastime, I put on the TV, and there’s this group called the Young Lords took over a church in El Barrio, New York. And I said to myself, damn, now we’re in the fucking scene. Finally, we -- you know, we’re now a part of all this that’s going on around the world, the Vietnam War, people are fighting all over the world and -- but, you know, and I would have joined the 5 �Panthers. But Young Lords came on the scene. But I had a problem. Drugs. I struggled with that. The Young Lords -JJ: For how many years? VA: I struggled since I was 14. Now I was 19, [00:10:00] 18, 18 or 19. JJ: And you were shooting every day. VA: That’s how I got into that, yeah. JJ: That’s how you got into it. VA: I was evicted. And I saw the Young Lords for that takeover of the church, and I’m struggling with this. And then the Young Lords with the Puerto Rican Student Union held a conference at Columbia University, and they called for a demonstration to the United Nations. That was October 30, 1970. And the kids from all the schools, just pouring out that day to go to this demonstration. I was so hooked. I went, but I got there late. I got to the march late. So, when I got to the march, the people that I was supposed to hook up with [00:11:00] already marching. This was the biggest demonstration that had come out of our community. I had been to marches against the Vietnam War. I had gone to Washington to the Pentagon, on the bus ride. But from our own community, at least 10,000 people marched down from El Barrio or to the United Nations. And there were three demands. Top demand was (Spanish) [00:11:27]. The second demand was the freedom of Nationalist prisoners. And the third demand was an end to police brutality. And all of this just touched me, in a way. Now I’m not Puerto Rican, but I had come into a city where there were maybe 5,000 Panamanians, where there were maybe 10,000 Dominicans, and 20,000 6 �Cubans, [00:12:00] and 1 million Puerto Ricans in the City of New York. So, the Puerto Rican people defined what being Latino was. You know what I’m saying? And the Young Lords coming into the scene were saying the Latinos are now in the movement. Now there’s a face to our -- and after that demonstration, I struggled a couple of days. And then I had met a woman by the name of Cleo Silvers, who was a Black Panther. And I had never forgotten that. One day I ran into her and decided we would sit down the street. She always used to [kicker?] to me, you know. And one day we’re talking, and she points, and says, “Look over there.” And when I did, it was cops selling dope out of a patrol car. And she says, “See that’s where you’re giving your money. You hate the cops? Look [00:13:00] who’s taking your money.” And that stuck with me, you know? And I decided that I had to be one thing or the other. I couldn’t be a dope fiend and be a revolutionary. And I decided to give the revolution a try. Had to get off the dope. So, I took my last shot of dope, broke my works, and went up to the Puerto Rican Student Union. Cleo, I’d spoken to her on the phone, and she had (inaudible). What she had not told me was the next day, which was November 10th, they were going to take over Lincoln Hospital for the second time. It was a takeover by the Young Lords, and it was a takeover to begin a drug abuse treatment center. JJ: Cleo was in the leadership in those [00:14:00] days? VA: Cleo was in the leadership of this movement. JJ: Of taking over Lincoln Hospital. VA: Yes. 7 �JJ: With the Young Lords. She was a Young Lord, too? VA: Let me explain it to you. There was something called HRUM, Health Revolutionary Unity Movement. And Cleo had been working with the health workers and working around health issues that had been involved with the first take over Lincoln Hospital. And she was, at that moment, in a process of transitioning from the Black Panther Party to the Young Lords. The Black Panthers were involved with the first takeover, but they had the Panther 21 case, and they were like, totally tied up in defending themselves by this point. Cleo was working with HRUM, so she started -- and was recruited into the Young Lords because they were doing the work that she wanted to do. And so she called me. I go the next [00:15:00] day. I’m kicking a dope habit. And, you know, I go to Lincoln Hospital, and they had just taken over the hospital two hours ago. You know, police have surrounded the place, I mean, people was picketing outside, and I walk into the scene, and I said, “This is it. This is beautiful,” you know. So, I literally kicked the dope habit while starting a drug program for other addicts, although I wasn’t taking Methadone, I just quite cold. But that was something that I had decided to do. I was testing myself. And that’s how I came to become active in the movement. I worked for like, it was a matter of weeks, two weeks, three weeks, with the detox program exclusively. And then on Saturdays, I went out to do lead testing, TB testing, with the Young Lords HRUM, [00:16:00] and they asked me to join the Lords. I didn’t know it at the time, but see, there was a group of people that knew who I was that were involved with the Young Lords, Mickey Melendez’s father, Richie Pérez’s father, 8 �and my next-door neighbor, were really tight. They were three merchant seamen. That’s how they knew each other. So, they knew where I came from. So, when I go to the -- and then, there’s another very important thing I need to... I had gotten -- [00:17:00] I was in Monroe High School. They kicked me out of Monroe High School. JJ: Monroe. VA: Okay? Richie Pérez was the youngest teacher in Monroe High School. And me and Richie had become good friends. And then he had quit his job at Monroe, joined the Young Lords. That summer, before the demonstration, July the 4th, 1970 I never forget that day, because it was a full-scale riot in Orchard Beach in Bronx, and we battled with the police for hours. We were just angry, you know? And in the middle of this battle, I ran into Richie with a squad of Young Lords that had been on the beach selling pamphlets. Now we were battling together against the police. I said, “My God, this is my high school teacher, guys, doing battle with the police.” It doesn’t get any better than that. You know what I’m saying? I was very angry. [00:18:00] I think I was angry since the day that the copper whipped my ass. I had kept that inside of me. And, you know, the builtup racism, (inaudible). I almost got killed by a gang of white boys because I was going out with an Irish girl. I mean, these kids beat this shit out of me. I was saved by a Black bus driver. You know? Um, I had all this anger, and that’s what motivated me at the moment of joining the movement, was anger, you know? I thought that we have to do something to change the world. This world that we were living in, it’s no good. Okay? Um, one of the things that happened 9 �to me immediately is that I really began -- and I think it helped me overcome the drugs and everything -- was that I really got to understand, [00:19:00] by working and becoming a Young Lord that it was -- revolution was not just something that you waged against the system. Revolution was something that you waged within yourself. It was about changing. And one of the first challenges was the challenge about machismo. Chauvinism. You know, it was two, three weeks after I kicked dope, I saw women, and it was like, “Oh, baby, come here. I want to talk to you.” JJ: And (inaudible) VA: Yeah. And there was a sister that called me a chauvinist pig. And I was highly offended her calling me a pig. And she ranked onto me because of my conduct throughout the course of the day. It was a Saturday, and we had gone out to do TB testing and lead [00:20:00] poison testing, you know. And I was out there, “Hey, baby, come here, I want to talk,” you know, it was like -- and she really cut into me in such a way that I began to really question myself and the way -- and to understand that you could not talk about liberation while you were oppressing other people, you know? And that stood with me to this day. But it opened my mind to also understanding that I had to challenge everything that I had learned before, all the values, everything. And at the center was the sense of individualism that society teaches you, you know, and that revolution is about fighting for everybody else, sacrificing yourself to fight for everybody else. That’s what Che Guevara talked about; you know? And I began to read. Now they had kicked me out, [00:21:00] they didn’t even let me drop out of high school. 10 �JJ: So, it was more -- nothing to do with -- it was against individuals. VA: Exactly. JJ: More about team. VA: Exactly. About the people. JJ: Collectively. VA: Loving your people is being willing to live, fight for, and even die for, for your people. JJ: And you say Che? VA: Che taught that, talking about socialism and man, the booklet, you know, talking about the new person. And so I joined the Young Lords, you know? And what I understood the Young Lords to be when I joined was a revolutionary Nationalist youth organization. We were about making revolution by the state, the government, for the liberation of our people. And that fight, you know, [00:22:00] sadly, we did not understand at that time that it was a long-term struggle. We thought it was an immediate struggle, because the world was on fire. You know? I mean, people were fighting for liberation around the world. And so we thought that revolution was imminent. Liberation was imminent. We were in a process of revolution. Some things happened in the Young Lords in New York that really put me on my path. Because the other thing about Young Lords for me, when I joined, was this. I had an attitude, you know what? They created the Young Lords, it’s all good, so just tell me where the fuck we gotta go to do war, you know? Like, that’s all. I don’t want to hear all this. JJ: I’m ready. I’m ready. 11 �VA: Yeah, I don’t want to hear all the study this, no, no, you tell me where to [00:23:00] go, I go do it. Fuck it. It’s done. Very simple attitude. Except the summer of 1971, I’m in the Young Lords now just a few months, six months, seven months, very intense months. The Puerto Rican Day Parade is an event that had become highly commercialized and very abused. It was touted as a celebration of Puerto Rican-ness. But the biggest contradiction was that the police led the parade. The police kicked our asses all day long, and then they want to lead our parade. That ain’t happening. [00:24:00] The Young Lords made a call and got the whole Puerto Rican movement to agree to set up an operation to take over the front of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. It was a very poor political decision, simply because, you know, while you’re studying guerrilla warfare, you know, you never take on a greater enemy head on. But they decided to do that. And I was one angry man. I was [the defense ministry?], I was like, “Yo, yeah, that’s it, that’s me. Whatever we’ve gotta do, let’s go do it.” And I was so sold on this idea, although I had nothing to do with the decision, because I was not the leadership. I was so loud. I was the soldier. I was the cadre, that we were trained to go do battle. We [00:25:00] called them Suicide Squad. We were going to take on the police head-on, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. And the day before the parade that Saturday was our last training session, we were like running down to Randall’s Island to train, and I slipped on the ramp, and I fell, and I scraped my whole back raw. And it’s very hot. June. So, they sent me back to the headquarters. They patched me up, and they put on medical tape, and, you know? And I’m allergic to medical adhesive, and welts 12 �pop up on my shoulder. And our minister of defense, Juan Gonzalez, comes to me, he says, “You’re off the Suicide Squad.” And that was my first act of insubordination. I said, “You know what? You purge me on Monday, but Sunday, [00:26:00] I’m kicking some cop’s ass. Have absolutely no doubt about it. I’m going to war tomorrow. On Monday, you could purge me. I don’t give a fuck. I’m out of here. I’m done.” Okay? I went on the Suicide Squad. It was a very poor decision, and it was a very poor decision, not because we had no chance of beating the police. It was a poor decision because while you can be suicidal about yourself, you have no right to bring the wrath of the police on your community. The cops beat people all up and down Fifth Avenue. There was no question about whether you’re a Young Lord, not a Young Lord. If you look Puerto Rican, they’re going to bust your ass. And very rightfully, the people were very angry with us the next day. [00:27:00] And that day changed the relationship of the Young Lords in New York with our community. And I know that is something that we never recovered from, all right? But it also brought some other problems, and it was that all the sudden, there was nobody in the leadership that took responsibility. There was no evaluation afterwards, no criticism, or some criticism. You know, I had been put very rapidly in charge of the Bronx office, and I’d recruited people from that office to join this action, we go do battle, we get our asses kicked. The whole relationship between Young Lords and our community, [00:28:00] people that came by our office every day the day before would not come into our office. They would go across the street the day after. And there was nobody to talk about this to. And it became very difficult in 13 �the Young Lords. I had recruited [Tony Copeland?] into the Young Lords who brought a fella named [Deleone?]. I had recruited a lot of people. I recruited some former gang members from Bachelors into the organization. And, you know, now people were saying -- I couldn’t respond to anybody. What I did not understand is that there was already a process of transition. A lot of things that happened. First of all, in early ’71 the Young Lords engaged in this campaign called [00:29:00] “Ofensiva Rompecadenas,” Break the Chains. And it was a campaign that sent Young Lords from the United States, to Puerto Rico, where we are today. It was also a very [focusing?] idea, because people were sent here that didn’t have a sense of what the political reality was, the social reality, what the economic reality of this place is. They were Puerto Ricans, but you were urban ghetto Puerto Ricans. The children, okay, of the people that had migrated there before, you know, years before. And, um, we didn’t have a sense about what was going on here. [They needed?] the independence of Puerto Rico, but that’s where it ended. I mean, we had no ties to the communities here. None of that. [00:30:00] We came from the community there. And I think it’s really important to understand what Young Lords were. JJ: So, what happened at that time? VA: well, you know, what happened with that was that a lot of human resource and material resources were drained to make that move to Puerto Rico. And then it fell apart in Puerto Rico. And people were abandoned in Puerto Rico. JJ: Abandoned? What do you mean? VA: Abandoned. They were left here, you know? 14 �JJ: So, there was no money paid for the trip. VA: Yeah, and offices were opened up in Aguadilla, in Caño, and then, you know, people here wrote letters to send to committee saying, this is a mistake. We’re not being effective here. We can’t. And they were, you know, dismissed. And people just walked away from the organization. [00:31:00] JJ: They were dismissed? VA: They were irrelevant. But there were other problems also growing. And I think it’s important to understand that, see, unlike Chicago, where the Chicago Young Lords originate in a street gang, New York was a coming together of two groups, actually, one from El Barrio, one college students from Old Westbury. And at one point it was very beautiful because it was really representative of our community. We had gang members, ex-gang members, college students, high school students, some workers in the organization, teachers. But with the [00:32:00] tendency towards intellectualism, there are some people that gravitate to the theoretical studies. And one of the dynamics of the American left, of which we were a part of, was this process of building a new revolutionary communist party. And then there was the infiltration within the Young Lords, [this shift?] that led to certain things being pushed. JJ: What do you mean infiltration? VA: Infiltration, like, you know, we uncovered a number of police agents operating. And some people that were never proven to be agents, I think, I know in my heart were [00:33:00] agents, because they led the organization to destruction. Part of that move was this move to become a party. And in order to do that, everything 15 �that had made the Young Lord successful was shut down. All our community offices were shut down. All the, you know, all the work that we did in the community, the housing work, the anti-police brutality work, you know, the antidrug all that stuff was abandoned, because everybody was supposed to abandon all the work and study Marxism, Leninism, and organize workers in the workplace. And so the incident at the Puerto Rican Day Parade, in retrospect, played right into the hand of that because there was no caring about what had happened with the community. You know, at least none [00:34:00] that I saw. And, you know, the Young Lords were being transformed into this thing called PRRWO. And many people, some good people, got sucked into that. You know, um, I remember real clearly that it was, I believe, late in 1972 or early 1973 that there was a call made for all the Young Lords to report for this conference that we were going to have at the Hunts Point Palace. And I went to report, as instructed. And it was a dance hall, and it had been decorated for this [00:35:00] Young Lords conference. There was a lot of Young Lords in there. And the place was decorated in such a way that you had Marx, Lenin, Engels, and Mao. And one of the brothers got up and says, “You know, I really have no problem with the posters that are here. The problem that I have with the posters that are not here. Where’s Don Pedro? Where’s [Lolita?]? Where’s [Letansas?]?” And it was, in my view, an intellectual takeover of what our movement had been. Now everybody has to study Marx and Mao, Engels, dialectical [00:36:00] materialism, but the thing that had distinguished us was our love for our people and served the people in our communities, that was gone. I went to that 16 �conference, and I called the national, told them to go -- because I used to run the Bronx office at Cyprus Avenue. And [Olgie?] had already been pulled out of there. You know, people had been -- Cleo, she had been sent to Detroit to work with Black Workers Congress, all this movement to get people out of the community and to build this party. You know, they had these meetings with the LLN, with all these other organizations, and all these discussions, [00:37:00] and we got orders to study this, study that. And after that conference, I said to myself, “You know, this is not what I joined. This not what I came to join. I came to join a revolution, but I don’t see it happening here.” And I walked away. In walking away though, I -- you know, and it was also about growing up politically, because I found myself saying, “You know what? I cannot allow people to make political decisions for me. I gotta take political responsibility for myself.” It was no longer about you tell me where to go and I go do it, fuck it. That’s over. I have, you know, I gained some tools to think for myself. And one of the things that I saw was that there was a thing that had been abandoned. [00:38:00] For example, there was a case in New York called the Case of the New York Five, and it was Black Panthers and one Young Lord, accused of bank robberies and killing cops with the Black Liberation Army. And now, with our movement collapsing, it was like we were abounding them; you know? Nobody wanted to talk about this case. The PROs didn’t even want to touch it, because it was not a proletariat struggle, it’s a revolutionary Nationalist struggle. So, I joined with some Black Panthers that was formed, [The Committee to Free the?] the New York Five. And two of the five brothers were Boricuas. One of them was a 17 �member of the Black Panther Party, and the other was his brother’s blood brother, who was in the Young Lords, Gabe Torres and Francisco Torres. So, I began doing that work. And I had hooked up with my [00:39:00] compa-- Mickey Melendez, who was doing the work around the freedom of the Nationalists. And so I continued doing that work, to free up political prisoners. And then I became an independent political activist at that point. I have never stopped. In 19-- I think it was the fall of ’75, I got word that they had kidnapped Richie Pérez. Richie Pérez was one of those people that stood [withdraw?]. And I lost contact with him. But then I heard about his kidnapping and his torture of him and Diana Caballero. And by that time, because he was doing the work around the Nationalist prisoners, Mickey Menendez [00:40:00] and I had come to Puerto Rico and gotten sworn in as members of the Nationalist Party in Puerto Rico. Mickey and I went to a bar here in El Condado to have a couple of drinks that we waited for the time to go to the airport to return back to New York. I never forget this place. It was a basement bar, called [El Barrito?], and we walked in there, and who do we run into? Richie Pérez and Diana Caballero. They were in the darkened corner. When they saw us, they got very paranoid, because they didn’t know who to trust. Since I had been a high school student of Richie’s, I approached him. I said, “Whoa, we ain’t come here to hurt you. It’s just accidental. But here’s my number. When you feel up to, [00:41:00] give me a call.” And about a week later, back in New York, I got a call from Richie, and we reconnected, and we continued. We began doing the work around Nationalists, all of that. We had a meeting of former Young Lords who denounced the 18 �kidnapping and the tortures. The kidnapping and torture was orchestrated by Gloria Fontanez (inaudible). She had, through a series of purges, okay, purged Juan Gonzalez, who used to be her compañero, had purged David, had purged Yoruba Guzman, had purged all the people in the leadership. JJ: All the Central Committee, (inaudible) of the Young Lords. VA: Exactly. And [00:42:00] um, ordered the kidnapping and the torture. JJ: And how did she get that type of following? (inaudible) VA: That’s a very interesting -- because one of the things about her, Gloria Fontanez approaches or hooks up with our movement. She was a hospital clerk in Gouverneur Hospital in the Lower East Side. And because of the work through HRUM, she had become chairwoman of HRUM, and through HRUM, joined the Young Lords. That’s a key question. How did this hospital clerk gain all of this political sophistication and Machiavellian maneuvering and ability? You know, she was a very skillful organizer, but she -- I mean, she has skills that you need to question where they came from. [00:43:00] I say she was a highly trained agent. And she married [Bruce?] Wright, who was another agent. And they took control of the Young Lords when they converted it to PRRWO. JJ: And when she split up from Juan Gonzalez, married this guy (inaudible). VA: Yeah. JJ: And you’re saying that he was an agent. VA: He was an agent, so was she. JJ: On what grounds are you saying this? VA: Because of everything she did, okay, was to destroy the Young Lords. 19 �JJ: What did she do to destroy the Young Lords? VA: She climbed the ladder of leadership -- dismantled the leadership -- JJ: She was able to climb the ladder of leadership from Juan Gonzalez because he was a leader. One way -- one way. VA: It was more than Juan Gonzalez. JJ: Okay, then what other ways? VA: You know, she had the skills that we as a young organization didn’t have. And she presented herself with those skills. JJ: She [00:44:00] was working in the hospital (inaudible). VA: How does the hospital clerk get all this organizing skills? Right? That’s the question. You know. She was very skillful in setting people against each other and dismantling the leadership of the Lords, one at a time, turning everybody first against one, then against the other, and, you know, until she was in complete control. Once she took complete control, then the kidnapping and the torture began. That’s not a mistake of a revolutionary. That’s classic COINTELPRO operation. Same thing that happened in the Black Panther Party. JJ: You’re saying she was trained as an agent. VA: Or she learned these skills from where? [00:45:00] JJ: When you talked to her, when you knew her, she was very skillful. VA: Very skillful, very eloquent, very pretty. JJ: And you’re an organizer, yourself. VA: Yeah. JJ: So, you can see if somebody’s an organizer, really. 20 �VA: Listen, she was my leader when I was in the Young Lords. But she did things that were so authoritarian, like she had the authority to tell you how to run your personal life. And those are things that I began to question very early on in saying myself, this is something wrong here. This woman tells me that I have to tell my compañera to get an abortion because the party is having too many babies. My response was, the party ain’t having no babies. My compañera and I are having a baby, and she ain’t getting an abortion. But that was, [00:46:00] like, you know, if I would have allowed her the authority to follow up on her orders, she would have controlled my life. Then I would have been a puppet of hers, like the puppets she used -- listen, when Richie Pérez was kidnapped and tortured, people who did it were people that he recruited into the Young Lords, that he trained. And then she took over and ordered them to kidnap and torture him. That’s very skilled. JJ: But she was not just a control freak. You think she’s an agent. VA: That’s my belief. And I’ll say it to her face. I’ll tell you, the last time I saw Gloria Fontanez was about three years ago, when [Lori Delagron?] died, and I was in New York, and we organized a memorial for Lori Delagron. And I was in charge of security, [00:47:00] sadly, for her. Because Iris Morales was there and approached, he says, “Look, Gloria’s here.” And I went up to her, says, “Excuse me, I need to talk to you outside.” And then her boyfriend came. “What’s the problem?” I said, “You’re with her? Then you and me gotta go outside, too.” And I took them outside, and I threw them out of the place. JJ: This is Gloria. 21 �VA: Oh, yeah, yeah. JJ: And her boyfriend, too. VA: And her then-boyfriend. JJ: [Wilbert?] Wright? VA: No, no, this is somebody else. She’s been through a hundred boyfriends. That’s the truth. The truth. JJ: Because who was her boyfriend again after González? VA: Her first boyfriend was Juan Gonzalez, and she went to, Don Wright. JJ: Don Wright. VA: Um, so that’s -- JJ: What do you know about Don Wright? What about him? VA: I don’t know anything about Don Wright, because when he came into the scene, I had left the Young Lords. I was doing political work independently. JJ: So, you were -- [00:48:00] VA: Anyway, as far as Young Lords, I would say the following. That in the United States, we have been and sadly to say, there have been other organizations that have risen since and tried to erase the legacy of the Young Lords. The Young Lords have left a lasting legacy for our community. You know, we were very young. We lacked a lot of political insight that, you know -- but we left. I mean, you and I were talking before, for example, about electoral politics. The Young Lords, see, we created a political movement that gave our community a sense of the [00:49:00] power that we had. What we lacked, at least in New York, was the insight about understanding this, this was a long-term struggle, and because we 22 �saw it as an immediate struggle, for example, we never considered electoral politics in New York, but we left the vacuum that was moved into, people, poverty, pimps moved into that, you know, the other (Spanish) [00:49:26] of the world, and you know, the [Napoleons?] on the Lower East Side, people who capitalized on that movement, that sense of empowerment that the Young Lords brought. You know, one of the things I learned in the Young Lords was that their commitment is not to an organization. It’s to [00:50:00] a cause. And, you know, that cause that brought the Young Lords into existence is still very much alive. So, I continue to struggle. JJ: Which is what? (inaudible) VA: Which is the liberation of Puerto Rico, which is the equality, the fulfillment of all of our rights, our human rights, our democratic rights, our civil rights in the United States and anywhere in the world. And you know what, to the creation of a better worlds. In Puerto Rico and outside of Puerto Rico, wherever we go. The Young Lords taught us to live like Che Guevara. JJ: So, after the Young Lords folded (inaudible). VA: Well, [00:51:00] what happened was that we were carrying on the campaign for the freedom of the Nationalists. In 1977, I was the first person arrested and accused of being a member of the FALN. Actually not the first, because David Pérez was arrested in my house. He went to my house, and they arrested him when they were trying to arrest me, and they -- I went into hiding, and I surrendered a week later, um, because they didn’t have anything. They tried to 23 �pin a bombing on me in New York, of the Mobil Oil building. That was on August 8, 1977. JJ: Okay, 1977? VA: Yeah. And so, you know, they dropped charges on David, they kept harassing me. They rearrested me in March of ’78. JJ: But David Pérez was arrested? VA: He was arrested in my house. Yeah, he came knocking on the door, the feds [00:52:00] grabbed him, you know? And they actually put his picture in the papers with my name on it, you know? (laughs) JJ: So, they were actually looking for you. VA: They were looking for me. They raided my house. JJ: (inaudible) a few Young Lords were connected to the (inaudible). VA: Yeah, so then back in ’78, in March of ’78, I was rearrested, spent six months in jail. I went to trial five years later, I was acquitted in 45 minutes, okay? But, you know, the time I spent in jail and all the drama that surrounded that case, again, with accusations of being a member of the FALA. JJ: You were acquitted. VA: I was acquitted by a jury in 45 minutes. They went in there, locked the door, said, “Not guilty,” came back down, go home. You know? Um, [00:53:00] in that process, we freed the Nationalists, the Nationalists were freed in 1978. I was out on bail at the time. JJ: And how did you [feel?]? 24 �VA: Well, there was an international campaign that -- we did a lot of work in our community, educational work, educating people as to who these people were. And for a long time, people are saying, “You guys are crazy, they are never going to be released,” because we’re talking about four people that shot up the Congress of the United States and the fifth who tried to kill President Truman, okay, in the cause of court deliberation of Puerto Rico. And our people kept telling us, “You guys go waste your fucking time, but these guys ain’t never coming home. [00:54:00] Lolita Lebrón and them are going to rot in jail.” But we were able to force the US government, with very strong mobilizations in our community, we took over the Statue of Liberty in 1977, put the flag on its crown, demanding their release, and the support of the Cuban government. JJ: Wait a minute. So, when you took over the Statue of Liberty, you went upstairs, and -- VA: That was a Young Lord action carried out by three ex-members of the young roads, Richie Pérez, Mickey Melendez, and myself. JJ: So, Richie Pérez, Mickey Melendez, and you, yourself? VA: I was not arrested because I was out on bail. I had just gotten out of jail. JJ: What exactly did you (inaudible) talk about that now, if you can. I mean, without getting into any details [of that action?]. VA: What we did was -- JJ: Because if you do that, I’m being an accessory. I don’t want [00:55:00] that. (laughter) 25 �VA: We had been going, over a number of years, going to Washington, demanding the freedom of the Nationalists, the United Nations. And in ’77 that summer, we were in the process of another mobilization to Washington. JJ: Was this meaning a demonstration? VA: A demonstration, yeah, a massive demonstration, taking thousands of people to Washington and demanding the freedom of the Nationals. Um, and, you know, it was like something that had kind of like ran its course. It was beginning to lose energy. So, Richie, Mickey, and I, we were coordinating the committee, and we met. And it was Mickey Melendez who said, “You know what?” I mean -- no, the deal was, I said, “We gotta do an action, a militant action. We gotta take this to the next level.” [00:56:00] Now remember, already, the FALN was putting, you know, armed actions, you know, armed propaganda actions in Chicago, in New York, in Washington, wherever. But we said, we need to now collaborate with this effort by a militant mass movement action. And Mickey says, “Statue of Liberty.” Right? So, we took turns going to case the place, you know, like one day, Mickey went, another time Richie went, another time I went, and to assess it, you know, how it operated, lay of the land, how many guards, all of that stuff. JJ: And you were kind of planning, it was just a protest, basically. VA: Sure. Whatever you say. [00:57:00] JJ: (laughter) VA: Then what we did was that each one of us took on the responsibility of developing a list of activists who he trusted, okay? And who had to trust us, 26 �because we agreed not to tell anybody what we were going to do. The only three people that knew was Richie, Mickey, and I. JJ: And this case is closed, right? VA: This case is closed. And we would check with each other of our list. You know such person? What do you think? Is he trustworthy? Yeah. Should they be approached? And we, one on one, approached the individuals that got arrested there, and asked them to make a commitment to get arrested for the freedom of the Nationalists, without knowing what they were going to do. [00:58:00] So, once we had a -- you know, we prepared, we planned, everything was done, we told people, the three teams, each one of us led a different team at different parts of city, like the people that I had on my list, meet me down in Times Square at seven o’clock in the morning. Then somebody else met in Queens, you know, like that. And we converged in Battery Park in New York City. JJ: (inaudible) VA: Battery Park is in the tip of Manhattan, across from the Statue of Liberty. And everybody got on the boat except me, [Yana Pérez Gallejero?], and a third person, [Cesar Torres?]. I was in charge because I was already on bail. Like, we had a big fight about that, like, “I’m going in there,” they say, “No, you’re not.” I said, “Yes, I am.” [00:59:00] And they overruled. They didn’t allow me to get arrested, because if I would have gotten arrested again, I would have never gotten out of jail, you know? So, Richie and Mickey led the group of people, they got on the first ferry onto the Statue of Liberty Island, and then ran and got into the Statue of liberty to prevent the other tourists on the boat to get in, so there 27 �wouldn’t be a problem of kidnapping or any of that crap, right? And they shut down the island. They took it over. You’ve gotta remember, back then, there weren’t cellular phones available to us, okay? So, we already gotten the telephone numbers to all the public phones in the Battery Park area. We took control of the phones. The thing that got interesting was that we had assessed that the arrest was going to happen pretty soon after the takeover, because there were -- [01:00:00] you know, they were going to come in and get people arrested. What we did not count on was the fact that the police, in fact, were fighting among themselves. The NYPD was fighting with the FBI and the US Parks Department police who had jurisdiction. So, this thing started dragging on for hours and hours. They shut the power off in the Statue of Liberty; they shut off the water. We hadn’t counted on that, okay? We should have planned for that possibility, but we never did, frankly. So, it was very funny, because since I was the person in charge outside, I called the person that controlled our bank account, said, “Take out all the money in the bank and find me a helicopter. I’m going to rent a helicopter do a food drop on the ledge of the Statue of Liberty.” And then Yoruba Guzman was a reporter for Channel Five News [01:01:00]. We’re in the middle of shopping. I got people shopping, he comes and tells us that the feds just banned any flights 10,000 -- around the Statue of Liberty. So, we killed that idea, you know? Anyway, the people were out there without water, food, cigarettes, were dying, going nuts, until late that evening, when they finally settled their fight and then went in and arrested everybody. JJ: What happened to the people that were arrested? 28 �VA: People who were arrested were taken to court -- JJ: Who were some of the people that got arrested? VA: Mickey Melendez, Richie Pérez, [Madeline Gonzalez?], a number of activists, okay? Twenty-seven people, I think, were actually arrested. Yuri Kochiyama, you know, people that we knew and trusted and trusted us. Because, you know, (inaudible) I don’t know what you’re playing, what are [01:02:00] you dragging me into, but I’m gonna go do it. You know, these people did, and, um, it was very successful, because we never -- we were concerned that we will be able to hold the Statue of Liberty long enough for the New York press to be able to cover, right? What happened was this thing was so long, this became the front-page story around the world. I’m talking about we got paper clippings from Belgium, from Russia, from China, from England, from France, everywhere. It’s a beautiful picture of the Puerto Rican flag draped over the crown of the Statue of Liberty. Um, eventually, people were released, and after making a statement in the court, we paid a fine. Interestingly enough, some of those people, like the MLN, [01:03:00] okay, who have been a Marxist-Leninist organization, in discussions with the PRRWO, and who was now pretending to be the sole movement, denounced the action. They didn’t like it because they weren’t in control of it. It was, frankly, another moment that I’m really proud of. It was a Young Lords action that was planned by Young Lords, even though we were no longer an organization in New York. We continued, and 1981, we founded the National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights, almost a year traveling around the country to different -- 29 �JJ: How did that (inaudible)? VA: [Mecca?] was part of that, (inaudible). We went to Chicago, we went to Connecticut, went to Pennsylvania, you know, all the areas of high concentration. [01:04:00] JJ: Who was (inaudible)? VA: Okay, actually, that idea was put -- came from Juan Gonzalez, our former Minister of Defense. He had been purged from the Young Lords, was living in Philadelphia, and was active in local community work in Philadelphia. JJ: He was purged from PRRWO, right? VA: From PRRWO, right. JJ: Not really the Young Lords. The Young Lords had turned, changed into -- VA: Exactly. JJ: So, now this is the national what? VA: The National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights? And that had been as the result of -- I mean, there’s some of the things that is more important to mention here. In 1975, there was a big rally in New York City at Madison Square Garden for the independence of Puerto Rico. JJ: I recall that. VA: It was something that was pushed by the by the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. JJ: (inaudible) [01:05:00] VA: Exactly, Mecca had joined the PSP, all of that. And I think it was probably the last hurrah in a lot of ways, of the mass movement as based in New York. Things had begun to rapidly fall apart. Young Lords were dead, (inaudible) 30 �JJ: What year was this? VA: Seventy-five. JJ: And actually, Chicago had the campaigns (inaudible). But publicity wasn’t coming out. VA: Right. That day, the day of the rally at Madison Square Garden, was also the first day that the FALN took mili-- did the bombing. JJ: A militant stand, yeah. VA: Okay, in support of Puerto Rican independence and defending the freedom of the Nationalists. I think that all of that changed the character of our movement in New York. [01:06:00] So, then we went to the campaign for the freedom of the Nationalists. And like I said, it was a lot of efforts, from petitions to the Cuban government, put all that energy and all that strategy together that got the release of the Nationalist prisoners in 1978. But our movement was pretty decimated by then. You know, the PSP falling apart, the Young Lords didn’t exist. JJ: Why do you think this fell apart? (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) VA: Because COINTELPRO was a major -- the Counterintelligence Program by the federal government, had created all these divisions in the organizations. JJ: So, one of the things they were doing, you’re saying, [01:07:00] was divisions, creating internal divisions. VA: And destroying organizations. I mean, the way that the Young Lords were destroyed. 31 �JJ: And I mean, like, for example, you’re in the Central Committee of the Young Lords of New York, a strong regional chapter of an organization, right? And the entire central committee is being purged. VA: Decimated, yeah. JJ: Is being purged by new people that come out of nowhere. VA: But it’s not just the purging of the leadership. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) VA: Understand that the strategy was to develop the kind of politics that justify us cutting ties with our own community. How sick is that? JJ: But that’s another -- exactly, that’s one of the strategies. (inaudible) VA: And I think, in retrospect -- again, I can’t prove this, but that plan -- JJ: (inaudible) VA: -- the plan to take over the front of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, somebody with political astuteness [01:08:00] planned that shit out, because that was a part of our department. That was a part of our destruction. JJ: I don’t understand, the Puerto Rican parade? VA: Listen to me. You’re a revolutionary organization. You study urban guerrilla warfare tactics. Who comes up with the idea to take on a larger police department, 35,000-person police department, well-armed, a superior force, taking them head on? JJ: So, they created a riot. VA: Yeah. And who lost? The Puerto Rican people lost. Who lost the Young Lords lost. Okay? We broke, we lost our ties with our community. People that loved 32 �us the day before resented us the day after. That was politically planned. Somebody. I’m not saying that all of the leadership planned it that way, but somebody knew what they were doing. JJ: Well, it is very clear that COINTELPRO [01:09:00] would infiltrate and create riots. I mean, they had agents who (inaudible) to create riots. So, here’s a good example of a riot, (inaudible) Young Lords of New York were involved in. VA: It’s a piece of history that people do not want to talk about. JJ: I understand (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) VA: Let me say this, okay, for the record. There is one documentary -- there’s two documentaries about the Young Lords that I know of, El Pueblo Se Levanta and Palante Siempre Palante! Neither one of them mention the Puerto Rican Day Parade. We need to study the history of the Young Lords. We need to study that history. JJ: And what year was that? VA: Nineteen seventy-one. June. Second Sunday of June of 1971. JJ: And this was a strategy to try to take over the Puerto Rican Day Parade. And [01:10:00] they created a riot. VA: Listen to me. The Young Lords initiated this call, and the whole movement bought into it. At the end of the day, the ones they got blamed was just the Young Lords. And our relationship with our community was never the same. Now, somebody’s responsible for that. 33 �JJ: But another situation is, I mean, there’s been ups and downs in any movement. So, they could have picked back up again, the Young Lords, but they were not doing any door-to-door work. VA: Cha-cha, listen to what I’m saying to you. This strategy around the Puerto Rican Day Parade is implemented at a time in which the Young Lords have an overall plan to convert to PRRWO and to close ties. All is working together. JJ: Exactly. So, that was a (inaudible), don’t you think, or what do you think? VA: I’m saying that this is all part of a strategy to destroy the Young Lords. It all worked together to the same goal. [01:11:00] JJ: It takes me a little while to comprehend, but I see what you’re saying. So, the whole strategy is to get to an ideology, is to get an ideology that’s divorced you from the masses. VA: Sure. JJ: (inaudible) VA: Sure, what was left of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, we closed down the offices anyway, so there was no relationship. What was left was a group of people intellectualizing revolution or pretending or trying to intellectualize revolution. You know? The struggle between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks and all that other craziness, that was totally irrelevant to the life of our people. The reason the Young Lords were [01:12:00] successful because we were the pulse of our people. When we stopped doing that, it was over. JJ: That’s really good, the pulse of our people. To you, what does that mean? 34 �VA: That means that we live amongst our people, we struggle with our people, we listen to our people, we respect and love them and earn the right to lead them. Not proclaim the right to lead them, earn the right to lead them. Because we are them. We don’t come from outer space to lead them. We come from them. JJ: And what other (inaudible)? VA: No, bro, listen. We’re still not free. We’re still a colony. Colonialism is the enslavement of a nation. What you see here is a beautiful nation enslaved to the United States. And when you leave El Condado and Isla Verde [01:13:00] in Puerto Rico, you find a nation being destroyed, being done away with. We have to liberate Puerto Rico, because if we do not, Puerto Ricans will be a footnote in history. “There was a people called Puerto Rican,” it’ll be no more. The governor of Puerto Rico pushing to make Puerto Rico the 51st state, talking about a plebiscite, and they got people scared to death, that Puerto Rico was starved to death if the United States is not feeding us. It’s not feeding us; it’s ripping us apart. But the myth, the belief, this country right now is being decimated, is being dismantled, [01:14:00] and being given to the corporations. The people in this country right now, you have a crime epidemic in Puerto Rico unlike anything I’ve ever seen here before. You have a drug and alcohol epidemic. It’s the only nation in the Caribbean where the main form of drug use is not smoking a little marijuana, but it’s intravenous heroin addiction in Puerto Rico, in the year 2002. This is the great result of the experiment with the United States. This is what we have left. 35 �JJ: Since you’ve been living here for a year and a half, what is the perspective that you see here? (inaudible) in terms of being colonized. VA: I’ll give [01:15:00] you an example of how much work we need to do here. Right now, we are on the beach of Loiza Aldea. Loiza Aldea is a Black township, okay? [Una?] Aldea is ex (Spanish) [01:15:21], a village of ex-slaves that were not allowed to live in San Juan, so they created this village. It’s one of the strong points of support for Luis Fortuño and the pro-statehood party. This is the same Luis Fortuño that leaves Puerto Rico, goes to the United States to give speeches at the John Birch Society. Now, how crazy could it possibly be? [01:16:00] A Black township supporting a guy who goes speak -- is a guest speaker at a white supremacist organization, my God. That’s how disconnected, okay, the politics are here. They just brought the third police commissioner under Fortuño’s term, okay, and the guy is a retired head of the FBI in Miami, Florida, with strong ties to the right-wing Cuban movement in Miami, Florida, who has been involved in assassinations in Latin America. That’s who they brought to run the police department in Puerto Rico. Has to tell us something. [01:17:00] You have a country where the marketing has made it where people look forward to eating Burger King and McDonald’s, food that kills people, when you have the quenepas falling off the trees and rotting, and the mangoes and the pineapples falling off the trees and rotting, because they destroyed the agriculture and we no longer have the know-how, how to raise our own food. This is to do away with the people and a nation in the year 2012. It is, I think, very important to understand that Puerto Rico has undergone [01:18:00] the most sophisticated 36 �form of colonialism in the history of humanity. And what do I mean by that? Very simply, that they have refined the ability of colonial control. And be real clear, they will kill anybody. Be real clear, they will kill. They assassinated Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, on Grito de Lares, 2005. But they have developed the ability to control -JJ: Who is (inaudible)? VA: Let me finish saying this first. They have developed the [01:19:00] science of controlling a people. If they lose the control, they will assassinate them. Filiberto Ojeda Ríos was el comandante of Los Macheteros. He was assassinated by the FBI on September 23, 2005, on the day where the Puerto Rican people celebrate their cry for independence, on Grito de Lares. The FBI surrounded his home, shot him, and then left him for over 24 hours bleeding to death, refusing to give him medical, okay? Um, it was a cowardly -- one of many cowardly acts of by the FBI in this country. JJ: And this was a team that came from Atlanta? VA: They came from the United States, like over 100 FBI agents came for that [01:20:00] operation. What they don’t understand is (Spanish) [01:20:07]. That’s what they don’t understand, because you can’t kill Filiberto Ojeda Ríos. You cannot kill Don Pedro (inaudible). Like they couldn’t kill (inaudible). Any other questions? (laughs) END OF VIDEO FILE 37 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6d33fadd6d99e3d3133650b4849f616b.mp4 50b81a8a4ebf20e006053e9df53087e8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Vicente “Panama” Alba vídeo entrevista y biografía, entrevista 1 Descripción Spanish language Description entry Vicente “Panamá” Alba es un Young Lord quien nació en Panamá, migro a la ciudad de Nueva York en 1961 y ahora vive en Puerto Rico. El a trabajado por muchos años con la organización Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) de AFL/CIO, quien defiende los trabajadores inmigrantes y los indocumentaditos en los industriosas de recicla y las eliminación de los desechos. Durante la rebelión de Attica, (Septiembre 9, 1971) Señor Alba soportó reclusos en sus negaciones. Señor Alaba ha sido parte de dos tomadas de la Estatua de Libertad, la primera es plantando la bandera de Puerto Rico en la Estatua en parte de una campaña para libertar los Nacionalistas Puertorriqueños que fueron encarcelados y el segundo fue en soportar la lucha de la gente de Vieques. Un ferviente admirador de Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Señor Alba continua abogar por autodeterminación por Puerto Rico y a sido parte de los Nacionalistas y otros grupos, incluyendo unas organizaciones en la comunidad que hacen campañas para libertar los prisioneros de política, uno siendo Oscar López. Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Panamañians--Relatos personales Narrativas personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Puerto Rico--Autonomía y movimientos independentistas Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Alba_Vicente_1 Title A name given to the resource Vicente “Panama” Alba video interview and transcript, interview 1 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alba, Vicente Description An account of the resource Vicente “Panama” Alba is a Young Lord who was born in Panama, immigrated to New York City in 1961, and now lives in Puerto Rico. He worked many years as an organizer with Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) of the AFL/CIO, advocating for immigrant and undocumented workers in the solid waste and recycling industry. During the Attica Rebellion, September 9, 1971, he supported the inmates in their negotiations. Mr. Alba has been involved in two takeovers of the Statue of Liberty, first supporting the occupation and the planting of the Puerto Rican flag on the Statue as part of a campaign to free the Puerto Rican Nationalist prisoners and the second in support of the struggle of the people of Vieques. A fervent admirer of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Mr. Alba continues to advocate for self- determination for Puerto Rico and has been involved with the Nationalists and other parties, including several community organizing campaigns to free political prisoners, including Oscar López. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Panamanians--Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Puerto Rico--Autonomy and independence movements Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-05-14 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/621d6f0738d7f8ead3df51abfbe8ada1.pdf 3bc9b0b01c0be93c6ea337f66c2c64da PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Vicente “Panama” Alba Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 5/18/2012 Biography and Description English Vicente “Panama” Alba is a Young Lord who was born in Panama, immigrated to New York City in 1961, and now lives in Puerto Rico. He worked many years as an organizer with Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) of the AFL/CIO, advocating for immigrant and undocumented workers in the solid waste and recycling industry. During the Attica Rebellion, September 9, 1971, he supported the inmates in their negotiations. Mr. Alba has been involved in two takeovers of the Statue of Liberty, first supporting the occupation and the planting of the Puerto Rican flag on the Statue as part of a campaign to free the Puerto Rican Nationalist prisoners and the second in support of the struggle of the people of Vieques. A fervent admirer of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Mr. Alba continues to advocate for self- determination for Puerto Rico and has been involved with the Nationalists and other parties, including several community organizing campaigns to free political prisoners, including Oscar López. Spanish Vicente “Panamá” Alba es un Young Lord quien nació en Panamá, migro a la ciudad de Nueva York en 1961 y ahora vive en Puerto Rico. El a trabajado por muchos años con la organización Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) de AFL/CIO, quien defiende los trabajadores inmigrantes y los indocumentaditos en los �industriosas de recicla y las eliminación de los desechos. Durante la rebelión de Attica, (Septiembre 9, 1971) Señor Alba soportó reclusos en sus negaciones. Señor Alaba ha sido parte de dos tomadas de la Estatua de Libertad, la primera es plantando la bandera de Puerto Rico en la Estatua en parte de una campaña para libertar los Nacionalistas Puertorriqueños que fueron encarcelados y el segundo fue en soportar la lucha de la gente de Vieques. Un ferviente admirador de Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Señor Alba continua abogar por autodeterminación por Puerto Rico y a sido parte de los Nacionalistas y otros grupos, incluyendo unas organizaciones en la comunidad que hacen campañas para libertar los prisioneros de política, uno siendo Oscar López. �Transcript JJ: Okay, so Panama, if you can tell me when you arrived here, what was that like? VA: Okay, I didn’t arrive here. I arrived in New York, and in New York I arrived at the age of 10, with my sister and my mother. My father was already in New York. But I came -- I went to the United States with a lot of dreams about what I thought the United States was. You know, the dream that they’re selling you when you’re in Latin America, that the United States is the land of equality and democracy, the home of the free, and all of those myths. And I came as a little kid. And reality set in very rapidly. I was not wanted in my neighborhood. The neighborhood was overwhelmingly Irish [00:01:00] Italian. We were not wanted there. I didn’t speak English. And I was not welcomed. The color of my skin wasn’t welcomed. My features weren’t welcomed. The fact that I spoke Spanish wasn’t welcomed. I mean, even though there were a lot of Irish and Italian immigrants, but I was a different type of immigrant. I was an immigrant of color. When I went to public school, I was sent back. I was sent back to start the fifth grade over again. And while education in Panama was not as supposedly advanced as the United States, I knew the subject matter, I just did not know the language. And because of it, I was put in a class for the mentally challenged, [00:02:00] like I was emotionally disturbed, or, you know, which -- there may be a lot of problems, that was not one of them, you know? They had it set up in the school system where people that were challenged and needed help, not help with the language, but help like psychological help. And most of the class was 1 �like that, but I was not that. My reason for being in that class was that I didn’t speak English. Um, racism became, you know, a very new and ugly experience [00:03:00] in New York. My neighborhood was a neighborhood in transition. I was the second, third, Latino family in the whole block. There was a Spanish grocery store across the street, but one Black family at the end. And then there was the public housing projects, you know? The neighborhood, as such, was in transition, and I guess that was part of the resentment that white folks had in seeing us come into the neighborhood. I had a couple very ugly experiences. My first girlfriend, because one of the things that I did was very soon after I got there, you know, the whole [00:04:00] (inaudible) invasion and everything, and I started letting my hair grow out, like it was something that I felt I had [ingo?] hair. And I didn’t like cutting it, you know, the way it was used to be worn the hair back there, very, you know, military looking like. And my first girlfriend was an Irish girl named [Susan Duffy?]. And because I started going out with her, one day, I went to see her, and there was a gang of white boys waiting for me, and they almost beat me to death, calling me and calling her all kinds of ugly names for being with me. But they didn’t touch her, but they -- I mean, I fought, fought, and I was saved. I mean, I’m alive because a Black bus driver saw what was happening. He drove his bus and opened the door, and I fell into the bus, and he took off, you know? Um, there were [00:05:00] -- the neighborhood was segregated. You know, just north of where I lived, it was an area where, you know, the St. Lawrence train station, it was an area where a white gang ran, the Young Crusaders. I’ll never forget that. There were Italians and, you know, like, elder 2 �people of color were not really allowed to walk out of the train station and walk a couple of blocks to the housing project, the Monroe houses and Bronx [rail?] houses. But I mean, young kids couldn’t walk the streets [during the day?], you know, in that neighborhood. You got caught there, you were done. Um, I dropped out of school when I went and tried to get a job in construction, and my next-door neighbor, [00:06:00] who was Sicilian, [Mr. Giambrone?] very nice family, you know, they didn’t have that prejudice that the American whites had, something that, you know, I guess the family inherited later on, but he offered to take me to his jobs, to get me a job. He knew they were looking for people. And, you know, construction was paying good. I walked into the construction site, and all these white guys surrounded me, it was like, “What the fuck are you doing here?” “Mr. Giambrone invited me to the job.” The guy told me, he says, “None of your kind work for me. Get the fuck out of here.” They were laughing, you know? And you gotta -- it was not even about if I was capable of working, could handle the jobs, none of that. It was I was a person of color. And they didn’t tolerate that at their job sites. You know, [00:07:00] down the road, that led to a whole industry in New York of coalitions that fought for jobs or Blacks and Latinos in construction. But life was segregated. I didn’t see that in my country. I didn’t know that, you know, that experience, and it was very traumatizing for me. So, by the age of 14, I had gotten into drugs, and I found haven in drugs. And I think that it was kind of eased getting into the drugs because of the youth culture. You know, it was the Beatles and smoking weed and dropping acid and so, you know, all of the myths that they talked about drugs, you know, it was like, 3 �it's all bullshit, you know? You don’t get hooked on marijuana. I didn’t know that you did get hooked on heroin. So, eventually, that happened very rapidly with me. But it was a very ugly scene, you know? And it was, I think, perhaps, an even bigger shock [00:08:00] coming from outside the United States and believing all the hype outside that they tell people that the United States is, you know. And in a lot of ways, my salvation, in a sense, was the Puerto Rican community. And we need to really understand what that was, because in New York, they might have been, I don’t know, 8,000 Panamanians, or less, maybe 10,000 Dominicans or 15,000 Cubans, and at that time, there were literally 1 million Puerto Ricans in the city of New York. So, Puerto Ricans defined what being Latino was. [00:09:00] It was a community that me and my friends, you know, the ones that spoke Spanish, but it for me was very confusing, because I got the nickname Panama right away, because, they asked me, you know, “Where you from?” “Panama.” And Panama stuck. But I will say that, you know, I’m very proud I’m Panamanian. And when I would ask my friends, (Spanish) [00:09:25], you know, what are you? They would say, “I’m Americano,” but they couldn’t convince me, they couldn’t convince themselves, because, you know, of the dilemma of -- and then I began to really understand that my peers, my contemporaries, were young Puerto Ricans, and mainly the sons and daughters of Puerto Ricans that had recently arrived in [00:10:00] the United States, that mass wave that I later on, learned was Operation Bootstrap. And as I began to learn about the history of Puerto Rico, you know, and I learned about the (Spanish) [00:10:15], and the Nationalist uprising of 1950, and the myth of the 4 �citizenship, it must have been even more confusing for young people coming from Puerto Rico or from Puerto Rican parents, because Puerto Rican parents had lived through the repression that the Puerto Rican people had faced on the island and been told that they were Americans, and brought to the United States with the promises of gold in the streets, and, you know, only to face that as Latinos, we weren’t wanted, you know? As mestizo people, we were not wanted here. You were a citizen, but you were a [00:11:00] citizen for the purposes of going to war, but not for the purposes of being treated and welcomed and treated equally, or anything like that. And it was a very interesting time, because very rapidly, you know, [every time?] you’re challenging orthodoxies, everything that was talked about was supposed to be, was questioned, and it was questioned by a large sector of my generation. And it was confusing, because on the one hand, we were beginning to develop a sense of absolute optimism about, yeah, we could change the world. You know, the antiwar movement, the war, you know, all the myths that were said about Vietnam, [00:12:00] you know, and exposing the lies about Vietnam. And it gave people a sense of, you know what, we could really change the world. At the same time that for me, personally, like for many young people in my generation, drugs had become a haven. An emotional haven. And, you know, it had, at least among ourselves, it had lost the stigma attached to it. You know, it wasn’t bad to get high. Everybody got high. So, much so that by 1970 in the Bronx, in the South Bronx, specifically, it was estimated that 15 percent of the overall population was addicted to drugs. Now think about 15 percent of the population [00:13:00] in terms of a population that 5 �includes the newborn baby all the way to the little old lady or the little old man that’s just about to pass on, 15 percent of the whole population, and it was concentrated in that pre-teen, teenage, young adult sector of that population where there was massive addiction, and the drug that was pouring into our community, the drug that we were consuming primarily, was heroin. We didn’t bring it in, but it was there for us to consume. And those are issues that later on, you know, I began to really look at, but at the time, it was just the way it was. Um -JJ: Wait a minute. VA: Yeah. JJ: Okay, so [00:14:00] how did you get from the heroin to the political? VA: Well, what happened was that -- I think it’s important to point that the political was something very tangible. You could feel it. You could breathe it. You could taste it. People talked about it. I mean, you know, and it wasn’t so much around Puerto Rico, but that would come soon. I was struggling because I was so impressed by the Black Panthers, you know, the daring to tell the truth and to stand up to that and fight for that to pay the consequences whatever they were. And that’s when I saw, in Christmas 1969, the Young Lords on TV. [00:15:00] The Young Lords had taken over a church in El Barrio, East Harlem. And I mean, I don’t even know how to say what the feeling was like. But it was -- to me, it was like we arrived. We are here now. Now we are a part of all of this is going on, worldwide, to change the way the world is. That was the feeling. But I was on drugs. I remember that. I remember watching the news and seeing this. 6 �And that created a conflict then, because it was for me the first real hope, you know? Now there’s a place for me, you know? I mean, I guess the primary racial aspect of me is Indigenous, it’s [00:16:00] not African. You know, you don’t see my Africanness. And so although there were other Puerto Ricans in the Black Panther Party, but you know what I’m saying, it was not ours. And actually, it was a young man, a Dominican young man who loaned me the biography of Pedro Albizu Campos, you know, and I was still in that stage and, you know, and trying to make sense. And I read where Don Pedro Albizu Campos traveled throughout Latin America, looking for volunteers, recruiting volunteers for the Puerto Rican revolution. And while [00:17:00] I didn’t quite understand yet why there were so many Puerto Ricans in New York, to me, it was a call to me. This guy’s looking for me, you know? And I began to learn about Puerto Rican colonialism. And it, to me, was a very logical link between colonialism and the way we were treated as people. And I had an experience that, you know, police were very abusive. And in New York, there was a unit of the police department called the TPF, Tactical Police Force. This was the riot squads. And they had been set up because of all the social upheaval in the communities. And they traveled, you know, to Harlem when there was a riot. I mean, they were sent around the city. But when there were no riots, what they used to do was basically invade a community. And one summer day, they came into my block, and they dropped all the kids on the block, took us kids from both sides of the rock, grabbed everybody. [00:18:00] We were hanging out. Too us into a backyard. And I never forget this big Irish guy, the guy was a yahoo. He 7 �was like a mountain man. He had me by the collar and he was whipping the crap out of me with a rubber hose. They used to carry two things very openly, which were rubber hoses and blackjacks, blackjack being a lead ball wrapped in leather. And rubber hose, and they used to use that, learned this later on, the rubber hose, because they could whip you, and because the hose is round, it doesn’t leave the welts, the marks. It’ll bust you up inside. But eventually the mark goes away, even though you’re busted up. And this guy was whipping the shit out of me and calling me a fucking dirty Puerto Rican. I’ll never forget this. And I’m new to this. I still don’t understand why this is happening. So, I say, “Officer, Officer, I’m not Puerto Rican, Panamanian.” [00:19:00] He says, “I don’t give a fuck what kind of Puerto Rican you are.” And kept hitting me, and I said to myself, “Well motherfucker, I am Puerto Rican now.” If that’s what it is, it was what it is. Because they couldn’t -- you know, in their ignorance, racist ignorance, they have no conception. Much later, to this day, they look at a Latino, all Latinos are Mexicans. They don’t understand what south of the border is, or the countries south, you know, Ecuador, or Bolivia, or Argentina, or Chile, or Honduras, Nicaragua, no, no. If you look like a spic, you’re Mexican. You know, they had to deport Puerto Ricans, you know, out of the United States, because they thought they were Mexicans, in this late age, you know? But going back to that, that was the experience. And it took me about eight months [00:20:00] to terms with making the decision that you could not be about what I wanted to be about and be a dope fiend. And by coincidence, my decision to stop using drugs coincided with the second takeover by the Young Lords of 8 �Lincoln Hospital. And that takeover was specifically to establish a drug abuse problem, program, in Lincoln Hospital, understanding that Lincoln Hospital was an institution that was built in the 1800s to receive slaves coming from the South, and this was the only hospital that served the people the South Bronx. It was a disaster. And people referred to it as the butcher shop. So, I started kicking dope, [00:21:00] withdrawing from heroin the day of that takeover, and I joined that effort through a sister friend of mine, Cleo Silvers, who was a Panther and was transitioning to work with the Lords. JJ: So, how did you handle the detox? VA: I quit cold turkey. JJ: Okay, where? In the hospital? VA: Yo, working. Working in the Lincoln Hospital during the day and the night going to a -- we had a mess hall. The Puerto Rican Student Union had a mess hall on Brown Bridge, and I slept there. And then I moved from there, you know. But those first four or five days were hell. And I dealt with them by being totally involved in the detox, working and building that while -- and going through the doubts of, you know, I don’t think I could last the day. I think I want to walk out of here and just go get high one more time. You know? It was the constant, one more time. [00:22:00] You know, it was a challenge that I had placed upon myself, to see how -- whether the revolution meant something to me or not. And I wanted to be a part of changing the world and so ultimately, that won out. You know, I never shot dope up after that day, and never. In fact, let me just say this, that summer, I went to Orchard Beach and ran into some of the fellas, and the 9 �first guy that I ran into told me, “Panama, come on, man, let’s go get high. I got some dope. Let’s go get high.” And my -- and I think about this in retrospect, because my reaction was, I punched him in the mouth, you know? And it was like a safety valve, you know what I’m saying? Nobody else is gonna tell Panama let’s go get high, because he’s capable of punching somebody in the fucking face, you know? [00:23:00] And it was a way of me defending myself from the doubt that I had that maybe I would, I think. I never did, though. JJ: So, what you’re saying is that now you’re changing your belief system, or the way you’re looking at the world, and that contributed to your detox. VA: I mean, I think that the thing that was easier then than now is that a movement and social change was tangible. You could feel it. It was happening. Look, the people of Vietnam took on the mightiest empire in the world, and they were kicking their ass. No matter what the newspaper said, you knew that they were kicking their ass because, you know, the United States could not win. A people without the weaponry and the might [00:24:00] and the planes and the, you know. I mean, they were fighting M-16s with bamboo sticks at one point, you know? And eventually they persevered. And that is very inspirational. To say, you know, if you really determined to do something, you can, you will. And then when I joined -- there was one other thing that helped me tremendously was that before I got, or just about the time that I was getting into drugs, for a brief period of time, I also joined martial arts. I used to go on Saturdays to a dojo and take up jiujitsu. And I had a sensei, Mr. V, he was a Filipino. The guy was like 90 pounds wet, you know, [00:25:00] but he went away to Thailand, if I remember 10 �correctly, and came back with a series of pictures, you know, of a sequence of him breaking a block of ice. And I was the wisest little ass, you know, I’m 13 years old, 14 years old, whatever. And I saw the pictures, and I told him, I said, “That’s what I want to learn how to do.” Not this bullshit, this [cop outs?], fighting the air and all this is like you’re saying to me, course it didn’t make sense, then. He asked me, he said, “So, you want to break a block of ice. What do you aim for?” And you know, in my infinite wisdom, I told him, “That’s a dumb question. I aim for the block of ice.” And he said, “Well, that’s why you will never break one.” I said, “What? What were you aiming for?” He said, “For the other side.” [00:26:00] And you know, I was too wise for that to make any kind of sense to me. But when I was kicking that dope habit, I started thinking about that. He had said to me that the ice was an obstacle to get to where he wanted to put his fist. And that was an attitude. That’s a state of mind that you have to get into and it’s about -- it’s not about jiujitsu. So, it’s about living. It’s about life. It’s about the challenges of life and your goals for life. And going back to it, thinking about it, I don’t know why that came to mind. I remember when I was kicking a dope habit, I said, “This is just that. The block of ice is in the way of my fist here, you know what I’m saying? This addiction, this pain, it’s in the way, and I got to get through it to the other side. The other side is being free of drugs.” You know, you can’t [00:27:00] talk about freedom and be a slave to a substance. And so at the age of 19, I leave drugs and joined the movement. I was very rapidly recruited to the Young Lords. The Young Lords, I think -- and I’m talking to the founder of the Young Lords, okay, but I think that you need to understand what he meant to us 11 �and why I think it was so successful when it was successful. You know, it was a response from our community to the reality we were living. And it was not a pretty reality. It was not nice. And see, the class of people, it’s not enough to say Puerto Ricans. Yes, Puerto Ricans, but Puerto Ricans were [00:28:00] poor Puerto Ricans, it was working Puerto Ricans, people that were not the owners or in power. And that’s a certain class of people. And these are people that were in the United States because they came from that same class of people. You know, there are Puerto Ricans that are three, four generations on the island, but they were more privileged. They did not get affected in the same way by, you know, the hurricanes and the Depression, the way the Depression impacted Puerto Rico, and the machinations that were made in Puerto Rico to steal people’s, you know, land and uproot them and change the economy and leave them outside [00:29:00] impoverished and homeless and hungry, you know, and then provide them with a promised land, you know, a ticket to the United States and a job in a factory making shit money, you know? But that was better than what was here. But what was here was created in order to uproot Puerto Ricans and take what belonged to Puerto Ricans. And so the movement that the Young Lords initiates in the United States, a movement that arises not out of intellectuals, it arises out of desire to fight for something better. And we were heavily influenced by what was happening in the United States. We were influenced, you know, a lot -- at the beginning, it was not so much about [00:30:00] (Spanish) Puerto Rico. It was what was happening around us in the United States. It was the Black Panther Party, the Civil Rights movement, the 12 �Black Power movement, you know, and then begin to realize in other parts of the United States, it’s the Chicanos, Mexicanos, the Brown Berets, and the American Indian Movement, and in the Asian communities, you got the Red Guard, and you got [Awakun?], and the people are on the move, you know, and doing the best that they can to obl-- and we’re not coming from pretty places. We’re coming from gangs, coming from drugs, coming from poor working families, you know, and I don’t think we need to make any apologies for that. You know, the young people that made up the Young Lords in New York, [00:31:00] the leadership was primarily first-generation college students. Nobody else in their family had been to college. Many had -- their parents had not graduated from high school. But you know, I mean, I’ll give you an example. In the City of New York, there was a free university system. CUNY was free. But it kept us out, because we were not educated to go to college. And when the movement for social justice begins to take hold, young people start fighting for the right to have access to higher education. So, now it’s time to implement tuition. So, [00:32:00] you can’t -- you know, you open admissions and, you know, we want to maintain free tuition -- and the tuition now is keeping our kids out of school. You know, now there’s a privilege once again. There’s not so much Black and white or Brown and white or yellow and white or red and white, it’s now rich or not rich, you know? But I mean, those are the processes. And I mean, like in some instances, you also have to recognize some of the doors that we opened, like for education. It got people into positions where now they don’t want to struggle, they’re too comfortable. There’s a group of our community who has 13 �made it, or they think they have made it, and so they are privileged within our community. [00:33:00] That wasn’t so much a reality back then. You know, it was an overwhelmingly very poor community and a very devastated community. And, you know, people talk about the drug epidemic that hit our community. They don’t talk about the alcohol epidemic that was very acceptable. You know, the alcoholism that was just rampant, not just in the Puerto Rican or Black community, but in the white community. And the drug epidemic was not acknowledged until it hit the white community. while it was ravaging our communities, it was something that, you know, let them die, and you know, the ones that go to jail, go to jail, and the ones that kill each other, kill each other, and let’s just pretend it’s not happening. And you know it was -- I don’t think -- I think it makes a lot of sense that my political work started out fighting against the [00:34:00] drug epidemic, you know, with this program we established at Lincoln Hospital. The program itself was recognized by the United Nations for its success. However, the City of New York still shut us down. The contradiction, right? We were the most successful drug program in New York, but they shut us out because they don’t have control of it. JJ: And the way they used acupuncture, also, is that -- VA: Yeah, we read in a journal that an acupuncturist in Thailand was treating a person for respiratory problems, and in stimulating the lung point of the ear, he had accidentally discovered [00:35:00] that this person was also an opium addict, and that he relieved the withdrawal symptoms from some opium. And we went down to Chinatown, we bought some [yin charts?], and we bought needles, and 14 �we started practicing with each other, trying to figure out, where’s the lung point? That’s how the acupuncture started. You know, it was the time when Richard Nixon was opening up the issues with China, because, you know, capitalism, buying new markets and resources are real product and all that. So, um, yeah. So, another part of the world was becoming exposed. It was being exposed to us. And so, yeah, we’re the first to utilize acupuncture to treat people with HIV/AIDS. It was a [00:36:00] very innovative program. Very innovative program because we also used our social politics, our insights, into the impact of racism, sexism, classism, to address the plight of geographics, use it as part of the therapy. And I think that, in retrospect, looking back to the question of the Young Lords, it was one of the most successful moments, okay, for the Young Lords in New York. I think that another -- and I think this has to do with the transition the Young Lords took later on, but it was another, I think, very impactful moment that I was a part of the Young Lords was the Attica [00:37:00] uprising. When Young Lords established themselves in New York, at first, there was a lot of abuse taking place against inmates in the county jails. And out of that, there was some riots that occurred in the county jails, in the Tombs, and Brooklyn House of Detention, and Rikers Island and like that. And inmates coming out of jail that joined the Young Lords formed the Inmates Liberation Front. Um, some of the people that were engaged in that, the people in the leadership of that turned out to be very opportunist and started using that as a front for hustle. So, the Young Lords shut it [00:38:00] down. But then, in 1971, in August of 1971, a young man named Jose Paris, who was a Young Lord, knocked on the door the Young 15 �Lord’s office says, “Jose Paris, GI, reporting for to The Young Lords branch of Attica.” We didn’t even know that there were Young Lords in Attica. And he came down to tell us that Attica was about to blow. And in September, it blew. And we did a lot, a lot of work around Attica. But understand that work around prisoners’ rights, work around drug addicts was not the work that some intellectuals considered honorable, um, [00:39:00] you know, dealing with a certain class of people. And I think some intellectualizing tendencies among some of the people, and the influence, the bad influence of some of the leftists got the leadership of the organization, or some people, and I contend, me, this is my opinion, that the police infiltration all worked together to move the Young Lords away from what had made the Young Lords successful. JJ: What do you mean? VA: For example, [00:40:00] putting an end to the prisoner support work. For example, disconnecting itself from the Lincoln detox program that we helped founded. It would eventually became a political program of the Young Lords to disengage from all community work, meaning not just in those areas, but meaning in housing, in the community offices that we had. I was running the last office that we had, which is in the Bronx, Cypress Avenue on 141st. Eventually, the Lower East Side El Barrio offices were shut down, as were other community offices [00:41:00] around the country. And there was a planned agenda to “transform,” quote-unquote, the Young Lords into the P-R-R-W-O, the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization. And that meant that they had to cut ties with all the other work, according to them. What, in fact, it did was put an 16 �end to the Young Lords in New York. You know, there was an assembly held, I think I mentioned this before, but there was an assembly held in Hunts Point Palace, I believe it was 1973, early 1973, and I never forget that one brother got up and said, “I have no problem with the posters hanging,” they had Marx, [00:42:00] Lenin, Engels, Mao, he says, “What problem I have is with the ones that are not hanging. Where is Don Pedro? Where’s Lolita? Where’s Blanca Canales? Where are the Nationalists?” You know, Letansas, Hostos, none of those people. You know? And it was an effort to steer the organization away from its Revolutionary Nationalist roots into being a part of this Marxist-Leninist Communist rebuilding process in the United States. JJ: (inaudible) just to the workers, instead of (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) VA: Yeah, I think that there was -- first of all, my opinion, there was a misconception about Lumpen. Okay, the misconception had to do with -- Lumpen is a parasite, okay? The mafia is a Lumpen. We weren’t Lumpens. We were the unemployed sector of the working class [00:43:00] -- JJ: (inaudible) VA: -- which the Black Panther Party called the lumpenproletariat, okay? But there was a move to ignore that part of society and to focus on the workers of the means of production, theoretically, because what in reality was intellectuals locking themselves up in rooms, holding meeting after meeting, debating each other, cutting each other down, about who supported the Molsheviks -- the Bolsheviks, the Mensheviks, this, you know, the Albanian line, the China line, the Russia line. I mean, it was, you know, all stuff which I consider important, but it 17 �was totally irrelevant to the people in our community, [00:44:00] since we are not -- in our community either through words or deeds the way we did before. And I think the ultimate act of that was, I believe, that the police led us into a confrontation with the police in 1971 at the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and that that confrontation changed the relationship that we had with our community. I remember being that person running the Bronx office in June of 1971. I remember the day before people coming to bring us food, make sure that we ate. And I remember going back to open that office after the Puerto Rican Day, and people walking across the street. JJ: So, you said the programs were sacrificed. (inaudible) VA: Everything was sacrificed. Everything was sacrificed, even the cadres that were assigned to details were pulled out. Like I said, I was the last [00:45:00] -- I ran the last office in the Bronx, and, you know, I went to that assembly, and I thought about it, and, you know, part of growing up politically was coming to terms with understanding that the commitment was to a cause, not an organization, and that the Young Lords that were becoming PRRWO was not something that I wanted to be a part of anymore, but that the commitment had to continue to the cause. It’s another way of saying, you know, if you’re going someplace in a car, and the car breaks down, then you get on roller skates, you get on whatever it is that takes you where you want to go. One of the things that, [00:46:00] to me, was very disturbing was I felt that PRRWO just wanted to turn the page on people who were our heroes, who had sacrificed themselves for the cause, you know, and it’s not about whether you agree that their actions were the most correct. 18 �They did the best they could. And one of the cases -- the case that when I walked away from the Young Lords, the first thing I did was work on the campaign to free the New York Five. The New York Five were two Boricuas and three Black brothers of African-American ancestry. All three. All five were Black, two Boricuas, two brothers, one who had been a member of the Young Lords, Gabriel Torres, [00:47:00] and who had been gone underground with the Black Liberation Army, had gotten caught, and his brother Francisco, which years later, Francisco “Cisco” Torres would once again become the target of the government recently, about a year ago, the State of California dropped the charges against the former members of the Black Panther Party known as the San Francisco Eight. Cisco Torres was the last defendant that they dropped the charges on. So, we go back to 1970, you know? But those people, when they were arrested, this Marxist-Leninist movement completely ignored them, like they told them, “We’re going to build a party,” [00:48:00] you know. And I felt that if we can’t stand up for our own, we can’t stand up for anybody. And so, you know, we built a committee. I, along with other former members of the Black Panther Party, which was also in turmoil at the time, there had been a split between the Huey faction and Cleaver faction, so called. And, you know, Safiya Bukhari and myself, and [Zeit?] and some other folks created a committee to free the New York Five. Mickey Melendez -- I think it’s also important to mention that, when that assembly took place at the Hunts Point Palace, the one that I referred to, there had been an operation in place within the Young Lords, [00:49:00] also to build a clandestine military movement operation that was predicated upon having 19 �a political above-ground organization that really responded to. It was not to be a fly by night military adventure. It was something that was to be guided by a political above ground organization. The same time that the assembly was taking place at the Hunts Point Palace, folks that were involved in the military were meeting, and they decided, based on this change that occurred in the Young Lords, the so-called change to the PRRWO, that they closed up shop because the organization that they were committed to didn’t exist anymore. So, we all walked away from that process. [00:50:00] But we continued. One person that I can say that was part of that, because he’s written it in his book, is Mickey Melendez. If you read Mickey Melendez’s book -JJ: He wrote that in there. VA: Yeah. You know, he was a person that had, first of all, founded the Young Lords in New York, and secondly, was assigned to build that military operation. JJ: That’s the only one we’re going to talk about, because he wrote that in the book. VA: That’s the only reason I’m mentioning it now, you know. He had moved on, and had been working with -- and I had been working with, you know, before I left the Lords -- JJ: And it no longer exists. VA: No, no, no. It was shut down that day. We had [00:51:00] been working politically with the case of Carlos Feliciano. And through the case of Carlos Feliciano, Carlos’s case was a very interesting case in that -- and the attorney that worked with us was very much in solidarity with our movement, William Kunstler. Bill was defending Carlos Feliciano, and he made an incredible 20 �maneuver in the court. Basically, Carlos Feliciano had spent about, I think, almost two years in jail before going to trial and being found guilty of placing some artifacts on, you know, some stores in New York. He was sentenced. Now under New York State law, you have to serve at least one year in the state penitentiary before you are considered for parole. But because he had served almost two years in county jail, they [00:52:00] didn’t count that. You have to go and begin -- now if you’re a rich man, okay, you get arrested today, you get bailed out tomorrow, you get convicted, and then you serve the year, you have the possibility of parole. But poor person that can’t afford the bail has to sit in county jail, and that time doesn’t count. And so Bill Kunstler appealed that in the state court, and the Court of Appeals opted for resentencing Carlos Feliciano to a time served to get him out of jail, because they didn’t want to deal with that issue. So, Carlos gets out, the committee gets transformed into the committee to free the Nationalists. So, I began working with Mickey, [00:53:00] the committee to free the Nationalists, and at the same time, the case of the New York Five. The organization that grew out of the Young Lords, PRRWO, continued in its process of degeneration. And by, I believe it’s late 1975, the beginning of 1976, it had become almost like a cult. And in the same tradition that had destroyed the Black Panther Party, COINTELPRO operations, it [00:54:00] began engaging in kidnappings and tortures and all of that, of people inside the movement, in the name of purifying the politics. And they kidnapped and tortured Richie Pérez -- I need to speak about Richie Pérez. Richie Pérez, I met in my neighborhood. Richie Pérez is one of the fellas who lived in my hood, okay? A brilliant, brilliant 21 �man. He was the youngest teacher in Monroe High School where I went, where I went very briefly, since I was -- they didn’t even allow me to drop out of high school. They kicked me out of high school. I was banned from the public school system. I was, like, totally rebellious, self-destructive, you know? Um, and [00:55:00] I ran into Richie. Richie was a good friend, you know, in the neighborhood. Then I stopped seeing Richie around the neighborhood, and I ran into Richie in the middle of a police riot -- I mean, in the middle of a massive arrival that occurred in Orchard Beach in the Bronx on July the Fourth, 1970. He had already joined the Young Lords. And I was still trying to struggle with my demons, and I go to Orchard Beach, a fight breaks out when a cop hits one of the fellas with a night stick who was sitting on the handrail, and my boy kicked him in the face. That was the end to that. I mean, all hell broke loose. The beach was packed. And we went to war, (Spanish) [00:55:55] you know? And in the middle [00:56:00] of this madness, I see Richie Pérez, who was heading a team of Young Lords who are in the beach, selling Palante, Palante being the Young Lords newspaper. And I said, “My God, look at my teacher. Oh, you’re Richie,” you know, like, I viewed him in a very special place. He was a very special person. And he’s throwing down, you know? He’s throwing down against the police. That was very inspiring, too. I think that he had a lot to do to help me ultimately make the decision that I made, people that I respected being in the Young Lords, and now I knew people personally. Anyway, Richie, sadly, went on with PRRWO for a period, until they kidnapped and tortured him. And we heard about it, Mickey and myself and [00:57:00] [Nathan Rodriguez?], who 22 �was also a former Young Lord working with us on the case of Carlos Feliciano and all that, campaigning for the Nationalists. Heard about it, we denounced it, and then we got close to -- because the only role models that we had in our community about the politics that we were espousing were old Nationalists. And Carlos Feliciano was an old Nationalist. He invited us to come to Puerto Rico and to join the Nationalist Party. He professed to be committed to reactivating the Nationalist Party. So, in that spirit, we came to Puerto Rico, I believe it was ’76, come to Puerto Rico to a Nationalist Party assembly, and the day that we are leaving back to New York, we stopped at a bar in El Condado [00:58:00] for a couple of drinks, we have hours to kill before heading to the airport. And we walked into this bar, and in the dark bar in the back was Richie and Diana Pérez, his compañera, both of them had been kidnapped and tortured together. And Richie had disappeared after that happened. Nobody had contact with him. And so we meet accidentally, you know. And I know that Richie was leery, you know, but because I was the closest to him between and Mickey, I, you know, I knew him since I was a kid, we knew each other. I went up to Richie and I gave him my telephone number, I said, “Listen, if you feel like it when you get back to New York, give me a call. Know that we’re not here to hurt you,” [00:59:00] you know. He took the number. They walked out of the bar, and we let them walk. And he called me a couple of weeks later back in New York. That’s how Richie really integrated himself into the Puerto Rican movement. And Richie was a very, very special person, a very special Young Lord, because he carried out that commitment throughout his life, all the way until his death. He passed away from 23 �cancer. Richie and I, after that, we moved in together for a time, and you know, when he broke up with his compañera, we were part of the campaign that were about the release of the Nationalists. We helped found the National Congress of Puerto Rican [01:00:00] Rights. We engaged in the campaign against that racist movie called Four Apache in the Bronx, which was a tremendous campaign. We initiated in New York under the National Congress, the whole campaign against police brutality. And we continued to work together until his death. But a very, very special person in my life and in our lives, politically, and in New York Young Lords. JJ: He continued, also, some other projects after that on his own? VA: Well, no, he worked. He worked as a job for the Community Service Society and helped open up that space for us to use as a base of operation, you know, to carry on the work around police brutality and all that. [01:01:00] So, I think those are the important points that I wanted to add to the interview that I didn’t touch on before JJ: Anything else? VA: Well, I mean, yeah. I mean the other things in, you know, the work in 1975, when I came back from Puerto Rico, a struggle began to develop in New York, which is very important. New York went into a financial crisis, and the first thing that they opted for attacking was institutions that service Black and Puerto Rican communities. So, for example, they decided to close down Sydenham Hospital, served the Harlem community. They decided to close two community colleges, [01:02:00] one of them Hostos Community College had only opened up in 1971, 24 �now in 1975 they wanted to shut it down. It was a community college was based in an abandoned tire factory, a warehouse in the South Bronx. I got a call from one of the brothers that was in a prison release program, a prison study release program that was at the tail end of his sentence, and he was serving time for drug-related offenses, not for violent offenses. And they had this program where they would release inmates from Sing Sing early in the morning, put them in the train to New York City, they will go to school and then go back to Sing Sing at night. And it was a program called [01:03:00] (Spanish). And one of the participants in that program was a friend of mine who I met through his brother, who was a supporter of the Young Lords, Rookie Alanis. I forgot what his name is, we called him Rookie all the time. And he called me, says, “Oh, man, they gonna shut down out our school. And, you know, like, I’m down with this, except that I’m already in jail and if I get busted now, I’m in a release program, I’m never coming home, you know?” So, through Rookie’s call, I got involved in the campaign to save Hostos Community College. That campaign led to the longest takeover of any college in the City of New York. I think we spent, if I remember correct, 29 days, [01:04:00] until they couldn’t take it no more and they busted all of us, sent us to jail. But it was a very successful campaign. It was a campaign that brought -- at that time, I was a member of the Nationalist Party, former Young Lord, and we worked in a coalition with the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. It was one of their cadres who, in fact, led that campaign successfully, Ramon Jimenez, um, who eventually got purged from the Puerto Rican Socialist Party because they thought that he was not following their lead. One of the things that 25 �I think is important to recognize is that the vacuum that existed in New York in the progressive politics of the Puerto Rican community, [01:05:00] existed because the movement, those people that had come from Puerto Rico to New York, had come with an agenda that was different. Their agenda was basically to use New York as a resource for their organizations in Puerto Rico, but nowhere in their agenda did they have the Puerto Ricans that were in New York and their issues. JJ: So, they were not connected at all to the community. VA: Exactly. And that was one of the problems that we had with the Puerto Rican Socialist Party group that was part of the Hostos takeover, were about the issues there. JJ: Which is vice versa which was accused of the Young Lords when they went to Puerto Rico. They were not connected. VA: Exactly. Well, the thing with the Young [01:06:00] Lords of Puerto Rico, is a whole other matter. I mean, I think that, you know, we -- see, the Puerto Rican Socialist Party members that were part of the Hostos takeover, people like Ramon Jimenez, people like [Victor Bacques?], people like Liz -- my God, I’ve forgotten her name right now, she’s a judge now. A number of them, they were, you know, people, many of them were rooted in the Puerto Rican community in New York. They knew what was going on, they had a sense for that. One of the efforts of the Young Lords from New York made, Young Lords party in New York was an effort to open up fronts of struggle here in Puerto Rico. And that failed. [01:07:00] It failed miserably, because the people that came here were Puerto 26 �Rican, were the children of Puerto Rican parents, but did not have a connection to the Puerto Rican reality. JJ: Right, over here, in Puerto Rico. VA: Exactly. JJ: Which [goes back?] we’re a divided nation. VA: See I don’t agree with that. We’re not divided nation, okay? This is a very important point. Listen, the nation of Puerto Rico, it’s intact. We are a divided people, okay, but no, because see that -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) VA: -- that issue has come up repeatedly and is a misrepresentation of a reality that continues to get us into political jam. The nation isn’t Puerto Rico. It’s a colony. JJ: I get that from (inaudible). VA: But that also came from the [01:08:00] Puerto Rico Socialist Party, and the MPI, that’s in the same position, and there are people even today that say that. And I think -- JJ: So, you’re saying we’re a divided people. VA: We’re a divided people by forced migration, living, you know -- being Puerto Ricans, part lives on the island of Puerto Rico, and the other part lives a different reality in the United States. It’s a different reality. We’re not living the Puerto Rican reality in the United States. If you’re in Chicago, you’re not living Luis Fortuño’s government. You’re living [lady?] government. You know? You’re living that. You’re living in a different environment with a multiplicity of people from other nationalities of the whole racial culture of the United States. It’s all 27 �very different from -- you know? In fact, I’ll tell you a very quick story. I have a very dear friend, a young lady who came from Puerto Rico to New York, and who I met when we took over the Statue of Liberty [01:09:00] the second time. I was arrested with Tito Kayak; we took over the Statue of Liberty during the campaign to get the Navy out of Vieques. JJ: But the first one, you put the flag up. VA: Yeah, the first one, it’s this one here. Okay? That was the first takeover. Then Tito Kayak came to New York, we hooked up in New York, and he got on top of the Statue of Liberty, on the crown here. Um, and she got arrested the same day with me. That’s how I met her. But the point of the story is that [Camila?], one day asked me, “Why is it so important for people here,” in New York,” being Puerto Rican?” And see, and I thought about that for a while. [01:10:00] It was really quite simple. You know, in Puerto Rico, everybody assumes everybody else is Puerto Rican. In the United States, being Puerto Rican is something that they never let you forget. When you go to school, they never let you forget. When you go and rent an apartment, they never let you -- you go to buy a house, they don’t let you forget. You go to apply for a job, they never let you forget. The discrimination, the attitude, you know, the apartheid culture of the United States makes it so that Puerto Rican is something that you live every day. Even though you’re not living the Puerto Rican reality of the colony, you are discriminated -- I know a case, for example, Professor Rivera Garcia, who was a muralist, [01:11:00] renowned the worldwide muralist of Puerto Rico, brought in an exchange from the University of Puerto Rico to the university system in New 28 �York, and they sent an American professor from New York to Puerto Rico. Except that CUNY and the university system forgot to make arrangements for his living situation here and his family for the year they was going to spend in New York. And this guy was a pro statehooder who was put in the National Commission of the Arts by Bush, father, I think was, and he gets in New York, very white-skinned, blue-eyed Puerto Rican, has a son with blue eyes and blonde hair, wife is blonde, they get to New York, they rent an apartment in the [flock neck?] section of the Bronx, an Italian section. No problem. [01:12:00] Until one day, this widower, Italian widower in the building kept seeing him come up and down, and one day they said, “Excuse me, where you from?” He said, “From Puerto Rico.” Says, “I thought you were Greek. We don’t like Puerto Ricans. You gotta get the fuck out of my building.” This guy started a campaign of terror against that family, cutting their lights, their water, confront him, threatening him, his kid, his wife, destroying his car, his motor-- I think it was a motorcycle. I’m sorry. And until one day, defending himself, he shot this guy. And it became a big case in New York. This guy thought he was an Americano, until they asked him where [01:13:00] he came from. He said, “I’m Puerto Rican,” and even though he was white-skinned, blonde hair, blue-eyed, all that crap, all of a sudden, he was no good. See, that’s the experience. JJ: This was the case, what year it happened? VA: Oh, my God. This was, I think it’s like the early ’80s. A very, very important case. The head of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund at the time, Ruben Franco, was the attorney who defended him. It was heavy. It was heavy. You 29 �know, and it was a wake-up call for a lot of blanquito Puerto Ricans, that thought that they -JJ: (inaudible) VA: -- that they could get, you know, [01:14:00] pass for being American, you know. Yeah. So, you know, I was arrested in 1977. I was the first person -- actually, not the first person either, because David Pérez was arrested when he came and knocked on my door, they thought that he was me, and then -- JJ: Everybody says the first. You were the first in a cell block? (laughs) VA: No, of people accused of being the FALN, before they were prisoners, you know. And I went to jail, spent six months -- JJ: Six months? VA: -- in jail, was bailed out, and I was acquitted in 45 minutes. JJ: A few Young Lords did that for support. VA: Yeah, but I’m saying I was the first of, you know, of that new wave of repression that [01:15:00] came against our movements. They first accused me of the Mobil Oil building bombing in Manhattan, and then they dropped those charges, and a few months later, they rearrested me and accused me of entering a court with a gun. That’s what I was acquitted in 45 minutes on. It was, you know -- they created such a drama about something that didn’t happen, that they lied, they stumbled all over themselves, and the jury saw right through it. But you know, it’s part of what happens when you believe in something and then you stand for something. So, yeah. That’s it. I mean -- one of the things that I think it’s important to note, historically, [01:16:00] in a way it’s very sad, is that the Puerto 30 �Rican movement has been the only national movement capable of freeing political prisoners in the United States. And obviously, there are two ways of freeing political prisoners. You either go and break them out of jail, or you wage a political campaign for their freedom. It’s incorrect to say the only movement, because the Black Liberation movement freed us out of [Shakuma?]. But in terms of political campaigns. In 1950, on November 1 of 1950, Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attacked [01:17:00] Blair house, which was then the residence of President Truman. Griselio Torresola was killed, Oscar Collazo was arrested, sentenced to death, his death sentence was commuted, and he was one of the Nationalists in jail. Then in 1954, Lolita Lebrón, Irvin Flores, and Figueroa Cordero, and Rafael Cancel Miranda attacked the Congress of the United States. Together, they became the five Nationalists in prison. It was those Nationalists that we marched for in 1970, my very first Puerto Rican demonstration down to the United Nations. That was our demand for their freedom. [01:18:00] One of the demands. Also, the independence of Puerto Rico, and the end of police brutality. But the point is that that was the campaign that we were engaged in after I left the Young Lords with Mickey, and [Mifda?], Rodriguez, and other folks. Um, in 1977, after years of mobilizing people to Washington, constantly demanding the release of the five Nationalists -- and I gotta say that a lot of people used to tell us that we were crazy, that those people are gonna die in jail, forget about them people, you’re wasting your time. But we continued, and continued educating, organizing, mobilizing people, [01:19:00] and 1977 came into, for some reason, a moment in that campaign where people were just like, 31 �you know, we’ve been going to Washington for years, and this year, it was becoming difficult to mobilize. In 1975, a second front for that campaign had been opened up when the FALN began bombings, you know, propaganda, acts of armed propaganda, raising the issue of the Nationalist prisoners. We felt that we needed to open up a third front, which would be a front of mass militancy that went beyond just [01:20:00] demonstrations and petitions. And we looked at the Statue of Liberty and we said, “Hm, (laughs) you know, that’s a great image for us to use to do that.” And we went about the business of identifying people who we trusted, who trusted us, our political judgment, so that we did not -- so that we were able to get their commitment to be a part of an action in which they would be arrested without them demanding or needing to know what the action would be. There were only three people that planned this action. It was three former Young Lords, who were Mickey Melendez, Richie Pérez, and I, and we went about [01:21:00] the business of casing the place and studying all the security and transportation, and, you know, all the possibilities, and how to carry this out, and identifying the people, checking the people that we were approaching. And one day, we asked people to meet us in different parts of the city, three teams. We converged on Battery Park in the Lower Manhattan, which is where you take the ferry to Statue of Liberty on the first boat. Um, I was out on bail at the time of the takeover. We had a tremendous battle, Richie, Mickey, and I, about the role that I was to play, because I was out on bail, and they felt, they says, “You get locked up again, you ain’t going home.” [01:22:00] And I was arguing that I was going to go in, no matter what nobody said, you know, and like that, that I 32 �couldn’t lead people to something that I was not going to be about, you know, taking the risk that I was asking people to take. But it was a very tedious process. The night before that morning, we met at a bar, Richie, Mickey, and I, a bar on 14th Street, it was, uh, Blarney Stone, one of those Irish bars. It was [larizula?] trying to talk, and guys were literally swinging from chandeliers, crashing, throwing glasses and bottles, you know, fighting among themselves, and we’re trying to have -- but in a way, it was a great cover for our meetings. We used to have our meetings, you know, in different places all the time. So, you know, the [01:23:00] next few hours later, we went about the plan, executing the plan that we had put together with some variations, because, for example, we have thought about using thumbtacks and Krazy Glue to cement the thumbtacks up the stairs so that the cops would have a hard time getting to the top of the Statue of Liberty to arrest people. And we were going to spread the stairs with motor oil so they would slip down the stairs and fall on thumbtacks. (laughs) And then in the process of our conversation, we say, “Holy shit, but those are the same stairs they’re gonna be bringing the people on.” So, we discarded that idea, you know? And we frankly expected that the takeover [01:24:00] was going to be short lived. We had concerns about the ability to hold the Statue of Liberty long enough for the media to cover the fact we have it taken over. And it didn’t turn out that way, though. What happened was that, because of all of the aura around issues in Puerto Rico, which had to do with the campaign, which had to do with the bombings that were taking place, all of that, it was a media frenzy. And it was also a law enforcement frenzy. When the Statue of Liberty gets taken 33 �over, they start fighting among themselves about who is going to have jurisdiction to do [01:25:00] the arrests of the people in the Statue of Liberty? So, you have the New York City Police Department, you have the FBI, you have the Federal Parks police, you have all these people arguing among themselves, and the hours begin to drag, you know. Something that started out with the first of boat in the morning to the Statue of Liberty, now it’s midafternoon, and these people are still arguing, who’s going to go ahead to arrest these people. And meanwhile, they’re creating all of this drama, the fact that most of the people arrested were not just Puerto Rican, but were North American people, Asians, African Americans, they started circulating amongst the news that [01:26:00] this was a standoff with the FALN and the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground. I mean, it was just all kinds of craziness that happened that day. Eventually, they decided they went in and arrested everybody. Twenty-seven people, I believe, were arrested. Involved in the process were 31, I believe it was total, people involved in that action. And it went way beyond our wildest expectations, because that picture became the front-page picture in newspapers around the world. I mean, Belgium, France, Paris, London, England, Australia, [01:27:00] everywhere. We got copies of this papers -- this picture from papers all over the world. And it raised worldwide attention about the case of the five Nationalist prisoners and the colonial case of Puerto Rico. So, we were successful beyond our dreams, and you know what we are projecting. It’s one more thing that we did. JJ: All right. 34 �VA: Yeah. END OF VIDEO FILE 35 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7f882233001b834b8cc2cfdb0a51460b.mp4 5e7c3e30a5b3552aa3dbef1e58f51ebe Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Vicente “Panama” Alba vídeo entrevista y biografía, entrevista 2 Descripción Spanish language Description entry Vicente “Panamá” Alba es un Young Lord quien nació en Panamá, migro a la ciudad de Nueva York en 1961 y ahora vive en Puerto Rico. El a trabajado por muchos años con la organización Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) de AFL/CIO, quien defiende los trabajadores inmigrantes y los indocumentaditos en los industriosas de recicla y las eliminación de los desechos. Durante la rebelión de Attica, (Septiembre 9, 1971) Señor Alba soportó reclusos en sus negaciones. Señor Alaba ha sido parte de dos tomadas de la Estatua de Libertad, la primera es plantando la bandera de Puerto Rico en la Estatua en parte de una campaña para libertar los Nacionalistas Puertorriqueños que fueron encarcelados y el segundo fue en soportar la lucha de la gente de Vieques. Un ferviente admirador de Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Señor Alba continua abogar por autodeterminación por Puerto Rico y a sido parte de los Nacionalistas y otros grupos, incluyendo unas organizaciones en la comunidad que hacen campañas para libertar los prisioneros de política, uno siendo Oscar López. Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Panamañians--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Puerto Rico--Autonomía y movimientos independentistas Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Alba_Vicente_2 Title A name given to the resource Vicente “Panama” Alba video interview and transcript, interview 2 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alba, Vicente Description An account of the resource Vicente “Panama” Alba is a Young Lord who was born in Panama, immigrated to New York City in 1961, and now lives in Puerto Rico. He worked many years as an organizer with Local 108 (L.I.U.N.A.) of the AFL/CIO, advocating for immigrant and undocumented workers in the solid waste and recycling industry. During the Attica Rebellion, September 9, 1971, he supported the inmates in their negotiations. Mr. Alba has been involved in two takeovers of the Statue of Liberty, first supporting the occupation and the planting of the Puerto Rican flag on the Statue as part of a campaign to free the Puerto Rican Nationalist prisoners and the second in support of the struggle of the people of Vieques. A fervent admirer of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Mr. Alba continues to advocate for self-determination for Puerto Rico and has been involved with the Nationalists and other parties, including several community organizing campaigns to free political prisoners, including Oscar López. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Panamanians--Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Puerto Rico--Autonomy and independence movements Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-05-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6b34c9d6baa55d98308d8ccaa1845343.pdf fc3957c13c93e75785577c114bd15ccf PDF Text Text ·'EL'i.:'.,' ,'',• r,y vr A~ .,·h, -r1r..• 1.1 1 •>..11·<1 ·- ~: fRR P,i,,,.·····,-" __ .. , .:> (:' L·'an· ,·.,~, '•b C,. . cn~~r, rrt:f~ ALBERT TOWNSHIP ,- COMPREHENSIVE PIAN : , ' Prepared by the Albert Township Planning, .Zoning and Sanitation Commission, Albert Township, Montmorency County, Michigan, with the assistance of the Northeast Michigan Regional Planning and Development Commission. September 17, 1975. �I Northeast Michigan Region P.O. Box 457 Old Hospital Building Gaylord, Michigan 497 35 The Northeast Michigan Regional Planning & Development Commission I I (51 7) 7 32-355 1 . 76-072 September 17, 1975 II I I Albert Township Planning Commission Albert Township, · Michigan Members: We II are pleased to submit the Albert 'l'ownship Comprehensive Plan. Intended as a guide for future development of the township, this plcm is based on an extensive inventory of the social, economic, institutional and p!l.ysical cha:.:-acteristics of Albert To"vmship. The desires of the corn:muni ty for its future gro·t1th have been analyzed and goals, objectives and policies have been formulated cormnensurate with thes'-.c! characteristics and desires. I I II The Comprehensive Plan is by no means an end product. The success of the plan, the realization of its concepts, can be assured only if the township actively p-.irsues the goals included within. Very truly yours •I Howard L. Anderso~ Chief Planner I • • • • • John N. Evers Intern Planner JNE/cm ~r-... C1uhov1an Oaw[Qrd Montmorency Oscoda Otsego P_reSQUC Isle �• FROM THE LIBRARY OF Planning & Zoning Center, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • • • • • 1111 • • • No plan of this scope would be possible without the combined efforts of a variety of people in different capacities . It is not possible to list all of those who have contributed to the formation of this text, but the following have provided their time, efforts and interest in the planning process Albert Township Board William Moore Florence Moline Kenneth Rinke Raymond Hyek Eugene Thornton Albert To,mship Planning Commission David Paffi Eugene Thornton Jon Rise John Righi William Heine Bud Jones Earl Rinke Others Calvert Boyle - Zoning Administrator Clarence Smith - County Planning Commission These persons have spent - many hours of their time involved in the planning process for the township . Other individuals who have contributed their efforts include Mrs . Roberta Hanna, who provided the historical background of Albert Township; Pat Bolser of the Montmorency County Abstract Office who helped compile plat records for the land use map; and the staff of the Northeast Regional Planning and Development Commission who have provided extra efforts in the establishment of this document . 1111 1111 • • This document was prepared under the supervision of John Evers, under subcontract to the Northeast Michigan Regional Planning and Development Commission . ii Inc. �TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Letter of Transmittal Acknowledgments . Table of Contents Maps . . Tables. Figures ..... i ii iii iv V V Introduction. History . . . The Pase Planning Approach . . People . . . Activities. Services . . Environment. Goals, Objectives, Policies Goals . . . . . Objectives Population Local Government. Economic Objectives . . Residential I.and Use Commercial I.and Use . . Industrial I.and Use. Recreational I.and Use. Community Facilities Transportation . Health & Welfare Education . • Environment. Utilities. Future I.and Use . Implementation. 1 8 10 11 26 46 68 87 88 89 91 , , , , 93 . . . . 98 96 . 100 102 . . 104 . 105 107 . . 109 • 111 113 114 122 iii �I MAPS Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I I 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 I I I 24 25 26 I 30 31 32 I 21 22 23 27 28 29 33 34 35 Page Regional Setting. . . . . . • . Northeast Michigan Region . . . . . Albert 'fownship General land Use. Recreation Areas . . . . . . . . . . Proposed 40 Acre Park Facility . . 500 Mile Sphere of Influence for Tourism. Major Transportation Routes in Northern Lower Michigan. Existing-Circulation System . . . . . . . Region 9 - Railroads, Airports & Ports . • Media Available to .Ubert Township. . . . . . . . Average Well Depth of Groundwater . . Typical Ranges in Unsustained Yields, . Proposed Sewer Service Area . . . . . Lewiston Vicinity Storm Water Runoff Problem J\reas. Albert Township Sanitary landfill . • . . • . . . Public Health District 4 & Mental Health District 3 Lewiston Heal th Clinic. . . . • . . • • • . • . . . Region 2 - Department of Social Services. • • •.. Public & Semi-public Community Facilities - Lewiston Area Johannesburg-Lewiston Area School District. . .•. Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Intermediate School District . . Community Colleges in Region 9 . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . Normal Annual Precipitation Rate for 1940-69 . . . . . . . Average Rate of First Temperature of 32° or Lower in Fall . Albert Township Geologic Features . • . ..• Approximate Boundary of Niagaran Reef Oil & Gas Fields . . Albert Township General Slope . . . . . • • . . . • . . Albert Township General Soil. . . . . . . • . . Albert To,mship Slope & Soil Conditions . . ... /\lbert Township Areas of Potential Residential Development. Northeast Michigan Region - Unique Wildlife Areas . . . Albert Township Proposed Residential land Use . . . . . Lewiston Area Proposed General Commercial & Office Use. Albert To\.mship Future Industrial-Extractive lBnd Use Albert Township General Proposed land Use • . . . . . . I I iv I 4 6 28 35 36 38 41 43 44 48 51 53 54 56 57 60 61 62 64 66 67 67 69 69 71 73 74 76 80 82 85 116 118 119 121 �I II I -I I I II TABLES Number M_i gra ti.on Pat terns . . • . . • . . • . • . . . Percentage Increase in Projected Population . • Percentage of Total Population 1960 . . . . . Percentage of Total Population 1970. V Occupational Characteristics . . . . VI Employment Activj_ty Characteristics . VII Educa tional Characteristics of Persons 25 & Over VIII Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX Housing Units 13y Year St ructure 1970 . . . . . . I II III IV X XI XII XIII I 1· Page XIV Overcro,,rdin g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suitability of Soil Types for General Farming & Forestry Degree of Limi tation for Recreational Use . . . . . . . Degree of Soil Limitation for Residential Development. Inventory of Game Species •- Montmorency· County • . • . . 11 12 15 16 17 17 19 21 29 31 75 78 79 86 FIGURES I I I I I I I l 2 3 4 Permanent - Seasonal Residents Population Distribution 1960 Population Distribution 1970. I.and Use Distribution . . . . V 13 11~ 15 27 �I INTRODUCTION Ill II II II Ill II • • •II II I • • What is a Comprehensive Plan? Any composition of people living in an area to form an identifiable community logically want to see that community develop in the best manner possible. In order to accomplish this, it is desirable to have broad guide- lines incorporated in a written document which attempts to analyze the community, its prior development and the people's needs and desires for the future. This is what this comprehensive plan does. It expounds upon those clements pertinent to the character and condition of Albert Township a nd synthesizes tllese components with the health, safety, and welfare needs of the township's residents. The result is a product· the people of Albert Town- ship can utilize in formulating their future physical, social, and economic development . Legal Jurisdiction This comprehensive plan was developed under the jurisdiction imparted to the Albert Township Planning Commission by the Michigan Townshj_p Planning Commission Act (Act 168 , P.A. 1959, as amended). One of the primary purposes of Act 168 is to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of the township's citizens by encouraging the wise allocation of existing resources "in accordance with their character and adaptability". Rationale of a Comprehensive Plan The comprehensive planning process is a rational means of meeting this responsibility, while at the same time allowing the people of Albert Township to guide the growth of their area. The comprehensive plan is an official -- 1 1 �public document adopted by a local govern~ent as a policy guide to decisions I about the pbysical development of the community. on anyone, but as a general development guide It is not lega l ly binding can indirectly determine local regulations and actions. I I The adoption of a general plan is looked upon favorably by private in dustrial and commercial interests seeking new locations, state and federal agencies concerned with community aid and local development programs, and potential residents in search of an orderly and desirable area to live . The word "comprehensive" denotes not only the physical, but also the social and economic development of the to,mship. I I I Since these tl1ree elements of the area cannot exist independently of each other, this document will consider them in light of their relation to one another. Re:?Jona1 Description Every jurisdiction is part of a larger entity which, to a greater or lesser degree, affects its operation and development. Consequently, Albert I I I I Township needs to be set in the perspective of the region and county in which it is located and should take into consideration the overall develop ment plan for the region . The Northeast Michigan Region consists of cigbt counties in the northeast section of the state incorporating 3,256,649 acres (5,088 sq . miles), of which 3,078,000 acres (96% ) is land surface and 122,000 acres (4%) is inland water surface . From the higher elevation of the western edge, tbe terrain gently slopes toward I.a.ke Huron, giving way to flatlands on the eastern boundaries . Wat er resources include numerous lakes and streams within heavily forested areas, as well as important watersheds such as: the Cheboygan . the AuSable; the Pt ne; the Ocqueoc; the Thunder Bay; and I I I I I I I I �I I I I i The region is prima rily dependent upon its land and ~~ter resources. From the advent of the lumbering industry) through the utilization of cleared land for agricultural production) to the r.ecent increase in small industries and tourism) the natural amenities of the area have been the major sustainers of the population. Approximately 9Li)OOO people resided in the region in 1970. result of a relatively steady population increase since 1930. and 1960J there was a net outmigration rate of 1. !~%. This is the Between 1950 From 1960 to 1970J the region experienced a net inmigration of 2,5%J indicating an increased popularity in the area. It is felt that the majority of this increase can be attributed to an influx of olderJ retired persons returning to northern Michigan after spending their productive years in the larger urban areas of the southern part of the state. On the other hand, a large proportion of outmigration can be traced to younger people seeking jobs in these urban areas. Regional Goals Regional goals include: the promotion of population growth while de- creasing outmigration; economic stabilization through diversified employment opportunities; reduction of dependence upon public assistance; improvement in the level of working skills; the provision for adequate educational! heal th welfare_, and other public services; the promotion of independence among local governmental units while maintaining liaison in programs of regional development; balanced recreation and tourism growth; quality housing for all residents; development of a comprehensive transportation system efficiently serving the region's residents while encouraging industrial and tourism activities; adequate delivery of utility services; the preservation and enhancement of environmental resources; and the development of necessary 3 �MAP 1 _______r r REGIONAL SETTING RI:X;IOH NINE 4 �I attitudes and programs for tl1e provision of a q_uali ty environment. I I I I I I I County Descripti on Montmorency County, in which Albert Township is located, contains 555 sq. miles with approximately 97% of the area as land surface and 3% inland water. As with the remainder of the region, the county's early development and growth can be attributed to the proliferation of lumbering activity. A rail- road network was constructed to facilitate the transportation of t:i.mber, and ~~s subsequently abandoned with the decline of the lumbering industry in the first half of this century. Farming has been rather limited in the county and today remains secondary to lumbering. Commercial forests comprise 81% of the county's land area making recreation as well as lumber:l.ng the two primary land uses. From 1959 to 1967, earnings in agricu·lture decreased 102'% - the greatest • • •• • • • • • decline in the region. · Earnings in manufacturing, on the other hand, :i.ncreased 602% during the same period - the highest proportional increase in the region . From 1970 to 1975, Montmore.ncy County employment figures reflected the great est increase in all categories in tbe region; a 69. 2o/o increase in the J.EJ.bor force; a 37% increase in the nw.nber of persons employed; manufacturing employment displayed the greatest growth rate in the county - an 84.6% increase from 1970. These figures indicate the county's trend toward greater manu- facturing activity. Urbanized land comprises only 0.4% of the entire area. 5,900 year-round residents lived in the county, per square mile. * Approximately a density of 10.65 people Net migration into Montmorency County between 1960 and 1970 was 15,5% of the 1960 population, compared to 2.5% for the region and 0,3% * 1973 Population Projections of Counties in Michigan; pub. by the Planning and Policy Division, Bureau of the Budget, Dept. of Management & Budget. 1974 5 �MAP 2 NORTI-iEAST MICI-IIGAN REc; roI'~ ,-FREEWAY -PRIMARY ROADS (f. 6 )NOARY CENTERS �I I I I I I I I I • for the state, indicating a movement pattern into more rural, recreational areas . I Coordino.t ion with Northeast Michigan Regional Planning and Development Commiss ion . The Albert Township Planning ·conimission, realizing the necessary benefits derived from the development of a comprehensive plan, has worked in close associat:ion with the staff of tbe Northeast Michigan Regional Plannin ,; and De'relopment Co:nm.i.s sJ.on in tl1e prcpa.rc.ti.on of this document . The Commi ssion realiz es tbe need for purposeful and ratj_ona l control of tbe township '· s future development. 'rl'1ey intend to efficiently discharge its goverrnuental functions and r.ocj_al obligations; j_mprove the overall economy of its jurisdiction while concurrently utilizing the area 's natura l resources in the most beneficial manner possible; and provide the township's residents with the highest quality of living environment possible . Tbe goals, policies, and objectives for future develop,nent of Albert I I I I Township are the result of a series of sessions during a three month period in which tl1e various social, physical, and economic components of the town ship were analyzed and placed in proper relationship to one another to achieve an objective and fairly comprehensive perspective of current ,lnd projected conditions . The characteristics of any living environment are predicated upon t}1e people and past activities whicb contributed to its present identity. I I I sequently, a brief analysis of the history of Albert Township will provide an insight into those components which combine to s'hape the locality as 'it is today. I I Con- 7 �Ill I I • II II Ill I Iii II Iii •II II I I I • • HISTORY • The history of Albert Townsbip is primarily the lJistory of Lewj_ston . The cultural character of Albert Township is heavily assocj_ated with events which occurred in this populated area . Lewiston was platted by the Michelson-Hanson Company in 1891 and named after Lewis Jenson) a company officer. Buildings were constructed at tbis time and a sawmill began operation in April of 1892 . A second operati on) the Kneeland-Bigelow Company) was initiated by two off:icers of the Michelson-Hanson Company . By the turn of the century 1 the village population had grown to approximately 800 with the two mills employing 150 men and as mo.ny more employed in the woods. The annual payroll at this time amounted to $70,000 and freiBbt costs fo.r :-;hipping lurnl)er· rose to !);80, 000 per year. A network of narrow gauge railroad tracks tra nsported logs into Lewiston and dumped them into East Twin lake for temporary storage . These logs were brought in from seventy lumber camps with the entire area 1 from East Twin lake to tl1e village, used as a storage yard for logs . Pine was harvested without adeq_uate reforestation and was depleted after a few years. By 1911, the mills bad closed and some of the existing houses were moved out of to,m 1 while others became dilapidated. Two major fires ( one in 1911+ destroying the east side of Kneeland Street and another approximately two years later demolishing the west side of the same street) ruined most of the commercial establishments . The two lumber mills 1 while in operation, supplied electricity to the business area and lake water for fire protection After the termination of activity in the mills, hardwoods were 8 �harvested in the township and sent to Grayl i ng, via train, where they were further transported to Bay City for milling . 1929 marked the end of this phase of lumbering activity in the township . The Michigan Central Railroad l had served the Lewiston area from 1892 to 1932 . The rail spurs between Grayling and Leuiston were removed .· In its "J-ieydc.y ", Lewiston contained five hotels a nd seven saloons to G.ccommodate the 2.umbcrje.cks work ing in the vicinj_ty. T}1e Congregntiona:i. Cl1w·ch (United Church of Christ) was const ructed in 1892 and j_s the only building in to-..--i.1 with one continuous identity. Agriculture ha.1; ahm.ys played a limited role in the eonomy of tb-3 townsl·J ip. During the 18':)0's, the Home Colony Company, a lo.nd-prorn ot ion co:i:pc,r- ation from Wisconsin, sold pnrcels for small farming operatior.s. Red clover and potatoes were grown until tl1e land becarce depleted and tlie railroad, which shipped potatoes as well as lumber, ceased operations . Currently, farming within ti1e township is insignificant . Tourism began to develop around 1935 . economic forces in the towns hip . Today this is one of the major Other important contributors to the local economy are building trades and a few small manufacturing industries . Today the to,mship bas a substantially greater population (approximate ly 5,000 permanent and seasonal residents ) than it sustained in its lumber ing era . Lewiston supports about 60 places of business, has three churches, a K-12 scbool district, curling and sportsmen ' s clubs, and various service organizations. The history of Albert Township, then, shows a chronological progression from fairly intense lumbering activity, to very limited farming, to a steady increase in - residential, recreational, service and indu strial a ct ivity . 9 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �I I -I I I I I I I I I I I I I I THE PASE PIANNrnG APPROACH A variety of methodologies may be used in the formulation of a compre hensive plan . Some approaches are more applicable than others to a specific locality and others a.re_ fairly general in their adaptability . . proach, formu lated 1)y trie Nortbeas t Michigan Regional PlarLriing o.nd Development Commission falls in tl1e iatter category and i.s tl1e one used in this plan. PASE (People, Activities, Services, Environmerrl:,) re:f:'ers t o the classi-fication of rna,jo:r elements Jn tbe analys:i.s of Albcx·t '.ro,mship . It is a w-a.y of looking at the townsbip ' s social, institutional, economic, physical,_ and enviromnental features o.nd processes. An important phase of this analysis, and one utilized by tbe Albert To . . .rnship Plarming Commi ssion, is the esta.blishment of a matrix, or grid, -to clarify the results of interactions between tbese elements. In this manner, the effects of an action pertaining to one element (e. e . increased housing) are clearly seen in relation to other elements (e. g . increased property tax revenues or need for more classroom space). Tho se eff ects which a re desirable can be emphasized and those deemed undesirab le can be limited or abated. In many instances, therefore, trade-offs have to be made in arriving at the optimal combination of policies the township may adbere to. The PASE data, the matrix interaction approach, and the insi ghts of township's representatives, are combined to develop the goals, objectives, and policies whicl1 reflect the characteristics and attitudes of the township. This approach is, therefore, oriented toward the adoption of a realistic and viable guide to the future development of Albert To,mship . I I The PASE ap- J.b �-II PEOPLE POPUlA'rION The character, identity, and general atmosphere of an area is deter- I II II II II I mined by the combination of its people and natural environment and tl1e interrelationships occurring between these basic elements . berent capacity to define and change }1is physica.l environment to f.Ui t his immedjate and lon r~- r a n.?;e needs, it is important to analyze the human functions occm-ri.n3 :Ln the tO\mship. These activities and characteristics of the township's residents are establisbed for tbe maintenance e.nd improvement of their living conditions . A - J,11::i;ration I'atterns and Projections Migration in A.nd out of Albert 'l'ownship represents two major socioeconomi c characteristics. • •I • • •• --• Since man has a n in- They are tbe number of people entering or lea ving t he township, which contributes to the determination of future population statistics ; and the general origins of those entering the area, helping to formulate a broad, rationa l theory of tbe economic structure of these mi-grants . As Table I indicates, a substantially greater proportion of new residents migrate to tl1e area from different counties (probably from counties in the southern section of the state) • TABLE I MIGRATION PATTERNS - PERSONS 5+ BY 1965 RESIDENTS·>E- ~ of Tota l * Same Hous e - 554 5% Different House - Same County - 133 14% Di fferent County - Same State - 238 25% Source: 1970 US Censu s - Fifth Count Summary Tape ll �I Population projections for the township simulate the most logical and rational patterns of growtb up to the year 2000, and in tbis context, cirI cumscribe the elements included in the plan. _ To attempt to predict future population for the township is precarious at the least . •I The results depend upon a combination of past events and a I logical prediction of future national, state, and regional trends. Table II denotes the percentage increase projected during each ten year interval within tbe planning period for tl1e permanent and seasonal sec tors . I As clearly indicated, the projection assumes an equal proportional increase in both sectors. The se high projection rates are reinforced by the Northeast Michigan Regfonal Plannine; and Development Commiss ion's forecast that Albert Township will experience the l a rgest proportional increase in population in tbe county between 1970 and 1990. I TABLE II PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN PROJECTED POPULATION 1960-1970 Perma.nent Seasona l Total 1970-1980 1980-1990 1990-2000 170% 58% 29o/o 22% 7% 58% 29% 22% 42% 58% 29i 22% The current and projected population figures displayed in the trend lines of Figure 1 are based upon 1974 unit service data supplied by the Presque Isle Electric Co-op. Taki ng into consideration the current energy situation and the subsequent propensity to limit seasonal and week-end travel to areas witl1in a short distance of home, more leisure time for the working class, _and the increasing tendency of people (including young adults with families) to leave urban areas and adopt more rural lifestyles, these projections are considered to be the most realistic. 12 I I I I I I I I I I I I I �I F.IGURE 1 Permanent Residents I I I I I I I I . -. . , Seasonal Residents Total Population I 15,000 14,000 13,000 119~ 12,000 11,000 10,000 9,000 8,000 7500 715 I I I I I I I ./ 7,000 / 6,000 5,000 473 4,000 / / 3076 3,000 ~ / 2,000 _:92~_ / 2838 / -. ~- 2629 --A- - -A( " 84-· 1,000 1950 1960 1970 • I - _ 13 1980 1990 200( �Because ·of lower national birth rates, the greater percentage of this population growth in the township will more than likely be a result of migration into tbe area. These migratfon and popul'a.tion projection factors reiterate the need for Albert Township to optimally accommodate a sizable increase in diverse human needs, and .their expected impac~s, through proper planning and implementat.ion. J3 - A~ The median age of the res:i.dents of Albert Tow11ship in 1970 was 40. 8 years (42 years for tlle female population and 39 years for the male population). This compares with a county median age of 36.3 and a regional median of 28.3 years, indicating a propensity for older, retired people to migrate to tbe tovmsbip and the younger productive age groups to leave the area for jobs elsewhere. This phenomenon is further substantiated by Figures 2 e.,, 3, which display the population pyramids for Albert Township for 1960 and ·1970. FIGURE 2 Age l+4 65 + 59 55 64 -57 45 54 35 !+4 25 34 15 2J+ 5 14 0 4 47 ., 24 32 51 19 90 80 70 I I I I I I I 60 50 40 30 20 70 -I '~ I I 32 · 20 30 Fema.l e POPU,IATION DISTRIBUTION BY AGE ALBERT TOWNS HIP - 1960 14 I I 10 J.O I 40 50 M3.J.e 60 70 I - �FIGURE 3 Age I52 75 1 + 29! ; 65 - 74 ]56 I 79 37 35 ... 4.11- 37 25 - 311- 70 60 50 40 30 . f16 20 10 701 57 l 331 15 ... 24 i I- J.4 I 0 ... 4 5 6 80 681 45 - 54 - I 48 90 64 55 7 771 J 611 I ·- 241. 10 20 30 40 Female - 50 100 i . - --- . ---· 60 70 ·------J.----·- Male POPULt\TION DISTRIBUTION BY AGE ALBE.Wr TOWNS HIP - 1970 Compared with tbe county and region (Tables III & IV for 1960 and 1970), Albert Township shows a predominantly smaller percentage of younger age groups between the ages of Oto 44 years. There concurrently exists a relatively higher percentage of older people (45+) in the township than the county or · region. TABLE III AGE - GHOUP PERCENTAGE OF TarAL POPUIATION 1960 Albert Towns hi u County Region under 7% 10.2',t 12.81%, 14 16% 20.6% 21. 6<fo 15 - 24 9% 12. CY,L 12. O',h 25 - 44 19% 20.11%, 26.6% 45 - 64 3Cf/, 24.1% 19. 3% 65 161/, 13.(1% 8.~ Age Group 4 & 5 & over 15 80 90 1( �TABLE IV AGE - GROUP PERCENTAGE OF TarAL PORJIATION 1970 I Age Group Alber~ Township County Re5ion 1+ & under 3°'p . 6.7~ 8.5~ 5 - 14 ·19% 20.6% 23.4% 15 - 2h lo% 13.3% 15.1% 25 - 41~ 15% 17.Bt · 21. 1% 45 - 61+ 2% 25-7% 20.8% 65 2af, 15.si 11.3% & over Th~se statistics indicate two cogent needs of the township: 1. To attract production, younger age groups to the area . 2. Provide adequate services to meet the needs of the older, . . retired residents of the community. C - Occupation The working population of the township consists primarily of service, operative, and kindred workers. These groups compose approximately 39% · of the tota1 employees in the township. The vocational composition of the Albert To,mship can be seen in Table V, co:nparing the occupation cllaracteristics of the township wit}.J those of Montmorency County. 16 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �I I I I I I I I OCCUPATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS No. in Employment by Occupation Township Professional, technical, and kindred % of Labor Force County % of Labor l~orce 35 ,10 141 9 5 1 73 5 36 10 156 11 · 17 5 99 7 Sales workers 23 7 69 4 Craftsmen, foremen & kindred workers 35 10 266 18 Operators kindred workers 71 21 300 21 Service wo rk e rs (inc. priva te hous e holds) 60 18 200 14 Laborers (e xcept farm 24 7 102 7 Fanners, farm managers Managers, officials proprietors & Clerical and kindred workers & & min e ) I '.mBLE VI EMPLOY1·1ENT ACTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS I No. in Employment by Industrv Township of Labor Force % of Labor Force % Construction 44 11 179 9 Manufacturing 74 19 417 23 65 17 399 22 Transportation 17 .4 41 2 Wholesale 98 26 316 17 Durable Goods & Retail Trade Finance, Insurance, Business & Repairs 10 · 2 50 3 Other Professional 21 5 59 3 9 2 114 6 12 3 69 3 ·21 5 145 8 .0 0 14 0 & Related Services Educational Services Public 7\dministration other Industries Communications, Utilities & Sanitary Systems Source: 1970 US Census, FifU·, Cow1t . Summary Tape 1'( �The township has the same general composition of professional and technical workers:, managers, officials, and prop)ietors as the remainder of the county. foremen. However, it retains a lower percentage of craftsmen and This particular combination of professions in Albert Township reflects the predominance of the wholesale and retail trade, and manufac turing industries. (See Table VI.) The overall analysis seems to indi- cate a need for economic opportwiity for skilled labor (craftsmen) and there seems to be a reliance upon the retail trade :i.ndustry, which utilizes unskilled and semi-skilled personnel. D - Education The educational composition of the residents of' Albert 'l'ownship is an important element in definin g its cultural and economic status at any point in time. The creativity, ingenuity, and comprebensive knowled ge of tbe I I I I I I I I I I population of the area, as well as, its ability to attract desirable economic activities, is related to educational endeavors. Table VII exhibits the completed education levels of tbe working a·ge population for the township and the county. Thirty-one percent of Albert Township's population over 25 had only an elementary education in 1970, compared to 38% for the county . age 25 and over in the township, 62</o had terminated their c Of all people i 11 cation or after high school, whereas 51'% had done so in the count y. during Seven percent of all those 25 and over in the township have had some college experience, and lo% of this aGe category in the cowity had attended college. of those 25 and over in the township were college graduates, county's 25+ population had college degrees . 18 4% While 2% of the I I I I I I I I I �These statistics direct attention to the fact that a smaller percentage of the township's residents over 25 had terrinated their education during or after elementary school than their cohorts in the county. Subsequently, compared to the county, a larGer proportion of the township's residents in this age category had a high school education. Montmorency County, however, contained a relatively greater ratio of college educated citizens. ,~1ile the township bad a greater percentage of high school graduates, the county retained a greater relative share of college graduates . In attempting to improve the socio-economic status of the township and become competitive with the remainder of the county in luring professional activities into the townsbip, the need to upgrade skills and professional capacitie s are of primary importance . Economy The economic characteristics of the township can be depicted by an analysis of employment, income, and entrepreneural activity. Industrial, commercial, service, and recreational endeavors determine the opportunities for employment and subsequent income levels. Referring to Table VI, retail trade is the largest employer in the township. Lewiston contains the majority of this type of activity including grocery stores, drug store, hardware stores, lumber yard, restaurants, bars, and gasoline stations, as well as, a variety of other retail businesses. Manufacturing is the second largest employment category. The major em- ployer in the to,msbip is Lewiston UJ.stre, manufacturer of automobile trim, wbose employment rate more or less fluctuates according to the production activity of the major auto manufacturers. The current number of employees ·at Lewiston UJ.stre stands at approxirr.o.tely 120, of which 6c:;fo are female. 20 I I I I I I I I I I I I �I I 'r I I I I I I I I I I I Other industrial operations include lumber mills and wood pallet manufa cturers, a special machinery production plant, a countertop manufacturer, and sand and gravel extraction and hauling operatibns. Other activities in the township which re~1ire professional experience include banking, real estate, insuranc_e, legal, medical, and educational services. Although there is a substantial variety of serv:i.ces and employment opportunities available in the area, the provision of mercantile, manufacturing, and professiona l services are not as adequate as can be fo~md in other nearby larger co:nrrrunities. As a result, residents and vacationers in the township must travel to these primary cent ers to secure those provisions and services which cannot be found in Albert Township. The 1970 unemployment rate for the tovmship was lower than that for the (See Table VIII) county and region. TABLE VIII Albert Township Montmorency Counti 207 965 11 84 5 8 Female Employed 99 447 %Unemployed 10 15 Male Employed Unemployed o/o Unemployed EMPLOYMENT Percent of labor Force unemployed: Source: Township - 6% County - 10.6% Region - 10.4~ 1970 US Census Fifth Count Data 21 �I Individual and family incomes in the township for 1969 were fairly similar to those in the county and region. The median per capita income for the township during that period was $2,341.ool while the county's was $2,294.00 and the region's was $2,678.00. The median family income level for the township in 1969 was somewhat less than the county or region; whereas, Albert Township sustained a $5,600.00 median, the county's level was $5,851.00 and the region maintained a median of $7,470.00. US Census Fifth Count Summary Data.) (Source: 1970 These lower income figures for the township reflect the predominance of small businesses which can not afford to offer competitive wages, as well as the absence of a skilled and professional labor force. There were forty-one families in the township in 1970 below poverty level and with no public assistance, while at the same time, nine families required public assistance to climb above poverty·level status. These fifty famiries constituted 16% of all families in Albert Township, which compared favorably to the 19% rate for families in this income category in the county. Overall, 6% of ail persons under 65 in the township were below poverty level in 1970; whereas, 13% of all the county's 65 and under residents were in the same economic category. (Source: 1970 US Census Fifth Count Summary Data.) The statistics, then, indicate that while the overall income level of the township's residents was lower than the county or region, there was not as great a distribution on the lower end of the income scale. Government The ability of the township to maintain its present resources and to provide - for the future needs of its residents lies in the degree of sopbistication the local government, with county, state, and federal assistance, 22 I I I I I I -I I I I I ,1 I I I I I I �I I displays in its decision making efforts. Local policies, programs, and res- ponses to citizen needs and desires is dependent upon the interest shown by, and innovative capacities of, the members of the township board, planning commission, and various local advisory bodies. I I I I I I In order to promote needed programs and changes and assert their constitutional rights, the -citizens of Albert Township should understand tbe people and processes involved in local decision making. Since Albert Town- ship is an unchartered township, its powers in exercising home rule are limited. agencies: Various governmental services are provided by state and county Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Montmorency County Road Commission, District 2 Mental Health Services, District Health Department Number 4, and Social Service District Number 2, to name a few. The Albert Township Board is the administrative and legislative branch of the local government; making decisions pertaining to fiscal spending, government services, physical development, and other matters of local con~ I I I I I I I I I cern. It is composed of five elected members. The To,mship has various appointed boards and commissions including the Planning, Zoning,and Sanitation Commission; and the Police and Fire Administration Board. The Planning Commission was created in 1969 under Act 168 of the M_j_chigan Public Act of .1959, as amended. The Commission's charge is to guide the growth and development of the township while promoting the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. This entails holding hearings and making rec- ommendations on zoning changes and various requests and proposed development plans, and engaging in the .formulation of a comprehensive plan for the township. r·'• The Police and Fire Administration Board is appointed by the township supervisor to oversee the operation of the Police and Fire Departments. 23 �Recommendations are then made to the township board, which makes ~he final decisions on these manpower, equipment and monetary requisitions . f The township was the first in the county with its own zoning ordinance and building code, a reflection of the comprehension and foresight of local decision-makers in matters pertaining·. to growth . It is the responsibility of the loca l citizenry to insure that gove rnment keeps abreast of the needs of the area in light of new de velopment . This re- quires individual and group interest in local matters, a will ingness to respond financially and voluntarily, and insight mixed with innovation on the part of local elected and appointed officials . I I I I I I I I I I I 24 I I I I I I I �.f • • • • II II • • • • • I TOWNSHIP BOARD (5 Elected Members) Planning Commission Police and Fire Administration Board (5-9 Appointed Members) ALBERT TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE 25 �ACT T V '- E S �-I I I ACTIVITIES General Land Use: The physical development Albert Township is an outgrowth of the resident's attraction to, and confidence in, its social and natural environment. Spatial form, the proximity of various land uses to one another, is the expression of economic opportunities and constraints, accessibility, and aesthetic considerations. To facilitate the quality of living in the township, whereby these economic, social, and aesthetic considerations are optimized, the best quantity and distribution of the various land uses in the township need to be realized. (See Figure 4.) Analyses of current land use will expose existing assets and liabilities for accommodating human activities and protection of the environment. Map 3.) (See Knowledge of these characteristics is necessary for the formulation 1 of future plans for the township. I I I I I I I A - Residential Land Use -I bf Until now, the greatest residential activity has taken place in Lewiston and on properties surrounding East and West Twin Lakes, as well as, Big and Little Wolf Lakes. In these areas, the current density is approximately 1.53 persons per acre, the highest in the township. The majority of commercially sold residential subdivisions can be found in the Lewiston-Twin Lakes area, many dating back to the 1920's. Later subdivisions are located in outlying areas, primarily due to the fact that the Twin Lakes and Wolf Lakes areas have been substantially platted and developed. At the present time, there are over 3,000 of these subdivision parcels, and about 825 or approximately one-quarter have been developed for residen- tial use. �FIGURE 4 74.7% 32.7% Agriculture' 52 .0% Fore sted Land FORESTED 3. 2% Transp. · LAND 1. 7% Recreation .0% Urbanization Region 9 State 3.0% Urban 1.0% 8.0% AGRIC. l. 9% TRANSP. 0. l % REC. 80.8% 47.0% 49.0% Forested Land FORESTED vacant Land LAND. Albert Township Montmorency County I.AND USE DISTRIBUTION 27 �.MAP 3 ALBERT TCMNSHIP EXISTING GENERAL LAND USE Scale: l" Medium Density Residential Rural Residential & Open Space State Forest I~ commercial . [t)~'.N\U}Wi(W/:/W:I Industrial I- Primary Roads - ,~, Michigan Cross State Cycle Trail \,' 28 = 1. 37 Mi. �The more rural residential units are located on 5, 10, and 20+ acre privately owned parcels dispersed throughout the1township. The majority of I I I these are currently being utilized as seasonal residences for summer and winter vacationers. There are over 600 of these residential units in Albert Township not constructed within subdivisions; and of the over 1400 total dwelling units, approximatel y 130 (9%) are mobile homes or trailers. Housing quality and design ranges from simple one or two room huntin~ and vacat:i.on cottages to large ranch style homes. Even thou gh many of these ·1arger well built residences are now used for seasonal living, they can potentially be used as year round dwellings. Table IX depicts the chronological development of residential land use in Albert Township. TABLE IX* Housing Units by year structure built (1970) Year 84 9% 1940-49 223 24% 1950-59 283 3Cffo 1960 - 64 184 19% 1965-70 150 16% 1939 * c/o of Total now existing Number ) ~ 35% Source: 1970 US Census Fifth Count Summary Data The greatest percentage of residential units were built between 1960 and 1970 (35%), an increase from the preceding decades. There has been a steady increase since 1939 in the number of total units built in the township. 29 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �I I The percentage of these housing units that have been occupied (full-time residences) has remained constant as a percentage lof total units in the tmmship (approximately 39%). I I I I I I These statistics tend to reiterate the steady proportional increases in projected permanent and seasonal residents, as well as, the 58% projected population increase per decade . The quality of living conditions can be determined by the analys is of overcrowding 2.nd lack of plumbing facilities found in the township's housing stock and the average value of o'l-mer occupied residences in tl~e area. Table X compares overcrow<linG and plumbing faciliti e s rates for the county and the townsliip. 'l'here are proport:i.onately more ad equa te plumbin[s and sani- tary facilities per resid.e ntial unit in tl1e to'l-mslJip than the county. Home ownership in Albert Townsbip is relatively greater tban in the county (92% of all units compared to 86% for the county). 'l'his would indicate a rela- tively greater interest among townsbip residents in decisions affecting rea l property. Additionally, home o,mers would tend to have higher incomes than non-owners and be more stable in tenure than the more transient residents in rental hous:i.ng . Tbe average value of owner occupied residences in Albert To'l-msbip in 1970 was approximately $1L~, 000, compared to $12,000 for the county as a whole. If all of the existing subdivision parcels were developed, a total of about 9,060 people would reside in them (at 3.18 persons per unit). Since this is the projected population for 1992, there would seem to be an adequate number of tbese parcels now existing to satisfy the potential population demand at least until 1992. However, a large number of lots are inadequate in size under existing local standards, and they may have to be combined to 30 �facilitate development. Under these circumstances, and to maintain a variety in types of development, provision should be made for additional I planned subdivisions in the township. I TABLE X* Overcrowding Township No. County % No. 'f: 1970 0\-mer Occupj_ed Uni ts: 1 or less persons/room 1.1 - 1.5 persons/room 330 1~3 1+ 29 153 18 10 194 40 124 843 I I Units Lacking Some Plumbing Facilities: Occupied ·X-Source: vacant year rot,i.nd units & 17%, 1970 US Census Fiftb Count Summary Data B - Commercial and Office Activity Commerce and the economic activity it perpetuates is of prime importance in determinine the welfare of the township. I I I Renter Occupied: 1 or less persons/room 1.1 - 1,5 persons/room I I I The provision and distri- bution of commercial facilities are often dependent upon the size and socio- I I I I economic characteristics of the area they purport to serve. seasonal residents who desire non-durable goods and whose needs are somewhat I I different than those who live in the area throughout the year. I In Albert Township, commercial activity serves the permanent residents who bave needs for more durable items; however, it is more ' oriented toward The majority of residents are attracted to the area, not because of its commercial opportunities, but primarily because of the existing natural amenities and rural characteristics. 31 I I I ... �-I There is currently a variety of retail facilities available to fulfill immediate needs, but these are limited in the quantity, quality,and variation of items which are offered. I I I I I I I The gr~atest dive~sity and opportunity for choice exists in the grocery and restaurant bu sinesses . There are five outlets in the township where grocery items can be purchased, rangin~ from three larger stores in Lewiston to two smaller resort-type facilities outside the central business area. Restaurants are among the most prolific of c2mmercial activities, and are mostly located :Ln and around Lewiston . These facilities enjoy peak business during the summer months, declining in activity durin.1 the w:inter. Other comrnerd.al activities, t}1e majority located in Lewiston and e.d,jacent to East and West Twin Lakes, :i.nclude gas stations, hotel-mote.l--res or t establishments, sporting goods stores, motorized sports equipment sales outlets, drug store, barber and beauty shops, clot'hing stores, hardware stores, and several other independently run businesses. There are real estate offices, insurance offices, lega l offices, a banJ~, a telephone facility, and a Chamber of Commerce Information Center, providin~ professional services to the community. C - Industrial Activity Industrial and industrial related activities in Albert Township are one of the major sources of employment, especially those pertaining to the manu facturing of non-durable goods. (See Table VI - Page 17. ) The phenomenon is somewhat surprising, considering the rural - seasonal character of the township; but a potential trend toward dispersed, smaller industrial units in small communities may make this activity more common. Some of the rationale behind industrial location in a small community 32 �include the f ac t that people are more involved in tbeir work situation, there is a lower absenteeism than in larger urban areas, and property ta.xes are generally lower . Additional potential for atfracting industry into the township lies in the provision of an industrial park for efficient, minimum cost operation; recreation and leisure amenities; and the absence of traffic con;estion in daily employee work trips. The tm~1shi p currently hns a 40 a cre designated industria l park, en compass in g nine subdivided parcels located north of Lewiston. Par;e 28 . ) (See Map 3 - There are also several other industrial acti v:i.ties disper se d througr1out the a:cea ir:c 1udin3 a pullet manufacturer, truckin,s; company, countertop manufacturer, special equipment manufacturer,- several home construct:i.on companies, plurnb :i.ng and ele ctr:i.cal contractors, well drilline; companies, petroleum products distributors, sawmills, woodcutters, ready-mix concrete plants, and exca,~ting companies . Tbe largest single employer in Albert Tovmship is Lewiston lustre, manufacturer of metal automotive trim . Employment in this or ga nization fluc- tuates according to activity in the automobile industry and currently employs approximately 120 personnel, 60% of which are female . 'l'he largest percente.ge of industrial related employment is in tbe "operatives and kj_ndred workers" category (21%) . "Craftsmen, foremen, and k·indred workers 11 ; "professiona l, technical, and kindred workers" ; and "managers, officials, and proprietors" each constitute 101, of the total labor force. "Laborers 11 compose approximately 7% of the total labor force . Therefore, the range of occupational categories in industry-oriented activities is mainly composed of semi-skilled labor, with craftsmen and other skilled workers primarily engaged in tlJose occupations related to physical development (construction, heating and plumbing, electrical contractors ). 33 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �D - Recreational Activity Albert Township's identity lies primarily in its rural .recreational atmosphere. The low population density (approxi~ately .12 persons/acre) makes it an attractive area for open-space· recreation. Most of tbe recrea- tional activity takes place during the summer months and is generally oriented toward aquatic sports and outdoor camping . The 1316 acre West 'l'win and 830 acre East 'l'win Ls.kes, as well as, Little Wolf and Big Wolf I.r.1kes , (See Map 1+.) are the predominant recreational areas. Within 15 miles are Tee, Snyder, Big and Little Bear, Avery, and numerous otl1er lakes, as well as several streams, providin g a variety of fish habitats . There are two state forest campgrounds - Avery IE.ke and Little Wolf lake - witb :in the toun- • • • • • • • • • • ship and one - McCormick I1.1ke - located in Briley Township. 45 campsites. Avery J.ake has Little Wolf Lake contains 33 campsites and 12 ca10p sites are available at McCormick Ll.kc. In addition, Sage Lake Flooding l1as provisioP-s for boating and sanitary facilities . Four seasonal resorts are located on East Twin and I-lest Twin IB.kes and two are i.n the Little Wolf I..ake area . Two local picnicking and recreational parks are located in the Lewiston area, along with public and private bathing, and boat launching areas on East and West 'l'win IB.kes. A ski area., snowmobile trail, curline club, and bowling alley provide winter recreational activities . The township is presently attempting to establish a 40 acre park. Map 5.) (See This area is to be designed as a major recreational facility con- taining a variety of outdoor activities • Game available for hunting include deer, wild turkey, rabbit, woodcock, and ruffed grouse . The Michigan Cross State Cycle Trail is in the eastern ~ 34 �I I I MAP 4 J. McCORMICK .Q. LAKE CAMPGROUND 0 GOLF COURSE_ Jffi::R.EA. TI ON Aru1\ S 1~~1 Michiga n Cross State Cy cle Tra il ~~ Woodcoc k ··,. J.\ P.F.sf P}M'.:\}'./!i./\ri\:'J)));:";)_: :J l-----1 & Ruffed Grouse Area Public Fish.i.ng Site ski Area Source: "Autumn Color & Bird Hunter Guide" Montmorency Tribune 9-13-73 Snowmobile Trail 35 I I I I I I �I I I I I I I I I MAP 5 PROPOSED 40 ACRE PARK :ffiCILI'IY �portion of the tmmship. An eighteen hole golf course is located several miles south on state highway 489 i n Oscoda County. A variety of local recreational and enterta inment programs a re sponsored during the year by the residents of the township including a water ski show, service organization picnics, art shows, and a winter carnival . Key elements in determining the viability and success of recreational endeavors include environmental features such as climate, s cenery, natural areas, soils, and ,,c1ter, as well as, population characteristics ( s ize, dis tribution, n~e, and income levels) and proxj_mi ty o.nd access. M:lp 6 depicts the 500 m:Lle recreational and tourism spriere of influence for Micb:i.gan . Tl1is potential wo.rl<et 112.s been reduced from an origh1al 12 state attraction radius, to the current five state area and because of the "energy crunch" may dwindle even f\trther . By tbe same t oken, those people living in the soutbern sections of Michigan will tend to limit their vacation and weekend travel distances to attractive localities nearer to borne. Con - sequently, as the less dense northeastern section of Mi chi gan becomes more popular, access becomes more of a factor in tbe total recreational field . E - Forests, Agriculture, Open Sna£~ Almost 50% (22,000 a cres) of the township is state owned land, all in- cluded in the Thunder Bay River State Forest . 'l'he predominance of state forest land extensively limits the land area which the tmms1Jip can effec tively control, and in essence affects the overall population density of the area. Some logging of oak, red, white, and jack pines, aspen , birch, and maple, which are the major forest types , occurs on both state land and private • -I •I I - II J a I I I I I I ~ 37 I �M.7\P 6 . THE 500 MILE . PRIMARY SPHERE OF INFLUENCE FOR . GREAT LAKES TOURISM DU LU 1'H GARY RADIAL DISTANCE 500 Miles NO. PEOPLE 52 million excl. Ca nada '1n OF' ·U.S.- % E. MISS. R. 50%+ Michi ~an's tour is t traffic ori g i~ates primarily from within the above circle. It al s o represents an approxi~ate one day's d r i v e to N or th c a s t M i ch i ~a. n • Be c au s c o f g e o {-;r a p h y a 1 on o , ~ e, rt h e a s t Michigan is in the center . of this large population. �property. The primary wood using industries are related to wood pallet pro- duction, sa~mill operations, paper products, and building materials. While ' state property cannot be subdivided, it can be economically productive for lumbering activities. large, privately owned parcels of forested land are being partitioned into sma ller 10, 20-, and 40 acre parcels, making these units less economical for logging. Agricultur e ha s neve r b een a s predomina nt i n Albe r t Towns bip a s it ba s -A- in otber se cti ons of t be c ount y or re c;ion, prima ril y beca u s e of tl1e l a ck of ade q_ua te t ransportat ion, 1:1. short g:rowin~ s ea s on, and s oil limitations . At one per iod in tl1e t ownsh ip' s hist ory, r ed c lover and pot a t oes ,-,er e barve s t cd a nd sldpj)ed by t rain t o otber loca litj_e s . At pr es e nt, t bcr e i s no commerc ia l agricultura l pr oduction in the township. Several f act ors belp to expla in tbis current situa tion. As mentioned earlier, tbc soils (Rubicon, Gr_a yling, Ka.lka~ka, East lake, Ma ncelona , Leelanau, a nd Emmet) ha ve generally fair to poor suitabil i ty for farming. There are only 70 to 90 frost-free da.ys. The subdivision of lare;e acreo.f,e into 10 and 20 a cre parcels limits the amount of land that can effectively be put into agricultural production. Open space (vacant) l a nd substantially defines most of the area. The overwhelmin g ma jority of land use activity in the township pertains to residential units. As the area increases in population, many of the larger vacant parcels w-111 be utilized for both small and large residential subdivisions, diminishing the supply of a vailable vacant land. With proper planning to accommodate projected popula tion growtb, the optimum utilization of the vaca nt land can be realized. 39 . �I I F - Transportation Circulation and accessibility are important elements in the viability and growth of an area. Albert Township is removed from major transportation routes in the state, which reflects both beneficial and adverse conditions I I I I I I for the township and its environment. While economic progress may be achieved by easy access for commercial and industria l shipping of materials, the existing rural chara cteristics of tl1e area could diminish. Up until now, the loca l residents of a vicinity l1av0 not had much of a voice in tlJe tran sportation decision 1uaking procesf; at the state or county leve l) so a communit y may h3.VC exper:i.enced undesirable c;rowth as a result of exprc!ss,,c1y or thorougl1i'c.re placement witbout being ab le to control sucl1 growth. Eopef'ully , today the~; e larger units of gov<:::rnrnent are more r espon - sive to local concerns . Alb ert Township has an adva.ntage, then) of beinc; able t o determine t he direction it de~ires its future to take and can u s e I the transportation system, witllin ' its boundarie·s, and in conjunction with· I I I I surrounding toWJ1:sbip s and counties, as a means of influencing its rate of growtb. Map 7 displays the major transportation routes surrounding Albert Township. Interstate 75, US 23, and Michigan 33 are three major north-south traffic arteries in the vicinity of the township while Michigan 32 crosses Montmorency County in an east-west directj_on. I-75 is the main thorough- fare for traffic originating in the more urban sections of the southern part of the state and for vacatj_oners from other states. In addition, US 131 is proposed t o adjo in I-75 on EJ.n east--west coordinate) somewhere between Frederic and Vanderbilt. Thi s will increase the accessibility to the region for traffic emanating fr om tbe Chicago area . 40 �I JAY MAJOR TPJ\N'SPOR'JJ\TION ROll 'l'ES IN NORTIIEPl-l LO,qER ~HCHIGZ\N 41 I I �I I While these traffic flows do not directly pass tbrough the township) they increase the likelihood of travelers taking 'side-trips' into the area) as well as) improving the capab ility of Albert Townbhip to be accessible to I I I I I I I industrial and commercial transport. Map 8 gives a more deta iled perspective of the township's existing transportation system. The Montmorency County Road Commission is the over- seer of roads in Albert 'rownship . surface roads and 6. 21 miles of f;econdary roads within tbe tmmship . Propo sed improvementG to 1980 include 2 miles of paving and l.09 m:i.1es of curb and gutter instalJ.ation. A county ma i.ntcnance and stora c;e c;arac;e j_s also located in tlle to.mship . Access to tllc a rea is currently achieved via three pri~Qry ru~ds: County Road 61.2 , running ea st and wc:.t from I-75; County Roc~d l1 G9) whicb links t}1e township wi tll M-72 i.n Oscoda County _; County noad ~-91 , p2.ssinG in a northsouth direction from H- 32 . I I The county maintains 22. 78 miles of primary These are two-lane t11oroug11fe.res and are used by botb auto and truck traffic. There is a privately owned airport facil:i.ty loc:i.ted close to the industrial park. It contains two grass-strip runways, one being 3200 feet long and the other 1800 feet in length and can accommodate small twin engine aircraft. It is primarily used during the swnmer months. During peak periods an average of 12 planes per weekend use t11e airport, Map 9 indicates the airports wit}1in the northeastern reGion) the largest b.eing located in Alpena. Tbis airfield serves tl1e only commercial carrier in the area and bas the capacity to accommodate jet aircraft. There are numerous commercial flights serving Bay City and Traverse City, both of which are easily accessible from Albert To,rnship. 42 Gaylord also plans to expand their �ALI3ER'l1 TOi,'NSIJIP EXISTING CIRCULA'l1 ION SYSTEH Paved Roads Graveled Roads 1--.1 1-----1 --~---- Good Dirt Roads Poor Dirt Roads I I I I I I I I I • �- MAP 9 I I I I , 'I QJ..ndian flay ) L±_I I ICH [BOYGAN I _ _i_ _ _ - , O'A_.: I {G;, v10 1d I OlStGO 1 I - l ___ I ·0.:_ I A:l:1n~c J_ 0-~· - -· - .L~:·:::~-~c.. CR/\WFO rl J cru,v,•o I : OSCO Dr, --i- i Al. CON.C< ;,Zt ,·-,0' Gfdyl1ng I \I d ::::· I AI_P[NA M0h'll.1()1~[NCY I ' ~I A11oor1 :,:~ Greet Lah<.·s Sh!'Of)1ng H,Hf)O! I I I .'i"· ..;2, IH>r \ \!" I Cl of Re l upe:, way Det,011 ~ h'1ack1n;,c RY. - - r\lcw York Ccnlri1I f(y. Source: rvl1Chi9 <1n Den;,rtn1cnt of Na1,,,a1 Rr!>ourcc~ (Nor:hca s. t tv•11ct,i9an r~e9 to nal Plr1nnin9 £ Dcveloomcnt Comrr11!,!>1on) REGION 9 - MILRCT\DS, AIRPORTS & POR'I'S I I I 44 .!.. �airport facilities to handle jet aircraft . With these major facilities, Albert Township can be considered to be readily a ccessible by air . There are no railroad lines in the town s hip Jnd the region lacks pas senger rail service. The two lines that are within the region are aligned with the major motor vehicle routes . (See Map 9.) The state is currently studying the feasibility of expanding t he rail network in Reg i on 9 to in elude passenger service . I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I -I 45 I �s· ERV :" ( C E S • �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I SERVICES The quality and quantity of services provided to a community either contribute to, or subtract from, its overall attractiveness. Healtb, safety, and welfare considerations are integral elements of any decisi.ons to institute and ID9.int_a in adequate police, fire, sanitary, educational, and recreational facilities and proerams . Additional conveniences, including telephone, electrical distribution, and gas and oil for l1eating and cooking, are made available to residents of the tovmship on a private or semi-public profit making basis. The provision o:f tl1ese services ( governmental and non-govern."';}ental) is dependent upon t}1e size, distribution, and econom:ic c}iaracteristics of the township. Those proGrc:"ms and ut i. lities the local government assumes respon- sibility for are supported primarily by the c ollection of property taxes. . . Conse quently, tl1e c:apaci ty to allocate required services to the res:Ldents of the townsl1i.p is dependent upon tbe ability and willingness of the residents to pay for these aJ;enibies . Pri vate and semi-public services, however, are such that economj_c :profit may be re-invested in ec1uipment and processes which upgrade the efficiency of the particular operation. Local government fi:--ids it difficult to maintain suffj_cient services while attempting to minimj_ze · property taxes. TJ1rough cooperation with other state and local agencies, additional support for instituting community facilities and services can be realized. A - Communication The role of disseminating information (verbal and visual) is allocated primarily to non-governmental enterprise . 46 As with other similar businesses, �these undertakings are profit-making concerns and theoretically provide com petitive and efficient services . Communication resources are located outside ihe boundaries of Albert Township and, hence, the tmmship has very lit tle control over the dissemi nation of news originating in the area . Publications available to the town - ship residents include the Montmorency County Tribune from Atlanta, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, the Otse8;0 County Herald Times from Gaylord, a nd tlie Bay City Times . (See Map 10 ,) Cable television is not available in the area; reception is provj_ded vj_a individual antenna s . Several sta tions can be received on local television sets, including a Publ i c Broadcas ting System station. AM comrnercial rf!dio reception is limited, the nea rest transmitting stations bein~ in Gaylord and Grayling . I I I I I FM s t a tions genera te clear reception du r inG the daylii:;ht and even- ing hours, wJth a pprox:i.mately 6 stations reaching the township. Telephone service is provided by the General Telephone Company of Michi gan, which bas an exchange and storage facility in Lewiston. According to 19'/0 Census Data, 89% of all occupied uni ts in the township had telephones; assuming this rate has been consistent during the past several years, approxi mately 660 permanent residences had phone service in 1974, A Uq Post Office facility is located in Lewiston and services approximately 730 residences in the township utilizing two routes and post office boxes within the facility. Special purpose systems pertaining to police, fire, and health protection I I I I I I I I I are available in the form of radio communication units in the tllree township fire trucks, police and ambulance uni ts, and fire and· ambulance personnel. 1 1 1 47 l �.cv I I I I MEDIA AVAILABLE TO ALBERT TOvlNSHIP <> Q1B []j Weekly Newspape~ =I= TV Stations Daily Newspaper o , lH U', ) BAY ., l' ILLf I I l05£8U SH A S A B "T L. L A M I �B - Transportation No public or commercial transportation is ~vailable in the to"mship . The Jobannesburg-Lewiston Area School District provides school buses to transport students to the elementary sc11ool in Lewiston and Junior & Senior High School students from Albert and Greenwood Townships to the Jobannesburg School. C - Energy Supply Electricity was originally supplied by the lumber mills to the commercial areas of Lewi.ston. Around 1932, Presque Isle Cooperative, under the Rural Electrj_ficatJon Act, be,'5an to supply electric service to the townsliip and is now tbe source of electr:Lcal energy in tlle area . Other sources of' ene:q~y include oil and propane gas for- heating and cooking. No natura l gas utilities are located in the township, as the nearest gd.s transmission lines are loc1;1-ted in easter:n Otse80 County . The lack of natural gas service may be disadvantageous to tl1e to~ship in attempts to attract industries which may require this form of energy. D - Municipal Uti lities Since past development in Albert 'rmmship has essentially been cha.rac terized by slow -growth and low density, the capacity of the soils to G.ccommodate the water and sewage disposal needs of the area has been adequate .· As population erowtb and development has accelerated durin1s the last several years and will continue to increase substantially, the ability of these natur-al features to remain unpolluted will diminish . Even now, there are problems with waste water run-off in and around the more densely populated lakes of · the township and additional development will contribute to this problem . �I I I I I District Health Department No . 4 and the Michigan Department of Public Health have outlined four major pollution concerns pertaining to Albert Township: ' (1) Because of the more dense population and commerci a l activity in the 112wiston area and the shallow aquifier level in this vicinity, sewers should be established to eliminate water pollution; (2) The East Twin Iake area has a high groundwater level and several problems have occurred with individual sewage disposal in this area , contributing to the need for a comprehensive I I I I I I I I I I I I I I sewer syster.,; · (3) 'l'he eastern bay of West 'I'w:i.n Iake also has a hi gh water table; (!~) The proposed industrial park is encouraged to become part of a sc:rni tary sewer and water system, instead of utilizing individual sewer and water facJlities . In essence, unless action .is taken to provide sufficient sewage dispos:11 at this point in the township's development, more o.etri.mental irni,acts may oecur to the qu~:: li ty of local groundwater sources . Water Supply . dividual wells . At present , all domestic water :i.s extracted through in- Tests run by the Montmorency County Public Health Departmen t indicate that the average well depth in Sections 14, 15, 21 & 22 of the town -ship (See Map 11) is approxirr.ately 85 to 90 feet, while the average static water depth (the depth groundwater rises in the casing before it has to be pwnped) is 67 feet. Section 27, j_n which Pine Beach Subdivision and other areas adjacent to East Twin lal<e are located, has an average well depth of 38 feet and fe et average static water level. 1;1 15 These well readings tend to bear out the fact that groundwater near the lakes is substantially higher than in areas · further removed, contributing to the potential of hazardous pollution of domestic water in the vicinity of East '.I\:in and West Twin lakes. 50 It should �I I I I MAP 11 ALBERT 1ro;,rnsHIP AVERAGE WELL DEPTH FOR SEX::TIONS 14, 15, 21, 22 ., I I OF GROUNDWll. ~ & 27 ..,, 51~ I I I I �• • be kept in mind that these are average readings and the variation in water levels within an area can be substantial . The average groundwater percoJ.a t tion rate (500+ g .p.m.) is the highest in the county, as well as the region . (See Map 12,) In effe ct, there is no problem in the availability of good quality dome stic water in the township. The major problem is the potential for seepage from individual septic uni ts mixing with existing ..·a ter supplies. Sewage Disposal. Public heal th demands that adequate sanitation facili - ties, comm~nsurate with the characte r of the township and in light of incr eased densities, be cstablj_shed either on an individual or commun i ty-wic'le basis. At the present time, there is no municipal san i tary sewage system in the area; a study is being undertaken to determine the feasibj _lity of establishi ng such a system. Preliminary analysis indicates the most desirable areal distribution of sewage facilities, based primarily upon engineering principles and the topography, is the area ·where current and future resi den- -,. • t tial, commercial, a nd industrial activity is evident. Map 13 depicts the proposed ' immediate, and future service areas'. The immediate service area is based upon the dense population, high groundwater levels and commercial and industrial activ ity in the vicinity . This area is desi gnated to se rve existing and projected medium to heavy developmen t , includi.ng the northern sections of West Twin Lake, most of Ea-st Twin Lake, and an enlarged central I~wiston area . The future area is the projected range for service to low density residential areas in addition to those already served. Storm Water Drainage. Lewiston has a small 1200 ft. storm sewer system in the central business area which terminates at the edge of the district and becomes an open ditch run-off where sandy soils absorb the effluent. reported trouble areas around Lewiston are: 52 Three Flooding in the .Lions Club Park J �J - - .l .,LI,... TYPICAL RANGES IN UNSUSTAINED YIELDS TO 6 11 OR L?.\~ER DI.l\METER WELLS 100 - 500 GPM More than 500 GPM 53 �MAP 13 I ALBERT TCWNSHIP PROPOSED SEWER SERVICE ARE:l-1. Immediate Servi ce Area Future Service Area I I I I I I I I �area on Knee l and Street; flooding and ponding of run - off water in the Pine Beach subdivision; improper drainage in the vicini11Y north of S9.llings Ave nue. ( See Map 14. ) Normal storm water run - off in Lewiston and other more deve loped sections of the township contains fine sand and silt p-3.rticles, I I I I small amounts of oil from roadways and parl<ing lots, phosphate::; from ferti lizers, and chlorides fr om road salt. If these cher.iic:i ls and particles reac h the l akes i:1 the arcn, t hey t end to increuse the natural aging process of these bo dies of ,,ater . If they are allowed to drain into the soils nt an accelerated rate, they may affect the quality of existing groundwater. It I I I should be to the township's benefit , then , to consider the impact of storm water run-off on the environment and rectify any adverse conditions. Solid Wa!5te Dis poca l. site northeast of Lewiston. Albert '1 0,msb:i.p now bas one solid waste dispossl 1 (See :tv'iap 15.) It covers five acres and in 1973 handled 6500 cubic yards of refuse (2275 tohs)·, the largest amount in t he county for a sing le site. The solid waste this facility handles is generated primarily from residenti a l and recreational use. Collection is from either individual transport or a private, profit-making trash collection service . This facility digested . 553 tons per capita of solid waste. In 1980 it is projected to take in . 663 tons per capita and by 1990, . 771+ tons of material per person should be discarded jnto this facility . * The Montmorency County Solid Waste Plan calls for the consolidation of all solid waste dis,posal sites into a county administered system; utilizing a central facility near the middle of the county .q nd "transfer sites" for burning of brush, stumps, etc., storage of bulky items, and placement of metal containers . *Source : I I I Preliminar~r Comprehensive Solid Waste Pl an f or Montmorency County - June 1974. 55 I I I I I I I I I �• =====-========~ DOROTHY ST. w l') 0:: 0 w l') I j I -·- · •• I I I I I I • •I • -:·.j ~ (j I •• EAST TWIN LAl<E LEWI STON VICINI'I'Y srroRM WATER RUNOFF PROBLEM ARF..t~S MAP 14 / �- - ,--·- - - - - - ,._.,...~---n-----:-1 .... . . •· 4 3 11 AIBERT 'l\'.Y.\TNSH IP SANI'.i:7\.RY 1Al\1DFILL 12 -I I I I I I I 57 I I I �I • • • •I Solid waste would be removed from these "transfer sites" to the central facility by private contractors. The purpose of this system is to meet the health ' and safety standards of Act 87 of 1965 and as amended by Act 89 of 1969 . As of yet , thj_s plan has not been implemented; if and when this system becomes operative, the Albert Township facility will become a "transfer site" . E - Hea l th Fi nd WP.lfare. Proe;r ams and · fncili ties pertinent to the -,,,:ell - bc:i.ng of the to,:nship' s residents reflect the iEte r est and response of the local decision-,makcrs to I I II I I ·1 I I I I I I I human nee ds . Much of th e required social and physical aid is provided thi-:ough l are;er governrnentEtJ. and administrative bodies_; such as, the county, region , and state . However, those health and welf2.re deli very systems no t provided by these bi gger unj_ts can be instituted by the township to add to the comprehensive benefits furn:i.shec1 to the town~,hip's r esidents . Included j_n these benefits· are law enforcement, fire prote~tion, end health programs. Some are administered on a cooperative basis with these larger jurisdictions and others are operated independently within the township. Police. police car. Albert Township currently has two full-ti me officers and one Additional polj_ce protection is macle available through the Montmorency County Sheriff Department. The Sheriff Department dispatches all patrol ca rs and supplies detective services. In addition , emere;ency contact between the township and county agencies is mai ntained for mutual benefit. Fire. The township operates its own volunteer fire department and with assistance from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources maintains one �truck and two tankers . This voluntee r unit , comprised of 15 members , pro - vides protection to the township . The DNR has jurisdiction for fighting f fires on state owned property . Both the police and fire departments make requests for additional equip- •I I I ment and manpower through a five member board, which in turn makes recommendations concerninu; such r equi si Uons to the township board . HesJ.th . (See Map 16.) The township is a part of District Health De1--ia rtrnent No . J-1-. The se health districts provide services to the po1itica1 sub- divis:i.on with:Ln the j_r Jur:i.sdic:tion. These services are fairly co:npre:hensJve and coordinated throu~b the di strict headquarters j n ,UpcnE1. 'l'h c re is a d:i. strict office in 1\tlanta . Ambulance ser·,ice is provided through the township. Private medical treatment is avaiJ.able at the Lewiston Clinic, located north of Lewiston . ( See J,18.p 17.) There is currently one physi"ciEJn j_n the township who admin - isters medical aJd through the clinic. Welfare. 1--lelfare services a re administered by the state via facilities and personnel in Montmorency County. Map 18 .) The county is part of Region 2. (S~e Some of the programs offered through these facilities include sup- ervision of foster homes, financial and marriage counseling , juvenile delinquency counseling, /\id to Dependent Children programs, nnd general assistance programs. There is a volunteer organization, United People, to deal with local problems related to drug abuse and alcoholism . through the state . • 59 I I I This program is financed I I I I I I I I I I I I �• • • • • •• • C h C b ~ - ~. g~a'. - n. I I CHEBOYGAN ;=::·;·~ CJ ~ i,.,,,, c .. , I ' ~ PRESQUE ISLE !K·~;',-_M_O_,N_T_MO~EN-:r Gaylord ;---'- - . ~) I .,,..,, f~/~ I l '• l( , , •~~ '-;\ I I OSCODA ALCONA Gr~yling i'i:! PUBLIC HEA.LTH DISTRICT 4 PA[SQUE ISLE -7-=~- , o,sec.o ~ M0NTMORC~CY ! Gaylord ALPENA I _, ____ j ~ CAAWFOflD ,, --,-~r.t.~L-liX.:.~t:·:'!"£1'~- ~"'l:~!':...."'r.~~,-u!"·a r-~~i~~i\'(i:::i.lt"l:.. ;":') CAJl.WFOHD Cl1 l\,_ ~LP[NA CHEBOYGAN • • • . O SC ODA · ALCONA Grayling f!J MENTAL HE.l\LTH DISTRIC'l' 3 MAP 16 �• •I •I MAP 17 6 1 l CRrSTAL 9 ...., "' ..., ,- - 7 => = I II II II ., -I I I I I I LEWIS~l'ON HE.Z\L'l'H CLINIC 61 l I II I �REGION 2 - DEPZ\.R'IMENT OF SCCIAL SERVICES I I 62 �• • • • • • • F - Community Facilities. The physical structures and equipment the township establishes and maint tains for the provision of services are pertinent to the protection and wel fare of its residents. If these facilities are varied and comprehensive in their utility, there is a greater probability the associated services will be more effective in serving the people of the tovmship. Curr ently, the township's pub lic and semi- public fac :ilities are located in and around Lewiston. • • • •• • 'These range from heal th, ss fety, and welfare facilities to religious nnd sports organizations. Facilities belonging to the township include n fire station , library, and township offices located at the corner of Kneeland and Ihrisen st:reets. 'l'he Lewiston Chamber of Commerce maintains a publ:i.c information office in th.e business di strict. The township has juri sdi·ction over th e- public park and tennis court facilities in the same general location. II II (See Map 19 .) Access to East and West Twin lakes is available through publicly maintained streets converging on these lakes. Street. A Lions Club park is adjacent to the public beach on Knee.land Public recreation is also available with a sportsmen's club, a curl- ing club, and a township ovmed softball field. The elementary school, containing a public auditorium, is located on the ·northern edge of Lewiston, as is a privately owned airport. Religions facil- ities include Catholic, Con gregational, and Lutheran churches . The Lewiston Clinic provides health treatment to the residents of the area, retaining one physician for medical services. As population growth continues and more services are required, existing facilities will have to be expanded and new ones constructed . These should �, ~ I I . I. I w (!) er I 0 w I.!) EAST I I I TWIN LAKE MAP 19 PUBLIC & SE:·H-PUBLIC COM.MlJN ITY FACILITIES - A - Albert To·,mship Hall (Fire Dept., Library) n - El f:;-;-.entary School C - CLc::::1.;)er o;: Co r.une rce D - ·Lewi~ton Park E _:,• Lion·s Cltb Park F - Public Beach G - Albert 'I'm.-r.s_r1ip Recreation F ie ld H - Spor~srnens Club 64 LEiHS'I-ON AR.EA I I I - Curling Club J - US Post Office K - Cat.holi·c_ Church L - Masonic Temple M - LutJ,ercn Church N Congregational Church 0 - Air Field P - Lewiston Clinic -• I �• • •• • • ••• •, I • be distributed in such a manner as· to serve the greatest number of people with optimum efficiency. G - Education . ,. Albett Township is included in the Johannesburg-Lewiston Area School District. This district includes all of Albert and part of Vienna Township in Montmorency County, part of Greenwood Township in Oscoda County, and all of Charlton and parts of Chester and Dover Townships in Otsego County. 20.) (See Map Students in the elementary grades (K-6) attend classes in Lewiston, while those in the Junior High and High School grade levels are bussed to Johannesburg to attend school. Student enrollment in the elementary school has been decreas- ing for the past 5 years, although the 1975 projected enrollment is higher than in 1974. Lewiston. pupils. In 1970, 191 children were enrolled in the elementary school in In 1972, this number decreased to 187, and 1974 saw 151 grade school The 1975 projected enrollment, howe~er, is 156. Secondary (Junior High and High School) enrollment is projected to be approximately 144 in 1975. I I I I I I I I These students will be bussed from Albert Township to Johannesburg to attend classes. Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools are part of the Cheboygan-Otsego- Presque Isle Intermediate School District. The birth rate for the county as a whole is declining, anq subsequently fewer students will be enrolled in school, but this phenomenon will probably be offset in Albert Township by the projected increase in inmigration of child-bearing age groups . The nearest junior colleges in the region (providing a two year college education) are Alpena Community College and Kirtland Community College. Maps 21 & 22.) (See These community colleges can be utilized as a means of train- ing local residents for skills pertinent to employment in the township. �I I I :I I MAP 20 OTSEGO CO. MONTMOnENCY CO. ELMIRA ;I MONTMORCNCY CORWITH c,v.JJf~~1i] ·1 HILLMAN >- UJ ..J a: CD !l2~~~~·~---••f HAYES OTSEGC LAKE •c,, . I AVERY RUST :~":'r-~-~ ,,,...--. Cl..lNTON 'LMSR z UJ w COMING a: <., BIG CREEK :1 M ENY <.• :t OSCODA CO. JOHANNESBURG - LEWISTON AR.El\ SCHOOL DISTRICT II • • • •I I 66 - �I I I 1· MAP 21 ALPENA I .I I· I I 1· I Al pen~ I ·1 CRAWFORD ALCONA Gr>yling 11 CllEBOYGAN-OTSEX:;O-PRESQUE ISLE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT MAP 22 7 I I I I I I I Presque °Jsle _ _-::-=-----~ Cheboygan .;':,_, I EB I· Montm o,c_n_c_y_~.._-·_Al_pen a Otsego I t • I I Oscoda Crawford © Kirtl•na Alcona ! Community College! i I . i II I I CCI-1MUNI'IY COLLEGES IN REGION 9 �J\ E N V R O N M E N T �•I •I I I I I I . ENVIRONMENT The ma,jor asset of Albert Township and the tprimary contributor to its ~conomy is its natural environment. The c·ombina tion of forest type ve ee ta - tion, variety of lakes, and low-density population define those character is tics which give the area :its recrea tiom.l a_tmosphere . Si nce it is the desire of the residents of the township to r etain as much of the existing character of the are3. as possible in light of projected growth, it is pel'ti. nent in ' formulat ing a fu ture plan to an3.lyze the natural elements of ~1e a r ea . TI1ese elements should be s tud:i ed in reJ.atj_on t o their effect upon hur.n n act,-i vity and conven;ely an analysis should be made of tbe physi.c2.l and biolof;i.cnl con s equences c,f hunm.n act.i .vjty upon the area ' s naturnl processes . A - Climate . CJ.im3.tic cond iti ons tn the vicinity determine to a large extent the viability of the township i n offering seasonal recreation and establish its I I I I I I I subsequent econom ic identity . Map 23 i ndicates the norm3.l annual precipit3 - tion for the region over the past thirty years. The annual rainfall for the township averages 28", about 60%, occurring duri ng the May to October summer season. The average annual snowfall for thi's thirty year period was 70 i.nches to 90 inches, quite a subst9.ntial addition to the precipitation from rainfall. This heavy accumulation of snow is pertinent to the township's winter recreation popularity, particularly in reference to snow-skiing and sl)ow-mobiling. Map 24 shows the average date of the first below freezing temperatures for the fall. The t ownship is located in the earliest frost section of the region, a factor which may play an important part in any decision by a seasonal resident to leave the area during the winte~. I 68 In addition, there are �/ ., .. ,.., _____ ... ..... . ~ -- .I r--. i ,o I I ' NORMAL M iNUAL PRECIPI'JJ\TJ ; _RATE FOR THE PERIOD ' 1940 - 1969 ,, -··•..o· i ! -i i •' 1 i I iI j f MAP 23 i i i i. N , • c _s I S I j ____ _~ ---- ·r ·- --·-·- ·-·-·-•-.. ~·-·-·,! I . r·-·..J i O l ' S 0 lw:J-....,-., C , ····· Alp(NA ,,.1 I I \ \. · -- - ·- · - - >,~ ~ <'\. ··.--:· ~ \--- - ' '\...\ .. \.. --.s-L-~:J.-LA..- 1 i -ij C S A " '' I I fO R I, O l (. 0 H I. .. • n ;i I n · 11"" n :..- - - -- - - ·- - - -- ·-· MAP 24 r ·-·1· ' - ' OF 32°F OR LCWER IN THE FA] / I • --c.-.r - -· _J· ,.· I ' ·-·- ·7·-· . .I O l ' ~·-"". ~ i i I L .- --·~ I i - ij iI .. • .....,. I \._ ·.....,___ 1 SEPT 3u- 1 • OCT AUG 31- S(PT 10 0 • 0 0 S C .. • I - ow111i" -~=~·--- • i i 0 i c••wroRD i L 0 ' \ i i r ·- ·.J - ·- -- · - •- ·-r- •- ·- · - · - · - · '- l C 0 N A St~T 10 ·j20 i i ' I '---------' ' ...~ ,-: i I I I AVERAGE DATE OF FIRST TEMPE~ "· ~-~ -- I I I SEPT 20 - 30 -- - - - --- -- -- --·- -- - - 10 \_ I I I I I I �• • • •I I II I only 70 to 90 frost - free days in this vicini ty, affecting the propensity of seasonal residents to migrate from the area , a s well as , the capability of the township to sustain agricultural production . B - Geologl:._. The formation of the existing topography of the township can be attri buted to historic glacial deposits . The l ast glacier in the region , about 10,000 years ago, left the area with poor drainage characteristics resulting in a proliferation of swamps and larGer lakes . These areas are good sites for game refuge, contributing to hunting and fishing in the township. Glacial acU.vi ty also afforded a good supply of high quality groundwater at varying levels below the surface. In hilly areas, this water rne.y lie as deep as 300 feet; but in other locations, particularly near large bodies of water, the level may be relatively clcse to the surface and consequently more sub,1 ect to waste inundation from residential development. There are two gravel pits in the township - one located in an area of I I I I I I I • I outwash and glacial channels and another in moraines. (See Map 25.) Moraines are an accumulation of earth, stones and other geological materials resultin~ from glacial deposits. These pits are currently being used for extraction of materials for construction purposes . In a study prepared for the Center of Economic Expansion , Central Michi gan University-*, it is noted that Montmorency County has a potential for be coming a source of construction aggregates . Grayling sand ( See M~p 28. ) can be found in an extensive portion of Albert Township . can be used for various construction purposes . This sand is dry and Grayling sand ( gravelly phase) is also located in this area and contains a substantial amount of *A Comprehensive General Inventory of Aggregates Occurring in the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan . Center for Economic Expansion , Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant 1970 . 70 �MAP 2 5 I Outwash and Glacial Channels Moraines Ponded Waters Ground Mora ine s I 71 I �• Ill .. • • ,. rounded gravel. It is not presently kno,m ,,hat the capacity of this soil type is for extractive purposes in the township. There is also an interest in oil exploratiofl in the region. tial for oil and gas deposits extends from· Otsego County through Montmorency, Presque Isle, and Alpena Counties. As can be seen in Map 26, the northwest corner of Albert Township is included in this areal deposit . Although the possibility of si gnifica nt oil production in the township is minute at this time, the J.)otential occurance of such activity should be kept in mind . C - Topography. Albert To,mship lies in an area where the terraj_n is more varied than most other sections of the regjon. Yet the topogrnphy is such that the slope limitations for developr. ent <1re not substantial. classj_ficat ion of slopes in tbe vicinity. Map 27 di splays a general The western half of the tmmsh:i.p, which is pr imarily in private ovmership, is predominantJ.y flat. • •I I I I I I The poten - 'rhe eastern section, on the other hand , is characterized by a more varied topoc;raphy . Although these slopes are generally slight , there are areas where the incline reaches 25% and can preclude construction or other dense activity, particularly if the soils in the area are conducive to erosion and instability . D - Soils. The ability of the to,mship to accommodate a variety of activities is heavily dependent upon the soils found in the vicinity. Because each soil type has its own water retention capacity, variety of plant nutrients, and suitabil ity for specific vegetation, the proper analysis and utilization of soils is critical to the success of a particular activity. Agricultural production, forest growth, and cultured vegetation rely upon soils for their existence and cause minimal modification of the natural 72 �MAP 26 I I C)f.·· ·· - - - - - - ·- ·· - - ~ --0.- - - - ;- • ~:-=~~~-=---_-_-__-_-_-_·:.-_-:: .·... -----:_;;,/ / .. ·--_-.---~ _,,,-~~ . .f~~----_-_-: _ =---===· W/, ·- - - - - - - - - - ZJ(,(L'. ~~~~=~i}1/ I 7 ::===::.:7 i :~- --:~·; A \V F O R D co. i - Ii I C ~~ . -~--------~-<, O SC OD A ALCONA co. co [ __ ___!__ _ _.:...,___ _ APPROXIMATE BOUNDARY OF NIJ\.GARAN REEF OIL & GAS FIELDS ~J I I I -I I I I ' ;~ 73 ' -I �I MAP 27 I ALBERT ··ravNSHIP GENERAL SLO;E'E MAP % S lope 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 74 . �character of the soil. Residential, industrial, commercial, transportation, and other intense land uses which employ synthetic and natural materials for construction promote impacts which are often detrlmental to the natural state of soils in the area. Since erosion, siltation, and groundwater pollution are often the results of a combination of soil characteristics, contour of I the land, and degree of ·human activity, the suitability of a particular piece of property for a specific activity should be determined by analyzing I the effects -of the interaction of all three facto:cs. M-~p 28 is a representation of general soil types in Albert Township. These are generic classifications and are not applicable for detailed planning purposes, but do give a comprehensive overview of soil characteristics for comparative purposes and analysj_s of possible sites for large scale development. Table XI indicates the suitability of these soil types for general farming and forestry. This information ~efers -to farming activity that . varies in land use, degree of mechan:i.zation and production intensity, as well as, sustained production of marketable timber related to forestry. TABIB XI SUITABILITY OF SOIL TYPES FOR GENERAL FARMING & FORESTRY Suitability for Forestry General Farming Map Symbol 1 Poor Fair - poor 2 Fair Fair 3 Poor 4 Fair 5 Fair - poor 75 - fair Fair · good Fair- Good I I I II II II II .. II II fair g;ood I • • �MAP 28 ALBERT T(;J;,lNSHIP - GENERAL SOIL MAP Major Series and Approximate% of Each 2 • • Dominant Slope Rubicon - 50% Grayling 30% Croswell 10% AuGres - 5% 0-6% 0-6% 0-3% 0-3% Kalkaska - 40% East Lake 30% Mancelona 20% 0-6% 0-6% 0-6% Rubicon - 40% Graycalm 25% Montcalm 20% 2-18% 6-25% 2-12% Emmet - 45% 35% Leeland Onaway - 10% 2-12% 6-18% 2-12% Leelanau - 35% Emmet - 25% Kalkaska - 20% 6-25% 2-12% 6-25% - - .. �I I Since agriculture is not foreseen as extensive activities in the near future, the _s ignificance of its suitability is somewhat limited. Recreation I and residential land use, however, are projected ~o be predominant factors in the township's physical and economic development and the adaptability of I soil types to these activit ies need to be considered. Table XII refers to the limitations of the area's soils for recreation. These limitations, as mentioned before, depend upon the specific soil series I and topographic features. The impacts that human settlements have on soils are most profound in residential development. I While individual borne and subdivision location may not be as dense as commercial or industrial activity, the dispersion of these units has a more widespread effect. The need for paved streets, driveways, sidewalks, etc. as well as the siting of homes contribute to the increased water runoff and erosion poten- r tial of residential development. Consequently, the full direct and indirect environmental effects 9f home construction should be studied before this type of development is approved. tations. One of the most important factors to be considered is soil limiTable XIII is a brief analysis of soil restraints relative to residential development. ' .~ ." '. I I I I I I I I I I - I I �'I'.I\BLE XII DEGREE OF LIMI'mTION FOR RB:RFATIONAL USE* Map Symbol Dominant Soil Types Cottages & Buildings l· Rubican, Grayling Slight 2 Kalkaska, East Lake, Mancelona Slight Picnic Areas Paths & Trails Play Areas Golf Fairways Septic Filter Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Slight Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Slight Camp Sites •) Rubican, Graycalrn, Montcolrn SlightSevere Moderate- Moderate- ModerateSevere Severe Severe ModerateSevere Moderate Severe Moderate 4 Erranet, Leelanau SlightModerate SlightModerate SlightSevere SlightModerate Moderate Severe 5 Leelanau, Enunet, Kalkaska ModerateSevere Moderate- .t-~oderate- Moderate Severe Severe Severe Moderate Moderate 3 * Source: SlightModerate Slight ~ co r-- An Appraisal of Potentials for Outdoor Recreational Development for Montmorency County, Michigan February 1969 ,. .. .. - - - -- - --- - - - - -- - �TABLE XIII DEGREE OF SOIL LIMITATION FOR RESIDENTJ.AL DEVELOPMENT Map Symbol Limitation Major Management Problems . 1 Slight Possible groundwater pollution; - Difficult to maintain sod without irrigation 2 Slight - Seasonal high water table - Possible gr oundwater pollution; - Difficult to maintain sod without irrigation 3 ModerateSevere - Sloping Areas; - Erosion and Sediment damage; - Sidehill seepage from onsite sewage facilities 4 SliG;htModerate - Erosion and Sediment damage; - Sidehill seepage from onsite sewage facilities 5 ModerateSevere - Sloping Areas; - Erosion and sedimentation; - Sidehill seepage from onsite sewage facilities Tl1ese limitations pertain to intensive development common to subdivisions with onsite sewage facilities. Map 29 combines general slope characteristics with general soil characteristics. Those soils which have slight limitations for residential devel- opment are comparatively flat. Moderate to severe soil limitation areas are associated with relatively hilly terrain. It should be emphasized that degree of slope is a n important element in the classification of soil characteristics. 79 �II MAP 29 •I • • •• II I I I I I I I I ALBERT 'I'CMNSHIP - Residential Development Cond itions Area 1 & SLOPE & SOIL CONDITIONS 2 Slight Soil LimitationsJ Predominant 0% Slope 3 Moderate - Severe - Soil -Limitations; O - 2% Slope 4 Slight - Moderat~ Soil Limitations; 0 - 1% Slope 5 Moderate - Severe Soil Limitations; 2 - 5% Slope 8o �Map 30 indicates those sections of the township adaptable for development according to degree of limitation. Those areas designated as primary, secondary, and tertiary stipulate the preference f~~ residential land use based upon soil and slope characteristics. Primary areas should be developed first because they l1ave slight limitations which can easily be overcome. Secondary areas are less preferable because greater care must be taken to alleviate adverse consequences due to development. "Tertiary areas are the least desirable for residential activity insofar as limitations are severe enough to make development questionable. Again, these are very broad classifications and not applicable for detailed analysis. E ~ Vegetation. In addition to contributing to the scenic qualities of the township, the existing vegetation helps substantially in maintaining a viable environment. Without an adequate amount of forest, brush, and grass cover, soil erosion and wind blowing would become prevalent. Wildlife would decrease due to an absence · of cover and forage, and potential highway and industrial noise would travel further and with greater intensity. Albert Township has a variety of forest species and since much of the area is owned by the State of Michigan, it is assured a retention of these trees. The predominant specie is Oak (Red, White, and Black). of the pole and saw timber size. Most of these are Aspen and White Birch are also abundant, particularly at the reproduction stage of growth. Red Pine, Jack Pine, and N~rthern Hardwood are distributed throughout the•township. As mentioned in the Forest Activity Section of this document, Oak, Aspen, Birch, Maple, and Red, White, and Jack Pine are logged to a limited 81 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �II MAP 30 I I I I I I , 1. I ALBERT TCWNSHIP AREAS OF POTENTIAL RESIDEN'fIAL DEVELOPMENT Primary Development Area Secondary Dzvelop~ent Area Tertiary Development Area State Forest I I I I I 82, �extent for milling and wood pallet production. A major portion of this timber is sent out of the township for mjlling operations. I Upland brush, containing Cherry, Hazel, Service Berry, and Willow vegetation is interspersed throughout the vicinity. grass, weeds, Bracken, Fern, and Sweet Fern. Additional growth includes • • There is also a limited amount of lowland brush, consisting of Alder , Dogwood, Willow, and Huckleberry. In order to protect wildlife, soils, and aesthetic values in the area, the Huron Pines Resource Conservation and Development Project recommends the promotion of orderly and wise development of forest resources through educational and technical programs. It would benefit the township to insure tba t its citizens, particularly ow-ners of large parcels of land, are aware of constructive forestry practices in order to maintain and improve the envirQij,mental qualities of the vicinity. F - Wildlife. Wildlife is a major factor in the identity of the township as both a rural and a recreational area. As human population in Albert Township in- cre3ses, the habitation areas of wildlife will become more confined. To accommodate an optimum balance between human and animal populations (a balance whereby infringement of one upon the other is held to a minimum), and yet maintain the recreational atmosphere of the township, the variety of animal life should be studied and their living pa·tterns understood. Forestry practices, as mentioned oefore, affect the quality of the environment and its capacity to accommodate a.. variety of wildlife. • Controlled timber cutting enables young trees and low-lying vegetation to flourish, supporting more animal life. Tree harvesting, particularly Aspen adjacent to Cedar swamps, improves the quantity of feed for deer while they are yarding, improving their ability to survive tbe winter. Forests also affect water-born ·- II • - �I I wildlife. Proper tree harvesting increases the watershed supply, insofar as openings in the forest allow more snow to reach groundwater levels, increasing stream flow and improving fish habitat. f Albert Township has a heterogenous mixture of wildlife, which can be classified into three generic categories: fowl. small game, big game, and water- Small game consists of birds and mammals, including grouse, woodcock (See Page 44), wild turkey (See Map 31), cottontail rabbits, snowshoe bares, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, and other similar species. lar big g'dme animal. Deer is the most popu- Waterfowl includes ducks, geese, and sl1orebirds. XIV is an inventory of lfcl.me species in Montmorency County. Table Trout, Bass, Pike, and panfish are the main fish species in the townsl1ip. Since Albert Township is assured of continual vegetation, because of state forest land and its capacity for private development is confined, the ability of the area to sustain its existing variety of wildlife is not as limited as other l ocalities might be. I I I I I I I ~ I But proper control and management on the pa.rt of state and tmmship citizens is essentia l to define and insure an optimum distribution of wildlife. All facets of the township's distinct environment - soils, climate, geology, vegetation, and wildlife - are separate entities in their own right, but are highly interrelated in the establishment of environmental processes. The proper utilization of this environment for living and recreation requires a realization of the importance of the to"mship's natural characteristics and the impacts of human activity upon the environment. 84 �MAP 31 . . NORTHEAST MICHIGAN REGION - UNIQUE WILDLIFE AREAS \ Wild Turkey Range Major Bobcat Range Elk Range i l iI i I • -I ·:· I ·- I I �I TABLE XIV INVENTORY OF GAME SPECIES - MONTMORENCY COUNTY f I I I I I I , Species Relative Abundance Deer Moderate to High Entire Couhty Elk Low NW Part County Bear Low Entire County Bobcat Low Entire County Raccoon Moderate Entire County Squirrels Moderate Entire County Ruffed Grouse Woodcock Waterfowl Snowshoe Hare Moderate to High Moderate Entire County Entire County Entire County Low Moderate I •I I I • Game Ranq;e 86 Entire County ��• • •I I I I • •· .1 •I I I I • QOAI.S, OBJECTIVES, POLICIES Up to this point, the text has analyzed the va.rious elements which combine to formulate the particular identity of Albert Township. system has logically differentiated the elements of the area to permit a fairly comprehensive insight into the township's characteristics. The following section is • the synthesis of these elements into goals, objectives, and policies to guide the township in its physical, social, and economic development. These statements have been approved by the township's residents as the most applicable reflections of their desires and attitudes concerning the future of their area. Goals _are very broad descriptions of the overall desirable characteristics tlie people of Albert Township wish to attain within the general planning period. These are the bases 1or the_ more d~finitive objectives and policies statements. Objectives delineate these goals in accord with the elements included in the PASE analysis process. These objectives are underlined in the following section. Policies are more specific statements commensurate with the given objectives. These attempt to define more clearly the proposed actions the township desires to undertake, but are not so definite as to preclude variations which may be required in specific instances. While all policies may not be· achieved within tl:Je planning period, the decision-makers and citizens of Albert Township should promote the realization of as many of these statements as possible. This can be adequately done only if knowledge, creativity, and most importantly, community interest and involvement become an integral part of Albert To"\o/l1ship. ~ I The PASE 87 �GOALS 1. Protect the physical environment of the to,mship. 2. Maintain a residential and recreational atmosphere. 3. Maintain the existing balance between residential, recreational, co~mercial, and light indus~ry. 4. Maintain 'an efficient proportion between age groups and promote an orderly population growth. 5. Stabilize the local economy with a diversity of light industry. 6. Create quality educa tional and technical training facilities in order to upgrade working skills, 7, Attain efficiency, strength, and autonomy in local government, while retaining constructive liaison with other governmental bodies. 8. Create an effective health and social welfare delivery system. 88 �-I PORJLATION OB.JECTIVES I. -II environment of Albert Township define its attractiveness, it is desirable to maintain tl1e existing population balance. 1. I I I I I I I ~ I Control industrial growth to the existing proportion of the township's economic activity. II II II , Because the present atmosphere and characterfof the population and 2. Keep commercial activity in its current proportion to the township's economic base. 3, Maintain the physical environment and provide for residential land use that will continue to attract seasonal residents. II. Since the township's capacity to retain its unique environmental, social, and cultural characteristics is limited, an excessive population gro,rth will tend to bave an impact upon these elements. Conseq_uently 1 it is desirable to limit any detrimental change in the overall atmosphere of the to,mship by striving to incorporate policies and programs which will promote orderly population gro,rth to maintain 1 as far as possible 1 the existing character of Albert To,mship. 1. Continue the promotion of light industry. 2. Encourage small commercial activities. 3. Procure a desirable mixture of residential density. 4. Limit specific areas of the township to low-density residential use. 5. Secure an equitable distribution of open-space. 6. Consider the sodal, environmental, and political implications of all proposed land uses in local decision-making processes. 7. Rationally plan for development according to the capacity of the environment and the availability of services. �I III. Realizing that there is a lack of variety and expertise in cu r r ent available employment, the township will strive to attract those ele f ments of the population whose abilities will fill the existinrs gap in total provision of desirable community skills and services. 1. Attract industries which utilize skilled and professional labor . 2. Encourage construction of modern, convenient office spac e de signed to facilitate professional use, such as : medica l , dental, and legal offices, etc . 3. IV . Institute educational programs to serve local manpower needs. In order to alleviate any adverse changes in the existing character of the to,mship resulting from a disproportionate growth of working-age personnel, th~ continued inmin;ration of retired and seasonal population groups should be cncotlra,s ed . 1. Institute programs and, construct fa<!ili ties to serve as socio recreational attractions for senior c itizens . 2. Allocate priority to the r et ention and enhancement of those natural and man -made cbaracteristics (lakes, forests, campgrounds ) of tbe to,msbip, wb.i.ch will attract seasona l residents and tou rism . 3. Institute cultural attractions . • • • •I I I I I I I I I I I I I 90 I �I I I LOCAL GOVERNMENT OBJECTIVES I. I I I I I I Administration and regulation of township affl).irs oriented toward continued improvement of all facets of the human settlement requires efficient} comprehensive} and creative sensitivity to the natural and human environment. ·Albert Township should attempt to provide local government services which will most adequately fulfill the needs of its citizens wM.le simultaneously minimizing} as far as possible, the costs of these services. 1. Provide service levels which will attract the same type of population mix as currently resides in the township. 2. Regulate quantity} quality} and density of residential growth. 3. Regulate commercial desirability through zoning and aesthetic control. 4. I I I I I I I Regulate industrial growth tbrough · zoning and environmental control. 5. Promote highway and parking facilities} pedestrian and nonmotorized circulation systems, and airport facilities according to the needs of the populatfon and economic a ctivity of the township. Study the possibility of eventually institut- ing a public transportation system. 6. Promote and maintain adequate sewer and water systems in accordance with immediate and potential needs of the township. 7. Create local health and welfare services and facilities which will fulfill those needs not satisfied by county} regional, and state programs. I~ I 91 �8. Promote educational facili t ie s and services proportionate t o t he capacity and willingness of the t ownshif ' s re sident s t o fi nance them. 9. Determine the need for quality and type of community facilities to optima lly serve the township's immediate and futur e requi r e ments and establish provisions for meeting these requirements . Utilize a vailable federal, state, and local funds to implement the construction of facilities and provision of equipment . 10 . Incorporate methods of analysis to determine the social and environmenta l consequences of new population and deve lopment activity. Implement policies to promote environmental prote c- tion and maintenance of the township ' s overall identity . II. For any composition of pe,ople to be able to relate to, and take pride in their living environment, they must be allowed access to the local de cision ma king process . In addition, by promoting the interest of the local population in tovms hip issues, the ability of local decision makers to more properly reflect the desires and needs of their constituents is substa ntia lly increa sed . Tovmship decision-mal,; ers should attempt to promulga te policies a nd programs which will increase c itizen interest and i nvolvement in loca l public affairs . 92 I I I I I I I I I r- 1 I II I I I I I "I �• • • ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES I. capacity of attracting and retaining permanent (or seasonal ) residents, •I nor the ability to provide desirable governmental services; therefore, the township should promote an increase in the quantity 1 quality, and variety of its economic base. 1. I 2. tax base. II. In order to facilitate the attractiveness of Albert Township to skilled and professional people, as ·well as, increase its variety of economic activity, it is desirable to encoura~e nolicies a nd facilities to attract industrial, commercial, service, and recreational activities. 1. Implement zoning regulations which will allocate commercial uses to easily accessible locations and adjust the size of the activity to the proposed service area. I I Encoura ge quality residential land-use in designated areas of the township which will substantially contribute to the local I I I I I I Promote quality and variety of commercial activity that will attract retail spending. I I ~ Unless Albert Township is economically viable, it will not have the 2 . , Insure variety in the provision of professional services throl+gh promotion and advertisement of tbe tmmship' s amenities to attract these desired personnel. 3. Contribute to the variety of economic activity by promoting recreational facilities. III. In attempting to attain economic diversity, while at the same time ma.intaining the township's overall character, Albert Township should encoura~e 93 �the development of all economic activities in the same general relative proportions as they currently exist. 1. Emphasize the growth of wholesale and ktail trade outlets. 2. Provide and limit real property for industrial use that will enable the township to maintain its current proportion of manufacturin,3 · activity . 3. Restrain or discourage those economic activities which have tbe potential of substantially changing the t01-mship' s character and identity. IV. Economic growth and diversity is predicated upon competition among productive elements of the township. It is, therefore, beneficial to the residents of Albert Township that rational competition between commercial activities be enc ouraged . 1. I I I I I I I I I Allocate commercial activities to areas easily accessible to all residents. 2. Stimulate the establishment of similar commercial activities commensurate ',lith the needs and size of the township's population. v. The overall education level of _the citizens of the township will, to a large degree, determine the in~enuity and skill applied in attempting to improve the economic status of the township, as well as, contribute to its capac.i ty to attract new economic activities. An important objec- tive, then, is to attain an educated population which will satisfy the requirements of new and diversified economic endeavors. 1. Institute local training programs _which will equip the township's residents with skills required by potential industries. 2. Encourage those economic activities wbich prefer to train local personnel according to the specific needs of the activity. 94 I I I I I I I I I �I I VI, To attract wage-paying economic activities employing people residing outside the township or to maintain a lack of quality, quantity, and variety in goods and services limits the capadi.ty of the township to I I I I I I experience economic development. An important objective, therefore, is to encourage an economic environment which will enable the township to retain the money earned wj_thin its boundaries and encoura.ze the influx of income from outside its borders. 1. Provide a comprehensive range of services, skills, and mercl1andise at competitive prices. 2. Institute promotional programs to enhance the public's attitude toward tbe benefits of economic activity in the tmmship. 3. Encourage the location of industries which will influence the establishment of subsidiary w11olesale and service businesses. I I I 95 �RESIDENTIAL LAND USE OBJECTIVES I. Quality in residential land use is a reflection of the pride of individual ownership and the perception tbe residents have of the area in which they live. In order to maintain the existing quality of dwelling units in the area, the to-vmship should strive for orderly growth and development of residential land use. · 1. Through regulatory controls, attempt to insure sequential development outward from existing populated areas . 2. Effici_e ntly provide new residential development with facilities and utilities commensurate with unit density. 3, Restrict new large scale development surrounding water resources (lakes) in the township. II. In any populated locality, there is a diversity of social and economic characteristics among families and individuals, and the more populated the area becomes, the greater the variety of its residents. Consequently, Albert Township should endeavor to provide each member o:f the community .' with residential opportunitj.es wbich correspond to his social and economic characteristics. 1.. Provide a mixture of densities through zoning regulatio1~,; . 2. Insure there is an adequate supply of low income housing equitably dispersed throughout the tmmship. 3. Encourage the continued high rate of owner occupancy, wl1ile increasing the amount of rental units available to seasonal and permanent residents. III. Residential activities both determine and result from a general pattern ., I I -I I I I I I I -1 I I I I I I I I I �I I of human behavior and often conflict witb other types of land uses which facilitate different types of activity. In order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the township's citizen51 and the attractiveness of the community, residential activlty should be planned to eliminate con- I I I I I flict with other land uses. 1. Attempt to provide natural or man-made barriers between residential and commercial activity. 2. Provide adequate open-space and recreation facilities at the nei~hborhood level, 3. Zone residential land uses to be easily accessible to commercial and industrial areas, yet adeq_uately separated to eliminate detrimental environmental conseq_uences. I 4. Design residential activity so as to limit the seneration and attraction of heavy automobile and truck traffic. I IV. I I I.and is a finite resource and the ability of tlle natural environment to optimally accommodate human impact is also limited. Since residential land use is not as restricted in its locational choice as commercial or industrial uses, its environmental impacts are more widespread. To pro- tect and maintain its existing level of enviroruuental q_uality, the township should encourage dwellin[, units in those areas where environmental impacts are least detrimental and discourage residential construction in locations where impacts are more profound. 1. Analyze the capacity of land, vegetation, and water to accommodate housing units and projected population for each development. 2. Promote policies to mitigate possible negative environmental effects from residential construction. 3. Adopt methods of analyzing and reviewing public and private facilities which will be required as a result of each new development. 97 �COMMERCIAL IAND-USE OBJECTIVES I. Accessibility to commercial development is a vrimary prerequisite for growth and development. At the same time, uncontrolled commercial growth creates traffic congestion and visual pollution . Albert Township should encourage development of commercial facilities which are easily accessible while alleviating congestion and "commercial blight" . 1. II").sure that adequate access and parking facilities are avail able for commercial activity to alleviate traffic congestion and excessive noise pollution . 2. Provide for the creation of "open space" or vegetation barriers between co~~ercial land uses and residential or recreational land uses. II. Tbe identity a community· portrays is heavily determined by the phys ical composition and aesthetic value of its commercial areas, particularly the central business district. .. To enhance the reputation of the to,m- ship and encourage c_ommunity pride and involvement, the characte r of the township 1 s centra l business area should be maintained as an area the residents can adequately utilize and identify with . 1. Project and enhance the character and identity of Lewiston as an attractive, competitive shopping district through innovative desi gn and architectural controx. 2. Institute a circulation system in the central Lewiston area to eliminate conflict between pedestrian and automobile movement. 3. Discourage the spread of strip commercial activities in all sections of the township. 98 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I -, I I I I �-I 4. Attempt to attain a mix of commercial and service activities in the Lewiston business district . 5. I Promote the utilization of the central ~rea for night time activity throutsb the establishment of a theatre, outdoor commu·nity entertainment area, and adequate street lighting. ·1 I III. An overabundance of commercial facilities in a reas of the township which compete with the viability of the central business a rea tend to attract subsequent residential development and established commercia l activities I I I from the CBD, encouraging high vacancy rates in tbe central business area. This effect can be deterred if the t01mship provides for orderly commercial growth which be st serves tbe needs of the township. L Discourage ti1e development of large shopping facilities which will potentially create blight and inactivity in the central I I I I I I I I business area. 2. Discoura ge the location of commercial districts, particularly those which attract heavy automobile traffic, adjacent to conflicting land uses, such as recreation areas. 3. Determine the capacity of the township's commercial activity based upon the total population and their projected needs; then define the limit of commercial activity tbe township can endure to prevent outmigration due to a change in the township's charact er. 99 �lNDUSTRL'iL LAND-USE OBJECTIVES I. In order to ma intain an efficient economic balance in the township, in accorda nce with the maintenance of the existing population balance, Albert Towns hip should attra ct those industries which bave tbe lea st impact up on changing t he cha r a cter of tbe a rea. 1. Define i ndustria l a rea s for development in line with the desired proporti on of the activity in the township. 2. Limit t he size of individual parcels of industria l land to promote sma ller industries. 3. Encourage a variety of industrial activity to crea te a more balanced economic base. II. W'nile rea lizing that change is inevitable and tl1e township's cultural and physical environment will reflect the type of people attracted to tl1e area, the ability to upgrade the skills and profe_ssional q_uality of the township is reflected in the township's desire to attract those industries which utilize professional and sk illed employees. III. Detrimental effects on the environment, due to industrj_a l activity, tend to detract from the capability of an area to maintain a comfortable and pleas ing standard of living. Conseq_uently, Albert Township should attra ct t ho se i ndustrial activities which ha ve a limited environmental impact. 1. Regulate e"i:ivironmental impacts through the institution of local air, water, noise, and land impact standards. 2. Project the effects of industrial location as a catalyst for rei;ddential, commercial, and recreational development and limit detrimental land use mixes through zoning controls, 100 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �'• ~ ' I I -~ •I 3. Discourage excessive extraction of the to"mship's natural resources for industrial purposes. DI. Because local industrial firms employ people within the community} there is a strong potential for utilizing the economic and social resources of various industries in promoting the welfare of the community. Albert Township sbould attract those industries wl1ich display a community spirit in providing the p}1ysical and economic resources for the creation and ma:Lntena.nce of local community projects. 1. Through promotj_on, emphasize the community spfrit of the tmmship as a beneficj_al resource for industrial location. 2. Encourage the establishment of those industrial and business firms which display a definite interest in supporting community projects and desire to maintain the current township character. 1-1 I I 1 • I I II I 101 �Ill I RECREATION LAND-USE OBJECTIVES I. Most living environments can be recogni:z;ed and classified accord in~ to their predominant economic activity. Albert To"msl1ip, because of its environmental attributes and low population density, currently enjoys a favorable reputation as a recreational area. To maintain its current proportis:m of activities and population ase groups, the tOimship should encoura1se the growth of open-sp.'lce re_~!eation. 1. • • •II Provide outdoor camping facilities in designated sections of the township. 2. Encourage small parcels in new residential development as neighborhood parks . 3. Establish a larger community park to facilitate the needs of large orr,anizations, groups, and seasonal tourists. 4. Establish horse, bike, motorized recreational vehicle, ski, and walking trails in the township. II. The needs of the local residents for recreational activity are often different from those of the more seasonal, transient population. To meet these needs, recreational facilities and pro~rams should be provided for all elements of the population. 1. Establish community-wide craft and recreation programs, designed for all age groups, for seasonal and premanent residents. 2. Construct a centrally located facility equipped to offer a wide variety of educational, recreational, and social activities. 102 • • �• • III. The location of open space recreation facilities is a major factor in f the success of recreational endeavors. If these activities are adjacent to conflicting land uses, such as industrial or high density commercial and residential, the attractiveness of the facility is diminished. Open-space recreational facilities sbould be re~ulated and developed to eliminate conflicting uses. 1. Restrict the placement of camping facilities in densely populated areas and adjacent to co~nercial and industrial activity . 2. Encoura.ge the establishment of small park and picnic areas within or adjacent to industrial parks. • 3. area of Lewiston. IV. • Provide picnic and park facilities within the central business Community recreational activities are ·c ontributers to the physical and psychological attractiveness of the township. In order to accommodate the needs of individuals and groups of Albert Township and to attract new commercial and industrial activities desiring local recreational amenities, community recreation programs and facilities should be provided in conjunction w:i.th the character and desj_res of the township's residents. • 1. Establish community sponsored arts and crafts programs for children, adults, and retired persons. 2. Encourage community sponsored skiing, swimming, and health clubs. 3. Provide playground equipment for township and community parks commensurate with the density and population age group. 103 �C.OMMUNITY FACILITIES OBJECTIVES I. The success of health) safety) welfare) and edtcation programs are often dependent upon the , quality and variety of facilities provided. To enhance cohesiveness and public pride among the citizens of Albert Township and to make quality services available to all residents) comprel1ensi ve comnruni..t y factlities shouJ.d be establisbecJ and adequately maintained. 1. Combine accepted location and space standards with knowled .<se of local population and physical characteristics to determine the optimum distribution of school facilities. 2. Analyze existing and potential land uses in the area and correlate tberu with the physical and financial resources of the township to ascertain tbe needs and potential locations for fire protection facilities. 3. Locate a community-wide recreational facility) including areas such as tennis courts) outdoor theatre, baseball) football) and basketball areas, indoor social and cultural recreation) etc. which are easily accessible to the majority of the population. 4. Promote tbe construction of a communitl center, including public meeting room) library, museum and art gallery, and local office space in a central location to meet increasing demand for services. 5. Provide ma,ior public health and welfare facilities in an easily accessible central location. �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I jl ii I I '. ~RANSPORTATION OBJECTIVES I. The location of various land uses is often d!termined by the accessibility of the particular activity) especially commercial and industrial, The size and placement of roads is, therefore, an important element in the distribution of land use. The circulation system of Albert Town- ship should be planned to promote desired land use growth wl1ile limiting the distribution of undesirable activities. 1. Design circulation systems wi tb respect to the amount of activity tliey are proposed to facilitate. 2. Discourage tbe construction of primary and secondary roads in areas where development is not proposed or approved. '-.../' 3. Separate automobile and truck traffic from pedestrian and bicycle circulati9n. 4. Insure adeq_uate access and parking at public recreational facilities. 5. Improve the quality of local and collector streets in the developed sections of the township. 6. Encourage residential development which efficiently limits the amount of land devoted to streets, 7. Limit truck traffic to required industrial and commercial services. 8. Provide adequate access for movement of goods to and from areas outside the township. II. In recognizing the ch~nging pattern of lifestyles attributed to a decrease in the supply of available energy, and the need for offering 105 �I greater access a : · 1obili ty to different elements of the population, the township sh01 ·. ..d attempt to procure a var i ety of transportation modes which will serve all residents. · l. Promote the development of an airpor,t with facilities capable of supporting private and industrial requirements . 2. Establish bicycle routes throughout designated areas of the township to facilitate long distance touring , short distance shopping , and social recreation trips . 3. Study the feasibility of eventually incorporating a small vebicle public transportation system in the more densely populated sectors of the township. III. The construction of roads and other transportation modes requires the disruption of natural land _features, veg~tation, and water resources . In order to preserve as nruch of the natural environment as possible, the township will benefit by a thorou gh analysis and limitation of detrimenta l environmenta l impact resultin 0 from construction of transportation routes. 1. Construct man -made or natural barriers between residential areas and major thoroughfares. 2. Provide ad equate access to community facilities. 3. Determine the potential growth impacts result"ing from the proposed construction or improvement of township roads. 4. Limit the amount of paved area in the tmmship to efficiently meet the needs and comfort of the population, while confining the environmental impact resulting from increased run-off . 106 I I -I I I I I ~I I I I I I I I 1 I �l-I:$ALTH & WELFARE OBJECTIVES I. ' Because each individual residing in an area is different in personality I I and background from those around him, every community is unique in its I I I I health and community welfare services sl1ould be made avaik.ble to the population composition. dents of the township should reflect this uniqueness. Consequently, people of Albert 'rownship wl1ich will best fulfill the needs of tbe indivj.dual. 1. Through promotion, attempt to lure professional, medical, and social l)ersonnel to the tovmship. 2. Discourage overdependence on community welfare facilities and programs. 3. 'I I I I I I I I I The public services made available to the resi- Incorporate community welfare programs under one local agency to insure comprehensive and cohesive administration. 4. Promote the creation of public service programs (such as, dntg abuse, alcoholic crises center organizations) to meet the needs of .township residents. II. Through public avm.reness of health and sanitary practices, many health problems resulting from lack of individual knowledge can be alleviated. To instill and maintain a high level of public consciousness, educational programs and informative health practices should be instituted and made available to ·all members of the township. 1. Establish liaison between the school system and local health, education, and medica l services. 107 �III. Public safety and protection are pertinent factors in the attractiveness of any locality. If adequate police and fire ~ervices are available to all sections of the township, individuai insurance rates are decreased and personal loss from fire and theft are minimized. To insure personal comfort and confidence in local government, public safety pro.<_;,;rams should be created and continua lly improved to meet the demands of continued ~rowth. 1. Promote and maintain public safety programs. 2. Work in close ass ociation with county and state law enforcement authorities to establish the optimum efficiency in police protection. 3. Educate the public as to protection of personal property - both fire and theft control. l+. I I I I I I I I Promote community spirit and involvement in attempts to physically . ' and financially improve volunteer fire and comnrunity service organizations. I I I I I I I I 1o8 I �•I I I I EDUCATION OBJECTIVES I. The social, cultural, and economic future of the to,mship depends upon I the skills of its younger residents acting as catalysts for new, diversified growth. Township, educational facilities and programs should be established commensurate with the needs and ~haracter of the area . •-I 1. 2. 3. I Establ ish formal courses in technical skill trainins oriented toward the needs of existing and potential industrial and commercial act ivit y, procurir.g financial, physical, and instructional aid from these activities under a consolidated effort. 4. Promote communication between the local government and school board to obtain optimum efficiency. II. Education and information are synonymous witb the general awareness of the township's residents toward activities of local concern. To provide the citizens of Albert Tovmship with knowledge of various events, a comprehensive informat ion program should be established . 1. I I I I Stud y tl1e feasib:i.li ty of establishing a day care center for children of work:i.nB parents. , •I Formulate adult education classes employing local facil:i.ties and personnel when possible. I I I I To insure an increase in the economic base of Albert Construct a centrally located facility to disseminate public information . 2. Establish liaison between developers, realtors, entrepreneur~, and local eovernment authorities in improving communication and procuring cohesiveness in the township's overall development. 109 �III. Formal education is only one means of improvine the skills of the people of Albert Township. Informal community educa!ional pro.grams can be instituted to offer a variety of learninr; experiences to all members of the tmmship . 1. Local arts, cr·a fts, book clubs, etc. should be promOted to improve the overall skills and awareness of the township's residents. 2. Of·f er campin~, hiking, and outdoor recreation classes to seasonal and permanent residents. 110 �I I ENVIRONMENT OBJECTIVES r. I I I I I I Albert Township is currently a desirable placJ to live and visit primarily because of the character of its natural environment. Since the identity of an area is defined by its physical, as well as, social amenities, the maintenance of the township's overall attractiveness requires the feasible nreservation of the natural environment.. l. Create and maintain an oneoing environmental monitoring program to study the effects of development and human activity and ut:i.lize the results to institute protective measures. 2. Adopt noise and vj.sual pollution standards for inclusion in the zoning ordinance. ,.,, II. The abundance of natural and cultured vegetation contributes to the reduction of noise, soil, and visual pollutton resulting from human activities. I Therefore, the to,mship should strive to preserve as much of the existing vegetation as possible wbile E:ncouragi ng the growth of cultured plant life in areas affected by human activity. 1. 1. I Establish criteria for landscaping commercial areas and adopt these measures in the zoning ordinance. 2. III. Promote landscaping and garden-plot programs in tbe t .o wnship. The productivity and attractiveness of the natural landscape, as well as, the health of the township's residents, is closely interrelated with the rationai utilization of geologic characteristics. Consequently, the · capacities of the soils in th e township should be understood and adverse geoloGic impact s avoided or re st ricted. I, 111 �1. De fine areas and densities compatible for development based upon soil and groundwater characteristics, primtrily related to sanitation and pollution factors. IV. Except for limited sewage problems, Albert Township is presently devoid of any excessive environmental impacts. As the area experiences an expansion of human activity, tbe probability of subsequent pollution will increase. I I I I Provision sl1ould be made for acquiring federal, state, and local expertise and financj_aJ. aid in the limitation and abatement of future air, wa ter; noi s e, and visual pollution. I I I I I I - -~ -I I I 112 I �•• •• I UTILITIFS OBJECTIVES I. •· •I The hea·l th, safety, and welfare of the towns'iiip' s citizens is closely aligned with the adequate provision of water and sewer systems. Albert Township desires to maintain a preferred level of human, physical, and social welfare in the face of increasing population pressures, it must insure the provision of sewer and water facilities accordin.~ to the needs of the townsl1ip. I 1. I I 2. I I I I I I I Determine the capacity of tbe current ground water levels to sustain :fu.ture development densities. Insure adequate health and sani.tation in recreation areas by providing needed water, electric, and sanitary facilities . 3. r-1 I I If Construct and expand sewer systems in residential, industrial, and commercial areas, based upon immediate and long-range needs~ II. Since the ~o,mship's welfare is reflected in the protection of its people and environment from detrimental ecological impacts, the proper ut~lization of land according to its capacity for development should be of major concern. Therefore, the desi~n and placement of water and sanitary facilities are pertinent in defining areas of the tmmship where development is feasible. Albert Township should regulate undesirable growth, allocating sewer, ~Bter, and drainage facilities accordin~ to the capability of the township to sustain development. 1. Determine the impact additional growth and development will have on the financial, environmental, and facility characteristics of the to,mship and allocate development accordingly. 113 �' F U T U R E L A N D U S E �•I fUTURE IAND USE The physical development of Albert Townshipf is a reflection of its . • •I I •I ~"'I I •• I I I I (.I I social, economic, and governmental characteristics. Land use defines the living, working, and movement patterns of the to,mship's residents and conseq_uently must be considered in proposals relating to the area's future. This section will delineate very general distributions of land use, a broad portrayal of a future dispersion of uses which is in keepin .'5 wit}1 tbe purpose of a comprebensivc plan - to V,tide the ~~Eal development of an area. This level of specif:i.ci ty allows the toT,mshj_p to institute specific land use policies within the extended framework :provided by tbe proposed land use plan. Tiesidenti~l: As in the past, residential use is projected to be tbe pre- dominate development activity .in _the to,mship. Existing land use analysis indicates that tbe majority of residential units are in the Lewiston-'rwin Lakes area, many of these being seasonal homes. The density in t::iis general vicinity is approximately 1.53 persons per acre and since the majority of lots border-ing the lakes are already developed, this should not increase substantially. More dispersed residential distribution on 5, 10, and 20 acre parcels characterizes the outlying sections of the township, and hence these areas are more conducive to new development. Of the ' approximately 46,000 acres which constitute Albert Township, about 20,900 acres are in private ownership and eligible for residential land use. �J Because the health, safety, and welfare of the township 1 s residents is of prime consideration in the planning process, tht prevention of groundwater pollution via adeq_uate sanitation is a major factor in land u se activity~ Therefore, the proposed sewer line boundary mentioned in the sewa8e disposal section of this plan is a limiting element in residential dispersion . The prospective sewer system will incorporate 6300 acres, leaving 14,600 acres of privately owned land for residential development without sewers . According :J ~ I 1 I to projected population figures, if the 6300 acres served by sewers are devel oped at the existin3 density of 1. 53 persons per acre, about 9500 people or 75% of tbe total projected tow11ship population of 12,000, will reside in the area. The remaining 3500people would be located in the rest of tbe 14~6oo acres, at a density of .23 persons per acre (one person per 4.34 acres). The proposed sewer service area (1.53 persons per acre ) will be designated as medium density in the future land use map. This designation can accommodate both single and multiple family units. The remaining privately o,med sections of Albert Township will be c.lnssi fied as low density, rural residential at approximately .23 persons per acre . Since public health req_uirements stipulate a preferred minimum density of one unit per acre with individual septic systems , these parcels should be no less than one acre j_n area and preferably larger . Commercial : (See Ma.p 32 . ) Existing commercial activity is generally limited to Lewiston and the immediate vicinity. According to policies for commercial activit y formulated in the plan, Lewiston will continue to be the center of cornme1·c e in the township and the major. stores will locate here . ttstrip commercial 11 ·1 I I I I I I I I I I I 115 I �i '.£., .ol. I I I I I I 1· ..., .:.. ALBERT TClwNSH I P PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL LA1'.1D USE ~ ~ Medium De::-isity p:;~:7r:;::.<:y·;:,vcm Low Density - Rural ~ I 116 �.1 activity, should be discouraged and more dense commercial land use, to facilitate pedestrian circulation, should occur in thefpresent downtown area . (See Map 33.) In addition, smaller local neighborhood convenience stores should be considered . Industrial: 'rhe majority of industrial activity should be confined to tl1e present industrial park North of Lewlston. This area is included in the sewer service area, is in an easily accessible location, and would a.llow economies of scale in industrial operations. Extract:Lve industries will have to locate adjacent to their source of materials. Mc:1.p 34 depicts proposed industrial activity areas. Recreatj_onal: I I I I I Storage areas should be on property which is screened from public view and not within or immedj_ately adjacent to beavily trafficked areas. 1 I I Since recreation ls an important element in the economy of the township and is pertinent to the quality of life of its residents, tr1is activity should be dispersed to serve the optimum number of people wbile enhancing the area 1s environmental features. Major outdoor recreation areas (camping, I I picnicking, and water sports sites) to serve visitors and seasonal residents should be located in those areas of the township containing pertinent enviro!l.mental features and having the capacity to accommodate projected use . Neighborhood and community recreational facilities should be centrally located, as well as large and varied enough to facilitate all elements of the population. A community recreation center, incorporating indoor and out- door facilities, should be promoted in the Lewiston area. Transportntj_on: Pedestrian circulation systems and vehicular transportatio!l. 117 I I I I I I �I I 11...l ~ .) ..) .! ,. :.•: . I NORTHWOOD I I I 0 (/) -ri- 0: - o, er. . <t w w a 0 X ~ ~ w w . _J Cl .:w .. <t I _,l_o_oLI J' t- r a - - - - - J .___ _ __., ;;t; MONTMORENCY • •~ •~ r~ I . . . ij~,-futi••-~~! ~f=======~~~~;~~[] -lL n J l ~~-J 1' . ij~ [n o 'l u.J fi S.E8!1.CS;___/l__~!(;_ tiEL.,$.QI:L:· f-' qi~ I f:J ~. _ _ _J ; _ J - §- •' ._______ ' .-:.i:. 11r--------r-i~ ~~~-ifJt~:~i~~~~~-~~~~~~~t~~?~1~~~~~})\\~~-: :~:.::~~~\-~~\ ~~~\:)<":·i~~~-~'.~ :.~ -s-~~ ..;~'~@'~ f-:?,~~ :-;·\~~~':-"-~~-,~~)<~-~t~~:~~:~~~>>,~·;~~\~:~S:}> 7:.\~~,:@,l~!..-.;,~". . ~r~~~f..:·:".1~1--~.! l-t) ~i-!-¥) :.:,._1;i,~~~~'l,T,:-;., ~~- )i;-~~~~-~ /·~~--:_ Cu . R D. 61 2 i ,. , ~~~;,;'!{~\.:?.~~z~t.~~~ .;"--;~!!:~~·:-? ,...~-~~?~-=~-~~~~~t.z-:-~ir,: ~--. ~ ,-- . ---------- . ~L§_]~ ~i'j Ct~ - \ DARD Y ~ I. I I I I '.3 :t w I- TNNIS I 1... . - 1 >a:: E AS I_ 1~ ~ ~~ 0 r· <.:> IJJ . TWJN L A I< E 7 efl.LSP•~ J a:: <.:> ~e;J:1-----Of\)(~Q92-::1·, -~~-___.,..,., . : , , - - - ~ . . Lewiston Area Proposed General Commercial 118 & Office Use ~ . �I MAP 34 ~1 CRYSTAL 7 ..., 9 ........ ::, CD 15 "' TU.1NSIIIP ALBER.1. · , IN·•m.JSTRIAL FUTURE 14 SE E~1'RAC'rIVE LAND U ; I I ~ 119 I �networks often define residential, industrial, and commercial l and uses. Tlle development of the township, therefore, requires proper recognition of tlle possible effects of higliway and street patterns! New residential development should be designed to efficiently limit the •I I •I land area devoted to loca,l streets . Commercial and industrial activities should be easily accessible by automobile while concurrently facilitating pedestrian movement within tbeir boundaries. Public bicycle and pedestrian paths should be constructed in both medimn and low density areas of the township, preferably separated from truck and automobile traffic. These can be utilized for sbort shopping trj_ps, as well I as longer recreational cycling endeavors. should be undertak en for such Facilities : a Detailed studies end desi g ns system. Structures and areas dedicated to public use require easy acces - sibility in order to serve as .many of the township' £, resj_dents as possible, I -I I I I I I as well as be c f::icie:ni.;ly designed to fulfill required functions . Con se - quently, governmental and quasi-public facilitj_es should be located adj ac ent to each other or within one complex in the Lewiston area . Map 35 shows the combined f\1ture residential, commercial, and industrial land uses within Albert Tmmship . Combined with social ancl economic policies, tbe proposed distribution of these activities can enhance the quality ·of life available to the residents of Albert Tavmship while still enabling it to retain its individual character . l20 �MAP 35 ALBERT TOWNSHIP GENERAL PROPOSED L.~ND USE Medium Density Residential r.•.. . Low Density-Rural Residential S 'i . ~. r•••••o••••••o•f'•••••• O II e .... ( • ~ • ,. .. ... ···~·········~······· Commercial " µ L A . A . ~ ....................t ....:V.\.A..lt. ... , Industrial - Extractive State Fo res t 121 I I _I I I I I I I I �MP L E ME NT AT 0 N �-- 1. -~ I I I' I I I ·I I I I I I I I I I IMPLEMEI ITA'rION 1 The goo.ls, objectives, and resultant policies advocated in this document . cannot be realized unless programs ar·e adopted to facilitate tbeir implementation. Tbese programs include political, economic, and legal measures to induce action on the part of administrators in providing for local development. Tbe plan comes to light 01?lY when the people of the tovmship join tocether to work toi-.'B.rd the goals they ho. ve advoce.ted . This requires creative foretbougbt ter.Jper2d wit1i rationalism and political reality. Unless this is done, ~he plan becomes practically useless. Implementation procedures and programs are as varied as tbe indi--ridual elements of tbe plan, but for all practical purposes they can be classified into four major categories: Those concerned with physical improvement, such as public work s - capital improvements programs; those related to services o.nd programs, such a.s health and welfare delivery systems; tbe promotion of the tovmship t11rough public and pri va.te incentives and advertisements; township regul1;3-tions and polic:i.es tbrough zoning and planning. Public works and capital improvements programs are contingent upon tbe immediate ~nd long-range goals of the t01-msbip and more importantly, upon the availability of funds. Federal and state domestic programs are the major sources of additional funding for area or community development. The tovmsbip should review an- nually the federal and state programs which may be available to the locality and attempt to secure matching funds for projects deemed important by the decision-makers and members of the community. 122 �Monies for industrial park development , recreation facilities , health and welfare facilities, airport development , sewer and water systems devel opment, open-space land acquisition , bikeway systkms, and community facilities, as enumerated in this plan, are possible for the township depend:i.ng upon the availability of funds and the specific eligibility requirements for each proe;ram. It should be emphnsized that the township has a better chance of acquirin P,; ajd if the programs it desires to see implerr.ented are on-going, coordinated programs that the general community is aware of and has an i.nterest in . That is, individual "spur-of-the-moment" efforts are not desirable . State funding and assistance programs should also be analyzed in con junction with the to.mship' s needs. Fire and police protecU.on assistance The Michigan Dep3.rtment of Natural Resources has worked in conjunction with the township in the past in providine; fire fighting equipment and should continue to be utilized as a source of assistance. Montmorency County has jurisdiction over public roads in the township and as the area develops, the Montmorency County Road Commission should be Public I?ar.l~~ng facilities might possibly be built with the help of federal fund:i ng. Pu.blic services and programs can also be funded throug·;; .· t!deral and state agencies. Vocational rehabilitation funding ca,n be attained through federal project grants administered by state or private non - profit agencies. Tbese funds may be used to retrain individuals for gainful employment and could be applicable to retraining the unemployed in Albert To.msh ip fo r skilled employment positions. Local industries may also bene f it f rom in - stituting and coordinating training programs \ 123 I II can be found at the federal, state, and county levels . made aware of the need for local and collector street improvements. I I I I I I I - the area to prepare I II II II I I I • �• • •I prospective employees with particular. skills. Federal programs are available to provide technical and educational assistance fn environmental and recreational improvement. The art of "grantsmanship", the ability to define and acquire outside I I monies, is an important tool in implementing the goals a.nd objectives of tte II Albert Township, ar c a combine. tion of public and pri vatc effo:rts. •I I - tovmship. Promotional endeavors, those designed to att1·act people and business to Advertisin~~ through various media is a method of dissemin3.tin8 inforrcation about the township to outside professi.onals and firms . The township can institute an official public relations program empl1asizing the o.menities of the area and the community 1 s desire for preferable enterprises as outlined. in the comprehensive plan . weal organizations, particularly the Chamber of Commerce, should endeavor to publicize commercie.l a.ctivities in attempts to attract business. Special events, commensurate with existing attructions, should be main to.ined and expanded . J\.s tbe tmmship develops, more commer cial and indus- trial enterprises will contribute to the financi al back ing these activities reCJ.uire. In addition, team sports, local arts and crafts procrams, a nd I safety education can be sponsored by businesses within tl1e tmmship. "• controlling and coordinating future growth . land use and physical development policies are of primary importance in Tbe comprebensive plan is · an accepted method of ~iding long-range development to protect the welfare of the towns}Jip' s residents. Zoning is a rational means of allocnting and de- fining land use to facilitate desirable growth and avoid conflicting activities. In the past, zoning has been applied in many communities in a stan- dardized fashion and zoning ordinances have usually contained the same 124 �general stipulations. Recently, however, new and innovative zonin~ regula - tions have been proposed which attempt to promoteimore efficient control of loca l land use. One such method is tl1e use of timing and sequent ial controls, whereby development is controlled accordini to a general long-ranie facilities and utilities plan. Briefly, tbe riebt of an individual or corporation to de- velop property would depend upon the distance the propo sed develop:nent is from tl1e utilities and fac i lit ies network as outlined in the plan. A point system is used t o determine the priority a particular development has in receivi ng approval from the local aut hority. The closer the proposed cievel- opment to exiGting o:r. proposed facilities, the greater the numbe r of points it receives. I I I I ' ' ' ' Wben the requisite accumulation of points has been achieved, and otber re 6'Ulatory crit eria have been approved, t11e development will be allowed. Basically, t l1e impl ement ation of this type of program enables tbe to,ms}iip to develop in controlled phases, maint a in a desir2.b l e balance c.mong l and use s , achieve greater regulatory powers and maintain qual ity services and facilities. The institution of subdivision regulations and planned unit development crit eria will allow tbe townsbj_p to incorporate guidelines for a mixture of land uses with in a given zoning district. Advantages include the review of plans a t the conceptual sta ges to insure proper access, circulation, school and park development, and ade~uate utilities . The township ma y also retain professional aid in r eviewing and making recommendations pertinent to the proposed development. Performa nce zoning is another means of allocating land use ac cording to specific criteria. In addition to designated zones, the nature of the 125 I I I I I J J - �development and the resultant performances it promotes, define the accepta bi~ity of that particular activity in the com:nunity. St9.ndards such as the number of cars generated in a particular area, theipotential disturbance to tl1e environment and increased need for public facilities are based upon q_uantitative and qualitative measures . These standards then define tl1e pre - ferred densities and distrj_bution of specific developments . E:..1.ch proposed activity is there fore analyzed in rele..tion to its effe cts upon surrounding activities . Another legal method of controlling and planning future growth is tbrough transference of development rights ('rons ). This ideu is predicated upon tl1e fact that the bundle of property ri r;hts a land owner has can be ' separated. The rj_3;ht to develop, or not develop, can be acquired by the tovmship through outright purchase, taxation agreements, or tra din::s of rights wi tb tl1e owner. \-11,ile the loca l government attains development rights, the individual retains m-mership of the property. An al terna ti ve to outright purchase or tax reduction is to trade development ri ghts . If the township desires to limit grovtb in outlying areas an<l has already at tained development ri 5 hts closer to urbanized sections, it can dj_rectly transfer its rights to the developer in exchange for the development rig11ts in the outlying area; thereby promoting grovth in a desirable locality and limiting it in an undesirable area . There are nwnerous variations to these methods which would enable the -township to define and control its grovth . Aesthetic considerations are important in pr omoting the at t ractiveness of the township as a place to shop, live, and visit . Ordinances r e gulating size and location of signs, types of commercia l landscapin~, and architec tural controls can be developed according to the township's design preferences . 126 �. An Envj_ronmental Hevicw Board can be established to an::-1lyze and mal<e recommendations to miti 6s.te undesirable environmr,ntal conseq_uences resulting fI\Om individual larr-;e-scale development. The above are by no means a complete comprehensive listing of irnpler.1ent3tion programs and techniques. The elected and appointed decision - makers in Albert Township have the rcsponsibili ty to become a,;are of and analyze , as. thoroughly as possibl~, any techniques which will promote the goals, objectives, and policies of the comprehensive plan in light of the township's individual cbaracteristjcs and specific needs . While all policies may not be achieved within tbe planning period) t!J.e decit;ion - rnakers ar,d citizens o~ Albert To'.mship should promote the reali.zat:i.on of 8 s many of these statements as possible. T'ni s can be a de qua te1y done only if knowledge, creativity, and most importantly, coimunity inter est and involvement ber.01ne an integrq.l part ·of Albert 'rownship . 127 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Albert-Twp_Comprehensive-Plan_1975 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Albert Township Planning, Zoning and Sanitation Commission. Albert Township, Montmorency County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1975-09-17 Title A name given to the resource Albert Township Comprehensive Plan Description An account of the resource Comprehensive Plan for Albert Township, Montmorency County, Michigan developed by the Albert Township Planning, Zoning and Sanitation Commission with the assistance of the Northeast Michigan Regional Planning and Development Commission September 17, 1975. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Northeast Michigan Regional Planning and Development Commission (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Albert Township (Mich) Montmorency County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ff58a22a97498f9fa75c3df9770b51b0.pdf 2bdc990a5d7d681a20152c6ea20f2507 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource De laudibus Mariae [folium 158] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_158Magnus1493 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Albertus, Magnus, Saint. 1193?-1280 Description An account of the resource One leaf from De laudibus Mariae by Albertus Magnus. Printed in Strassburg by Martin Flach (Printer of Strassburg) in 1493. [GW 0061610; ISTC ia00248000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Strassburg: Martin Flach Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1493 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/01c53e4d15834164809f19c1960df044.pdf f36ec7766af4922b784ab5e98c331e32 PDF Text Text ��������������������������������������� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flores astrologiae Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_A001Albumasar1500ca Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Albumasar Description An account of the resource Flores astrologiae by Albumasar. Printed in Venice by Johannes Baptista Sessa circa 1500. Quarto. [ISTC ia00358000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Venice: Johannes Baptista Sessa Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Astrology, Arab Albumasar, d. 886 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection: BF 1680.A28 F56 1500, A1 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/750cc5aeb6e71507f4ccb5a1a4ce5bea.mp4 0e8fd6958e8a2c0845109c153ff6c1ad https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9cd6ba7bb2f1bb5a12a3f1d311407dbc.pdf 6f417e9b606ef3ea77670e2b659be71e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Les Alcumbrack (01:02:00) Background • Full name is Lester Alcumbrack (00:14) • From Kentwood, MI (00:31) • Born in Grand Rapids, his family moved to the corner of 32nd and East Paris when he was about five years old. (00:44) • He was in the #8 District school, which had one teacher. (01:03) • The school was about five and a half miles away. (01:14) • He went to Godwin High School, as did all of his siblings. He was the youngest of five children. (01:21) • They usually walked to school. Sometimes his father dropped them off on the way to work. (01:34) • His father worked at a laundromat. It was initially called “U.S. Laundry,” and the name was later changed to “American Landry.” (01:53) • Les worked on nearby farms after graduating high school. (02:08) • Graduated 1939. (02:27) • He didn't pay much attention to international affairs, or WWII, he was too busy at the time. (02:40) • He heard about Pearl Harbor in Silver Lake. He and his girlfriend were delivering calendars for his sister's church, and they heard about it on the car radio. (02:55) • At the time, he didn't think about being drafted or enlisting. He was very afraid. (03:33) • Later on, he attempted to enlist and was rejected because he was set to be drafted very soon. (03:53) • He was drafted a few weeks later. (04:16) Training • Went to Fort Custer. (04:38) • He was given written aptitude tests. (04:47) • Next, he was sent out to Yuma, AZ in the middle of the desert. (05:15) • The trip to Yuma was his first cross-country trip. It was a long train ride. (05:27) • At this time, he was not yet assigned to a company. (05:43) • The dirt in Arizona was black, powdery and very dusty. (06:21) • He had his winter clothes on because he had left Michigan in September. Arizona temperatures reached the hundreds, and his clothes made him even hotter. The dust stuck to his sweat. (06:21) • They were split into four companies, A through D. He was in company A. (06:46) • The base was in a mountain. (07:03) • Basic training was in Yuma. It was mostly field hikes, and rifle training, but he missed most of it as he was very sick. (07:10) • He felt sick, and passed out in front of the doctor's office. (07:50) • He had a fever of one hundred and four. (08:18) • He was rushed to the hospital tent. (08:25) • His sickness may have been infection from the water. He was hospitalized for forty-nine days. (08:45) • He didn't do much, but eat and sleep. He gained a lot of weight during his hospital stay. The �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • lack of activity was a drastic change to his life at home on the farms. (09:00) A man wanted him to change units. (09:18) He talked with his superior officer about a transfer, and was denied. (09:42) He didn't find out about his duty until after basic training, which he had not still finished. (10:00) He drove a truck, and took care of garbage on the base. (10:30) Later on, he filled gas cans. There were about twenty truck drivers. (10:55) Patton trained his men nearby. Les brought fuel to him, and took the empties back for refill. (11:09) Patton was training a large armored unit, which used large amounts of gas. (11:32) Les' grandson later trained in the same area as a Marine. (11:48) Still in Yuma while he was driving trucks. (12:14) Big trucks brought in gasoline, which they pumped into five gallon drums. (12:18) Sometimes trains brought the gas instead of trucks. (12:40) He spent six months in Arizona. (12:49) Next he was sent to Fort Preston, FL for amphibious training. (13:00) He was assigned to a unit responsible for supplying gasoline. (13:12) During the amphibious training he had to be able to swim two miles and climb a mock ship. (13:25) He didn't practice climbing down nets onto landing craft. (13:54) He went from practicing on a fake ship to practicing on actual ships. (14:04) He practiced loading ammo cases filled with sand onto amphibious trucks called “ducks.” (14:17) The exercises didn't have much to do with driving trucks, but he followed the orders despite the seeming impracticality. (15:04) He did not have a discipline problem. (15:21) Some of the men had problems with discipline, but not many of them. (15:30) Many of the men disliked digging foxholes, including himself. (15:45) He once was training in foxholes, and found a pre-made foxhole. He planned on using the foxhole, but decided to make a new one when he noticed the rattlesnake inside. (16:07) Fort Pierce was about fifty miles north of Miami, halfway between Miami and Jackson. It was on an island. (16:33) The base being on an island made it hard to get into trouble. (17:06) He was in Fort Pierce for about six months, late 1943. (17:19) He was next sent to Camp Pickett, VA for more training. They had marching and an infiltration training course. (17:29) As part of the course, they had crawl up a hill on their hands and knees around fake land mines. The “mines” were very noisy and startled. They activated with strings. (17:55) He did well on the course. (18:33) The Army usually sent about ten men through the course at a time. (18:44) His training was not related to truck driving, it was in case of capture. (18:54) By this time, he was in a company which he trained with. (19:06) He had a fourteen day furlough. He spent most of it with his girlfriend. (19:21) He had asked his girlfriend to marry him before he was drafted. He then asked her father for his approval. Her father preferred them to wait as Les had been drafted. Les decided to follow his advice, and believes it was the correct decision. He didn't want to start out on the wrong foot with his in-laws. (19:42) He frequently received letters from his girlfriend, but did not answer them often as the Army kept him very busy. (20:40) �Deployment/Scotland and Wales • He was at Fort Pickett about two months, and then shipped out at Boston. (21:04) • The ship was an old gambling ship, the Evangeline, the ship came to Boston from New Orleans. (21:16) • The ship had been converted to a troop ship, but it still had many accoutrements from its life as a gambling ship. The dancing floor was still intact. (21:44) • The ship held 300-400 men. The bunks were stacked about three high. (22:22) • The ship was not very crowded. (22:34) • He was shipped out fall or winter of 1943. (22:42) • Once, during the night, the ship supposedly scraped sides with another ship in the convoy. He didn't hear the scrape, and didn't see evidence of it. (22:50) • The ship was bound for Glasgow, Scotland. They took the long way around to avoid U-boats. (23:27) • The convoy was large and involved about twenty ships. (23:54) • The weather was cold, but the sea was probably calm as he doesn't recall being sea-sick. (24:15) • Next, he was put on a train to South Wales. (24:51) • He stayed in South Wales, but didn't do much. (25:02) • They were in tents, in winter, in Wales. It was very wet, but not too cold. (25:15) • The tents were set up off ground a bit. (25:41) • There was a lot of mud. (25:52) • Trucks brought in sand to counter-act the mud. (26:00) • They were waiting for the invasion of Normandy. (26:18) • They also made roads, and improved the base. (26:30) • There were not many towns in the area. (26:46) • Swansea was the nearest town in the area, but he didn't go. (27:08) • His company was the only one there at the time. It was a small unit. (27:29) • They were sent to Plymouth, as a “holding tank” before the invasion. They were only there for a week. (28:05) • The invasion was soon underway. About sixty “ducks” were sent, but only about sixteen made it. (28:48) Service on the Continent • He was in Plymouth during D-Day. There were many German planes flying over that day. They didn't drop bombs; he assumes they were reconnaissance planes. (29:04) • He landed on June 23, he didn't remember a storm. (29:46) • Landed at Omaha Beach. (30:20) • France had many hedgerows. (30:36) • He drove the truck off of a landing barge, an LST with a drop down door [probably an LCT— ed.]. (30:48) • He dropped into water about four feet deep. (31:18) • Some of the later trucks partially flooded after dropping off. As each truck dropped off the transport, the transport floated higher in the water because of the lost weight. Each truck dropped from a higher point, and as a result the later trucks were splashed with water. (31:40) • Before the landing, he had to waterproof his truck with a layer of grease. After the landing the grease had to be removed. (31:45) • The ordinance outfits set up a tent. (32:05) • After they captured the area, they had to pick up loads and distribute them. (32:38) • Two men were assigned to each truck, one drove at a time in shifts. This way they were able to drive in forty-eight hour stretches. (32:50) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The beach was sandy. (33:12) There was not much traffic, some roads were just trails. (33:33) He mostly transported food supplies. He only drove, other men loaded and unloaded the trucks. (33:50) After they took St. Lo, the travel distance increased. (34:16) Some WWII movies were very accurate, and brought back memories for him. (34:42) He drove along a road one day, and went to turn when about a hundred yards away he saw a cannon. The cannon had fallen over, and was pointing right at him. It scared him badly. (35:42) The Americans had a pipeline for gas which went through the English Channel. (36:58) The first time they used the pipeline, the gas was about ninety percent water. He got blamed for it. (37:55) Most supplies continued to come from Normandy, as it was the best place for a base for a while. The train tracks had been destroyed and could not be used. (38:55) A German bomber dropped a “blockbuster” bomb near his truck, sending large fragments of clay near him. (39:24) Back at the base, large tanks of water were used for showers. The tanks warmed in the sun, providing a warm, but not hot, shower. (40:13) He never had a problem with food. (40:42) Sometimes he stole food out of the trucks with his friends. Canned peaches were a frequent favorite. (41:05) He had to deliver gas to a nearby unit. (41:55) The unit wasted gas, the soil was moist from it. Some of the men got lead poisoning and lost their legs because of the gas. (42:07) As the troops moved forward, so did his supply trips. (43:18) He stayed in France until they entered Germany. (43:29) He supplied Patton's Army. After the war, Patton was killed near the area. (43:38) His unit began using refrigerated trucks after the war. (44:06) He was not in much danger, aside from the bomb incident. (44:26) He observed very little of the action, but knew how the war was going. The Army kept him informed. (44:40) Once, they had an emergency at an airfield. One of the planes couldn't get its landing gear out in time. He saw the pilot’s body in a nearby tree. It sickened him. (45:08) He met some of the French people, but didn't like them because he thought they were dirty. He believed they had low morals, and he was also not impressed by their public latrines. (46:36) He was once set to the outskirts of Paris to pick up empty gas cans. (47:38) He went to Paris on furlough once, and was not impressed. (48:28) He thought Germany was cleaner, despite the wreckage of Mannheim. (48:50) Some of the men moved into a nearby building, which had been an old girl's school. They used the classrooms as bedrooms. They played basketball in the gym, and used the showers and footbath in the basement. (49:29) He drove refrigerated semi-trucks later on. He had never driven a semi-truck before. (50:41) He went from Mannheim to Heidelberg, and a few other small towns. (51:42) The trips were about sixty to seventy miles. (52:06) He carried food supplies around in the semis. (52:10) When they stayed at the school, the officers put on a party which had a lot of alcohol. They had a dance, and brought in a few girls as well. The party helped him keep his mind off the war. (52:38) He left Europe shortly after, and arrived home Christmas Eve. (53:54) �• • • • • • • • • • • He went from Manheim into France, and disembarked on a Liberty ship from Marseille, through the Mediterranean Sea. They passed the Rock of Gibraltar. (54:27) Before leaving, the commander announced a storm was on the way. He asked the men if they wanted to try and beat the storm or wait it out. The men decided to go right away. They beat the storm. (55:12) They landed in Boston, it was cold. The ship was covered in ice from water that had splashed up at sea. (56:02) When they arrived home, they were given fresh milk. They had had powdered milk in Europe. (56:45) He called his brother to pick him up to avoid using a bus or a train. His brother was initially a little reluctant because it was the Christmas season. His brother offered to bring Les' girlfriend along, but Les advised him not to as the car would be full of men. His brother was also picking up a few men in his outfit who were from Grand Rapids. His brother thought she would be miffed at the exclusion, but went forward with it anyway. (57:29) His girlfriend/wife knew some of the men from school. The other men were from Grand Rapids, but from other parts of it. (59:20) He married January 30th. (59:52) He worked at a lumber company for twenty seven years, counting the years before the war. He started in 1939. (01:00:03) The company closed, and then he worked with a hi-lo. He only had two jobs, aside from working on the farms. (01:00:28) He doesn;t think the service changed him all that much, but it was a good experience. (01:00:42) Believes enlistment would help some kids with discipline issues. (01:01:10) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alcumbrack, Lester (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alcumbrack, Lester Description An account of the resource Lester Alcumbrack was drafted into the army in 1942. Les became very sick during basic training, and became a truck driver. He trained as a fuel truck driver and received amphibious training. He began duty in Scotland and Wales prior to the Normandy Invasion, and continued to serve as a truck driver in France and Germany during and after the Invasion. After the German surrender, he spent his last months working with a refrigeration unit delivering food to US occupation troops. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Kentwood Historic Preservation Commission (Kentwood, Mich.) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-28 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AlcumbrackL Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/136c5948de33ed53617b0f693eb15a95.mp4 31062292ed7adc20dd9de4ed9c69a431 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/72ada9503b21a03deff53495fba5eb72.pdf 5786485af050f28f602184ce7b7567dd PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project World War II Charles Aldrich Interview Total Time: 1:50:34 Background  (00:11) Mr. Aldrich was born on February 7th 1925 in Hastings, Michigan  (00:35) He and his family lived on the farm  (1:00) After living on the farm for a few years, they moved to the Cascade area, SE of Grand Rapids  (1:25) Rented property, they had their own gardens o the property had cows, chickens, grew their own vegetables o picked apples and peaches o (2:00) They didn’t necessarily farm, but had gardens for their own personal use  (3:15) His father signed for him to enlist in the Navy at age 17  (3:26) Has younger twin brothers, 8 boys in his family altogether  (4:36) His brother Harold was in the Air Force  (5:11) Another brother was in the CCC  (5:30) Most of their information regarding the war, Pearl Harbor, etc., came from the Grand Rapids Herald newspaper  (5:57) Mentions that they didn’t have electricity in their house, so no radio Enlistment  (6:11) Mr. Aldrich was just 17 when he enlisted in the Navy  (6:30) Enlisted because he didn’t finish high school, didn’t have anything in particular to do  (7:20) Remembers his father taking him to the recruiting office at Reed’s Lake o Physical o Papers OK’d while father was on the job at WPA  (8:00) Took a train to Detroit for another physical and to do more paperwork  (8:20) After that, took another train to the Great Lakes, north of Chicago �Training  (8:45) Says that Great Lakes was a “mammoth place”  (9:43) It was busy, you were always kept busy from morning until night  (10:00) Had classes about Navy procedures, lots of marching  (10:24) Instilled the idea of following orders  (10:32) Blue Jacket Manual, they were supposed to read it and learn the rules and regulations  (10:50) On Sundays they marched to another base to go to church o Included a Catholic and Protestant church  (11:11) After 5 weeks of training, they were put in an Outgoing Unit  (11:44) Didn’t have a hard time adjusting to his training, thought of it as a job o (12:18) Mr. Aldrich noticed others having trouble with this o If someone decided they didn’t want to go through with it, they would jump over the fence, but eventually caught and put on trial  (13:20) After the first 5 weeks, and after the week in OGU, they were sent to Little Creek, Virginia o Gunnery school o Different training for different guns o Different sized guns o (15:34) Gunnery training was for service on merchant ships, but could be used on different ones as well o (15:55) They were being trained to be Navy Guards on merchant ships o (16:36) Stayed at Little Creek for about 4 weeks o (16:55) They were allowed to explore the area a bit, went to Norfolk and Virginia Beach o (17:29) The people in Norfolk weren’t necessarily fond of sailors because there were so many around, some felt they were disruptive  (19:00) They were supposed to get boating experience, but the boat happened to be broken down at the time  (19:17) Sailing experience was new to him  (19:38) After his training at Little Creek they took a ferry to Newport News, and took a train to New York, then went to the Armed Guard quarters at Brooklyn Navy Yard  (20:16) Brooklyn was where they were stationed until they were assigned to a ship  (20:30) While waiting, they got to visit New York a bit �Shipped Out  (22:18) Was in the Armed Guard Center from July 30th to August 4th o Shipped out on the John Penn  (22:27) John Penn was a Liberty ship, carried cargo o (22:56) Went out of New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada o Picked up more ships o Assembled in the ocean o Went to northern Scotland o Waited here for orders to proceed  (23:36) When he first got on the ship, he says there wasn’t too much to remember o They were replacements, Mr. Aldrich and another man o (24:26) His first night on the ship he slept in a bunk, had to get up at a certain hour o About 34 guys from the Armed Guard on the ship o (26:12) They took turns standing on gun watch; 4 hours on, 4 hours off  (27:00) Accommodations on the Liberty ship: o Bunk beds, some underneath the bridge, some under the stern o About 4 bunks per room o Each had their own locker o (28:05) They had their own lunchroom: gun crew, merchant marine, o Mess boy would deliver food o Says it was good food  (29:07) Mr. Aldrich remembers getting seasick once o They ran into a 72 mile an hour gale o He was on watch, getting sprayed with ocean water, was told to come back on the bridge because of the weather o One of the lifeboats was lost  (30:28) They didn’t have any U-boat scares on the way to Halifax or Scotland o Remembers the ocean being beautiful o (31:12) Mr. Aldrich remembered on the way to the British Isles the fog prevented them from seeing things, and once it cleared they had to get their convoys lined up again o This was the only problem they had  (32:23) He was put in a convoy at the British Isles and started heading over to the Soviet Union, it was PQ-18  (32:33) PQ-18 was escorted by a number of British destroyers o Remembers having a British cruiser in the convoy o Was told there was an aircraft carrier �      o They had a convoy master o Near Iceland was where they experienced the 72 mile an hour gale o (33:40) This was when they made a turn (33:57) On the morning of September 13th Mr. Aldrich remembers two ships being hit and sunk within 15 minutes o These were slower ships o (35:03) A submarine was also hit and sunk (35:13) Later that day, after everybody had lunch they went back on watch o About 3 pm a bunch of JU-88’s came out and sent torpedoes o This brought down some ships, the John Penn was one of them o (36:04) Mr. Aldrich was a first loader during this o His job was to put a new shell into the gun every time they fired it o (37:06) After numerous firings, the gun was lowered on the surface level and he could see a bomber flying over the convoy o The bomber blew up in pieces that flew all over o (38:09) His ship got hit just a few minutes after this o He infers that the bomber is the one who hit them with a torpedo o (38:44) He was looking in the opposite direction as they were hit o (39:22) In a matter of minutes, they announced “Abandoned ship!” o Mr. Aldrich couldn’t hear this, but he turned around and saw everyone running o (39:58) Remembers all the lifeboats being gone, there were 5 guys (including Mr. Aldrich) left  Remembers one was hanging on a pulley near the water  (41:18) They got in the lifeboat, and it was filled with water o (41:35) It was snowing during this time, so it was cold water, temporarily couldn’t move his legs because they were so cold o (42:20) A British destroyer picked them all up from their lifeboats o (43:00) There was oil in the water, his clothes from the waist down was soaked and had oil on them (43:33) They were all given food when they got on the ship (43:45) Legs were starting to warm up, remembers getting help walking around for a bit o (43:57) Thinks they didn’t know his rank and one man thought he was an officer o Ate with the officers during this time (44:30) After this, they were far enough into the Russian territory that the British escort left the convoy, and the Russians took over (45:11) 7 British Destroyers got their formation together and went back to Scotland, taking the rescued men with them o (45:37) They stopped and refueled in Iceland �                (46:39) Got on a train to Glasgow o (47:12) Remembers getting new uniforms here o They went to the Red Cross Center and got a British uniform o (47:43) They were free to travel around Glasgow for awhile, and then they were transferred to a training base for the Marines o (48:18) They stayed there until they got their next assignment (49:15) Remembers a Scottish castle being used as the training base for Marines (49:56) While they waited for their next assignment they marched around with the Marines o (50:12) They were US Marines (50:21) They had Navy shoes, and they weren’t good for marching, so they got army shoes. (50:43) They gave them M1’s, which were 30 caliber rifles, marched them around and taught them how to shoot the M1’s, load, unload, etc (51:18) Mr. Aldrich and his buddy took a bus to Glasgow in between all this (51:48) They packed up and went to the dock, and were headed towards Oran, Algeria in North Africa (52:38) They were put on a troop ship, which was British transport (53:30) They got to Oran in March of 1942 [1943] (54:20) He worked in Oran Harbor (55:30) His duty was to go back and forth between harbors and pick up supplies off of the merchant ships and bring them back to Oran (55:56) The distance between the two harbors was about a mile and a half (56:30) He remembers being in a schoolhouse in Oran while awaiting a new assignment and they were allowed to explore the area again (57:25) Remembers seeing French and Arab people, had dinner with a French family one night o (57:53) They could speak English too (58:11) Everyone seemed to be friendly in Oran (59:30) Remembers troops coming in to get the wounded transferred back to the US Leave  (1:00:18) Mr. Aldrich was given a 30 day leave o Went home and back to Brooklyn again  (1:00:58) Not a lot going on back at home o His brothers tried to entertain him as much as they could o They took him to shows, introduced him to girls �    (1:01:36) There were dances at halls, included drinks (1:02:00) They didn’t question age when they were drinking, he wasn’t quite old enough (1:02:22) Went back to Brooklyn, then took a train to Detroit, and Canada o (1:02:45) Mr. Aldrich enjoyed riding trains (1:03:16) After a short period of time in Brooklyn he was assigned to an oil tanker New Assignment  (1:03:29) The oil tanker was in Chester, Pennsylvania o The ship was new and hadn’t been in the water yet o Guns had to be cleaned  (1:04:01) They went to New Jersey, loaded up with oil, and went to Port Arthur, Texas, unloaded the oil  (1:04:25) Next stop, they loaded up with gasoline, then picked up a convoy and headed out for England  (1:04:55) First stop in England was Bristol, where they unloaded the gasoline  (1:05:20) The trip over was quiet, except for the fog again that made it difficult to see  (1:06:03) Mentions that when tankers hit rough water, they sort of bounced  (1:07:22) His job was to use the 20 mm gun  (1:08:36) After the 3rd trip, he was assigned back to Brooklyn  (1:09:01) Mr. Aldrich mentions on their final trip, they were told they were going to fire their guns o (1:09:33) 20 mm’s were supposed to fire at balloons o (1:10:02) But never saw any German aircrafts or submarines  (1:10:22) After 1943, they had more escorts, the Atlantic got safer  (1:11:09) To get from Curaçao to England it took about 15 days  (1:11:20) In England, they were also given the opportunity to travel around  (1:12:47) Eventually took out a war bond, and remembers sending $10-$15 a month home  (1:13:26) After doing the 3 round trips with the tanker, he was assigned back to Brooklyn  (1:13:42) He was then sent to Pier 92 in New York  (1:14:12) Mr. Aldrich was assigned to the USS Montcalm; a tugboat  (1:14:30) Took the train from Grand Central Station to Key West, Florida  (1:14:49) Went to Key West Air Base  (1:14:57) Then transported to a minesweeper, which took them to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba �        o This is where they were assigned to the USS Montcalm (1:15:34) They went to many other islands and picked up empty barges and took them back to Cuba (1:16:31) They hauled a target from a destroyer from a Caribbean island (1:17:00) Remembers Guantanamo City, Cuba, being a “liberty port” (1:17:43) Went to Puerto Rico and San Juan a couple of times, also Kingston, Jamaica (1:18:24) Remembers being assigned to Trinidad (1:18:46) There was two Armed Guards on a tugboat that he knew of (1:19:30) Got points towards discharge for sea duty, and also for being on land (1:20:39) The war was over when he got back from Cuba After Cuba/After Germans Surrender  (1:20:51) Came back to Norfolk, Virginia  (1:21:02) Mr. Aldrich was given another 30 day leave o Came back home, spent his 30 days there  (1:21:25) When his 30 days were up, he reported to Detroit  (1:21:38) From there he was shipped to Bellingham, Washington  (1:21:50) While waiting for his assignment, he worked in the Navy laundry  (1:22:27) Was able to travel around Bellingham  (1:22:55) Eventually put on another ship  (1:24:12) Went to the deck officer, got bunk assignments  (1:24:29) His duty was to wheel watch  (1:25:09) There were two man on the wheel, they would switch back and forth  (1:25:40) They headed for Okinawa, which took 30 days  (1:25:58) Believes the atomic bomb was already dropped when he was on leave, so Japan had surrendered  (1:26:20) They unloaded in Okinawa, and saw that a typhoon went through there  (1:27:06) Saw all the damage in Nagasaki from the bomb  (1:28:12) Also transported people from one port to another  (1:28:43) Didn’t see much of the Japanese people  (1:29:07) Remembers seeing Japanese kids on the docks to see what was going on, and saw rifles sitting there o Mr. Aldrich took one � (1:30:25) When he got back, he was asked if he wanted to go home, he said yes  (1:30:40) Packed up his sea bag and was gone within an hour Going Home  (1:30:55) He got on an American destroyer, was taken to another transporter, then went to San Francisco, then to Treasure Island for awhile  (1:32:38) Remembers eating dinner with a fellow seaman and his wife  (1:33:10) Didn’t have a specific assignment at Treasure Island  (1:33:29) Taken to Oakland, then took a train, remembers sleeping and waking up in Utah seeing snow o (1:34:36) Went through Denver, then to Great Lakes o (1:35:40) Remembers a sailor getting beer, almost missed the train and lost half of his beer  (1:36:10) Got a physical again at Great Lakes  (1:36:38) His only problem was hearing, which didn’t require any special treatment  (1:37:02) Finally got back home December 22nd, 1945  (1:37:15) Family knew he was coming home  (1:38:13) Once Mr. Aldrich was back home, he registered with the local draft board to make sure his discharge papers were registered with the county clerk, he was given unemployment compensation until he could find a job  (1:39:02) Continued living at home in the Cascade area  (1:39:30) Worked for a manufacturing company that made die cast parts for automobiles, refrigerators, etc o (1:40:09) He worked as a buffer o (1:40:20) Eventually switched to polishing o (1:40:54) Worked there for 29.5 years until they closed up in 1975  (1:41:10) He was on unemployment for about a year after that  (1:41:22) The last job he had was as a handyman  (1:41:48) Married twice �o (1:42:02) First got married in 1959, he was almost 25 years old o (1:42:21) 2nd marriage was in 1960  Wife passed away two years ago from this interview  (1:42:43) Had 5 kids from his first wife, 2nd wife had 3 from a previous marriage  (1:43:10) Has many grandchildren  (1:44:15) Has great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren  (1:44:40) Being in the Navy helped him have more respect for people that were worse off, also had respect for the Japanese, and other soldiers  (1:46:19) Had a brother in the Air Force, another in the Korean War  (1:46:34) One of his sons was in the Army, drafted during Vietnam War o Had a lot of experience in the armed forces  (1:47:48) He would still join the Navy all over again  (1:49:05) Mr. Aldrich advises young people to take a chance on the Navy, says there are many opportunities � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Aldrich, Charles (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Aldrich, Charles Description An account of the resource Charles Aldrich was born in 1925 in Hastings, Michigan, and enlisted in the US Navy after Pearl Harbor at the age of 17. He trained for 5 weeks at Great Lakes, and then went to gunnery school in Little Creek, Virginia to train as an Armed Guard for merchant ships. On his first voyage, he was on the Murmansk run with convoy PQ 18. He shot down a German bomber, but his ship was sunk by a torpedo, and he was rescued by a British destroyer. He then spent time on a US Marine base in Scotland, Oran, Algeria, on an oil tanker In the Caribbean and Atlantic, a tugboat in the Caribbean, and finally on a cargo ship in the Pacific after the end of the war, visiting Okinawa and Japan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-09-29 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AldrichC1266V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fd40d0b009c3c8d28ef0cad3ebb532dc.pdf c9b081d0a48d22f7f2242f25ead60955 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Destructorium vitiorum [folium 123] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_123Carpentarius1496 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alexander, Carpentarius, active 1429 Description An account of the resource One leaf from Destructorium vitiorum by Alexander Carpentarius. Printed in Nuremberg by Anton Koberger on September 20, 1496. Illustrated with red rubricated initials. [GW 867; ISTC ia00393000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Nuremberg: Anton Koberger Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1496 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b5c5dadf64bb89413521f07ba0725bf3.mp4 1bf6c022169a474c9f9a2e8a73f0ef8c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7fd2a2e98e40bf9d6e4f0aa66b1b69b0.pdf 335e794fd81af4ca796e189082af036a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Floyd Alexander Vietnam War 57 minutes 40 seconds (00:18) Early Life -Born on October 29, 1949 in Jerseyville, Illinois -Went to first four years of grade school there -Moved to Dow, Illinois -Graduated in 1968 (00:53) Army Enlistment -February 1969 enlisted in the Army -Wanted credit for a new car -Bank refused to give him any credit because of being draft age -Did not know much about Vietnam -Two cousins served in Vietnam but didn’t talk about it -Requested to be an MP (military police) -Wound up being placed in artillery (02:20) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri -Greeted by a drill sergeant -Screamed at the recruits -Intimidated them -Had “zero week” for processing -Placement tests -Documentation -Physicals -Was in a “fat farm” for overweight recruits -Had to run everywhere, walking was not allowed -Always got recruited for “special” jobs -Very difficult to adjust to military living -Never had trouble with other recruits -Drill instructors were all Vietnam veterans -Told that they were fat and stupid and thus would get people killed (05:16) A Quick Note on His Parents -Father worked for a flour mill -Family raised small livestock -Helped family raise the animals -Helped with being disciplined, somewhat strong, and having some stamina (06:15)Advanced Infantry Training -Went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for AIT (advanced individual training) -He was told that the majority of the recruits there would go to Vietnam -Only one recruit did not go to Vietnam -Training consisted of field maneuvers and firing the howitzers �-Learned how to calculate range for the guns -Trained on the 105mm howitzers -Was trained how to do everything artillery related -Loading the guns, firing the guns, calculating ranges, etc. -AIT was just as difficult as basic training in terms of actual training -Not as emotionally taxing as basic training -Wasn’t harassed by drill instructors in AIT -AIT lasted eight weeks (08:53) Deployment to Vietnam -After AIT was over was given a thirty day leave to go home -Dad was a WWII vet who was upset about enlistment and deployment -Mom got draft notice five days after he left for basic -Both parents knew that he was going to be sent to Vietnam one way or another -Sent to Fort Lewis, Washington for deployment -Went from Washington, to Alaska, to Japan (10:07) Arrival in Vietnam -Arrival date was December 22, 1969 -Landed in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam -Country had a weird smell to it -Kept in Cam Ranh for a “zero week” waiting for deployment orders -Also got booby trap training at this time -Assigned to Bravo Company of the 2nd/319th Artillery of the 101st Airborne Division -Flew up to Camp Evans via Chinook helicopter (11:40) Brief Overview of Timeline -Sent to Bravo Company for an amount of time -Helped move guns to Firebase Ripcord -Attached to Alpha Company of the 2nd/506th under Captain Burkhart -Infantry duty as an RTO (radio telephone operator) in the field (12:59) Firebase Jack -Met up with Bravo Company at Firebase Jack -Great reception -Looked for soldiers that were also from Illinois (found two) -Assigned to a gun crew -Gun 5 (out of 7 or 8 total gun crews) -Guns stayed there for a while until being moved -Firebase Jack stayed relatively calm (14:38) Firebase Ripcord -Moved to Firebase Ripcord around May to help move 105mm howitzers there -Nothing serious happened during the transfer of the howitzers -Loaded the guns onto a Chinook helicopter -Traveled with the guns -Surrounded larger artillery (155mm guns) with smaller howitzers -Had to reinforce and barricade their positions -Fired countless shells every day -Job was a “loader”: physically put rounds into howitzer -Wasn’t quick enough once and the recoil hit his leg �-Got sent to Camp Evans for medical examination -Stayed there for one week -Thought he would get to go home -Had to physically move the ammunition around -They had beehive (shrapnel-projectile) rounds, illumination (flare) rounds, and white phosphorous (incendiary) rounds -Stayed on Firebase Ripcord for about a month (19:53) Alpha Company-General Information -Got assigned to Alpha Company at this point to be an RTO for Lieutenant Brennan -Flown out to the field via helicopter -Job was to figure out coordinates and call them in via radio that he carried -Never had to walk point in the field -Called in heavy firepower on enemy positions -Artillery and gunships -Miserable walking in the jungle especially during monsoon season -Hunkered down and stayed quiet at night -Captain Burkhart’s replacement, Captain Hawkins, was an equally good leader -Had one 2nd Lieutenant who was reckless and wanted to be a war hero (26:12) July 22, 1970 Pt. 1 -Before major engagement on July 22 there was a sense of deterioration around Ripcord -More contact with NVA, helicopter crash, artillery positions was blown up -Does not recall anyone from his gun crew dying because of the battery exploding -Found an NVA communications line shortly before fighting on July 22 -Encountered small arms fire and satchel charges -Hunkered down on the hillside with officers -Started losing officers -Rescued wounded soldier from NVA fire -NVA were advancing rapidly down the hill -NVA were executing wounded Americans -Played dead and laid on top of soldier -Got kicked in the head by advancing NVA -Blacked out (30:30) July 22, 1970 Pt. 2 -Woke up from being blacked out -Went to get help for wounded man -Found Captain Hawkins who helped move him -He (Floyd) and Captain Hawkins began to call in fire again until Capt. Hawkins got wounded -Pinned down by the NVA for the entire day -NVA pulled back at nightfall after relentless airstrikes -Had to dig in for the night -Delta Company came in the next day and evacuated the survivors -Came right to Alpha Company and created a landing zone for the helicopters there -Started to take fire as they pulled out, he was one of the last ones to leave (35:50) Post Ripcord Vietnam -Sent to Firebase Rakkason for a debriefing -Kept separated from other soldiers �-Didn’t want to damage morale -Sent to Camp Evans after Firebase Rakkason -Stayed with the infantry until he left the country (December 1st 1970) -Bitterness in the wake of what happened at Ripcord -All other contact with the NVA seemed to pale in comparison -Spent a lot of time in the field -Only got to be in the rear for five days (besides leg incident) -Wanted to take an R&R to Australia -Resupply helicopter that would have served as a transport was shot down first try -Fog kept everyone grounded on his second try for R&R (39:30) General Morale in Vietnam -Never saw drug use in the rear or in the field -Never saw racial tensions -Served alongside African American soldiers in the artillery and in the field -Seen as equals in battle -Wrote home almost every day -Mom, aunts, cousins, dad, brothers wrote back -Three to four day wait time -Care packages were very common -Got half a case of baby food after mentioning fresh fruit in a letter (42:14) Leaving Vietnam and Coming Home -Got a “Santa Claus Drop” from Richard Nixon -Got sent home before Christmas (December 1st to be exact) -Landed in Fort Lewis, Washington -Flew in in the middle of the night -Options were a steak dinner then leave, or getting “dress greens” then leaving -Opted to forego the steak dinner and just go -Encountered protestors in Dallas, Texas -Got called a baby killer by one of them -No violence, no retaliation, just walked away -Welcomed home extremely well in Illinois (44:18) Fort Hood and Honor Guard Duty -Sent to Fort Hood -One of the six highest decorated men in his battery and was made an honor guard -Felt guilty not being able to tell families what had happened to the soldier -One mother was so bitter that she refused to accept the flag -Was not attached to any other duties at Fort Hood during his time as an honor guard -Took turns carrying a loaded casket using an honor guard for the sense of realism (47:46) Life after the Army -Army wanted him to re-enlist -Offered him money, promotion, and retirement plan -Catch was that he would have to go to Vietnam for another tour -He refused to re-enlist �-Went back to his place of work before the war -Was being turned away because he was a Vietnam veteran -Union president got involved as well as the VA and got him his job back -Worked there until he retired (49:50) Reflections on Service -Views service as having a positive impact on his life -Not a good time, but there were good times during his time in the Army -Had a temper coming home -Arrested for disorderly conduct -Has to see psychiatrist to keep emotions in check -Wife and family have a noticed a positive impact from therapy -Thirty two years after Vietnam he finally decided to seek therapy -Hated and resented the government -Disgusted by the fact that the Battle of Firebase Ripcord was covered up by Congress -Never talked about his experience in Vietnam with anyone -Couldn’t get loans from banks because of being a Vietnam veteran -Joined Ripcord Association after being contacted about it -Book was written and published in the early 1990s about the battle -His name was mentioned in it -Association wanted him to join because of this � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alexander, Floyd (Interview outline and video), 2013 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alexander, Floyd Description An account of the resource Floyd Alexander was born in 1949 in Jerseyville, Illinois. He grew up in that area and joined the Army in February 1969. He trained at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and Fort Sill, Oklahoma to be a part of the artillery. He was deployed to Vietnam in December 1969 and attached to Bravo Company of the 2nd and 319th Artillery of the 101st Airborne Division and later Alpha Company of the 2nd and 506th as a radio operator. In Alpha Company he saw action in the Battle of Firebase Ripcord and served in Vietnam until he was released early on December 1st, 1970. After the war he returned home and served as an honor guard at Fort Hood during the last part of his enlistment. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-10-12 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AlexanderF1452V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/974692e8346fe02f572700ed5f1b00a7.pdf a787bd151049a85bd76616c30209107c PDF Text Text ALGOMA TOWNSHIP Kent County, Michigan 1991 ) I �., FROM THE LIBRARY O.F1 Inc. Planning & Zoning Center, , ALGOMA TOWNSHIP Acknowledgements TOWNSHIP BOARD • Mark Doren, Supervisor Laural Walkons, Clerk Deborah Arends, Treasurer Paul Harris, Trustee Gerald Oele, Trustee TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION , Al Larsen, · Bob Powell GeraldOele Bob Wilson, Chairman Edgar Ault, Secretary Winnie Nash Lester Momber MASTER PLAN TASK FORCE Bob Wilson, Chairman Caryn Helmer, Secretary Stu Cok Denny Hoemke Steve Johnson Duane Mc I ntyre Winnie Nash Frank Vanderhyde Laural Walkons Deborah Arends GeraldOele Master Plan Adopted: November 19, 1991 Prepared with assistance of WW Engineering & Science 5555 Glenwood Hills Parkway, S.E. Grand Rapids, MI 495U-2091 (616) 942-9600 �l l 1 1 l Table of Contents Introduction 1 1. 3 Goals and Objectives Agricultural Lands and Interests Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Historic Sites and Preservation Residential Development Inter-Governmental Cooperation Commercial Development Industrial Development Infrastructure - Roads, Private Roads and Utilities l 1 J Page Chapter 2. Physical Description Regional Setting Natural Features 1 3. Social_ and Economic Characteristics Population Characteristics Economic Characteristics Households I I I I 4. Community Faci/ities Township Offices Fire Services Public Safety Libraries Cemeteries Parks and Recreation Historical Sites Educational Facilities Solid Waste Disposal Roads and Transportation A&C\Algoma\89564.01\AlgoT~b 3 3 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 14 14 22 22 27 27 28 28 28 28 28 29 29 30 30 30 31 �l 1 1 5. l Agriculture Residential General Business Industrial Public/Semi-Public Road and Railway 1 I 6. I 'r r r r r r r r Existing Land Use Analysis P Janning Analysis Population Projections Residential Land Use Needs Other Land Use Needs Parks and Recreation Roads and Streets 7. Future Land Use Plan Relationship of Planning to Zoning Plan Concepts Land Use Categories Future Roads 8. Implementation Zoning Additional Planning Studies Adopt Township Subdivision Ordinance Prepare and Adopt Capital Improvements Program Planning Commission Work Program Planning Education Revisions to the Master Plan A&C\Algorna\89564.01\AlgoT~b 35 35 37 38 39 39 40 43 43 43 45 48 48 51 51 52 53 66 69 69 71 72 72 72 73 73 �1 l List of Tables 1 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I Page Table 6. 7. 8. Historical Population Change Building Permits for Single Family Homes Age of Residents - 1980 and 1990 Per Capita Income 24 Hour Traffic Counts Existing Land Use Population Projections Traffic Volume Projections 24 25 26 26 34 36 44 50 List of Maps Page Map I I 'J 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Woodlands and Wetlands Soils Unsuitable for Development Prime Farmland Residential Building Permits by Section 1986-1990 Road Classification System Existing Land Use, June 1991 PA. 116 Parcels and Dates of Expiration Future Land Use Map Mixed Use PUD r r r r r A&C\Algoma\89564.0l\AlgoTCJC\5b 19 20 21 23 33 41 42 Inside Rear Pocket 68 �• l 1 1 I I J r r r r r r ALGOMA TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION The fundamental purpose of the Master Plan is to allow Algoma Township to set forth in a comprehensive manner the goals and objectives for its physical development. The Township Planning Act, Public Act 168 of 1959, as amended, specifically gives Township Planning Commissions the authority to prepare and officially adopt a Master Plan. This Plan will serve as an advisory guide for the physical conservation of certain areas and for the development of other areas into a desira~le living environment for present and future township residents. Planning, in simple terms, is a goal-oriented and continuous process which seeks to improve a community and create a better environment. As such, a Master Plan is a "tool" by which this goal can be reached. It is used by both individuals and public officials to make decisions concerning the long-range future ·of a community. In 1968, The Algoma Township Planning Commission prepared a Master Land Use Plan to serve as a guideline for the rapidly accelerating growth in the Township. In 1990, the Township Planning Commission initiated an update of the 1968 Plan, by appointing a Master Plan Task Force Committee to accomplish this process. Over the past 22 years, significant changes have occurred in the Township, rendering a Plan update an imperative. Completion of the U.S. 131 Expressway in 1969 with interchanges at both 10 Mile and 14 Mile Roads has made the Township easily accessible from the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area. Population has increased in the Township by 76.1 % since 197 0. The attractiveness of the Township, determined largely by an abundance of natural features and unspoiled landscapes, insures that the community will continue to be a desirable place for the location of new homes and businesses. The Master Land Use Plan provides: 1. A comprehensive means of integrating proposals that look 20 years ahead to meet future needs regarding general and major aspects of physical conservation and development throughout the Township; 2. An official, advisory policy statement for encouraging orderly and efficient use of the land for residences, businesses, industry, parks and recreation areas, and agriculture, and for coordinating these uses of land with each other, with streets and highways, and with other necessary public facilities and services; 3. A logical basis for zoning, subdivision design, public improvements plans, and for facilitating and guiding the work of the Township Planning Commission and the Township Board as well as other public and private endeavors dealing with the physical conservation and development of the Township; A&C\Algoma\'!9564.0l'algornarnp\sb 1 �4. A means for private organizations and individuals to determine how they may relate their building and development projects and policies to official township planning policies; and 5. A means of relating the plans of Algoma Township to the plans of adjacent townships, villages and cities and to development of the region as a whole. The final element of the plan will synthesize the recommended goals and needs of the Township with the analysis of existing conditions and trends. The plan will conclude with an implementation program that will define strategies and will address specific tools for implementation such as the zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, and a capital improvements program. The Algoma Township Plan is intended to be long-range and dynamic, based on long-term goals and objectives looking 20 years forward. With that in mind, there is an important caveat to this planning process: the Master Plan is general in scope. It is not necessarily intended to establish the precise boundaries of land use areas or the exact locations of individual future land uses. Its greater function is to serve as a decision making frame-work. The Master Plan insures that more detailed future decisions have a clear and rational basis. I A&C\Algoma\J!9564.01\algomamp\sb 2 �CHAPTER 1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Planning goals are statements that express the community's long range desires and serve to provide direction for related planning activities. Each goal has accompanying objectives which reflect the general strategy that the community will pursue to attain its goals. Following are goals and objective statements that have been developed for shaping the Algoma Township Master Plan, based upon citizen input and technical analysis of the data. The following goals and objectives were developed based upon information generated at two public workshops held on January 28 and February 11, 1991. Each workshop was attended by about thirty Township residents; the initial workshop included representation from the Kent County Road Commission and the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. Besides the goals that are specific to the categories listed below the Algoma Township Master Plan Task Force identified the following overall goal: Where existing conditions permit, moderate uses of land (commercial, medium density residential, etc.) will serve as a buffer between intense land uses (industrial, high density, etc.) and low intensity land uses (single family residential, agricultural, etc.) Agricultural Lands and Interests Goal: Respect the rights of the active farmer and ensure compatibility between farm and non-farm uses while providing for the long-term transition of active farm land to non-farm land use. Objectives: ' ' 1. Support the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act, P.A. 116 of 1974, by encouraging use of instruments by area farmers and approving such use of instruments that are consistent with the land use plan. 2. Encourage property tax policies that assess farmland for its present use rather than its potential use. 3. Through zoning, allow reasonable minimum lot sizes for non-farm uses in areas zoned for agriculture. 4. Encourage "Hobby Farms" on four (4) acres or more in order to preserve and enhance the rural character of the area. A&C\A.lgoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 3 �Natural Resources: Preserve the environmental and scenic quality of the Township. Goal: Objectives: r 1. Ensure that development takes place in an environmentally consistent and sound manner by minimizing the potential for flood hazard, soil erosion, and disturbances to the natural drainage network, and protecting the quality of surface and groundwater resources, wetlands, and woodlands. 2. Through zoning, site plan review, and education encourage approaches to land development that take natural features such as soils, topography, steep slopes, hydrology, and natural vegetation into account in the process of site design and building design. 3. Encourage soil conservation practices and education on the prudent use of fertilizers and pesticides. Encourage Township to consider implementing recommendations of the Greenbelt Management Program as proposed by the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the Natural Rivers Act. 4. For all types of development, work with County and State officials to develop improved standards regarding the suitability of soils for septic system placement and use. 5. Through site plan review, discourage practices which would alter the natural, valuable function of wetlands, especially those not protected under the State of Michigan Wetlands Protection Act (P.A. 203 of 1979). 6. · Establish landscaping guidelines for existing and future commercial, industrial, and residential development which, through site plan review, would preserve and increase the numbers of trees and other woody vegetation in the Township including provision for the replacement of dead or diseased landscaping vegetation. 7. Through zoning and growth management policies, establish guidelines which would further protect the Rogue River and its watershed; calling upon recommendations in the Flood Hazard Study of the Rogue River, Valley Preserve System as presented in the Grand River Basin Comprehensive Water Resources Study, the Natural Rivers Act, and the Greenbelt Management Binder. 'r,. A&C\Algoma~9564.0I\algomamp\sb 4 �8. Identify factors that may contribute to groundwater contamination. Participate in regional and state-wide programs to monitor the quality of surface and groundwater. 9. Through permit application and enforcement procedures, require the satisfactory reclamation of lands after removal of natural resources such as sand, gravel, soil, rocks or minerals. 10. Through education encourage the participation of Township residents in the use of approved methods of solid waste disposal including waste stream reduction, recycling, composting, and other techniques. 11. Promote and support community clean-up programs. 12. In order to continue the unique views and vistas which occur naturally within the Township, through Ordinance, establish methods of protecting the country atmosphere, rolling terrain and open space nature of the long-distance vistas. In particular, these areas are: near US-131 between 10 Mile and 12 Mile, near US-131 between 12 Mile and 14 Mile. 1 A&OAlgoma\89564.0 l\algomamp\sb 5 �Parks and Recreation Plan for and develop active and passive outdoor recreation facilities to meet the needs of existing and future residents of the Township. Goal: Objectives: 1. Implement the recommendations set forth in the Algoma Township Park, Recreation, and Natural Area Plan of 1988. 2. Support development of the Rails-to-Trails program and through zoning and site plan review reduce conflicts between recreational trail use and adjacent land uses. 3. Work with residential developers to set aside suitable portions of land for neighborhood parks, and road easements for pedestrian/bicycle paths. 4. Encourage rural neighbors to develop reciprocal agreements for cross-country and hiking trails. 5. Pursue the possibility of Township acquisition of Department of Natural Resources lands through exchange of property of similar or equal value. (The proposed route for the Kent County ~icycle Trail Plan does not go through any sections of Algoma Township. The Trail does run north and south through neighboring Sparta Township and cuts in fairly close to the Township line along Long Lake Avenue. The proposed North Country Trail in Kent County does cut through parts of Algoma Township. The trail is shown to enter the Township in the southeast corner in the vicinity of the City of Rockford and runs north along Northland Drive until it exits the Township where Northland Drive meets the Township boundaries). 6. Work to implement the recreational components of the Valley Preserve Plan. ' A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\o;b 6 �Historic Sites and Preservation Identify and preseive for present and future generations, historic sites, architectural items, and buildings determined to have historic significant value within the Township. Goal: Objectives: 1. Support and promote historical preseivation activities of the Township. 2. Preseive the historic architectural style of the Township by identify the built architectural styles (including but not limited to farm houses, barns, fence styles, etc.) which symbolize the area's heritage. 3. Identify locations and structures determined to have local historical significance and encourage preseivation and/or improvement of these sites. 4. Call upon resources at both the County, State and Federal level to assist with identification and preseivation of local historic sites and structures. r r 'r , A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 7 �Residential Development To create attractive, safe, and convenient residential environments providing a variety of housing opportunities with adequate schools, parks, utilities, and other facilities determined desirable or necessary for community development. Goal: Objectives: 1. Encourage the highest concentrations of residential development in locations where there are existing public utilities and where the greatest potential exists for public utilities and services. 2. Establish density standards that ate consistent with the natural capacity of soils to handle on-site septic systems and which promote the preservation of the Township's natural resources and rural and suburban qualities. 3. Provide opportunities for construction of affordable housing. 4. Encourage creative design of neighborhoods to enhance desirability by including sidewalks, bike paths, pedestrian paths, open space, parks and playgrounds. 5. Encourage residential development patterns that utilize small lot, cluster development in conjunction with open space or conservation easements that may be retained in agricultural uses. 6. Strengthen and protect the viability of neighborhoods by controlling the expansion of incompatible land uses on adjacent properties and protecting neighborhoods by open space and other buffers. 7. Plan residential development on Natural Beauty Roads with sensitivity to potential impacts and with priority placed upon preservation of the aesthetic and cultural value of the scenery. 8. Through watershed management planning, promote the highest feasible quality of Camp Lake as both a valuable natural resource and a quality residential environment. 9. Implement width-to-depth ratios to regulate the shape of parcels. I 1 1 1 A&o.Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\,b 8 �Inter-Governmental Cooperation Goal: Promote a coordinated approach among local units of government regarding goals, objectives, and policies that determine the development of Algoma Township and its neighboring communities. Objectives: - 1. Increase the area tax base and employment opportumt:J.es through increased coordination between industrial agencies, local chambers of commerce, and municipal governments. 2. Build local and regional support for growth management techniques and improved land use patterns. 3. Promote a coordinated approach among local communities for the provision and expansion of public utilities. 4. Increase local funding resources through the coordination of efforts of local government to secure and efficiently spend grants, federal dollars, etc. 5. Establish a communications network among officials of local governmental units. 6. Negotiate annexation and/or tax base sharing regarding industrial, commercial, and high density residential development with neighboring communities. 1 1 1 A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 9 �Commercial Development Goal: l 1 1 .1 1 1 1 Provide a mix of commercial uses at planned locations which are aesthetically pleasing and create a safe and efficient traffic circulation pattern. Objectives: 1. Conduct a corridor study along Northland Drive and prepare sub-area plans on Ten Mile Road and Fourteen Mile Road. 2. In order to minimize traffic congestion and hazard, develop ordinances which require the shared use of commercial driveways and access roads, limit the number and spacing of driveways along arterials, encourage the use of frontage roads or service drives. 3. Incorporate design and performance standards into the Township Zoning Ordinance that will achieve commercial development which is aesthetically appealing, and which operates in a safe and efficient manner. 4. Through zoning or provision for Planned Unit Development, provide neighborhood commercial opportunities near high density residential development. l 1 1 7 1 l 1 7 A&.C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp~b 10 �Industrial Development Goal: Provide for industrial development in areas served by adequate transportation systems and which will probably be served by public utilities and services. Objectives: 1. Encourage the extension of public utilities and services to those areas identified as desirable for industrial development 2. Promote the development of industrial plats rather than scattered single lot development. 3. Achieve quality industrial development through appropriate zoning ordinance requirements while expanding economic opportunities. 4. Separate industrial uses from less intense land uses such as residential through appropriate use of buffer strips, open space or transitional land uses. 5. Encourage the expansion of employment opportunities in the Township in order to reduce the percentage of residents who commute to their place of work. 6. Consider eliminating the Heavy Industrial District from the Township Zoning Ordinance, due to lack of appropriate areas near adequate transportation routes, and due to the existence of uses that are not compatible with heavy industrial uses. r A&OAlgoma\89564.01\algomamp\\b 11 �Infrastructure - Roads, Private Roads and Utilities Goal: Provide for adequate infrastructure that will ensure balanced, orderly growth and ensure the safety and well-being of Township residents. Objectives: 1. Develop a Township-wide street and transportation plan which addresses such items as: Traffic control measures such as turning lanes, traffic signalization, service drives, curb-cut design and location standards. Increased building and parking setbacks along major roadways. Functional classification of roadways. The relationship of land use to road capacity and function. , The interconnection/upgrading of existing and future private roads. The need and feasibility for alternate routes to reduce local traffic on major arterials and on other local roads. 2. Conduct a corridor study along major arterials such as Ten Mile Road, Northland Drive, Fourteen Mile Road, and Thirteen Mile Road to address issues of traffic safety, flow, and need for additional lanes. 3. Encourage the construction of pedestrian and bike paths on major arterial streets. 4. Encourage that private roads be built to respect natural terrain and other features of the natural environment without circumventing construction techniques. 5. Enforce design and construction standards for private roads to insure the possibility of converting private roads to public roads. 6. Coordinate private road development so that these roads may connect logically and efficiently with public road systems and adjacent private road systems. 7. Through ordinance, establish private road construction standards that permit adequate emergency vehicle access, that will not impede proper maintenance of the road, and that ensure the road will not constitute a danger to inhabitants of the Township. 9. Maintain and provide improvements to primary and local roads to insure safe access while maintaining their natural beauty. '1 ~ 'i A&C\Algoma~9564.0l\algomamp¼b 12 �10. Require residential subdivisions, multi-family developments, commercial and industrial development to utilize public sewer· systems where -available. 11. Maintain and enforce regulations for private roads that seek to protect the health, safety and welfare of Algoma Township residents. r A&C\Algoma~9564.0l\algomamp\sb 13 �CHAPTER2 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION This chapter examines the regional setting and the natural features that have impacted upon the community and have helped to determine what the community is today. Natural features examined include geology, water resources, topography and drainage, soils and climate. REGIONAL SETTING Algoma Township is located in northwest Kent County in the second tier of townships from the County's northern boundary. Composed of approximately 34.5 square miles, the Township is bounded on the north by 16 Mile Road, on the east by Northland Drive (old U.S. 131), on the south by Ten Mile Road, and on the west by Division Avenue. Neighboring Townships and communities include Solon Township . and the City of Cedar Springs to the north and northeast, Courtland Township to the east, the City of Rockford in the southeast, Plainfield Township to the south, and Sparta Township and the Village of Sparta to the west According to 1990 preliminary U.S. Census data, Algoma Township ranked eleventh in population among Kent County's twenty-one townships with a population of 5,439 people. The center of the Township is located 9.8 miles from the northern boundary of the City of Grand Rapids, and primary access to the Grand Rapids Metro Area is via the U.S. 131 Expressway which traverses the eastern half of the Township in a north-south direction. Algoma Township lies 26 miles east of Muskegon and 32 miles east of the Lake Michigan shoreline. NATURAL FEATURES Geology The bedrock of all of Kent County consists of the edges of the bowl-like rock formation known as the Michigan Basin. The oldest rock is Marshall Sandstone, overlapped in the central portion of the County in the vicinity of Algoma Township by the Michigan Formation which is primarily limestone, gypsum, and dolomite interbedded with shale and sandstone. Overlying these rock formations is a mass of glacial drift ranging from ten to several hundred feet in thickness that was deposited during the Wisconsin glacial period. Kent County is located in an area where the Michigan and Saginaw lobes of the Wisconsin ice sheet met. Consequently, a complex and strongly developed morainic 1 system developed and the present surface features are for the most part the results of glacial action. The glacial drift ranges from coarse gravel to fine lacustrine2 clay; It is the parent material in which many of the soils in the county are formed. 1 2 Moraines are glacial deposits of earth, stones, and other debris Materials originally deposited in lake water A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 14 �Within Algoma Township, the physiography ranges from hilly morainic belts rising from nearly level valleys generally following the direction of the Rogue River and smaller streams, to gently sloping or rolling till plains3 generally higher than the morainic belts. Topography, Drainage, and Surface Waters Land formations in the Township vary from hilly areas with steep slopes found in the southeast and central-east parts of the Township to the low, plain-like valley of the Rogue River in the southwest portion. A series of lakes is located in the western quarter of the Township, and this series continues northward into Solon Township. The two major watersheds in the Township are the Rogue River basin and the Cedar Creek Basin. Other streams include Little Cedar Creek entering the Township in Section 1, Stegman Creek which enters the Township at the center of the eastern boundary, and a small portion of Shaw Creek which joins with the Rogue River just above the northern boundary of the City of Rockford. Where Cedar Creek enters the Township at 16 Mile Road, its elevation is 849 feet, and it joins the Rogue River in section 22 above 12 Mile Road at an elevation of 709 feet. The Little Cedar joins Cedar Creek just north of the intersection of Algoma Avenue and 14 Mile Road at an elevation of 779 feet. The Rogue River enters the Township in Section 30 at the lower western boundary at an elevation of about 729 feet and exits the Township at the City of Rockford northern boundary at 699 feet. Several formal county drains provide controlled drainage within the western one third of the Township. These include The Finch, Black Lake, Basin, Vandermeer, Dutch and Pickerel Lake Drains. The Kent County Drain Commission and the Township share in the maintenance of the established drainage system. The Rogue River and its flood plain are significant features and flood prone areas have been identified in detail as part of the Flood Hazard Study of the Rogue River completed in 1982 by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. The study reported 1224.6 acres in Algoma Township as being within the 100-year Floodplain. r r- r The surface waters of the Township consist of ten lakes, portions of four additional lakes,. several unnamed ponds, and the Rogue River with its associated network of streams. Camp Lake is the largest lake in the Township and has a water surface of about 140 acres. Other lakes include Whit, Wallace, High, Low, Nelson, and Meek Lakes which connect in a chain on the western side of the Township. Portions of the Ke-Wag-A-Wan Lakes group and the Indian Lakes system are found in the northwestern corner of the Township as are portions of Squaw and Lime Lakes. 3 Flat to undulating areas underlain by unsorted glacial drift A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 15 �Hoskins Lake is located on Little Cedar Creek in Section 10. Lake levels range from 794 feet above sea level at Lime Lake to about 729 feet at Meek Lake. All lakes are private with the exception of Camp Lake on which a state owned public access site is located. The Michigan Resource Information System (MIRIS), which compiles land use date from infrared aerial photography, records 252 acres of open water in the Township. , - 1 Many wetland areas are scattered throughout the Township, and are primarily associated with surface water bodies and drainage patterns. The Michigan Resource Information System records 427 acres of wetlands in Algoma Township. Map 1 illustrates woodland and wetland areas in the Township as identified by MIRIS. There is some disparity between this map and wetlands as identified by the National Wetlands Inventory conducted by the United States Department of the Interior. While MIRIS categorizes lowland hardwoods and lowland conifers as forested lands, the National Inventory records these as forested or shrub-scrub wetland areas that are seasonally flooded. An example of this is much of the area along the Rogue River and parts of Sections 10, 11, 13, and 15. Consequently the Township in fact has more areas that may be considered as wetlands than Map 1 actually indicates. According to Kent County Health Department officials, one area of concern regarding ground water contamination exists within the Township. This area is located southeast of the intersection of 13 Mile Road and Northland Drive. Reports of metal and organic contaminants in the groundwater are currently under investigation; implications for public health are uncertain at this time. Soils The identification of soil types in the Township is an important consideration of both the existing and future physical development of the Township. While residents in the Camp Lake area are served by the Village of Sparta municipal sewer system, the balance of homes and businesses must rely on soil suitability to obtain a safe water supply and to dispose of waste water. In general, the soils in Algoma Township range from the poorly drained mucky or loamy soils along the Rogue River Valley to well drained or excessively drained sandy or loamy materials. Map 2 has been prepared based on soils and their unsuitability for development without public sewers. The factors considered include hazards of flooding, depth to water table, percolation rate, and slope. It should be noted that the soils with severe limitations will in most cases present problems for the efficient operation of individual septic systems. Because of high water tables or rapid lateral movement of subsurface waters in these areas, the use of septic tanks and drainage fields provides increased potential for pollution of wells and surface waters. In addition, there is a potential for seasonal flooding of basements. Intensive development in these areas often results in increased demands for public sewers and/or water systems to compensate for environmental hazards or health hazards. 1 A&.C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\.lb 16 �r r - By mapping these soils according to their unsuitability for development, patterns are identified which make it possible to determine the development potential of specific areas. Although the map is not intended as a substitute for on-site investigation or detailed engineering studies, it does generally define those areas that should be considered as unsuitable for development. Soils which generally have unsuitable characteristics for building or septic use may still be useful with on-site modifications or detailed site analysis. However, significant development in these areas will increase the need for public utilities. In particular the northwest quarter of the Township contains large areas of soils with severe limitations for septic tank absorption due to high percentages of clay resulting in moderately slow permeability, and due to high water tables. In some cases, excessive slopes are a limiting factor. The area on the west side of Camp Lake, previously the site of contamination problems due to high density residential development, is currently serviced by the Village of Sparta municipal sewer system. - ~ t Limitations for development also occur in the southeast along the Rogue River Valley and its tributaries. The central part of the southeast quarter of the Township is also limited by heavy soils and in some cases excessive slopes. The balance of soils in the Township are primarily sandy or loamy sand soils which are suitable for individual sewage disposal systems at low densities. Another important feature of soils within Algoma Township are the soils considered as prime farmland by the United State Department of Agriculture. Prime farmland, as defined by the USDA, is the land that is best suited to food, feed, forage, fiber, and oil seed crops, and produces the highest yields with minimal inputs of energy and economic resources. Map 3 delineates the soils within Algoma Township that are considered as prime agriculture soils. Soils that are unsuitable for on site septic systems, except for those along waterways, somewhat loosely delineate the prime agricultural soils in the Township, mainly due to adequate available water capacity of those soils. l -I Climate Temperatures in Algoma Township range from an average high and low of 30.3° F and 16.0° F. respectively in January, to averages of 83.3° F and 59.6° Fin July. In a normal winter, Algoma Township will experience nine days with temperatures of zero or below, while in the summer eleven days will reach 90°F or above. The annual rainfall in Algoma Township averages 33 inches with snowfall accumulations of 76 inches. The growing season, May through September, lasts about 170 days with threat of frost occurring on an average by October 12th and no later than April 25th. Sunshine is most prevalent in August and least prevalent in December. A&aAlgana\89564.01'-ilgomamp\sb 17 �- l r - - Fish and Wildlife, Unique Natural Features Algoma Township provides suitable habitat for the types of wildlife found throughout Kent County. These include Whitetail deer, small mammals such as squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, and possum, game birds such as pheasants, ducks, and ruffed grouse, and many species of birds that thrive in both forested and open areas. The lakes and streams of the Township may include game fish such as trout, bass, pike, perch, blue gills and sunfish. Steelhead trout and salmon migrate up the Rogue River in the fall. Scattered through the Township are remnant White Pines which for the most part were removed during the logging era of the 1800's. - - -r -l A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 18 �) I. ' \ ) \ ) . J ' ) < ~ ) ' J' '·· \ .1 I t (SOLON TWP.) i ) •, ,:.__. ) "- ' ~ i 0 ~ E!II HJI zl~ / 16 Mil£ RD. ====•== 8 ~ 9!4w. I •-~✓- -~1J.J~ ~ \Jil iV N\ . ~ ~. ~ I ~~111/////h ~/h,,,,,;-.~~-- L'._'_ I I_ I I fl -~g-ga I I II 15 Mil£ RD RUSSEU. ST w \) 0 BROMAN sr. I I L____ ~8 . 17 -~ T~ I ---a.. ~ ~ ~ f' 13 Mil£ RD ~ ~ ~ a::: 0 z 5 I- a.. a::: ,,,,,,,,,,.,,.,,,,,,,,,,,,, :::, 0 12 Mil£ RD 1~, I a.. ~ <( Cf) ...__,, 0 , ~I C Ff- b I J I ~ ~ \ , l 7 -~ ~'h\ I\I 1 I w I ~ ~ j I I rl I'>' ' u ...__,, 10 Mil£ RD. (PLAINFIELD TWP.) ~ Ii: ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICtlGAN MAP 1 ~ ~ WOODLANDS & WETLANDS .I.EGEHll: T BJ BJ WOODLANDS - INCLUDES NORTHERN HAADWOODS, COORM. HAAOWOODS, AND LOWLAND HAAOWOODS WHICH MAY INDICATE PRESENCE Of WE1\N4DS 'NET\ANDS - INCLUDES WOODED, SHRUB, SCRUB, AND EMERGENTS WETl.NIOS -__..........._~,,,,. .... _,. -.................__ ,,_......... ~ SOURCE: MICHIGAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES �.~ ) I • V } I I ) ' J ' · - J; ~ (SOLON TWP.) ifr-1} ) I ) I J 0 It: ~ .;,~ I '.A ZI 16 Mil£ RO • .,......, IJ Mil£ RO (L ,.......,_ (L ~ ~ ~ D z ~ (L ~ I- Cf) ........... 0::: ::J 0 u ........... ~ 10 MILE RO. 1"\. // ~ ~ (PLAINFIELD TWP.) ~ ~ 0 l"' ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICIIGAN ~ ~ MAP 2 SOILS UNSUITABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT :r .LEG.El:il2: - SOILS WHICH AAE GENERAU.Y UNSUrTABl£ FOR ON SITE SEPTIC SYSTEMS DUE TO ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CHAAAC11'RIST1CS: - SOIL PERCOIATION RATE - SLOPE(MORE TtWI 18:t} - DEPlli OF HIGH WATER TABl£ l£SS TtWI SIX FEET - FLOOD ~ O (PONDING, WETNESS) ON-SITE INVESTIGATION MAY STILL BE NECESSARY TO DETERMINE SEPTIC SYS'1EM SUrTASIUTY. CAMP lAKE SEWER SER\IICE AREA . ___ _,. ...... _....,_,__ _________ ,.. ...... -...-... , ......,....... ~~ �., 11' •.~ ' 1 ~ (SOLON TWP.) ~ I I - _) _I a "' ~ . .«.Jw. 15 R<'I xs, .... f 16 MILE RD. 14 - ,........,, CL ~·' ' '.-J 1J MILE RD ,........,, CL ~ ~ ~ (l:'.: 0 z <( CL ~ C/) ...__... ::i I- 21 (l:'.: ::) ~ 0 12 MILE RO (.) ...__... I 26 '< I I ~ - . ~ , ~4 10 M!I..E RO • 1,, // ~ ~ (PLAINFIELD TWP.) i I i !.., l ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICtlGAN MAP 3 ~ ~ PRIME FARMLANDS :r .LtG£tlQ: - PRIME rAAMIAND - SOILS BEST SUITTll TO rooo. F£ED, FORAGE. FlBER, ANO OIL SEED CROPS 1'S DET£RMINED BY THE UNJTt:S STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ___......-,..1 ................... DMIIM~· _.................... - ." ..... ~L" I �CHAPTER3 .. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS Understanding the people of Algoma Township will help establish the basis for developing the Master Plan. This discussion will review the Township' population characteristics and trends as well as economic conditions and housing characteristics of the community. Population Characteristics Table 1 illustrates past growth of Algoma Township relative to the four surrounding Townships and the three nearby communities of Sparta, Cedar Springs, Rockford. Kent County totals are also shown. Township totals exclude incorporated areas. , The decade between 1960 and 1970 saw substantial increases in population for the townships surrounding Algoma Township, although Algoma itself grew at a lesser rate, recording a 24.3% increase. Between 1970 and 1980, Algoma Township increased its population by 42.8%, outpacing all of the surrounding communities except Courtland Township and the City of Cedar Springs. During the last decade, 1980-1990, the rate of growth in Algoma Township slowed to 24.6%. Other communities also show a decrease or leveling off of growth rate, except both Sparta Township and Sparta Village which show increased rates of growth during that ten year period. In all cases, the rate of population increase for Algoma Township surpassed Kent County as a whole. Table 2 illustrates building permit activity in Algoma Township over the past ten years, and permits taken out through October of 1990. The data show an average of 42 new single family homes each year since 1980, and an average of nearly 55 new homes per year over the past five years. Using an average household size of 3.09 persons for 1990 (see following section on Households), 55 new homes will yield approximately 170 persons residing in new dwellings in 1990. Map 4 indicates the numbers of building permits issued for new home construction in 1986-1990 by section. 1 . I :t Another important factor when exanumng Algoma's community profile is the age of its residents. Table 3 shows a comparative age breakdown as reported by the 1980 and 1990 U.S . Census. Although the median age has increased in the last ten years from 27.4 to 31.8, Algoma Township still Jlas a relatively young population with 73% under the age of 44. Only a small portion is over 65, 6.7%. Although not shown in Table 3, the median age for Algoma Township in 1990 was 31.8 compared to 30.7 for Kent County as a whole. In 1980, Algoma had a lower median age than the County 27.4 to 28 years of age. All together, these figures indicate the presence in the Township of a high percentage of persons in the childbearing years and with young children. y A&c:.\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp~b 22 �.I ,, __,,,_ J ,,, l j .) . _} ~ I } J . J 1 ..., I.., ~r J,=' ,,I 1..._.. '. !!i: ·~ 15 _ > '11 <'.I ) I 4 ..--... _J · Iii,( / I I ,. I . .j •. I a ~ (SOLON TWP.) _J ) -l 0: ~ JL of WI zj / \I I 1 1 //~ I ------ ' BROMAN ST. • ~ 0 r'-" - II~ 11§ _ ~ I a.. ~ II I I ~ a::: <( 81GH I I a.. en I I '-" LAKE ) I I I I I I I 15 1 .,......_ RUSSELL ST @/ I I 17 16 I I I 13 Mil£ RO ®i )I RECTOR ST. 20 a.. 0 z ~ fa::: 24 21 ~ .,......_ ~ ® I I I I 15 Mil£ Rq --+---'--Ir-,..,----------+- p- I ®i ~~ 'No~ LAKES RO. ® 12 9 8 1&MIL£Ro. :) 0 01 2 0i!i'?0 ·,~..:·~~ ... , , ... ·-rw~ I 27 . I 26 I I '-" ~~} ' \ C 0: JJ '< I 11 I ~ Iii :IE a ,~.J;? I ) f;p_;, ~ ~\ I ( ~ (PLAINFIELD TWP.) ~ i -, CI -"(II)) \ •1 'I• . \ "I 1-L~II I',., 10 Mil£ RO. ~ 1 ~ i !!! ~ 0: ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICtlGAN MAP 4 RESIDENTIAL BULDING + \rt:wf T PERMITS ISSUED 1986 - 1990 BY SECTION 0 NUMBER OF PERMITS ISSUED G] AREAS OF tlGtEST GROWTH - ............---........._, ..__,.,.,. ________ ,,..,;,,,,,.~ _____ ~ I 0 I I - �,J ~~ - ~- ~ - 1! r ·, - - u - , - It ~ ''J -- ·1r -'-" ll = "II . ll • I( TABLEl Historical Population Change Algoma Township and Surrounding Communities, Including Kent County 1960- 1990 Municipality Algoma Twp. Courtland Plainfield Sparta Twp. Solon Twp. Sparta Vil. Cedar Springs Rockford City Kent County Source: 1960 2,485 1,585 11,680 2,498 1,589 2,749 1,768 2,074 363,187 % Change 1960-70 24.3 38.5 45.0 35.0 33.0 12.6 2.2 17.1 13.2 Absolute Change 1970 3,088 603 611 2,196 5,255 16,935 874 3,372 2,114 525 3,094 345 1,807 39 2,428 354 47,857 411,044 % Change 1970-80 42.8 49.0 21.7 5.8 32.9 8.9 44.7 36.9 8.1 Absolute Change 1,323 1,076 3,676 194 695 274 808 896 33,462 1980 4,411 3,272 20,611 3,561 2,809 3,373 2,615 3,324 444,506 U.S. Census data from Kent County Master Plan Update, 1986. and 1991 U.S. Census. Note: Township totals do not include population of incorporated areas. A&OAlgoma\89564.0I\algomamp\sb 24 % Change 1280-90 24.6 20.7 21.0 25.8 29.9 17.6 -.6 12.8 12.6 Absolute Change 1,085 678 4,335 918 839 595 -15 426 56,125 1990 5,496 3,950 24,946 4,479 3,648 3,968 2,600 3,750 500,631 . 11 -l �TABLE2 BUILDING PERMITS FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOMES (1980-1990) r- Year Number of Bldg Permits 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 39 29 25 28 40 38 50 49 53 66 .i5. 472 Total r Source: Algoma Township Records_ "- I r I r r A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 25 �,,... I - TABLE3 AGE OF RESIDENTS 1980-1990 Year i % Under 20 Years %20-44 Years %45-64 Years % 65 years and over Median A~e 1990 34.3 38.7 20.3 6.7 31.8 1980 39.2 37.4 18.0 5.4 27.4 --------- Source: 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census Data 7 TABLE4 PER CAPITA INCOME 7 Place .... , • • • Algoma Twp. Courtland Twp. Plainfield Twp. Sparta Twp. Solon Twp. Cedar Springs City Rockford City Kent County State of Michigan 1979 Per Capita Income1 6,925 7,528 7,914 6,976 6,843 5,415 7,397 7,522 7,688 ------------ Source: 1 1980 U.S. Census 2 Estimates by U.S. Census Bureau A&C\Algcma\89564.0l\algomamp'8b 26 1987 Per Capita Income2 Percent Change 10,185 11,441 12,488 10,444 10,576 8,289 11,623 11,883 11,973 47.08 51.98 57.80 49.71 54.55 53.07 57.13 57.98 55.74 �r"'I Economic Characteristics I n A comparison of per capita income levels for 1979 and 1987 (Census Bureau estimates) shown in Table 4 for Algoma Township and surrounding communities including Kent County and the State of Michigan shows Algoma ranking above only Solon Township and Cedar Springs City in 1979, and predicted to rank only above Cedar Springs by 1987. experiencing the least amount of increase percentage-wise than any of the surrounding communities including the county and the state. · Households In 1980, there were 1,353 households in Algoma Township, an increase of 65.2% since 1970 according to U.S. Census date. Preliminary figures for 1990 show 1,801 households, an increase of 33 .1 % or 448 households since 1980. Household size in the Township decreased from 3.26 persons in 1980 to 3.05 persons in 1990. A household is defined as an occupied dwelling unit. i I f - - 'I A&OA!goma\89564.01\algomamp"b 27 �, - CHAPTER4 I COMMUNITY FACILITIES The Townships community facilities are those which provide tangible services to the residents. A well rounded set of services is necessary to meet the needs of a growing community like Algoma. The services provided are discussed below: I .... I I. r r T r Township Offices The Town Hall is located at 10531 Algoma Avenue at the site of the former Algoma school. The Township purchased the building from Sparta Public Schools in 1983, and began using the building for office space in 1984. Since that time many physical improvements have been made to the building which include meeting space and office space for all Township personnel, a kitchen, and space for the collection of the Algoma Township Historical Society. The Hall is also used as a voting location. The · Township offices are staffed on a full time basis by a combination of full-time and part-time personnel. Fire Services The Township utilizes a volunteer fire fighting staff as well as a part time Fire Chief compensated for his services. Fire fighting equipment is housed at two barns located at 782 Street and 10910 Edgerton Avenue. The Fonger Street location houses four trucks in four bays, Edgerton station also houses four trucks in three bays. Algoma Township does .not share fire with any surrounding communities, but does have a mutual aid agreement. who is Fonger and the service Public Safety ' 'I I General police protection is provided by the Kent County Sheriffs Department and the Michigan State Police out of the Rockford Post. Kent County maintains a substation in Kent City that has an eight to ten township jurisdiction with two to three sheriffs cars covering that area at any one time. Emergency medical .services are provided by Rockford Ambulance and Northwest Ambulance out of Sparta. Libraries Algoma Township financially supports the Krause Memorial Library located in the City of Rockford. Residents also use both the Cedar Springs Public and Sparta Township Libraries, but do not contribute monetarily to their support. All three libraries are members of the Lakeland Library Cooperative. A&OA!goma\1!9564,01\algomamp\sb 28 �I '""' .... Cemeteries I - The Township actively maintains the cemetery at 10516 Grange Avenue; another cemetery exists just within the Township boundaries on Northland Drive, but is no longer maintained. Parks and Recreation - Algoma Township maintains one park on Fonger Street adjacent to the fire barn, which was previously the site of Chalmers School. The park consisting of 5.3 acres includes picnic facilities and ball diamonds. Plans are to construct a picnic shelter on the site. Little League baseball utilizes the Fonger Street facilities. - An area used for both baseball and soccer exists on property adjacent to the Township Hall. This area may be improved for recreational use in the future. ( I. -r -•I r - Currently, grant money is also being sought to develop a park on 2.5 acres on the west side of Camp Lake. This park would include both picnic and recreational facilities primarily for use by the Camp Lake neighborhood. The Township also owns a ten foot wide access strip to Camp Lake located on the east side of the lake off Orchard Park Drive. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources maintain a public access site on the southern end of the lake. Also located within the Township is the Moose Lodge on the southwest side of Camp Lake. The lodge maintains a private nine-hole golf course on 54 acres. Iii" , -•I i • I While no state parks are located within Algoma Township, the Department of Natural Resources owns 437 acres of land, primarily adjacent to the Rogue River. Of this amount over 200 acres are open to the public for hunting. Most of this property falls under the administration of the Rogue River State Game area. Other recreational facilities located outside of the Algoma Township boundaries include Long Lake Park located just beyond the northwest corner of the Township. This 231 acre park maintained by Kent County includes a ballfield, playground equipment, picnic areas with shelter, swimming, boating and fishing. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources also maintains a public access site on Lime Lake which is primarily within Solon Township and partially within Section 5 of Algoma Township . The 5,587 acre Rogue River State Game area is located nearby in Tyrone and Solon Townships. This game area includes the Howard Christiansen Nature Cen!er as well as hunting and passive recreation opportunities. Township residents also take advantage of recreational facilities and programming in the neighboring communities of Rockford, Cedar Springs and Sparta. 1 1 I ~ A&OA!goma\89564.01\algomarnp~b 29 �Historical Sites r - ... . The Township has an active Historical Society which displays its collection in the Township Hall. Several sites have been discussed for possible future preservation or restoration. One site is the old stone trestle over the former Pere Marquette Railroad, located on Summit Avenue north of 13 Mile Road. This trestle is constructed of field stone obtained from nearby fields. Another site is that of the old Cain Mill located on Cedar Creek on the southwest comer of 14 Mile Road and Algoma Avenue, where lumber was milled as late as the 1930's. Three former schools are of historical significance to the Township. One is the site of the former Chalmers school on the southwest corner of Fonger Street and Pine Island Drive. While the Township currently uses the building as a fire barn, the historical society has expressed interest in the site should fire fighting facilities be relocated. Another former one-room school house, the Birch Town School, is located on Indian Lakes Road east of White Creek Road and has been converted to a residence. The Foxhill School located on the southeast comer of Algoma Avenue and Indian Lakes Road has been converted for use by the Maranatha Community Church. Centennial Farms in the Township include the Powell farm located at 10519 Algoma Avenue and the Don Gray farm located at 11332 Grange Avenue. Educational Facilities Three school districts serve students in Algoma Township. Sparta Public Schools serve most of the western half of the Township, Cedar Springs Public Schools serve students in the northeast portion, and Rockford Public Schools serves the southeastern and extreme southwestern parts of the Township. No public educational facilities actually exist in the Township, aside from 93 acres of school forest land belonging to the Rockford district. The Algoma Christian School maintains facilities at 2100 13 Mile Road, where students in grades 7-12 attend. The property is currently for sale, and plans are to construct additional facilities in the Kent City area where elementary-aged students are currently served. Solid Waste Disposal Private haulers in Algoma Township utilize the South Kent Landfill located west of U.S. 131 off 100th Street in Byron Township. This facility has a programmed life expectancy of at least ten years; length of service will be influenced by Kent County's recently constructed solid waste incinerator, and by recycling efforts currently underway by the County. Drop-off points near Algoma Township for recyclable materials are located at the D&W Food Center on 10 Mile Road in Rockford, at Great Day Foods on 17 Mile Road in Cedar Springs, and at the Big Wheel store on Applewood Road in Sparta. Kent Disposal operates a waste transfer station located at 10251 Northland Drive in Algoma Township. A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp~b 30 �- ,.._ Roads and Transportation r l ,r- The street system forms the most basic framework for growth and development of a community. By providing a means for internal and external circulation, it serves the community by helping shape the intensity of land use. Thus, this costly and long-lasting element becomes one of the most dynamic forces of the community. · ,- The street system serving Algoma Township, (illustrated on Map 5), can be classified as·follows: Controlled Access Arterials - These facilities perform little or no land service function but instead are devoted entirely to the task of traffic movement by providing for large volumes of traffic at relatively high speeds. These are characterized by limited access, multi-lane; divided highways. In Algoma Township, the U.S. 131 Expressway functions as a controlled access arterial. :: Major Rural Arterials ( county primary) - This class of streets serves major movements of traffic within or through the area. Mainly designed to move traffic, the secondary function is to provide access service. This class of street typically interconnects major state arterial highways. According to the Kent County Road Commission official Highway Map, major arterials in the Township include Pine Island Drive, Algoma Avenue, a portion of Edgerton Avenue, Northland Drive, the portion of 14 Mile Road between Algoma Avenue and Edgerton Avenue, 13 Mile Road an~ 10 Mile Road. A portion of 13 Mile Road is also classified as an inter-county road, as is a one mile segment of Edgerton Avenue. A one mile stretch of 14 Mile Road between U.S. 131 and Northland Drive is classified as State Route M-57. Within Algoma Township there are approximately 33 miles of major rural arterials. Collector Streets (county local) - These streets provide internal traffic movement within specific areas and connect those areas with the major arterial system. Generally, they are not continuous for great length. The rural collector street is intended to supply abutting property with the same degree of access as a local street, while at the same time carrying the "collected" traffic of local streets. Traffic control devices may be installed to protect and facilitate movement of traffic; however, these devices would not be as elaborate as those on arterial streets. In rural areas like Algoma Township, rural collectors typically represent the highest percentage of street miles. Within Algoma there are currently 41 miles of paved collector streets and 16.5 miles of gravel collectors. Local Feeder Streets - The sole function of these streets is to provide access to immediately adjacent property. In developed areas, they may make up the major percentage of the streets of the community, but carry a small proportion of the vehicle-miles of travel. In Algoma Township, these streets include those within platted subdivisions such as those throughout the Camp Lake neighborhood. Private Road - There are 83 private roads within Algoma Township. These roads, maintained by the landowners who utilize them, serve varying numbers of lots and homes. Private roads in the Township are regulated by the Township's Private Road Ordinance. A&OAlgoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 31 �' \ r ,..... t. - - - Natural Beauty Road - Two natural beauty roads have been designated in Algoma Township. They are Friske Drive located in Section 22 and Elstner Avenue located primarily between Sections 34 and 35. Under Act 150 of 1970, the native vegetation along these roads is protected from destruction or substantial damage by cutting, salting, and other means. The Kent County Road Commission is responsible for the maintenance and improvement of all county primary and county local roads in the Township. Improvements to county roads are determined by Road Commission officials in conjunction with Township officials in January of each year. The County pays 100% of the cost of improvements to county primary roads, while the Township shares approximately one half of the cost of local road improvements. According to Kent County Road Commission officials, no major improvements to existing roads are scheduled for the next five years. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is responsible for major repairs and improvements to U.S. 131, and contracts with The Kent County Road Commission for routine repairs. A bridge is currently being constructed over the Rogue River to join Grange Avenue with Jewell Avenue in Section 33. The cost for this project is being covered by the State of Michigan Critical Bridges Program. Traffic counts obtained from the Kent County Road Commission are shown in Table 5. Counts shown are for 24 hours for the direction indicated; 24-hour rated capacity for each location is also given. The 24-hour capacity for Northland Drive exceeds those of other county primary roads due to wider lanes, paved shoulders, and turn lanes at some intersections. Where 1990 counts are lacking, estimates were made allowing a 3% increase in number of vehicles per year for paved arterials. Accident information for the Township was obtained from the Michigan Accident Location Index compiled by the Michigan State Police. Of the 328 accidents that occurred in 1989, 93 of those occurred on either North- or Southbound U.S. 131. The streets having the next highest incidence of accidents are Algoma Avenue and 13 Mile Road reporting 37 and 34 accidents respectively in 1989. Northland Drive totaled 31 accidents for that period. Other streets showing a high incidence of accidents were 14 Mile Road, Pine Island Drive and 10 Mile Road. The three traffic fatalities recorded in the Township in 1989 occurred on Algoma Avenue, 14 Mile Road and 10 Mile Road. A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\\b 32 �J ) J J ] ) ) J ) J ) } ~ 0 II ROUN LN<E .,, I ,----- 0 II #- LN<E ~~ \ 1 / I , -~ J ~t"°tA-WON J "" ,~ I (( ~ (SOLON lWP.) I 0 a:: ~ 0 ~ i!: a:: fil{ I'// w,oj I ) , ~ 116 / J j MILE RD . z ---r---, 0 - - - - -,j- - _cQ.tfilll4ERS.. ell'MER.... ---------~~e:..._ z ~, 0 0. ll 5 4 I ~ \I I ___ l _ Vl l 21 . J" 1•NOIAN LAKES RO. Ill z 2 Ill ---- __r___,_ __ - - - - - - - £ l 9 8 I II I / I 15 12 MILE RO I RUSSELL ST fia I I I BROMAN ST. I »u I J\ I I I 17 ~ I g I ............ Cl. '81GH ~ I I I 1 I I I ~ a::: <( a.. (f) "--/ I I 13 MIL£ RD ~ I LN<E I I I I I I I ::> w '-' I I I I ' 0 . I ?Al (_) "--/ 12 Mil£ RD I /..<.-4>' /)/'JI I 26 I jJ --ifi--l. .,~ ~ 0 "' I r ~ 15 z I JJ ,, I/ ~ (PLAIN Fl ELD lWP.) ~ 0 • J. II/ - V1 a 10 MILE RO. ~ ~ I ., i i ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICtlGAN MAP 5 ROAD CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM ~ ~ LEGEND: =- J I- a::: ~ ' '( I z ----+--2 0 J :s I I 20 I 0 I 1 )I RECTOR ............ 0... 0 ® CONTROLLED ACCESS ARTERIAL STATE ROUTE MAJOR RURAL ARTERIALS (COUNlY PRIMARY ROADS) COLLECTOR STREETS (COUNTY LOCAL ROADS) ----- NATURAL BEAUTY ROADS .. ...,...,......_,_,.. THI _......,..,. .......... -........ .....-..w .............. �:~ .,;..~ TABLES ALGOMA TOWNSHIP 24-Hour Traffic Counts and Capacity at Selected Locations by Year 24-Hour 1990 Rated Capacity 1 11,614 11,157 14,000 12,114 14,225 14,000 8,686 7,491 14,000 N-S 8,569 7,893 14,000 5. 14 Mile - West of Northland Drive E-W 9,363 10,231 6. lOMile- EastofU.S. 131 E-W 13,140 8,000 7. 10 Mile - West of U.S. 131 E-W 6,531 8,000 8. Wolven Avenue - North of 10 Mile N-S 7090 * 8,000 9. Algoma Avenue - North of 10 Mile N-S 5,793 8,000 10. Algoma Avenue - North of 13 Mile N-S 2,535 2,689 • 8,000 11 Algoma Avenue - South of 13 Mile N-S 2,646 2,807 * 8,000 12. Pine Island- North of 13 Mile N-S 1,739 1,845 * 8,000 13. Pine Island - South of 13 Mile N-S 1,635 1,735 * 8,000 14. 13 Mile - East of Pine Island E-W 3,615 3,835 * 8,000 15. 13 Mile - West of Pine Island E-W 4,445 4,716 * 8,000 Location Direction 1986 1. Northland Dr. - North of 12 Mile N-S 10,532 2. Northland Dr.- South of 12 Mile N-S 3. Northland Dr. - North of 14 Mile N-S 4. Northland Dr. - South of 14 Mile Source: 1987 1989 6,883 Kent County Road Commission, Michigan Dept of Transportation 1 Capacity is given in vehicles per 24 hours • 1990 Estimates by WWES based upon 3% increase in number of vehicles per year per 24-Hour count. A&OAJgoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 1988 34 * 10-12,000 �CHAPTERS EXISTING LAND USE ANALYSIS This chapter describes the existing land uses in the Township and analyzes changes that have occurred since the completion of the 1968 Master Plan. This evaluation is a necessary tool in assessing the character of a community, identifying problems and opportunities, and will be useful when developing goals and objectives to guide future development. i Several events have had a major impact on land use in the Township since 1968. Probably the most significant event was the completion of the U.S. 131 Expressway ;n 1969 with interchanges at both 10 Mile and 14 Mile Roads, making the Township highly accessible to and from the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area. Another event was the passage of the Natural River Act of 1970, and the consequent designation of the Rogue River as a Natural River. The Act authorizes local units of government to regulate land use along designated rivers in order to preserve the natural amenities provided by river environments. The Algoma Township Zoning Ordinance designates a Natural River District 300 feet on either side of the Rogue River, and a Conservation and Agricultural District located in the southwest corner of the Township. Other important events include the construction of sanitary sewer around the Camp Lake area in 1985 and the rapid proliferation of private roads with subsequent residential development throughout the Township. Existing land uses are identified on Map 6. This map was completed in June of 1991 using plat maps, field inspections, and through conversations with Township officials. Structures under construction at the time of the land use survey were classified as existing land uses. f r r f r Table 6 shows the current land use breakdown in acres by category. Generally, the land developed for commercial and industrial uses is concentrated along Northland drive and along 14 Mile road (M-57) east of the U.S. 131 expressway. Residential development has occurred primarily in the southern and central portions of the Township, and in the Camp Lake area. The existing land uses in the Township have been classified into a number of categories which are described as follows: AGRICULTURE This category includes those lands used for cropland, orchard, or pasture at the time of the land use survey. Agricultural and Open Land accounts for approximately 10,993 acres; the number of those acres actually devoted to active agriculture is estimated to be 3,800 acres in 1991. Agricultural uses have declined appreciably in the Township since 1968, and these uses are expected to continue to decrease as small scale farming becomes increasingly less profitable, and as the Township continues to be an attractive area for residential development. r A&C\Algoma\89564.0 l'algomamp\sb 35 �A number of parcels of land in the Township are enrolled in Public Act 116 of 1974, the Fannland and Open Space Preservation Act, with a total 2,116 acres or 9.6% of the total land in the Township enrolled. Under this Act, farmers or owners of large tracts of open space forego the development rights to their land and continue to farm it or maintain it as open space for a minimum enrollment period of ten years in exchange for tax benefits. Map 7 illustrates those areas of the Township enrolled in P.A. 116, as well as dates when the current agreement on each parcel or group of parcels is due to expire. Most of the parcels enrolled in the Act are located in the central and northwest area of the Township. TABLE 6 EXISTING LAND USE, 1991 Approximate Acreages .... r f r ~ % Total 10,993 49.7 7,675 34.8 Commercial/Office 157 .7 Industrial 141 .7 Public/Semi-Public2 453 2.0 Roads and Railway 1184 5.4 252 1.1 1,225 --2,Q Land Use Agriculture and Open Land Residential 1 Lakes3 100 Year Flood Plain4 Total 22,080 acres 100% i ,. 1 2 3 4 Assumes 5 acre average lot size per housing unit with separate calculations for Camp Lake area and Algoma Estates Mobile Home Parle. Includes Consumers Power Acreage and Rockford School Forests. 1978 Michigan Resource Infonnation System Figure. 1982 Flood Hazard Study of The Rogue River A&Cv\lgoma\Jl9564.0I\ugomamp\sb 36 �RESIDENTIAL This category includes detached single family houses, duplexes, and mobile homes. In the future, this category could also include multi-family dwellings and condominium units (condominiums may be constructed either as multi-family units or single family detached homes, both owner occupied.) One mobile home park, Algoma Estates, exists in the Township, and is located on the south side of 13 Mile road, about one half mile west of Northland Drive. It currently has 200 units and a clubhouse on 70 acres. The single family detached house comprises the majority of the 7,675 acres used for residential purposes in the Township. When determining residential land acreage in the Township, a five acre average lot size per housing unit was used, based on the rationale that most homes throughout the township are placed on parcels with a minimum of 42, 000 square feet Gust under an acre) of lot area required and many homes occur on lots much larger in size. It is probable that homes on larger parcels, for example 10 or 20 acres, will likely remain in residential usage, but parcels greater than 20 acres may conceivably be used in part for agricultural purposes. Acreage figures for the Camp Lake area (140 acres) were calculated separately, as was the acreage for Algoma Estates mobile home park (70 acres) and these amounts are included in the 7,675 total acres ofresidential land use. Most of the Township is zoned Rural Agricultural, a district intended primarily for farming practices and single family dwellings. Minimum lot size in this district is 42,000 square feet for a single family home. These lots are generally located along paved and unpaved section line roads, and many of them tend to be long and narrow. This type of land division results in lots which are often unused or underused in the rear section, and hinder the development of future platted subdivisions by making road extensions and land assemblage difficult Smaller areas of the Township are zoned as either Rural Residential or Suburban Residential, which restrict certain agricultural practices. Minimum lot size in the Rural Residential District is 42,000 square feet for a single family dwelling. Homes in these areas occur in platted subdivisions or on lots one acre or larger in size. The Suburban Residential District, located adjacent to the western limits of the City of Rockford, is an area intended for the expansion of residential development where public sewer and/or water are available. Currently, no utilities extend into this area. Minimum lot size in the district is 35,000 square feet without utilities, however most lots in this area are currently an acre or greater in size. Algoma Township provides for a Lake Residential District in its zoning ordinance. These areas occur around Camp Lake, Indian Lakes and High Lake. In the Camp Lake area, older plats on both the east and west side of the lake were designed with small 50 foot wide lots that have resulted in a dense clustering of homes. Other more recent plats around the lake contain larger lots. The Camp Lake area is presently served by The Village of Sparta wastewater treatment facility. A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 37 �. ., According to the Algoma Township Zoning Ordinance, residential lots in the Lake Residential District are required to have a minimum area of 20,000 square feet when served by public sewer, and 42,000 square feet where not served by public sewer. Most of the development around Indian Lakes and High Lake, where public sewer is not available, consists of residential lots of at least one acre in size; however, several lots exist which are less than the required 42,000 square feet. V While the Algoma Township Zoning Ordinance allows for a Low Density Multi-Family Residential District, no areas of the Township are currently zoned for that use. GENERAL BUSINESS This category includes those uses which provide retail goods and services and office uses. The 1968 Master Plan reported 22 business and office structures in The Township. The present land use survey records 37 commercial and office structures, several of which contain more than one commercial or office use. The majority of these uses are concentrated along Northland Drive and on both sides of 14 Mile road (M-57) east of U.S. 131. Another area of commercial uses, including operations of a light industrial nature, has developed on Algoma Avenue just north of Ten Mile Road near the U.S. 131 Interchange. Other scattered commercial uses exist throughout the Township. Along Northland Drive, land is zoned for General Business uses to a depth of 600 feet between 16 Mile Road to just south of 14 Mile Road and to a depth of 300 feet from just south of 12 Mile Road to north of 13 Mile Road. Both sides of 14 Mile Road between Northland Drive to just west of the expressway interchange is zoned for General Business to depths of 500 and 600 feet, and to 800 feet west of U.S. 131 on the north side of 14 Mile. The result is approximately 425 acres of land available for commercial uses in a strip-development pattern. Concerns to be addressed along these segments of roadway should include the construction of access drives, the number and placement of curb cuts, size and location of signs, and landscape requirements for existing and future commercial establishments. Other areas zoned for General Business include the area surrounding the Algoma Estates mobile home park (mobile home parks are allowed only in the B-2 zoning district), the area north of Ten Mile Road near the U.S. 131 interchange, small areas at the intersection of Fonger Street and Pine Island Drive, and a small area on Division Avenue near Camp Lake. Along Northland Drive, commercial and industrial uses are mixed with residential uses. In addition, both commercial and residential uses are found along the eastern side of Northland Drive in neighboring Courtland Township. Significantly less property fronting on Northland Drive is zoned for commercial uses in Courtland Township, especially between 14 Mile Road and 16 Mile Roads. Decisions concerning the uses along Northland Drive in either Township will impact the neighboring Township and efforts to coordinate policy concerning the future of Northland Drive will be beneficial to both communities. A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\§b 38 �Likewise, the properties immediately south of Ten Mile Road near the U.S. 131 interchange in neighboring Plainfield Township are zoned for general business development, and efforts should be made to coordinate uses in these areas with Plainfield Township. INDUSTRIAL i This category includes such uses as manufacturing, warehousing, and processing of goods and materials as well as the outdoor storage of goods and materials. Industrial uses in Algoma Township have increased from 13 structures reported in the 1968 Plan to 26 industrial uses existing at the time of the present land use survey. This accounts for .7% or 162 acres of the total land area in the Township. Industrial uses tend to be concentrated along Northland Drive between 12 and 13 Mile Roads and range from light manufacturing to tool and die and wood milling operations. Another smaller concentration of industrial uses occurs in the General Business District on Algoma A venue just north of Ten Mile Road. Operations here include manufacturing and a construction business. Other uses throughout "the Township include the Kent County Road Commission maintenance facility just east of the expressway interchange at 14 Mile Road, and several auto body repair shops. Extractive operations such as sand, gravel, and oil or gas removal may also be considered industrial in nature. Active extractive operations are located north of 12 Mile Road in Sections 23 and 24. Areas zoned for industrial uses in the Township are found primarily between the Michigan Northern Railroad and Northland Drive, south of 13 Mile Road; just north of 12 Mile Road, 57 acres are zoned for light industrial uses only. Another industrial zone exists northeast of the expressway interchange at 14 Mile Road and includes the Kent County Road Commission facility. Together these areas total approximately 336 acres zoned for either industrial or light industrial uses. To the south of the concentration of properties zoned for industrial purposes along Northland Drive lies the Rockford Industrial Park which is serviced by both public water and sewer. Industrial development in this area within the Township may depend upon the extension of water and wastewater treatment services from the City of Rockford into the Township. In neighboring Courtland Township, no industrial zoning or uses exist fronting Northland Drive. As in the case with commercial land uses, efforts to coordinate industrial development with adjacent communities will be beneficial to all. PUBLIC/SEMI-PUBLIC This category includes those areas and facilities such as schools, cemetaries, the Town Hall, fire barns, parks, State access sites and golf courses which are available for use by the general public. Semi-public uses are those used by a limited number of people with specific interests which are generally non-profit in nature such as churches, non-public schools, private golf courses and medical or instructional facilities. The Existing Land Use Map identifies the public/semi-public uses by name and symbol. A&o.Algoma\%9564.0 l\tlgomamp\sb 39 �Approximately 453 acres of public/semi-public uses exist in the township, comprising 2.0% of the total land use. This figure includes 93 acres of school forest land owned by Rockford Public · Schools and 219 acres of Consumers Power Company right-of-way, easement, or transfer station property. While land devoted to public utilities is not available for public use in the general sense, it cannot be considered as land contributing to the industrial tax base nor as land available for development. It is, in essence, land set aside for the public good. For the same reasons, 21 acres of land used for the Kent County Road Commission facility has been included in acreage totals for public/semi-public use. Another category of land designated as public is that owned by the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The DNR owned property (473 acres) is not included in acreage totals for public/semi-public lands in Table 6. Rather, most of the DNR owned lands are river front properties that are also either partially or wholly within the 100-year flood plain. As indicated on Table 6, flood plains account for approximately 1225 acres in the Township. ROAD .AND RAILWAY Public roads comprise about 1127 acres of land within the Township, with U.S. 131 contributing 394 of those acres. r r The former Michigan Northern Railroad, which runs for 5.7 miles in a north-south direction through the eastern side of the Township, accounts for 57 acres of land previously designated for rail transportation purposes. The railroad no longer carries train traffic, and has been purchased by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MOOT). MOOT will remove the railway between Cadillac and Grand Rapids (including that section in Algoma Township) during the summer of 1991. Currently, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is negotiating with MOOT to acquire the railroad right-of-way for inclusion in the Michigan Rails-to-Trails recreational train system. When acquired and improved, the trail, which may be a paved or nonpaved surface, will be maintained by local jurisdictions such as Algoma Township. Preliminary plans are for that section of the trail in Kent County to restrict usage of the trail to non-motorized pursuits such as hiking, biking, and horseback riding. A&O.Algoma\89564.0 l\algomamp~b 40 �et:: w 0 0 (SOLON TWP.) z ::s 0 ~ et:: w VJ 1~.~ - - - =,,,,~.= = • : . ' 4a. ~ i~II ', - MARANATHA COM M. CHURCH • t- -I " w w c@su= E'DWEIL. - -=- - - •I f "" > - •1/'. ~ • • ~ . f tT 2: ' _}/ I !,LJJ w >· <( I 1· •_. MILE RD. •1 1/ (\~f /Nf1lt.N -~.!':~S ~8. VJ z '<'. VJ - - - - ')\. .i. I'7 /. . - - -· ---l 1....!.. I• ~ ..· , I I • .I ~ MILE D ., 12. 9 8 I· · r:--· . I I • 1 I • I . • O • •• u. ..0 ... 15 ·, -17 . 18,,/1 // 9 WALLACE _LAKE . . .. I• • j I lI I I I l I• .J i v, !i ' ·. . . . . . · I Jo • \ f- : i 11 H.£~ · i~ 71 ~j _11II19 <( l- a: \ <( I ,,. , I o__ , BAPTIST C~URCH ! __L..l.L R~c1oor ·r. I • • • (f) •, 'f' 20 · _ALGOMA ALGOM rw.P• ·sc:HaoL ~l'>.4.-TFRY • CEMETERY : ALGOMA YOUTH • CENTER . '· • ,. • • I/ / . • 1 . · · _/' ,NR c /'"'-.. ,,.--..._ I I• o__ ~z I / / /~ w 5 , : 1: : \ ll '\~~ I - l- 8. o > _J - z 0 :s 3: 1• ~ 2~ 21 w . - I \ ---+--; I I I ~ f- a: Cl'.'. 0 > <( ,. '-....../ j __ ____ ALGOMA \ ...) • • J. • • A·, r.mA A CHRISTIA 1- • ROCKFORD SPORTSMANS CLUB D I I I • \ ' I : _,,,; _ .. I • o__ 5 O 14 ') I I • I I ( \\ I I I ---""i II II 1 ,I ;:' • /• t 0 (( ,,.--..._ - <; v r- u RUSSELL ST • • ~ ..,-~ 1 O MARANATHA-- COMM. CHURCH • • ---- • •• ·o ~ I ·,I . . . . l • 0 /1 C> -1 I BRO MAN ST. RD => w 0 (.'.) u z -(! -- MEEK _ -t--rt- LAKr • - w· -- - - - <t -:I -- - 0::: (.'.) 1 I I I' . .. . I. . . .~· .!·.. II~ 1 r /Jf If 1" . . , .r I .. i t / 1 '., ,' • i. } <::, ©,b I .1~ . i ... .•:. I 12 '-....../ MIL E RD I I I I '1 ,f.,Q;~ '-0<-v oc; 0 °FONGER ST FONGER ·' .~ --- 29 . . D I / J 0 (:t: I• I I ., I 11 MILE RD. <;1 ~ I •I L /7 27 I I / I , • •: 11 . •• > <( J•I I R MILE RD w c:t:: w z ,- I ~ (/) ., ,.._, _J . 0 33 I .----. 'i • • : I ( I ~I )~ I I I 1} I I I ~\;';7)~~1 · > ~ l ~ 0 0 ::s z ~ /,~7T7 (PLAINFIELD TWP.) ~ ci ~ .., 10 MILE RD. \ w ~ z w > _J <( ::;: 0 (.'.) 0 _J 3: <( (/) w z 0:: ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN i!, ~ MAP 6 "- EXISTING LAND USE .JJNE, 1991 LEGE ND: t.r -~ -=:l ~711 Sc.AU IM rUT :r • SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE @ GROUPS OF SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES IMHPI • • • ,_ Of"l<ll'\otl MOBILE HOME PARK COMMERCIAL / OFFICE INDUSTRIAL PUBLIC / 1' CHURCH .r. :::.., 1 SEMI-PUBLIC USE -~,.:..CTiVE RESOURCE . ---------- ------- PRIVATE ROAD 00000000 COUNTY DRAINS WW l!nglneerln1 a Scleno•""-'\1..1-, CoY9fflmentol SttN!ce. D1-,,efon BS ._... ... ,__,,. !£ • 0-.. ~ \YD 1111 ...,_ • (1\1) Ha- MOO �,_. - . ___- ,.... ) , J ,.. ~J J I J ) J ) ~ (SOLON lWP.) 1! ... l .1 ,} ,I ~,( _J J 0 "' ~ II ~( ~ / ~116 MILE RO. z 0 - - - - -1,i- - ~- _\l,.,n.,.,' 1t' 11 ,,,; ;rr ) I5 ~ Q t ! ~ gQ-.:f;R_ 'I~ 1 I 4 1 ~1 WV~ • 2 '"' I II I 1 Yo-d I'"''"'"'"' z"' ~ _____ ,_____ I " ( I ~ I>-' I I - 15 Mil£ RO 12 RUSSELL ---t---''-fr-::n:----------1-- ,~ 0 BROt.WI ST. [~ II~ 11\Q JJ8 -~ 15 ST 14 .......... 13 Mil£ RO a.. ~ 181GH "' I I I 1 I I I ~ a:: <( a.. (/) '--' a.. ~ LAKE 1 )I ,,.--... 0 z RECTOR ST. ::i I- 24 20 a:: ::> 0 (.) '--' 12 Mil£ RO lJ 10 Mil£ RO. ~I ,;' I z 0 ~ ~\ i / )'--'~ I ~ ~ ii! ...~ 0 ..,z~ 0 I I,.-r-hn (PLAINFIELD lWP .) ~ i ~ 0 JO ii: ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICtlGAN + ~ :- MAP 7 P.A. 116 PARCELS AND DATES OF EXPIRATION FARMLAND AND OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION ~ : PA 118 PARCEL DATE TO WHICH PARCEL IS ENROUED IN PA 118 PROGRAM ~. ___.._ .............. _,_, ....,,...,... - ..... • - . ••- ... • - • - - - - I l �CHAPTER 6 PLANNING ANALYSIS This section of the Plan analyzes population, traffic volume projections, existing land use mix, growth trends and community characteristics in order to determine future land use needs for Algoma Township. Through this process, the Township Board and Planning Commission will have a basic guideline to follow in determining how much land is needed to accommodate future needs. POPULATION PROJECTIONS When making population projections, assumptions are based on a combination of historical trends and judgements made with a knowledge of the local area. Projections are only refined estimates of future conditions and it is impossible to precisely forecast the end result of the actions of individual and public decisions. While recognizing the uncertainties in forec~ting future population growth, it is reasonable to assume that the forces at work in the past will continue into the future. Table 7 illustrates population projections for the years 1995, 2000, and 2010 using four different methods to calculate future populations. An explanation of each of the four methods used is also described in this table. For purposes of this Plan, Alternative D has been selected as it represents an average of three different methods of projecting population and integrates historical growth data. Based on this alternative, the Township could be expected to experience an increase of 828 people by 1995, 1,637 people by the year 2000, and 3,725 by the year 2010. Assuming an average of 3.05 persons per household, 1,221 new dwelling units will be needed by the year 2010 to accommodate the projected population. RESIDENTIAL LAND USE NEEDS In Algoma Township, the average lot size for a residence has been estimated to be five (5) acres, which takes into account lots both within and · outside of plats. The average lot size in the Township is expected to decrease within the planning period for the following reasons: 1. Increasing land costs will result in smaller parcels being purchased for single family detached houses. 2. The extension of sanitary sewer from surrounding communities may encourage more plat development which uses less land per lot. (However, it is not anticipated that a significant number of these plats will be developed within the planning period, and those that do develop could possibly be annexed by surrounding communities.) 3. The advent of site condominium development will minimize the need to create parcels in excess of ten (10) acres to circumvent the Township and State of Michigan's land subdivision regulations. Also, the Subdivision Control Act of 1967, which regulates the size and timing of land divisions, will likely be amended within this planning period. A&C\Algoma\J!9564.0l\il.gomamp~b 43 �4. As the price of both land and single family homes increases, the demand for multi-family residential units (apartments or condominiums) will also increase resulting in more dwelling units per acre, thereby decreasing the average lot size in the Township. Average lot size in the Township can be expected to decrease to within a range of 1.5 to 3.0 acres including road rights-of-way within residential developments. Therefore, the amount of land needed to accommodate the projected number of new dwelling units in 2010 has been calculated as follows: 1,221 dwelling units x 1.5 acres/dwelling unit 1,221 dwelling units x 3.0 acres/dwelling unit = = 1,831 Acres 3,663 Acres Thus, approximately 1,831 to 3,663 acres ofland will be needed to accommodate the projected population of 9,221 people by the year 2010. While current residential land use acreage stands at 7,675 acres, the needs for 2010 will represent an increase in lands used for residential purposes within a range of 24 to 47 percent. The existing land use inventory shows a total of 10,993 acres of agricultural, -vacant or undeveloped land in the Township. It would appear that, based strictly on acreage, there is sufficient land in the Township for the projected residential needs. In addition, larger parcels of ten to twenty acres in size, which are currently being used solely for one dwelling unit, may be split to absorb some of the future residential growth. Consideration must also be given, however, to the suitability of vacant areas to residential land use. Suitable soils, topography, wetlands, street type, traffic volumes, adjacent land uses and availability of public utilities will affect the feasibility of future residential land uses. TABLE 7 ALGOMA TOWNSHIP Population Projections 1990 1995 2000 2010 Census Estimate Estimate Estimate Alternative A 5,496 6,221 6,947 8,399 Alternative B 5,496 6,096 6,696 7,896 Alternative C 5,496 6,655 7,756 11,370 Alternative D 5,496 6,324 7,133 9,221 Alternative II A 11 assumes an average of 47 new dwelling units constructed per year over the past 20 years with an average of 3.09 persons per household. Alternative "B" assumes yearly growth of 120 persons (based on the 1970-1990 average annual growth projected mathematically). .,.. Alternative II C 11 assumes increased in-migration to sustain the 1970-1990 growth rate of 3. 9% per year (geometric progression). Alternative 11 D 11 is the average of projections 'A', 'B', and 'C'. A&C\Algoma\J!9564.0I\algomarnp~b 44 �,.. OTHER LAND USE NEEDS Commercial. 1 ,,. 'I r Commercial retail and service areas are described as being neighborhood, community, or regional shopping centers. A neighborhood shopping center provides for the sale of convenience goods (foods, drugs, and sundries) and personal services (laundry, dry cleaning, banking, barbering, repair and professional services, etc.) for the day to day living needs of the adjacent surrounding area. Such a center usually includes one super market. In Algoma Township, the nearby communities of Rockford, Cedar Springs, and Sparta function as neighborhood shopping centers. In addition, convenience stores are located near Camp Lake, on Algoma Avenue just north of Ten Mile Road, and on Northland Drive. The trade area for these types of commercial uses is generally within a three mile radius or five to six minutes of driving time, which would place all Algoma Township residents within the trade area of at least one neighborhood shopping opportunity, although not all of these shopping opportunities offer the same variety of items and choices. Also, since 5 - 8,000 people are generally considered the minimum number needed to support a neighborhood shopping center, the existing population in the Township is sufficient to sustain the existing uses. As the Township continues to grow, the demand for shopping opportunities will increase. By the year 2010, the local population has been estimated to be 9,221 people. Additional retail and service businesses will be needed to serve these additional residents, and market forces will likely determine the types of uses necessary. It is expected that the communities of Rockford, Cedar Springs and Sparta will continue to provide a portion of the neighborhood and convenience shopping opportunities for Algoma Township residents. In addition, Algoma Township citizens indicated, during the public workshops, a desire for neighborhood commercial opportunities near high density residential development. Currently, residents within the Township are able to shop, to some extent, for non-convenience goods such as apparel, furniture, appliances, and hardware items in the communities of Rockford, Cedar Springs and Sparta, and to a greater extent in the Grand Rapids Metro area, particularly along the Plainfield Avenue Corridor in nearby Plainfield Township. The Northland Drive Corridor, also located in Plainfield Township, provides additional community shopping opportunities. A community shopping center usually includes a supermarket, small department store, and other speciality shops and normally trades to a population of between 40,000 and 50,000 people within a 15 to 20 minutes driving time. While it is beyond the scope of this study to determine if stores offering such goods would be economically feasible within the Township, it is unlikely that populations projected for the planning period will be sufficient to sustain additional community shopping opportunities, especially in light of the numerous community shopping areas already in existence within the trade area of the Township. The Township presently has approximately 157 acres being actively used for commercial or office purposes, and a total of 556 acres zoned for either Neighborhood or General Business. Of A&O.Algoma\89564.0I'algomamp~b 45 �• that 556 acres, approximately 70 acres are utilized by the Algoma Estates mobile home park. Thus, subtracting the acreage already in use for commercial purposes (157 acres) and the acreage utilized by Algoma Estates (70 acres) from 556 acres, the result is approximately 329 acres zoned for commercial development that are not currently used for commercial purposes. Presently, the Township maintains a ratio of 28.6 acres of commercial land use per every 1,000 people. By the year 2010, an increase of 3,725 people is expected. If current ratios are maintained, an additional 106 acres of land would be actively used for commercial or business purposes within the scope of the planning period. It appears that Algoma Township has more than sufficient lands already zoned for commercial uses to supply that need, especially when considering the availability of shopping opportunities in neighboring communities. Industrial ' - . , Algoma Township currently has approximately 141 acres (excluding the Kent County Road Commission facility) or .7% of the total land in the Township in use for industrial purposes. Currently, approximately 315 acres are zoned for industrial and light industrial uses (again, excluding the County facility), leaving 174 acres available for industrial development. The majority of industrial zoned lands are located east of the former Michigan Northern Railroad, between 13 Mile Road and the northern limits of the City of Rockford, and east of the U.S. 131 interchange at 14 Mile Road and south of Russell Street. The present ratio of active industrial acres of land per 1,000 population in the Township is approximately 25.75 acres; assuming this ratio holds constant, there will be a demand for an additional 96_acres of land for industrial purposes over the next 20 years (an average of approximately 5.0 acres per year). Based upon this ratio, it appears that Algoma Township has more than sufficient lands available for industrial purposes. Industrial land use needs are probably the most difficult to predict of all land use needs. Industry often draws upon a regional labor pool, whose occupational skills and educational levels are important in attracting and retaining industry. Other factors that are critical when allocating land · for industrial use are accessibility, adequate sites in terms of topography and soil types, cost of land, tax rates in the community, and adequate public utilities such as water, sewage disposal, stormwater drainage, electricity and natural gas. An important impact upon industrial development in the Township will be future industrial development as planned by the City of Rockford. The City's 1990 General Development Plan shows a large parcel located between Northland Drive and Courtland Drive planned for industrial use. This land, owned primarily by Wolverine World Wide, Inc., is not yet available for 4evelopment, but could possibly become available within the next twenty years, according to the Rockford plan. Adjacent to this parcel, and fronting on Northland Drive, is an area proposed for Planned Enterprise which would be a blend of light manufacturing, heavy commercial and accessory businesses which could include research and development, warehousing, retail and office uses. A&O.Algoma\89564.0 l'algomamp~b 46 �r r f .... Another large area planned for industry is the Rockford Industrial Park located on the west side of Northland Drive, just south of the southern boundary of Algoma Township. The land available within this area has been detennined sufficient to satisfy the projected 20 year needs of the City. Industrial land use needs for the City of Rockford were based upon the projected population and industrial job demand for a total market area that encompasses portions of Algoma Township. Therefore, it is feasible that a percentage of the industrial land use needs in regard to jobs for Township residents may be met by lands in the City of Rockford; however, industrial development outside the Township will not contribute to the Township tax base. Other nearby communities' plans for industrial development will also impact Algoma Township's need for industrial acreage. Additional land for industrial development is available within the Appletree Development located south of 13 Mile Road, west of the Village of Sparta and is served with both public water and sanitary sewer. Sparta Township also contains available sites that are zoned for industrial use; an area north of 12 Mile Road adjacent to the eastern Village boundary has the potential to receive wastewater treatment services from the Sparta Village facility. Another site is adjacent to the Sparta Municipal Airport just north of 10 Mile Road. The City of Cedar Springs recently completed a Comprehensive Development Plan which identified additional areas planned for industrial development. One area located near the northeast intersection of 16 Mile Road and White Creek Avenue consists of 38 acres; another site west of the City boundary between Solon Road and Cherry Street consists of between 50 and 60 acres, and has been proposed for annexation. The development of either of these sites for industrial purposes will be, to a high degree, dependent upon increasing the capacity at the Cedar Springs wastewater treatment facility, and the consequent extension of sewer and water services to these proposed areas. Currently, the City of Cedar Springs has limits on new connections to their wastewater treatment system. ,- , t Courtland Township currently has no plans for industrial development within the community. In 1986, the West Michigan Regional Planning Commission attempted to forecast future demands for industrial acreage in the greater Grand Rapids area through the year 2010. Forecasts were based upon an expected ratio of lands actually used for industrial purposes to lands available (either planned or zoned) for industrial purposes. The study found that adequate acreage was probably available to meet the area's needs through the year 2010. However, true availability of these lands is greatly dependent upon such factors as parcel size, services available to the sites, location, accessibility, and environmental constraints. Therefore, although there appears to be sufficient industrial zoned land in and adjacent to Algoma Township for the next 10 to 20 years Algoma Township may wish to consider planning for additional industrial areas that would offer potential developers a choice in terms of location and parcel size, and that may offer the potential for water and wastewater treatment services. Additional industrial lands may offer Township residents opportunities for employment, and may increase the tax base available to the Township. A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 47 �PARKS AND RECREATION Algoma Township completed a Park, Recreation and Natural Area Plan in 1988, which sets forth goals and objectives for the development and preservation of parklands and natural areas into the future. Additional goals as identified by participants in the Public Input Workshops held on January 28th and February 11th, 1991, are included in Chapter II of the Master Land Plan, titled "Goals and Objectives". ROADS AND STREETS r -,-_ .... . ' ,. • ., In order to analyze future traffic conditions, projections of traffic volumes to the year 2000 at selected locations were compared to their existing design capacity. These comparisons are shown in Table 8. The theoretical capacities, as determined by the state and local authorities, reflect the amount of traffic the street was designed to accommodate daily and still provide a relatively smooth flow of traffic. When daily traffic volumes are higher than the capacity, motorists experience more frequent delays, reduced maneuverability, congestion at intersections, lower overall speeds, and increased potential for accidents . When the volume to capacity ratio exceeds 1.00, congestion occurs. When the volume to capacity ratio exceeds 1.25 (125% of designed street capacity), congestion can occur and alternatives should be evaluated to increase capacity or divert traffic to another route. When volumes exceed 1.5 times their capacity, congestion can become severe and frustrated motorists may select alternate routes, increasing traffic on those streets. At that point, methods to increase the capacity of the street, provide an alternate route, or divert some traffic to a new facility should be considered. At double the capacity (a volume/capacity ratio of 2.0 or greater), traffic may be at a standstill during certain periods of the day . Deterioration of a street's traffic-carrying capacity may also be measured in terms of "level of service". This term is defined as a qualitative measure of the effect of a number of factors which include speed and travel time, traffic interruptions, freedom to maneuver, safety, driving comfort and convenience, and operating costs. Levels of Service A through F, representing the best through the worst operating conditions respectively, generally vary between peak and non-peak traffic times on the same street segment Each of the levels of service is described as follows: Level of Service A - represents virtually complete free-flow conditions in which the speed of individual vehicles is controlled only by driver desires and prevailing conditions, not by the presence or intetference of other vehicles. Ability to maneuver within the traffic stream is unrestricted. Level of Service B, C, and D - represents increasing levels of flow rate with correspondingly more interference between vehicles of the traffic stream. Average running speed of the stream remains relatively constant through a portion of this range, but the ability of individual drivers to A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\.ib 48 �. freely select their speed becomes increasingly restricted as the level of service worsens. Level of Service C and D (1.0 to 1.25 of capacity) is normally considered an acceptable design for an area such as Algoma Township. Level of Service E - (volumes are 1.25 to 1.50 of the "capacity") is representative of operation at or near capacity conditions. Few gaps are available, the ability to maneuver within the traffic stream is severely limited, and speeds are low. Operations at this level are unstable and a minor disruption may cause rapid deterioration of flow into Level of Service F. Level of Service F - (volumes are double the "capacity") represents forced or breakdown flow. --- . At this level, stop-and-go patterns have already been set up in the traffic stream, and operations at a given point may vary widely from minute to minute, as will operations in short adjacent highway segments as congestion increases through the traffic stream. Operations at this level are highly unstable .and unpredictable. Table 8 shows that several County Primary Roads may experience capacity problems by the year 2000. In particular, Northland Drive south of 12 Mile Road may reach level of service E (over 1.25 of design capacity) and 10 Mile Road east of U.S. 131 may experience more than two times the capacity for which it was designed. Also, 14 Mile Road west of Northland Drive may approach level of service F by the year 2000. These projections indicate that traffic volumes on Algoma Township's County Primary Roads should be monitored closely, especially on Northland Drive and 10 Mile Road. Levels of service on these roads may be prolonged by proper attention to access control measures such as left hand turn lanes, deceleration lanes, and limitations on number and location of curb cuts including future intersecting streets that will serve residential development. Likewise, while current traffic volumes on gravel roads in the Township may be well below the design capacity of the roadway, the type of traffic and condition of the roads should also be considered when determining future improvements to gravel surface roads . . . A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 49 �~ < TABLE 8 TRAFFIC VOLUME PROJECTIONS (24 Hour Period) ~ Location ,,,..,. Northland Drive-North " of 12 Mile Road V/C Ratio 24 Hour Capacity 1995 14,000 12,934 14,994 1.07 14,000 16,490 19,117 1.36 8,000 15,232 17,659 2.20 8,000 7,571 8,777 1.09 8,000 6,716 7,785 .97 8,000 2,139 2,479 .30 8,000 5,467 6,338 .68 14,990 1.85 2000 (2000) Northland Drive-South of 12 Mile Road - 10 Mile Road-East ofU.S.-131 10 Mile Road-West ofU.S.-131 ,... Algoma Avenue-North - . of 10 Mile Road Pine Island Dr.-North of 13 Mile Road i .-: . " 13 Mile Road-West of Pine Island Drive 14 Mile Road-West of Northland Drive 12,000 12,321 Iii' Projections are based on a 3% annual increase based on 1990 24 Hour vehicle counts . . I' r A&O.Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 50 �CHAPTER 7 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN ..,· - • This chapter contains descriptions, recommendations, and justification for future land use in Algoma Township. These recommendations will provide an overall framework for the management and regulation of future development and also serve as the basis for evaluating zoning requests. The Township Planning Act, Public Act 168 of 1959, as amended, specifically gives Township Planning Commissions the authority to prepare and officially adopt a Plan. When prepared, officially adopted, and maintained, this Plan should provide an advisory guide for the physical conservation of certain areas and for the development of other areas into the best possible living environment for present and future township residents. Because of the constant change in our social and economic structure and activities, the Plan must be maintained through periodic review and revision so that it reflects contemporary trends while maintaining long-range goals. The Future Land Use Plan is general in scope. It is not intended to establish precise boundaries of land use or exact locations of future uses. It is also important to note that there is no schedule to implement the recommendations contained here. The timing of a particular land use is dependent upon a number of factors such as availability of public utilities, provisions for adequate roadways, effect on public services, and the demand for a particular land use versus the available land zoned for this use. Those, plus other factors, must be considered when reviewing a request for rezoning a particular parcel of land. Overlay or conservation zones may be employed when adequate regulations and distinct boundaries are established. • ... As background information to the planning process, the following narrative provides an explanation of the relationship of land use planning to zoning. • THE RELATIONSHIP OF Pl,.,ANNING TO ZONING ... r The relationship between land use planning and zoning is an important one. Planning is basically the act of planning the uses of land within a community for the future while zoning is the act of regulating the use of these lands by ordinance. The laws of the State of Michigan require that a community engage in land use planning activities, including the preparation of a comprehensive plan, prior to the initiation of a zoning ordinance in a community. The following narrative provides a better understanding of the terms "planning" and "zoning". r . A&C\AJ.goma\89564.01\algomamp~b 51 �Land Use Planning - ... -- The process of guiding the future growth and development of a community. Generally, a document is prepared known as the Comprehensive Plan which addresses the various factors relating to the growth of a community. Through the processes of land use planning, it is intended that a community can preserve, prompte, protect, and improve public health, safety, and general welfare. Additional considerations include: comfort, good order, appearance, convenience, law enforcement and fire protection, preventing the overcrowding of land to avoid undue concentration of population, facilitating the adequate and efficient provision of transportation, water, sewage requirements ami services, and conservation, development, utilization and protection of natural resources within the community. Zoning Zoning is one of the instruments, along with capital improvements programing and the administration of local subdivision regulations, which implements the goals and policies of a comprehensive plan. The enactment and administration of the zoning ordinance are legislative and administrative processes conducted by local units of government relating to the implementation of the goals and policies of the Master Plan. PLAN CONCEPTS - The Future Land Use Map illustrates the concepts for the general development of Algoma Township. These concepts are based on the goals and objectives stated in Chapter Two and are intended to guide the future growth of Algoma Township. These major land use concepts include the following: Recognition and protection of the environmentally sensitive areas of the Township-primarily the lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands and groundwater. Preserva~on and enhancement of the rural character of the Township and the unique and scenic vistas which contribute to the country atmosphere. Areas of the Township adjacent to the City of Rockford will likely have public water and sanitary sewer within this planning period, and land uses should be planned accordingly. It is also likely that areas adjacent to the Camp Lake Sewer System will be served by sanitary sewer. = Establishment of a Township Center which would centralize a number of functions around the Township offices such as governmental services, library, and recreation. The intent of such a Center would be to create a gathering place and sense of community for Algoma Township residents. Rural clustering will be an option for residential uses in certain areas in conjunction with open space or conservation easements. A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 52 �Commercial uses will concentrate along Northland Drive and those portions of Ten and Fourteen Mile Roads near the interchange with U.S. 131. These roadways will continue to be the major corridors through the Township and the non-commercial areas will develop primarily with differing residential densities. Access control measures will be required to enhance traffic safety. The Township will cooperate with adjacent municipalities to mutually plan for the development of Northland Drive. Natural or man-made buffer/transition zones should be utilized between different land uses to ensure compatibility. - Larger active farming areas will transition into non-farm uses or "hobby farms". Emphasis on preserving prime farmland will diminish. LAND USE CATEGORIES The Future Land Use Map recommends a number of different land use classifications. The following descriptions of these future land use classifications explain the intended uses and location characteristics for each classification. Natural River District This land use classification recognizes the importance of protecting the Rogue River and its tributaries. This district encompasses a strip of land 300 feet wide on each side of and parallel to the banks of the Rogue River and Cedar, Stegman and Shaw Creeks. Uses envisioned for this district are limited to single-family dwellings, camping, non-motorized boating, agricultural uses and other similar uses which would not cause degradation to the river or creeks or their banks. - The Natural River District as it exists in Algoma Township is a result of the State of Michigan naming the Rogue River as a Natural River under the 1970 Natural River Act. The Algoma Township Zoning Ordinance contains strict regulations for this district which are designed to protect these waters from potentially disruptive development practices and land uses. Conservation .., This land use classification identifies those areas in the Township which should be preserved and protected due to their sensitive environmental condition and their potential to serve as water retention basins, groundwater recharge areas, and wildlife sanctuaries. Uses within these areas should be limited to those uses which would have little or no impact upon the natural characteristics of the site or which would serve to enhance or blend in with the existing conditions of the site. The natural features found in these areas may indicate consideration for possible inclusion in the Township,'s park and recreation system. A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomarnp\sb 53 �All uses in this zone would be subject to special standards and require a minimum lot size of four acres and a minimum lot width of 300 feet. These standards would examine the use in light of affect on surface and ground water pollution, alteration of the natural flow of water or retention capacity of the floodplain, grading of natural land contours, removal of trees or other vegetation, and effect on wildlife habitat. Two conservation zones currently are identified by the Algoma Township Zoning Map. The largest of these zones is _found in the southwest comer of the Township and encompasses a broad, expansive portion of the Rogue River floodplain that includes both woodlands and wetlands. The second existing conservation zone is located east of and contiguous to the two bodies of water known as Indian Lakes, and is also composed of both wetlands and woodlands. Both of these conservation zones are retained on the Future Land Use Map. · Three additional conservation areas have been recommended for inclusion in the Future Land Use Plan for Algoma Township. The first of these areas is contiguous to the existing Conservation Zone in the southwest comer of the Township, and includes Meek Lake, Nelson Lake, Low Lake, and the drainage system that connects these three lakes with each other, with Dutch Drain to the south, and consequently with the Rogue River. Rugged terrain, wetlands, woodlands, and little current development qualify this area for conservation. An Open Space Preservation category (discussed in a following section) is also recommended as an option for this area. A second conservation area is recommended for the land surrounding Hoskins Lake in the north central portion of the Township (Section 10). Hoskins Lake is a fairly secluded body of water contiguous to Little Cedar Creek. Wetlands dominate the area east, west, and south of the lake; woodlands surround Jhe lake on all sides. These factors, as well as a minimum of development in the area, qualify the Hoskins area for conservation. The last additional conservation area is located in Section 14 and encompasses 73 acres of woodland owned by Rockford Public Schools as well as additional acreage to the west. These parcels together include two distinct wetlands and several smaller ones. The 1968 Master Plan recommended that this area, as well as additional contiguous acreage, be set aside as a regional park. The natural features of this site, combined with a low level of development (a result of forest land that is held by the Rockford Public Schools) indicate that this area is suitable for conservation purposes. Rural Agricultural Principal uses within this land use classification are general and specialized farming activities along with farm and non-farm single family dwelling units. Rural Agricultural areas would require a minimum lot size of almost one acre (42,000 sq. ft.) with a minimum of 200 feet of lot width, to ensure that dwellings are located a sufficient distance apart to provide adequate room for private on-site well and septic systems. Although large scale farming activities are expected to diminish over time, the RA category recognizes the active farms in the Township and provides for their on-going operation. These farms contribute to the rural character and diversity of the Township. A&.C\Algoma\89564.01\t.lgomamp\.ib 54 �..... Criteria used to detennine areas for future agricultural land use are: 1. The presence of prime fannland soils as identified by the 1986 Soil Survey of Kent County. 2. The presence of parcels enrolled in P.A. 116, the State of Michigan Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act. 3. The presence of parcels of land 40 acres or more in size (the minimum amount of land traditionally viewed as generating a positive economical return in crops). ,. I I J Two of these three criteria were necessary to qualify an area for designation as Rural Agricultural. The largest area of RA is located in the northwest quadrant of the Township, encompassing large portions of Sections 8, 9, 16 and 17. Other large areas are found in the following locations: the north-central portion of the Township; north of Russell Street between the former Michigan Northern Railroad bed and Northland Drive; in the central portion of the Township on both sides of the Rogue River, an area also designated for Open Space Preservation (discussed in a following section); two other areas located on the western side of the Township, one north of the Camp Lake area and another south of High Lake. Rural Residential Rural Residential areas are intended to provide for residential development in a rural setting close to Rural Agricultural areas. General farming activities will be pennitted but are envisioned to be of a smaller scale than those pennitted in Rural Agricultural areas. Rural Residential Zones are intended to satisfy a demand for a rural life style without necessarily removing active prime farmland from production. The minimum lot size and lot width in the RR areas would be 42,000 square feet and 150 feet respectively. Certain non-residential uses would be pennitted as special land uses such as a golf course, private recreation areas and extractive uses. The most significant difference between the 1968 Algoma Township Master Plan and The 1991 Plan is the increase in lands recommended for rural homes and the decrease in lands recommended for agricultural use. Large portions of the Township in the northeast, northwest, and southwest quadrants have been designated as Rural Residential. A lesser amount of land has been designated as RR in the southeast quadrant, since more dense residential uses as well as mixed uses are planned for the area surrounding the City of Rockford. Several RR areas are also designated as Watershed or Vista Protection Overlay Zones, or as Open Space Preservation areas (discussed in following sections). Criteria used when detennining Rural Residential areas are as follows: 1. While fanning practices are present in areas designated for Rural Residential, large scale fanning is expected to decline within the scope of the planning period. Parcels within the RR areas in general do not exhibit the criteria used when detennining areas to be designated as Rural Agricultural (presence of prime farmland soils, enrolled in P.A. 16, and parcels of 40 or more acres in size). A&0.Algoma\J!9564.01\algomamp~b 55 �2. Public water and sewer are not planned for these areas within the scope of the twenty year planning period. The minimum lot size of 42,000 square feet is designed to accommodate the placement of on-site well and septic systems. 3. Lot-split activity has been high in the areas designated for RR, establishing a pattern of Rural Residential land use. Many parcels of five to ten acres already exist and are likely to be further sub-divided within the planning period under the terms of the State of Michigan Plat Act. 4. The proposed RR density of one dwelling unit per 42,000 square feet will help preserve the emerging rural-suburban character of the Township. 5. The uses envisioned for the RR areas are compatible with a wide range of uses recommended in the Master Plan such as farming, watershed and scenic vista protection, conservation of natural resources, and open space preservation. .... T I T Open Space Preservation This land use classification is proposed in order to encourage the preservation of open space, and to maintain scenic and rural vistas by permitting the clustering of houses in certain areas rather than requiring them to be developed in strip fashion along public roads. This technique encourages new residential developments to cluster in a few selected areas on a parcel rather than locate across the entire site. This allows the undeveloped area to be kept in its natural state, either as open space or as active farmland. The developed area of the parcel becomes a rural subdivision which encourages a sense of place and identity among residents. The open space which remains must be protected by legal mechanisms such as conservation easements or a homeowners association. Typical cluster developments will be screened from roadway views, will not be in sensitive environmental areas, and are readily accessible by public services such as emergency vehicles. This concept could be permitted as a planned unit development, using an overlay zone or a separate zoning district in the Rural Agricultural, Rural Residential or Low Density Residential zones. Guidelines for establishing an open space preservation district should be carefully designed and should be based upon the concepts of the publications "Dealing with Change in the Connecticut River Valley - A Design Manual for Conservation and Development" and "Rural Cluster Zoning: Survey and Guidelines, Land Use Law and Zoning Digest." Some of the concepts taken from Rural Cluster Zoning noted above are: • "Rural cluster zoning is most suitable in rural suburban transition areas. • Ouster projects should be carefully sited to minimize impacts on neighbors, infrastructure systems and the environment A&C\Algoma\89564.0 l\algomamp\sb 56 �• Procedures for review and approval should be less difficult than for subdivisions and should have incentives to encourage their use. • The number of home sites per cluster should be limited with a minimum and maximum project size. • Lot dimensions, building heights and setbacks should be compatible with the rural character." ,-- ,..... r Open Space Preservation areas have been recommended as overlays within other land use categories on the Future Land Use Map. Specific locations and the criteria used in each case are as follows: 1. The area designated as Low Density Residential west of the City of Rockford - This area will be the predominant rural suburban transition zone within the Township. It is likely that this area will be served by public water and sewer within the planning period, increasing the probability of development at a greater density than currently exists . Presently, fairly large tracts of undeveloped land still exist. Cluster options in this area will enhance preservation of scenic and rural landscapes, and will offer residents the opportunity for a creative environment that incorporates the best elements of neighborhood design with the amenities of unspoiled views and usable open space. 2. The areas designated as Mixed Use and Rural Residential, northeast of the Ten Mile Road and U.S. 131 Expressway intersection - This area has been identified as a scenic vista by Township residents and officials. The area shown as Mixed Use (see Map 9 for details of the site) will incorporate both Low Density and Medium Density Residential uses with cluster design in order to minimize both the costs of infrastructure and impacts upon natural features present on these sites such as open fields, stands of trees, and wetlands. In addition, the area designated as RR on the Land Use Map abuts Elstner Avenue, a Natural Beauty Road. Cluster design options will help to preserve the rural character and views afforded by this road. The Mixed Use area is discussed in further detail in a later section. • . 3. The areas designated as Rural Agricultural in the central portion on the Township, on both sides of the Rogue River - This area has been identified both as valuable agricultural land and as providing unique scenic vistas that include both fields and woodlands associated with the Rogue River. While it is likely that much of this area will stay either in productive farming or in open space preservation via P.A. 116, residential development will continue to increase within the twenty year planning period. Cluster zoning options in this area will provide an opportunity to preserve open views and to allow farming practices to continue through lease arrangements while lesser amounts of acreage are consumed by residential development. 4. The area in the far northeast comer of the Township, southwest of the intersection of 16 Mile Road and Northland Drive - This area was identified as worthy of Open Space Preservation due to the presence of woodlands, Little Cedar Creek, and other A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 57 �smaller wetlands on the site, as well as the probability that development will increase in the area as growth from the City of Cedar Springs continues southward, with possible extension of public water and sewer to this area. Cluster zoning options will afford the opportunity for optimum site design while allowing the preservation of natural features. Low Density Residential This district is intended primarily for single-family houses in a traditional subdivision setting, and is intended to be served by public water and sanitary sewer. Lot sizes wiH vary depending upon the type of utility service provided. If no utilities are provided, a lot width of 120 feet with just under an acre of land will be required. If water or sanitary sewer is provided, approximately one half acre of land will be necessary. If both water and sanitary sewer is provided, lot sizes can be reduced to 13,000 square feet (3.35 units per acre). These requirements are already contained within the Algoma Township Zoning Ordinance in the R-S, Suburban Residential zoning district. . LDR areas are intended to be located where they can be easily served by the extension of public utilities from the City of Rockford or the Village of Sparta. Two family dwellings (duplexes) would also be a permitted use in this district if located along a county primary or local road but not on a subdivision street. Specific locations for LDR on the Future Land Use Map include much of the land contiguous to the western city limits of Rockford where public utilities could be extended within the planning period. Adequate county primary and county local roads serve this area. This LDR designation is also compatible with Low Density Residential uses planned in contiguous areas in both the City of Rockford and Plainfield Township. Low Density Residential uses are included within the area planned for Mixed Use at 10 Mile Road and the U.S. 131 Expressway. This area may develop in a variety of ways including traditional subdivisions depending upon the extension of public utilities, and is discussed in more detail in a later section. The final area recommended for LDR is located along Division Avenue just south of Broman Street, near the Camp Lake Area. Public sewer from the Village of Sparta enters the Township along Broman Street to serve residents in this area. In addition, a low density residential land use pattern is already well established in the area around Camp Lake. Medium Density Residential This classification is designed to accommodate multi-family dwelling units and mobile home parks with a maximum density of just under nine units per acre. Multi-family buildings would contain no more than 12 units each. Other permitted uses would be institutional uses such as hospitals and schools, funeral homes and two family-dwelling units. A&C\Algoma\89564.0l~gomamp\sb 58 �-- ...I• Medium density residential areas should be located on paved streets to facilitate access by fire and police service. The types of dwelling units envisioned in this category can serve as a transition zone between non-residential uses and low density residential areas. Because public sewer is necessary to assure long range public health, MOR areas should not be zoned or developed until sewer service and roadways can be provided to serve this type of use . In general, MDR areas should be located where public utilities can be easily and economically provided. Algoma Township currently has no attached multi-family dwellings. The Algoma Estates Mobile Home Park is located in Section 24, south of 13 Mile Road. This area is designated as MDR, as well as contiguous parcels to the west and south which would likely be utilized for park expansion. .. Other MOR designations include the area between 12 Mile Road and Shaw Creek about 500 feet off Northland Drive. This location, designated for industrial land use in the 1968 Plan, was recommended for MOR land use based upon the following criteria: 1. Public water and sewer could possibly be extended to this site from the City of Rockford, located about one quarter mile south . 2. Residents of a multi-family development would be located near shopping and service conveniences in the City of Rockford. 3. A multi-family use would be compatible with commercial uses planned for those properties that front on Northland drive as well as with a planned Office/Light Industrial Park recommended north of the site. 4. Northland Drive would provide excellent access to the site, as would 12 Mile Road to the north. 5. The presence of Stegman Creek affords the possibility of a quality living environment within a natural setting. .... Medium Density Residential uses are also included in the area recommended for Mixed Use, which will be discussed in more detail in a later section. Lake Residential This classification recognizes the existing development and zoning surrounding the lakes in Algoma Township. The single-family house is the primary permitted use within this category. Specific regulations to encourage the proper development of water front properties and avoid pollution of township lakes should be continued. Current Township Zoning Ordinance regulations set forth development rules to prevent overcrowding and pollution of the Township's lakes. The boundaries of this classification could encompass the watershed of Township lakes so that lake pollution prevention measures can apply to a wider geographic area to better protect A&o.Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\<ib 59 �... r. - these lakes. In all cases, Lake Residential areas are recommended to include a Watershed Protection Overlay Zone, which is further discussed in a later section. - The Lake Residential areas are focused in three locations: Camp Lake, Indian Lakes, and High Lake. The Camp Lake LR area remains much the same as was recommended in the 1968 Master Plan, and has long been established as a residential neighborhood. While Indian Lakes and High Lake were not designated as LR in the 1968 Plan, current zoning includes these two areas in the L-R zoning district. Indian Lakes has experienced residential development on the northern side of the western-most lake, and High Lake has experienced similar development. on both the north and south sides of the lake. ' ,.. J 1 Office Office development is similar in many ways to medium and high density residential in terms of characteristics (traffic, appearance, height, etc.) and compatibility with other uses. This makes offices a suitable transition or buffer use in many locations. Office uses at major intersections are often desirable as such uses can generate less traffic than commercial uses depending upon the size of the building and serve as a buffer for less intensive uses located away from the intersection. Office uses should be located along major roadways for easy access and to serve as a transition between land uses of different intensity. Office uses in the Township are recommended in tandem with light industrial uses located along ~orthland Drive and for those properties west of Northland Drive to the former Michigan Northern Railroad, north of 12 Mile Road. While many residences still exist in this area, it is envisioned that residential structures in this area may convert to office uses, which would be compatible with the residential and limited commercial development in neighboring Courtland Township. Office uses are also envisioned at the northeast corner of 10 Mile Road and U.S. 131 within the Mixed Use PUD. Commercial The Plan proposes two types of commercial land use categories, neighborhood commercial and general commercial. The Future Land Use Map does not distinguish between these two types of commercial. Decisions on types of commercial development desired in specific locations may be made at the time of requests for rezoning. Neighborhood Commercial The Plan proposes commercial development within this category to serve the convenience shopping needs of Township residents and to a lesser extent the needs of through vehicular traffic. Such convenience retail uses would include a pharmacy, convenience store, ice cream shop, service station, banks, etc. Commercial uses which generate higher traffic volumes and attract people from beyond the Township should not be located within this category. However, as the Township population grows, additional retail uses may be necessary to provide for the convenience shopping needs of Township residents. These commercial uses should be A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 60 �permitted in areas where the population warrants such use, but only if specific standards can be met and approved as a special use. Specific site criteria should be developed to insure that such commercial areas do not proliferate and are allowed only as needed. These site criteria could include minimum and maximum lot size, soil suitability, type of retail use, paved roads, population within certain radius of the site, adjacent land uses, and buffering. General Commercial r r r r This land use category recognizes those areas containing existing general commercial uses along 10 Mile Road, 14 Mile Road and Northland Drive. Uses within this district consist of office, general retail and service uses which cater to Township residents and the motoring public. These uses should be subject to site development criteria and performance standards simil_ar to those suggested for neighborhood commercial, designed to minimize negative impacts on adjoining property. Commercial land uses in general have been recommended in the following locations based upon the criteria given: 1. Northland Drive to 14 Mile Road; 14 Mile Road to just west of Edgerton Avenue This area reflects the current zoning map of Algoma Township, and commercial uses are already firmly established in this area. Both Northland Drive and 14 Mile Road (M-57) will accommodate the high traffic volumes that are both needed to support and generated by the existing businesses. In neighboring Courtland Township, several commercial uses exist fronting on both Northland Drive and 14 Mile Road. 2. Northland Drive south of Porter Hollow to Rockford City limits - Commercial uses other than offices are recommended only for those areas already established as commercial. Zoning currently allows for commercial uses, as does similar zoning along portions of Northland Drive in neighboring Courtland Township. The City of Rockford has planned for commercial uses just south of 12 Mile Road, directly opposite an area in Algoma Township planned for commercial uses. The balance of lands fronting on Northland Drive in Algoma Township that were previously planned for Business have been recommended for Office and Industrial uses, discussed in a later section. 3. The area designated for Mixed Uses at the northeast corner of the U.S. 131 Expre~ay and 10 Mile Road - This area is recommended to include commercial uses and will be discussed in detail in a following section. 4. 10 Mile Road at the U.S. 131 Expressway Interchange - Neighborhood commercial, service businesses and light industry are currently established in this area, and current zoning accommodates these uses. Plainfield Township directly to the south across 10 Mile Road has also planned for general commercial uses in this area. The presence of the expressway interchange, proximity to a County primary road (10 Mile), and the · possibility of extension of public water and sewer to this area make it a prime candidate for commercial uses. A&O.Algoma\89564.0 l\algomamp\sb 61 �r ,I 5. Division Avenue west of Camp Lake - A neighborhood convenience store exists in this area, and will likely continue to support the day to· day needs of Camp Lake area residents. The site is ideally located along a County primary road with public sewer available from the Village of Sparta. r ' Industrial r This classification is intended to accommodate uses such as manufacturing, processing or warehousing, and may allow as special uses such operations as contractor equipment yards and body shops or salvage yards. Uses allowed will be evaluated on the basis of compatibility with adjacent land uses and the potential for danger or offense to nearby residents. While industrial uses may be allowed where served by private sewage disposal systems and wells as approved by the Kent County Health Department, the Plan recommends that the industrial development occur in those areas where utilities exist or are planned for, with access to major arterials. In order to promote orderly and efficient industrial areas, industrial parks should be encouraged. 1 r I The intensity of industrial development in the Township will be dependent upon the extension of both water and sewer services. Of primary concern should be adequate site development standards plus requirements for sufficient buffering between industrial uses and other uses. Uses which require the transformation of natural resources with a finished or semi-finished product or engage in intensive use of chemicals or produce noise, smell or smoke shall not be permitted as such uses are not compatible with the rural character of the Township and could also threaten the environmental quality of the area. The amount of land recommended for industrial uses, particularly in the northeast portion of the Township, has been significantly reduced since The 1968 Master Plan was adopted. The following describes the recommended industrial areas and rationale for selecting these sites: •. 1. North of the City of Rockford Industrial Park, between the former Michigan Northern Railroad and Northland Drive - This particular area was planned for industrial uses in The 1968 Plan, and is zoned as such. The likelihood of this area being served by public water and sewer is strong due to the existence of public utilities in the adjacent Rockford Industrial Park. Across Northland Drive, the City of Rockford has planned both Industrial and Planned Enterprise (a blend of light manufacturing and heavy commercial). Access to the site would be provided by Northland Drive, a County primary road. 2. North of 12 Mile Road, between the former Michigan Northern Railroad and Northland Drive - This area has also been planned for industrial uses since the 1968 Plan and is zoned presently for D-1 Industrial, D-2 Light Industrial, and B-2 General Business. The current plan recommends a blend of office and light industrial or high technology uses for the southern-most portion of the area closest to 12 Mile Road and for those properties fronting on Northland Drive. This area is currently primarily vacant land and residential structures. Commercial uses exist in neighboring Courtland Township along Northland Drive. It is envisioned that residential structures in this area may, over time, convert to office uses. The area north of here is designated only as Industrial, A&O.AJ.goma\89564.01\algomamp~b 62 �primarily to reflect the already established industrial character of the area. Both areas may be served by sewer and water extended from the City of Rockford, and would acquire access from both 12 Mile Road and Northland Drive. r-- ' 3. Northeast of the U.S. 131 Expr~way Interchange at 14 Mile Road (M-57) - This area, planned for Industrial in The 1968 Plan, is the site of a maintenance facility for the Kent County Road Commission. D-1 Industrial Zoning exists on the site, and recently additional land was rezoned to Industrial. The established industrial character of the area as well as excellent access provided by both M-57 and the U.S. 131 Expressway result in a favorable site for industrial uses. r ' Mixed Use PUD An area consisting of approximately 180 acres northeast of the U.S. 131 Expressway Interchange and 10 Mile Road has been designated on the Future Land Use Plan as Mixed Use; an enlarged detail of that area is illustrated by Map 9. This area was designated as ·Mixed Use for a number of reasons: -. 1. The highly visible area is ideally located at the expressway interchange, at the central southern limits of the Township. 2. Access to the site is afforded not only by the expressway but by 10 Mile Road which is a County primary road. 3. The site offers a variety of natural features such as wetlands, wooded hillsides, open fields, and variable terrain. 4. Large, undivided parcels exist on the site, facilitating land assemblage for large scale developments. 5. The site is likely to receive public sewer and water from the City of Rockford in the scope of the 20 year planning period, facilitating a higher density of development than is currently possible. -. Uses envisioned for this site include office and service businesses closest to the expressway, and commercial uses along that portion of 10 Mile Road where several commercial uses already exist The remainder of this site could accommodate either traditional residential subdivisions and/or multi-family attached dwelling units. The plan recommends the use of Open Space A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 63 �I r I r r Preservation techniques such as Cluster Zoning or Planned Unit Development (PUD) that will allow a developer to carefully integrate residential buildings with the natural characteristics of the sit~, to ensure preservation of the wetlands, open views, and wooded hillsides and other adjacent uses on the site. Building design within the Mixed Use area should be of a unified, attractive nature with complementary, understated signs. Pedestrian uses should have high priority, including walking paths and bicycle paths. Outdoor enhancements such as decks, bridges, trails, and gazebos that take advantage of the natural features of the site should ~ encouraged. r Existing single family residences in the area could be favorably incorporated into the site design, since any proposed development would be subject to design standards including substantial setbacks and landscaping, as well as acceptable access and traffic circulation patterns. The Mixed Use designation is compatible with the Rural Residential/Open Space Preservation area planned directly to the north, and with the Low Density Residential/Open Space Preservation planned directly to the east. It will also be compatible with Plainfield Township's plans for general commercial and open space conservancy directly south of the site along 10 Mile Road. r Other options for this site may exist, for example, a blend of recreational uses such as a golf course along with a hotel/motel establishment could be incorporated into the site, using the same design standards and care to preserve and incorporate natural features as discussed above. ~ I Public/Semi-Public This category includes those areas and facilities such as schools, government buildings, parks and golf courses which are available for use by the general public. Semi-public uses are those used by a limited number of people with specific interests which are generally non-profit in nature such as churches, non-public schools, private golf courses and medical or institutional facilities. The Plan recognizes that it is necessary to provide for the establishment of certain non-residential land uses within residential areas subject to the implementation of measures which are designed to insure compatibility. Such non-residential uses commonly include religious and educational institutions; recreational uses such as parks; golf courses and play fields and public utility facilities. Traffic generation, noise, lighting and trespassing should be carefully controlled in order to mitigate the negative impacts on residential uses. Expansion or location of these uses should depend upon compatibility with adjacent land uses and the extent to which neighborhood character will be maintained. The Future Land Use Map illustrates the major public/semi-public uses in the Township which are the Township Hall, Township parkland and proposed parkland, as well as existing fire fighting facilities. Overlay Zone An Overlay Zone is a zoning technique which consists of a separate zone placed over an existing zoning district. The Overlay Zone carries a specific set of regulations which apply to ("overlay") A&C\Algoma\1!9564.01\algomamp\sb 64 �-;t"· I r r properties in the underlying zoning district. The Overlay Zone is useful for protecting areas with special characteristics such as floodplains, wetlands, historic districts or unique neighborhoods, but they can also apply to other areas where a special set of regulations are needed to achieve the objectives of a community. The boundaries of an Overlay Zone do not need to follow property lines but can be drawn to fit the area; i.e., floodplain or wetland identified by a municipality. Vista Protection Overlay Zone This classification recognizes and recommends protection for the scenic views which make up much of the Rogue River Valley in Algoma Township and which contribute significantly to the rural character and beauty of the Township. The Vista Protection Overlay Zone (VPOZ) would seek, by way of zoning ordinance regulations, to preserve certain existing vistas by carefully guiding development so that the design of a site including buildings, structures, roads, plantings, signs, etc., which can be seen by the public are implemented to develop a satisfactory visual appearance and not detract from or block the view of vistas as they exist today. The following general design elements need to be observed in preserving the Township's scenic vistas. r. 1. Landscape shall be preserved in its natural state, insofar as practicable, by minimizing tree and soil removal. Any grade changes shall be in keeping with the general appearance of neighboring developed areas. The orientation of individual building sites shall be such as to maintain maximum natural topography and cover. Topography, tree cover, and natural drainageways shall be treated as fixed determinants of road and lot configuration rather than as malleable elements that can be changed to follow a preferred development scheme. 2. Streets shall be designed and located in such a manner as to maintain and preserve natural topography, cover, significant landmarks and trees; to minimize cut and fill; and to preserve and enhance views and vistas.on or off the subject parcel. 3. Proposed development shall be related harmoniously to the terrain and to the use, scale, and architecture of existing buildings in the vicinity that have functional or visual relationship to the proposed buildings. 4. All open space (landscaped and usable) shall be designed to add to the visual amenities of the area by maximizing its visibility for persons passing the site or overlooking it from nearby properties. 5. The color, size, height, lighting and landscaping_of appurtenant signs shall be evaluated for compatibility with local architectural motif and the maintenance of views and vistas of natural landscapes, recognized historic landmarks, parks or landscaping. •, A&OAlgoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 65 �liiil I 6. The removal or disruption of historic, traditional or significant uses, structures, or architectural elements shall be minimized insofar as practicable, whether these exist on the site or on adjacent properties. 7. Each unit of development, as well as the total development, shall create an environment of desirability and stability. Every structure, when completed and in place, shall have a finished appearance. 8. The design of buildings, fences, and other structures shall be evaluated on the basis of harmony with site characteristics and nearby buildings, including historic structures. !' I It is not the intent of this Plan to recognize or regulate all scenic views or vistas within the Township. Only those vistas which truly offer a broad panoramic view of the Township encompassing both field and forest over a wide area and which are generally recognized by both Township officials and the general populace should be considered as scenic vistas for preservation purposes. These vistas have been illustrated on the Future Land Use Map, but others may also be designated by the Planning Commission. r Watershed Protection Overlay Zone I This classification is intended to recognize that the Township's lakes, wetlands and streams need special regulatory measures to ensure their long term quality and viability. A Watershed Protection Overlay Zone (WPOZ) is recommended by the Plan for those areas in the Township where land uses may especially impact the quality of wetlands, lakes, drains or streams. The exact delineation of a WPOZ would involve a technical analysis of topography, soils, land use impacts and carrying capacity of bodies of water. Within a WPOZ, management practices need to be adopted to ensure that a high level of environmental quality is achieved. These practices, known as Best Management Practices, pertain to such activities as limiting the amount of impervious surface on a site, maximizing the setback of drainfields from ·a lake, requiring on-site detention/retention of storm water, and limiting the time and area of soil exposure. The Future Land Use Map illustrates general areas where further analysis of the watershed is recommended. Preparation of Best Management Practices should be undertaken with the cooperation of residents, farmers, builders and others who would be affected by such regulations. This way allows for education regarding the issues and provides an opportunity to build understanding and support for eventual regulations. FUTURE ROADS The Plan recommends the construction of two future streets. One of these is an extension of Hoskins Avenue between 13 and 14 Mile Roads. This is an area of increasing residential development primarily along private roads which provide the only means of interior access to the A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 66 �..., .,iii I ...ii I ~ I. area. A road through this area would help ensure adequate emergency vehicle access to future homes in this area, and may reduce the need for lengthy private drives. An additional street is proposed south off 11 Mile Road about one half mile west of Summit Road. This road, proposed by the City of Rockford, extends to 10 Mile Road and will provide access to and from 10 Mile Road for future residential development in this area in both Rockford and Algoma Township, and will help remove potential traffic burden from Wolven Avenue. I· "( ~ [ I A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp~b 67 �- --- - ~ • • 0 ~ f . • D • • •• • _____ .! • ------• • •• • ......._ \ • • • • D • ~ a:: 0 z ,,,,:, ,, • ~ ,,,,,, ,,,, • • • - • • • 0 • • • • • • -----------• 2-4 UNIT ATTACHED • • • MDR/OSP • • • • - - 11 MIL£ ROAD • • -- - ~ RR/OSP - -- ct: • \.... I'""- • • ~ "' • • • === • • 0 C D D • LDR • • '' ''- --- J • • - i..-__. IC,llLll>ll'I T ALGOMA TOWNSHIP MAP 9 MIXED USE I PUD • •• • • • LEGEND: • • • • LDR/OSP 10 MIL£ ROAD • • • • • -- - MIXED USE AREA RR - RURAL RESIDENTIAL CSP - OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION LDR - LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL MDR - MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL 0 - OFFICE C - COMMERCIAL FUTURE LAHP USE EXISIJNG USE$ Cliil) r:zn - WETLAND • - SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE C - COMMERCIAL / - INDUSTRIAL - PRIVATE ROAD • ==-==- omcE WW Engineering & Science, Inc •.--------------------------------------------------------== �7 l, CHAPTERS l rnPLEMENTATION 1 In order for the Master Plan to serve as an effective guide to the continued development of Algoma Township it must be implemented. Primary responsibility for implementing the Plan rests with the Algoma Township Board,, the Planning Commission, and the Township staff. This is done through a number of methods. These include ordinances, programs, and administrative procedures which are described in this chapter. 1 l It is important to note that the Master Plan itself has no legal authority to regulate development l in order to implement the recommendations of the Plan. This implementation must come from the decisions of the Township Board and Planning Commission to provide needed public improvements and to administer and establish regulatory measures relative to the use of the land. 1 The private sector, including individual home and land owners, is also involved in fulfilling the recommendations of the Master Plan by the actual physical development of land uses and through the rezoning of land. The authority for this, however, comes from the Township. Cooperation between the public and private sectors is therefore important in successful implementation of the Master Plan. · 1 l ·,. 1 1. 1 Chapter 1 of the Plan sets forth goals and objectives which serve to guide the future development of Algoma Township. Many of the specific implementation recommendations of this chapter are taken from these objectives. The following sections are a list of the major activities which the Algoma Township Planning Commission should pursue in order to be pro-active in the implementation of this Master Plan. ZONING .I ' I I Zoning represents a legal means for the Township to regulate private property to achieve orderly land use relationships. It is the process most commonly used to implement community Master Plans. The zoning process consists of an official zoning map and zoning ordinance text. The official zoning map divides the community into different zones or districts within which certain uses are permitted and others are not. The zoning ordinance text notes the uses which are permitted and establishes regulations to control densities, height, bulk, setbacks, lot sizes, and accessory uses. A&C\Algoma~9564.0 l\algomarnp\,b 69 �., .) --r The zoning ordinance also sets forth procedures for special approval regulations and sign controls. These measures permit the Township to control the quality as well as the type of development Subsequent to the adoption of this Plan, the Township Planning Commission and Township Board should review and make any necessary revisions to the zoning regulations to ensure that the recommendations of the Plan as outlined in this section are instituted. The Plan recommends the following specific changes to the Township Zo11ing Ordinance: ;;,,-: f. 1. Develop specific regulations to permit and encourage the development of land under the Open Space· Preservation concept as recommended in Chapter 7. 2. Adopt regulations for Planned Unit Developments as a method to implement the mixed uses recommended for the 10 Mile Road/U.S. 131 intersection and the Open Space Preservation concept recommended by the Plan. 3. Prepare and adopt a separate chapter_for Office zoning. 4. Revise the site plan review provisions of the Ordinance to better specify required contents of site plans and to provide for better protection of the natural features of the land per Objectives 5 and 6 of the Natural Resource Goal section. 5. Adopt access control measures to regulate the commercial development recommended for Northland Drive, 10 Mile Road and 14 Mile Road as recommended by Objective 2 for the Commercial Development Goal. Such measures should address the number, size and spacing of driveways, service drives or frontage roads, building setbacks, deceleration lanes, and driveway alignment The Commission should work with the Kent County Road Commission to enlist their cooperation in enforcing such measures . 6. Develop specific landscaping regulations for buffering between uses, and improving the appearance of buildings and parking lots per the overall goal of the Township and Objective 3 of the Commercial Goal section. j 7. Develop zoning ordinance provisions to regulate site condominiums. --1 8. Prepare overlay zone regulations to implement the Watershed Protection Zone and Vista Protection Zone recommendations of Chapter 7. As part of preparing these regulations additional study should be done to identify scenic vistas and watershed areas. - t -I I .,,. i ... I ='"' - ' ~ I - For watersheds in particular, a plan should precede the development of regulations to better determine the location of the watershed and the type of best management practices needed to protect water quality. A&O.Algorna\89564.0 l\al.gomamp\sb 70 �pa •- The Vista Protection Zone is specifically recommended by Objective 12 of the Natural Resource Goal section while Objective 8 pertains to the development of watershed protection regulations. jg I ~ I 9. Delete the D-1 provisions of the Zoning Ordinance ("Heavy Industry") as such uses may not be compatible with the overall environmental goals and rural character of the Township. Specifically Industrial Goal, Objective 6 recommends the deletion of this category. 10. Create a separate mobile home park zoning chapter within the Zoning Ordinance which should be approved by the Michigan Mobile Home Commission. 11. Amend the Ordinance to permit two-family dwelling units in the R-S, Rural Suburban zoning district along county primary or local roads but not on subdivision streets and to also allow them in the R-D, Low Density Multi-Family zoning district. This amendment should also delete the existing regulations regarding duplexes. 12. Revise the Ordinance so there is consistency in the intent and in the regulations for the Conservation Zone and Natural River Zone. Currently the NR Zone is less restrictive in its minimum lot size than the Conservation Zone yet much of the environmentally sensitive land is within the NR zone. This discrepancy needs to be discussed and appropriate changes made to achieve the objectives of the Township. 13. Prepare and adopt regulations to permit neighborhood commercial uses within or close to populated areas by Special Use as recommended in Chapter 7. 14. Revise the Zoning Ordinance to better delineate uses permitted by right and by special use to better provide the Planning Commission with criteria to determine the location of certain uses. Also, general standards for all special uses should be added to the Ordinance. 15. Upon completion of Item 12, the Planning Commission should sponsor amendments to the Zoning Map to rezone areas designated as Conservation on the Future Land Use Plan. 16. Develop an Historical Preservation Ordinance that is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Master Plan. I ~ I I i i -j I ADDITIONAL PLANNING STUDIES =- 1. I Develop a Township-wide street plan based on Objective 1 of the Infrastructure Goal Section. I A&C\Algoma\89564.0l'algomamp\sb 71 �l 2. Conduct a Corridor Study along major Township arterial roads such as 10 Mile Road, Northland Drive and 13 and 14 Mile Roads to address issues of traffic safety, flow and the need for additional lanes. This is recommended by Objective 2 of the Infrastructure Goal Section. 3. Conduct a study to detennine the most feasible and logical areas which could be served by public water and sanitary sewer. The Plan assumes that certain land uses will require water and sanitary sewer. Such areas do not necessarily need to become part of a neighboring municipality but could be provided utilities on a contract basis. I -,.. j -. • ' ·• 'I I I I i ADOPT TOWNSHIP SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE Currently, the Township does not have its own subdivision ordinance. Thus, any requests to plat property or create a subdivision would be done so according to the provisions of the Subdivision Control Act, Act 288 of 1967. While this provides authority for the Township to regulate platting, Township officials should adopt their own subdivision control ordinance. This will allow greater control over expected future residential developments. PREPARE AND ADOPT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM Capital Improvements Programming is the first step in a comprehensive management system designed to regulate priorities and programs to community goals and objectives. It is a means of planning ahead for the funding and implementation of major construction and land acquisition activities. The typical CIP is six years in length and updated yearly. The first year in each CIP contains the capital improvement budget. The program generally includes a survey of the longrange needs of the entire governmental unit covering major planned projects along with their expected cost and priority. The Township Board then analyzes the projects, financing options, and the interrelationship between projects. Finally, a project schedule is developed. Priority projects are included in the Capital Improvements Program. Low priority projects may be retained in a Capital Improvements Schedule which may cover as long as 20 years. The CIP is useful to the Township, private utilities, citizens, and investors, since it allows coordination in activities and provides the general public with a view of future expectations. i l , - PLANNING COMMISSION WORK PROGRAM The Plan recommends that the Planning Commission prepare a work program in January of each year. This work program would set forth the tasks or goals which the Planning Commission detennines to accomplish for the upcoming year. This will allow the Commission to stay focused on important tasks and help to implement the goals and objectives identified within this Plan. A&C\Algoma\89564.0 l\algomamp\,b 72 �i f i i I I 'l ' 1 PLANNING EDUCATION Planning Commissions should attend planning seminars to keep themselves informed of planning issues and learn how to better carry out their duties and responsibilities as Planning Commissioners. These seminars are regularly sponsored by the Michigan Society of Planning Officials (MSPO) and the Michigan Township Association (MTA) and are a valuable resource for Planning Commissions. There are also several planning publications which are a useful information tool for Planning Commissioners. The main publications are Planning and Zoning linff and Michigan Planner Magazine. REVISIONS TO THE MASTER PLAN The Master Plan should be updated periodically (minor review every one to two years, major review every five to ten years) in order to be responsive to new growth trends and current Township attitudes. As growth occurs over the years, the Master Plan goals, land use information, population projections, and other pertinent data should be reviewed and revised as necessary so the Plan can continue to serve as a valid guide to the growth of the Township. 1 l 1 1 l A&C\Algoma\89564.01\algomamp\sb 73 �. ,., "' a:: 0 w g. . 0 z :5 (/J II ~ ~ROUND \I RR V 11 / . I~ w > . • 'P'l .. 111!1 ~[fl"•·-- - • J b(j(cJ ) - =-l= -=-i:a: ,I =- - - -M V' - - .... .... • • ••••• • · ·· · ·· I DA 2.9~~-~- ~ _J;gt_J~fJERS JP . I 0 w ( 0 ~ w 7?&I1rI . ~ I RA 1h _ ,A.:g: RR - . (. ~ l -.,.c SPARTA HUl'ITING ANO // ~•.. AFlSHING CLUB ' \ ~ (SOLON TWP.) . ) 6 WI ~ ~1 / y·~ ~:5 .Igl I Jl RR 1-oc -- -, .... 16 ""' . , • ~ RA • 5 ' " A -• • 4 • • • • • • • ') •• INDIAN LAKES RD . ESSES . ,----. RA ;;_:; 1 • (/J 'f RA RR • • RA MILE RD ii F1c;'~I HULL ST. JgNSUMERS WER COMPANY , ~ . ., ~ ___, C . ~' \ . .L 1-U... \ 1..,1"\MI ~ L 1ff'I RA '' 8 _,.,._ \ I --- ·11 ) -, IV-:1 ~ L.•~ o ·• ~ RR 12. , R . j ...... • 1_. I RUSSELL ST ., . • I I I • I I ., • . . . . .,. BROMAN ST.f MQO~t. r · ·1;... • •• • • • LAKE DR )Ju n ., -~ / I j. RA ., • • ~ 7 • RR • 15 , .-----~I\ LDR • • .• o Q__ > > 1-- • • • • ~ m • ··· 1............... ,. I LR I \ . :;,; J /1H H • .f \ r,u /Abn KE • . (/) ~ · RR I II w ~/ ALGOMA EW>TIST CHURCH 20 ~ . •1"-1.-1'1..,,,1 • • • • • I • I• t • • • • A na/l)IJAR 1 3 MILE RD . RR : ~ '$ · ONR • . . .. > I-~I • •• Q z ~~1.. /'..... 21 - ·. \ ~~ I --~- +;.~~~--.~-......y ~ _ , , ./ _:---~~--- --~J / /./U• 1-0:::: ~~:::::,,( o/I ~ . . . . .. .,. • I ~'-~~~ q :5 ........._ L/--,.,---LJ.. _=:~~~~~ i,a_._-__.iiiiiiiie • • •11.1• > • j: .R~~~1- ALU\.AU.IW~/-- Q__ <( _....,.._, COMA YO\ITH ENTER .,,.-.... ..,.__.!ll"'iiliil • EMETERY • 1' ~ I © ·:=. RR FONGER ST~\- • :. COMA RR ~ : . RR I ''i._ t I I /t' /SP v : .,,,,-1 \ / ,.... • I ' , • • ·/. • • • • l •·I . I I• I ........_ • 0:::: CV O <( f--- ;.i~ ( 14 ,~. ______,.,_.. j • ' ~ I I • ,,--.._ ... --- ~_.,, ! - - .----- • • ~ - - . . . , .... I I I ......, _ , .,, ...... _ • I 0 oc LDR / I ... . . . .. . ...... . ..... -----i-1- I L 11 ::::P OSP I~ ::; • !J (/J 11 MILE RD w > <( oc w z f-- V) __J 0 33 RR . .. l ... ., .. ., H I w ~ ,-• •• • I/ 0 vi ~ z 0 - ·~ LDR~ 1 I.. o-d: I ! \ .t? r•-...... I I II I I OOUlmMC> :L • • • 10 MILE RD. w ~ ~ (PLAINFIELD TWP .) 0 .. ..--=~-- I • 35 "-- w " w er0> z RR 1 l.J z w > __J __J w ~ ...., __J 0 ~ :5 (/J w z a: ALGOMA TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN i': & 7 MAP 8 FUTURE LAND USE LEGEND: ~ "nn ~00 SCAI..( EXISTING LAND USE (1991} • CV - CONSERVATION RA - RURAL AGRICULTURAL RR - RURAL RESIDENTIAL OSP - OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION LOR - LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL LR LAKE RESIDENTIAL ~ MOBILE HOME PARK 0 OFFICE C COMMERCIAL I INDUSTRIAL 1' COMMERCIAL / OFFICE ADOPTED BY THE ALQOMA INDUSTRIAL PUBLIC / SEMI-PUBLIC USE CHURCH n ====== EXTRACTIVE RESOURCE 00000000 COUNTY DRAINS PRIVATE ROAD TOWNSHIP PLANNl~G COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER· 19, 1991 (JOO' F110W MOR GROUPS OF SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES •... --.... NATURAL RIVER DISTRICT [!] • IW"l"lCIOHI SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE I-,--;i - .----• = or £.<CH P/SP PUBUC/SEMI-PUBUC WPOZ WATERSHED PROTECTION OVERLAY ZONE ""'°' - - MOT ro ™ ) VISTA PROTECTION OVERLAY ZONE PROPOSED STREETS \~I! WW ~ngineerln; • 8clenc.""'~~, G,o.,,ern~6nta· Ser"1c•• OMs,on ~ g - - , HIia ,tn...,. •. c,.,.. , ..... WI - - • (t1t; ..l-'NOO � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Algoma-Twp_Master-Plan_1991 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Algoma Township Board, Township Planning Commission, Master Plan Task Force, Algoma Township, Kent County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-11-19 Title A name given to the resource Algoma Township Master Plan Description An account of the resource Master Plan for Algoma Township prepared by the Township Board, Township Planning Commission, and Master Plan Task Force with the assistance of WW Engineering & Science November 19, 1991. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource WW Engineering & Science (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Master plan reports Algoma Township (Kent County, Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3ecafaabda501ef8202123912f316cb8.mp4 aad90eb132ebb355b73a5f2894be4319 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a95d30044212c4fd8c93c0fe91b0b725.pdf 4787cda7e32a7d30120bb0eda120b2dd PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Michael Alioto Vietnam War Interview Length: (02:01:49:00) Pre-enlistment / Training (00:00:27:00)  Alioto was born on December 19th, 1947 at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan (00:00:27:00) o While he was growing up, Alioto and his family alternated living in East Dearborn, Michigan and the west side of Detroit (00:00:34:00) o Apart from himself, Alioto also had two younger sisters (00:00:41:00) o While Alioto was growing up, his father had a drinking problem, which did not always manifest itself in pleasant ways (00:00:55:00)  Alioto’s father worked in a series of different jobs; when he initially got out of the service following World War II, having served as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps, he took a job as an inspector for the city of Dearborn (00:01:05:00) o After working as an inspector, Alioto’s father held a series of jobs as a salesman until his death in 1973 (00:01:20:00)  Alioto attended twelve years of Catholic school in Detroit, followed by (in no particular order): Henry Ford Community College, Wayne State University, Central Michigan University, Arizona State University and the University of Michigan (00:01:48:00) o Alioto attended some of the college before his service in Vietnam, although the majority came after he left the military (00:02:17:00) o Alioto graduated from high school in 1966 (00:02:23:00)  After Alioto graduated from high school, instead of just going straight to college, his father convinced him that he could work full-time at Ford Motor Company and still go to school full-time, doing his homework on breaks (00:02:29:00) o At the time, a man had to be taking twelve credits in order to receive an educational deferment for the draft (00:02:46:00)  During his first semester, Alioto ended up taking seventeen credits, which on top of working full-time, was almost an undoable task (00:02:49:00) o Alioto initially attended Henry Ford Community College and did relatively well the first year, maintain around a 2.5 G.P.A. while still working full time at Ford; it was roughly the same for Alioto during his second year in college (00:03:08:00)  Although he still had his educational deferment, Alioto was accidentally drafted during his second year in college (00:03:31:00) o Alioto called his draft board and explained he had a deferment; the draft board said that happened all the time and all Alioto needed to do was bring in proof of the deferment to them (00:03:41:00) o Even though he said he would bring the proof down, the more Alioto thought about it, the more he hesitated; the only reason he was in school in the first place was to avoid going into the service (00:03:50:00)  However, Alioto had always scored high on the standardized tests in school, so he knew that if he went into the service, he would test into a �  clerical position or some other relatively easy position and sail through the two years of military service (00:04:02:00)  Earlier, Alioto had applied to the Michigan National Guard; however, when the Guard called in 1968, Alioto turned them down because he did not want to go to training at that time (00:04:19:00) Alioto officially entered the service on June 26th, 1969 (00:04:48:00) o At the time, Vietnam was up-front in the news and as a college student, Alioto was very aware of what was happening (00:04:54:00)  From Alioto’s experience, a significant portion of the other students in college were there, taking twelve credits, for only one reason, to avoid the draft (00:05:02:00)  In order to avoid joining the Army or Marines, men also tended to join the Reserves or the Air Force or Navy; some men did join the Army but under the condition that they be allowed to choose their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) (00:05:12:00) o If someone voluntarily enlisted, they had a three-year enlistment and could choose their MOS; if someone was drafted, they had a two-year enlistment but were subject to the will of the military in terms of their MOS (00:05:39:00)  During Alioto’s junior year in high school, his history teacher gave Alioto’s class a two-question test; the questions were: What is the capital of North Vietnam and What is the capital of South Vietnam (00:05:58:00)  All Alioto could remember was one of the capitals was Hanoi, so he put that for both and received a 50% on the rest (00:06:17:00)  However, Alioto’s father was astute and well-read and had warned Alioto that he did not want to end up having to go to Vietnam to fight (00:06:39:00)  Alioto had friends who were in the service in Vietnam and who were writing letters home (00:07:02:00) After finally joining the military, Alioto went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for his basic training; in order to get to Fort Knox, Alioto ended up taking a bus from Fort Wayne in Detroit (00:07:12:00) o Once they had arrived, Alioto and between two and four hundred other recruits were herded into a large auditorium and they all went through their aptitude testing (00:07:22:00)  A couple of weeks into the training, Alioto’s training company commander called Alioto in and told him that Alioto had earned the highest test scores in the company, about 200 recruits (00:08:01:00)  As a result of the high test scores, Alioto was even more confident that he would receive a reasonable MOS; although he might go to Vietnam, he would not have an assignment that would put him in harm’s way (00:08:17:00) o Prior to being drafted, Alioto went through his Army physical around his nineteenth birthday at Fort Wayne in Detroit (00:08:59:00) � During his physical, Alioto did not pay too much attention to whether other men were trying to cheat and get themselves disqualified from having to serve (00:09:27:00)  However, if any of the men really wanted to serve, they could have enlisted, so if they were doing their physical for the draft, they did not really want to go (00:09:30:00) o A lot of the men talked about having bad knees, asthma, high blood pressure, etc. in order to get themselves disqualified (00:09:48:00)  Alioto did not try anything to be disqualified, partially because he was drafted while still on deferment, so he was not exactly sure if he would have to serve or not (00:10:32:00) o Even if he did serve, Alioto was fairly certain that he would end up with a fairly cushy job (00:10:44:00) o There were about forty other recruits in Alioto’s training company at Fort Knox and Alioto could not have met forty nice men (00:11:07:00)  There were a lot of bright kids in the company, which was not what Alioto had expected going in (00:11:29:00) o Nevertheless, the training was demanding and the intensity of the training really depended on the individual training company commanders; in some training companies, during the nine-week basic training, the men received up to seven twenty-four to thirty hour weekend passes (00:11:41:00)  Conversely, during the nine-week period, Alioto’s training company ended up receive only one weekend pass, from noon Saturday until six p.m. Sunday (00:12:09:00)  Because he arrived at Fort Knox in June, Alioto did not have to worry about it being cold; Alioto liked this fact because although he could stand the heat, he did not like the cold (00:12:18:00)  Having played a lot of sports while he was growing up, the physical rigors of the training were not a problem for Alioto (00:10:32:00)  There was a large emphasis placed on discipline and following orders and pretty much all of the soldiers followed them (00:12:45:00)  For the small percentage who chose to “fight the system”, the drill sergeants knew several methods to convince the men to follow the rules (00:12:52:00) o One of the most popular methods was for the drill instructors to punish all the other men in the platoon who were not acting up, who would in turn dole out their own punishment (00:13:04:00)  The facilities that the recruits were using were older but were still nice and clean, albeit very spartan (00:13:26:00)  The men would wake up early in the morning and go through PT (physical training) before going to breakfast; if the men got dirty doing the PT, they had to go back to the barracks and change into a clean pair of fatigues before going to breakfast (00:14:06:00) �  Each of the men were given two pairs of boots, one pair of which were marked with red dots; the soldiers would not wear the same pair two days in a row, which forced them to spit-shine the boots every night (00:14:36:00) o Most of the training platoons had a head drill sergeant along with three or four other drill sergeants; some of the drill sergeants were career soldiers but a large portion were sergeants who had returned from Vietnam and had to finish out their enlistments (00:15:11:00)  The head drill sergeant in Alioto’s platoon had already served a couple of tours in Vietnam in the infantry, was hard-as-nails, and did not tolerate any nonsense (00:15:42:00)  When Alioto graduated from the training, the drill sergeant shook his hand and told Alioto to go home and tell his mother that he had made her proud (00:15:57:00) o At the end of basic training, the men lined up in formation and went through graduation (00:16:21:00)  While the men were in formation, the various MOS assignments were given out; eventually, the commanders reached Eleven Bravo Ten and all the men crossed their fingers and hoped that they would not be assigned to medics or infantry (00:16:45:00)  From what Alioto can remember, only a small number were called for Eleven Bravo Ten, only around eight or so; however, the first name that was called was “Alioto, Michael” (00:17:08:00) o Up until that point, Alioto was convinced that he was just going to coast through a two-year enlistment (00:17:24:00) The gravity of his situation hit Alioto the following day, when he and the other Eleven Bravo Tens flew from Fort Knox to Fort Polk, Louisiana, which was colloquially known as “Tigerland” (00:17:48:00) o All the soldiers who went to training at Fort Polk knew their odds of going to Vietnam were immense (00:17:56:00) o One of the reasons basic training was relatively easy was that some of the men in the training with Alioto were National Guardsmen and Reservists (00:18:32:00)  However, when Alioto arrived at Fort Polk, out of the two hundred men in his training company, he believes all of them were draftees (00:18:45:00)  A large portion of Alioto’s training company were either Southern whites or Southern blacks and because that was the era of the Civil Rights movement, there was a tremendous amount of hatred from the Southern blacks towards the Southern whites (00:18:57:00) o From Fort Polk until the end of his time in the service, whenever he arrived in a new area, Alioto was told about where to go and when to go in large groups (00:19:27:00)  In a sense, it was code that if someone was planning to go to the areas where black soldiers tend to hang out, either don’t go or go in a large group (00:19:43:00) � All the men at Fort Polk knew where they would be going, knew what they would be doing when they got there and knew there was a very good chance they could be wounded or killed (00:19:58:00)  A lot of the men were unhappy they had to be at Fort Polk, given what training their signified, which made the mood very dissimilar from what Alioto had experience during basic training (00:20:30:00)  As much as he had enjoyed the training at Fort Knox, Alioto disliked the training at Fort Polk (00:20:39:00) o For the most part, the training at Fort Polk was a replication of the training Alioto had received at Fort Knox; during basic training, almost everyone trained to be an infantryman, although not all of them would be regular infantry (00:20:47:00)  Once at Fort Polk, all the recruits trained with M-16 rifles, M-60 machine guns, LAWs (Light Anti-Tank Weapons), etc., as well as anything else that was combat-related, such as in-the-field medical training and a lot of night training (00:21:06:00)  A lot of the men skipped out on the night training; the training was much more chaotic at Fort Polk and a lot of the men figured out that when the men got on the buses at two in the morning to return to base, the instructors did not take a roll-call (00:21:24:00)  A lot of the men, Alioto included, would be marching to the buses to go out to night training and as soon as they could, they would drop out of the line and go do something else with a couple of friends (00:21:44:00)  A large amount of the training was replication of what the men had already learned and there was only so many times the soldiers could do the same things without being bored (00:22:04:00)  One part of the training was combat courses where the men were taken into the field and told to march three miles to a location; meanwhile, instructors would be all along the route trying to catch the men and if they did catch any, the instructors would “torture” the men to see if they would learn any information (00:22:14:00) o A portion of the men figured that the best way not to be caught was to not go out in the first place (00:22:32:00)  Although they did manage to occasionally get out of the night training, the men still had to go through training during the day, so they did not miss much (00:22:50:00)  Instead of being a nine-week basic training course, the training at Fort Polk was like an eighteen-week basic training course (00:22:55:00)  Given Fort Polk’s location in the swamps of Louisiana, the terrain and weather were comparable to what the men would eventually experience in Vietnam (00:23:05:00) o Despite the training Alioto and the men received, one of the first things they were told when they arrived in Vietnam by the men who had already been deployed was to just watch the veterans and do what they do; after a couple of months, the new guys would know everything they needed to do to survive (00:23:37:00) �    The training at Fort Polk was strictly about getting the soldiers combatready for Vietnam (00:24:03:00) o The training at Fort Polk lasted for another eight or nine weeks, although unlike the training at Fort Knox, the men had weekend passes every single weekend and Alioto would take the passes and go into a small nearby town with three other soldiers (00:24:15:00) Once Alioto finished at Fort Polk, he was supposed to go to Vietnam; however, he decided to attempt to go through more specialized training, with the hopes that when he finished that, the Army would re-issue him orders and send him to Korea or someplace other than Vietnam (00:24:55:00) o Therefore, after Fort Polk, Alioto went to Fort Benning, Georgia for specialized training, although the training turned out to be almost another nine weeks of basic training (00:25:14:00) o When Alioto went from Fort Polk to Fort Benning, he was given a pass and soon after he arrived at Fort Benning, the soldiers were given a two-week pass to go home for Christmas (00:25:26:00) Alioto finished the training at Fort Benning in March, the Army re-issued him orders, and still sent him to Vietnam; all Alioto had done was delay the inevitable (00:25:44:00) o The advanced training consisted of more infantry training; although there was some leadership training, it was not to the level of NCO (non-commissioned officer school) school (00:25:54:00) o Throughout Alioto’s entire training, the instructors pushed him to go through officer training (00:26:23:00)  At the time, there were three different OCS (Officer Candidate School) programs: Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Engineering at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and Infantry at Fort Benning (00:26:36:00)  Alioto told the instructors that he would extend his enlistment for a year and go through OCS if and only if they could guarantee that he would go through engineering OCS (00:26:45:00)  However, there was not a need for soldiers to go through Engineering OCS (00:26:56:00) When Alioto finished the advanced training at Fort Benning, he received another leave home and returned home around Easter (00:27:17:00) o While Alioto was on leave, his family went snowmobiling in the northern part of Michigan, Alioto got a little reckless and drove his snowmobile into a tree; Alioto was thrown from the snowmobile but his feet got caught and he initially assumed that he had broken a leg (00:27:28:00)  Alioto laid in the snow, actually hoping that he had broken one of his legs; however, it was only bruised (00:27:44:00) Deployment to Vietnam (00:27:58:00)  When he actually deployed, Alioto first traveled to Fort Dix, New Jersey and from Fort Dix, he flew first to Alaska and to either Tokyo or Manila before arriving at Bien Hoa Air Force Base, which was just outside of Saigon (00:27:58:00) �o Once he was at Bien Hoa, Alioto was placed into a massive holding area with other soldiers who had just arrived in-country; at that point, Alioto still did not even know what division he would be joining (00:28:21:00) o When Alioto arrived at Bien Hoa, it was around mid-to-late morning and his first impressions of Vietnam were how oppressive and enveloping the weather was and how secure the surrounding area was (00:28:39:00)  In part of his mind, Alioto believed that he was going to get off the airliner and immediately have to start ducking enemy gunfire (00:29:01:00) o From Bien Hoa, Alioto and the other soldiers were bused to Long Binh, where they stayed while they waited to be assigned to a unit (00:29:06:00)  Typically, the men had to wait three or four days before they received their individual assignments; while they waited, the men would go to bars at night and played basketball during the day (00:29:26:00)  While waiting on the base, some of the men were assigned to do guardduty at night, which was a scare experience for them; although Alioto looks back and realizes it was extremely safe, he was still new in-country and feared there was an enemy in every bush (00:29:57:00) o Every day, the men would go out and look at a large board to see if their name was up their; one day, Alioto saw his own name and next to it, it said “Phu Bai” (00:30:26:00)  Alioto did not know what Phu Bai was, so he asked someone what it was and the other soldier said Alioto was not going to like it; when Alioto asked why, he was told that Phu Bai meant he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (00:30:39:00) (00:30:58:00) – (00:32:42:00) : Technical Difficulties o In order to get to the 101st Airborne, Alioto flew aboard a C-130 transport from Long Binh to Phu Bai; once in Phu Bai, Alioto was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 501st Airborne Regiment (00:31:56:00)  Once Alioto was assigned to a company within the battalion, he met the company first sergeant, was sent to the company supply sergeant, given his equipment, and told to go to a helipad the following morning, so he could be taken out to his company (00:32:42:00)  Prior to when Alioto arrived at the battalion area, his company had been involved in serious fighting with the enemy and was down in manpower; therefore, when Alioto went into the field, he went with three other soldiers to a join 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company (00:33:07:00) o When Alioto joined his platoon, they were operating in very mountainous terrain, in either the A Shau Valley or an area contiguous to the A Shau (00:33:27:00)  Alioto’s battalion did not have a set area-of-operation but were passed around the division’s area-of-operation; this meant that ever five or six days, the men were moving to a new firebase (00:33:57:00)  When they first arrived at the platoon, Alioto and the other replacement soldiers received a very poor reception from the other solders already in the platoon (00:34:11:00) �  When Alioto got off the helicopter, the platoon was actually involved in a small fire-fight and the first words the four men heard were “Get Down, A******” (00:34:18:00)  Alioto dove behind a nearby log and from what he can remember, nobody approached him for around three hours; all Alioto remembers think was if that was a daily occurrence, how could anyone make it for 365 days (00:34:33:00)  After the first day, nobody was warm to the new soldiers; more than anything else, Alioto attributes the cold reception to the immaturity of twenty-year-olds (00:35:00:00) o After two weeks, Alioto and the other new soldiers were not receiving all that much more respect from the other soldiers; after one month, there was more respect and after two months, Alioto and the others were considered veterans in the platoon (00:35:15:00)  Alioto never forgot the experience, so when he became a “veteran”, he was always welcoming to any new soldiers (00:35:29:00) o It was an uncomfortable experience for Alioto when he was a new guy; it was bad enough that he was over there but the weather was traumatic and the mission the men had to do were tiring (00:35:45:00) In the year Alioto was with his platoon, the platoon never once did operations from a firebase; instead, the platoon remained in the field, constantly doing search-and-destroy missions (00:36:28:00) o Initially, there were twenty-five men in the platoon, although if there was a lot of combat, that number could be whittled down to as few as sixteen; conversely, if the platoon was re-supplied and kept up regularly and did not face combat for an extended period, that number got as high as thirty-one or thirty-two (00:36:38:00) o On a typical day, the men would wake up in the morning, march through an area, and to set up camps on any of the higher hills in the area (00:36:54:00)  When set-up the camp, the platoon would set up on a trail, ring their entire area with flares and claymore mines, and set out two guard posts, one at either end of the trail, each supported by a squad (00:37:11:00)  Although they were in the field, most of the men were asleep by eight o’clock (00:37:35:00)  The men never dug in once and for the most part, they never set-up any protection over their heads; if it was raining, they would make tents out of their ponchos (00:37:54:00)  During the night, one man would be awake and on-guard from eight o’clock until nine o’clock, when he woke up another man; the cycle repeated every hour (00:38:15:00)  In the morning, the men would wake up, one of their squads would leaving their heavy equipment with the rest of the platoon and go into the jungle for a three- or four-hour patrol (00:38:32:00)  The patrol would return around noon, eat lunch, and the entire platoon would saddle up, to move out, stopping and setting up another position around six o’clock in the evening (00:38:46:00) �   For the most part, if the soldiers did find any enemy forces, it was almost always accidental (00:39:04:00) o Every seven or eight weeks, the soldiers were pulled out of the field for about six days (00:39:17:00)  On Christmas Eve, 1970, the men received a hot meal; however, it was only mostaccioli without any meat and Alioto would have just as soon eaten regular C-rations (00:39:34:00)  During the entire year, Alioto received two beers, which also came out on Christmas Eve (00:39:52:00)  When the opportunity presented itself, Alioto was one of the men selected from his unit to go see a Bob Hope comedy show; however, because his platoon was a in bad area, they were unable to get a helicopter in to get Alioto out and he ended up missing the show (00:40:05:00) o For the most part, the things the soldiers did on a daily basis was very repetitive, search-and-destroy patrols day-after-day-after-day (00:40:29:00) During the first couple of months Alioto was in the battalion, the battalion moved on a nearly regular basis, shifting to a new position every six or seven days (00:40:42:00) o At one point, Alioto tried to figure out how many times the battalion moved and from what he counted, it was seventy-eight times (00:41:03:00) o The reason why the battalion moved so much was there thirteen total battalions in the division and Alioto’s battalion was frequently used as support for whichever battalion was involved in the worst fighting (00:41:17:00) o Alioto’s battalion remained the “bastard battalion” for about six months and he remembers one night that information was passed around that the battalion was finally going to receive an area-of-operations (00:41:34:00) o Soon after, the battalion was given the AO (Area-of-Operations) that surrounding Firebase Birmingham, which was the “cushiest” area-of-operations that the 101st Airborne had (00:41:51:00)  The way Alioto looks at it, the battalion receiving the AO around Birmingham was a “make-up” for all the stuff that the battalion had gone through in the first six months he was there (00:42:01:00) o The battalion ended up staying at Firebase Birmingham for around three months and although the men were still operating in the field, it was much easier than what they had been doing (00:42:14:00)  Birmingham was a very large firebase and when the men spent six days there, it was almost like a vacation (00:42:33:00)  At the time, Birmingham had 175mm artillery guns stationed on it, which were massive guns; as far as Alioto is aware, Birmingham was the only firebase in Vietnam to have 175mm guns (00:43:17:00)  The men were on the firebase over Thanksgiving and were able to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, dressing, etc.; while on the firebase for Thanksgiving was the only time Alioto ever saw a “Doughnut Dolly”, an American girl who worked for the Red Cross (00:43:29:00) Alioto clearly remembers his first firefight, mostly because the platoon “ran into a buzz saw”; over a four-day period, the platoon suffered thirteen casualties out of the twentyfive soldiers, with three killed and ten wounded (00:44:05:00) �  o For the most part, the wounded came as the result of friendly fire from American artillery (00:44:22:00) o Math had always been a strong-suit for Alioto but it did not take much to figure out that if his platoon lost over half its strength in only four days, it did not bode well for him going forward (00:45:56:00) o Still, out of all the combat Alioto saw, there were only three other times where the fighting was as gruesome as those first four days (00:45:16:00) o In Alioto’s platoon, the platoon lost well over 100% of its soldiers, either wounded or killed; from what Alioto can figure, approximately half of the platoon’s casualties were a result of friendly fire (00:45:38:00)  At one point, mortars were called in to assist the platoon but they ended up landing on the platoon’s position; Alioto still gets chills thinking about the sound that the mortar rounds made, which shows just how close the mortar rounds were (00:46:06:00)  During his tour, Alioto had two other soldiers die in his arms (00:47:24:00)  In one case, the soldier was a fairly new, having only been in the field for a couple of weeks, and had not gotten himself fully acclimated to being in the field (00:47:39:00) o Alioto has always felt a little responsible for the soldier’s death because Alioto had told the soldier to go help bring back some water from the base of a hill (00:47:43:00)  The hills were extremely large and tough to climb; Alioto had gone through nearly nine months of training and even he was not in shape to climb up and down the hills (00:47:57:00) o The platoon went out on patrol and all of sudden, the soldier snapped and started waving his gun around, saying there were NVA; the other soldiers had never seen him act this way, so they thought he was trying to get a psychotic discharge (00:48:55:00) o All of a sudden, the soldier started breathing oddly and although the other soldiers tried everything they could, there was nothing they could do (00:49:13:00) o That particular soldier’s death was the only time Alioto saw someone die without being wounded by a bullet or artillery or mortar round (00:49:35:00) Alioto actually went into the field in April of 1970 (00:49:54:00) During his first couple of months in the field, Alioto had never heard of Firebase Ripcord, although as far as he knows, he might have come within several miles of the firebase (00:50:24:00) o At one point, his unit was flown into an LZ (Landing Zone), LZ Kelly, but was socked in by bad weather, which prevented even re-supply helicopters from coming in (00:50:38:00) � It eventually reached the point where the men were literally out of food; the unit had a scout dog and there were a lot of jokes about killing and eating the dog (00:50:56:00) o Once the unit finally made it out of LZ Kelly, they were moved to an AO near series of firebases adjacent to the South China Sea; on the 4th of July, the men were taken onto one of the firebases, Firebase Tomahawk, and were treated to a steak cookout (00:51:06:00) o After Firebase Tomahawk, Alioto’s unit went for a stand-down, the first it had had since May (00:52:01:00)  Whenever he was not in the field, Alioto was a heavy beer drinker and a big card player, and he remembers that by around six in the morning on the third day of the stand-down, he was playing cards when someone came in and told he and the other men to saddle-up because one of the other battalions was being hit (00:52:12:00)  Even though he was still drunk, Alioto got his gear and went out to the helipad (00:53:06:00)  Eventually, the men were flown out to an in-active firebase about four or five kilometers away from Firebase Ripcord called Firebase Gladiator (00:53:23:00) o Once there, the men began rebuilding Gladiator; as they rebuilt the firebase, Alioto realized the gravity of the situation because that was the first time he had ever seen any officer in the field above the rank of captain (00:53:41:00)  There were two generals on the firebase and Alioto remembers that as the men were digging in, the generals walked up; although most of the men stopped and saluted, Alioto did not and kept digging (00:54:03:00)  Another officer with the generals asked if Alioto did not know how to salute and Alioto replied that he did not have time to salute; when he said that, one of the generals commented and said that Alioto was a smart soldier (00:54:32:00)  Later in the day, the Vietnamese began walking mortar rounds up the hill where Gladiator was located and when Alioto ran to one of the only areas that had been dug in, he found it so full of soldiers, there was no place to go (00:54:50:00)  Instead, Alioto laid on the top of the hill, without any cover or anything, and to try to keep his mind distracted, he read a small copy of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (00:55:06:00)  The men continued rebuilding Gladiator, with heavy engineers eventually called in to remove tree-stumps (00:55:45:00)  At the time, Alioto’s platoon had a young, eager 1st Lieutenant and at one point, when the commanders wanted one of the platoons to fly from Gladiator to fly off the firebase and support Ripcord, the Lieutenant volunteered Alioto’s platoon (00:56:09:00)  The Lieutenant figured it was safer to be supporting Ripcord than to be on Gladiator, which was sure to be hit by enemy mortar rounds every night (00:56:41:00) � o Although the Lieutenant may have been right, Alioto would have rather stayed on Gladiator (00:56:46:00)  At the time, Alioto was carrying an M-60 machine gun as his weapon and traditionally, whenever his platoon moved, one of the platoon’s two M-60s and one of the platoon’s medics were always in the first helicopter (00:56:55:00) o The two M-60s alternated who went on the first helicopter and when the platoon moved to support Ripcord, it was Alioto’s turn to be on the first helicopter (00:57:19:00)  As the helicopter was flying into the area around Ripcord, it was shot down; the helicopter was hover about thirty feet to land and the enemy gunfire knocked the rotors off, which caused the helicopter to drop like a rock (00:57:48:00)  Apart from Alioto, there were four other soldiers on the helicopter, plus a pilot, co-pilot, and two door gunners and when the helicopter crashed, Alioto was the only one of the nine who was not injured (00:58:09:00) o They were unable to send in a second helicopter because Alioto’s helicopter was still burning and cooking off ammunition (00:58:21:00) o The medic was doing his best to help people although he was injured and Alioto’s ammunition carrier was hurt severely (00:58:32:00) o Eventually, other medical personnel made it into the crash site and managed to medi-vac the wounded, although Alioto’s ammunition carrier, the medic, and one of the other soldiers never returned to the field (00:59:04:00)  Even though they were clearly in a dangerous area, Alioto and the other men in the platoon were not allowed to leave until a special group from the rear area came out to investigate the helicopter crash wreckage to see what exactly had happened (00:59:34:00)  While the men waited, they moved off the landing zone and took up a position on a nearby hill; the men knew that the enemy knew they were there but they did not know how many men the enemy had to use (01:00:01:00) o The men began doing patrols and spent the following night on the same hill, which was something the men almost never did (01:00:28:00) o The platoon eventually stayed on the same hilltop for three or four nights but never saw another enemy after the helicopter was shot down (01:00:46:00) o After three or four days, an inspection team still never came to look at the crash wreckage (01:01:26:00) The triple canopy jungle where the platoon was operating was so immense that a large enemy force could only be a couple of miles away but it might have been comparable to being a state away (01:02:01:00) � o For the most part, the men almost never encountered signs indicating enemy soldiers (01:02:35:00) o The soldiers were very regimented in terms of making sure they did not leave anything behind, so whenever they would move positions, they would try to make it seem as though no one had been there (01:02:48:00) o Whenever the platoon hit combat, it was because they had walked into the fighting or, during the first six months, they were flown into an area to support another unit (01:03:22:00)  For the first six months, there was a lot of combat, followed by three months of little combat and three months of intense fighting when Alioto’s battalion was moved out of the area in and around the A Shau and north to an area near the DMZ (01:03:53:00) While his platoon was near the DMZ, Alioto ended up going on an all-night patrol with just six other soldiers along the South China Sea, just south of the DMZ (01:04:38:00) o During the patrol, the soldiers watched as what looked like an old school bus drove across the DMZ and dropped off around forty enemy soldiers (01:04:44:00) o Although they could have bombarded the enemy soldiers, the men on the patrol made the decision not to and the enemy group eventually marched off to the west, away from the South China Sea (01:05:18:00) o It was interesting that because they were operating in the same area for nine or ten months, the soldiers became acclimated to that area and although the area near the DMZ might have been safer than the A Shau Valley, the area was not as comfortable for Alioto (01:05:53:00)  After his first month in-country, Alioto considered re-enlisting the Army just so he could receive a new MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) and after two months, he would have never left his platoon (01:06:40:00) Misc. Reflections (01:07:21:00)  From Alioto’s experience, there were three types of officers: those who had gone through OCS, those who had gone through West Point, and those who had gone through an ROTC program (01:07:21:00) o On a scale of one to ten, the officers who had gone through OCS were all tens, while West Point officers were often mediocre at best and the ROTC officers were a joke (01:07:32:00) o Officers rotated more quickly than enlisted personnel and during his twelve month tour, Alioto’s platoon had five different 1st Lieutenants; still, the platoon never had a 1st Lieutenant who was not very good (01:08:24:00)  As the lieutenants rotated, it always seemed as if the replacement was smart enough to go to the sergeants and other veterans in the platoon to ask for advice and assistance (01:09:13:00)  None of the lieutenants had the attitude that they were the officer and the other soldiers should defer to them (01:09:32:00) o Often, even with the sergeants, if an E-6 (Staff Sergeant) who had never been in combat came into the field and worked with a pair of E-4s (Corporals) who had been in the field six months, the E-6 deferred to the E-4s (01:10:38:00) �   Alioto would characterize the morale of the platoon was phenomenal; all of the men got along and although there were occasionally petty arguments, there was never anything physical (01:11:14:00) o For the most part, the ethnicity of the soldiers in the platoon were white; there was never a large contingent of black soldiers in the platoon, with the most being only three or four (01:11:36:00)  Nevertheless, whenever the unit was not in the field, Alioto could always sense a racial tension (01:12:47:00)  When Alioto was working in the Ford factories prior to his service, the racial divide in some of the areas was almost fifty/fifty; as well, playing sports while growing up had given Alioto experience in being around black people (01:13:08:00)  However, for the soldiers who had come from the northern suburbs, they had zero experience with black people; these soldiers tended to make comments, such as their best friend being black, that the black soldiers saw right through (01:13:38:00)  While Alioto was in a training, there was one point when a couple of black recruits in the unit went to one of the white National Guardsmen in the unit and asked what state he was from and what he did in the National Guard there (01:14:29:00) o As the recruits talked, one of the black recruits snapped his fingers and said, “Oh, I know, you guys kill n****** don’t you” (01:15:06:00) Something Alioto hopes will change about the American public’s perception of the soldier in Vietnam was that he was sitting in the field, high on drugs (01:16:20:00) o In his twelve months in the field, Alioto never once saw an incident of anyone ever using drugs (01:16:32:00)  There was a sense of responsibility amongst the soldiers and they knew that there was no way they could be doing what they were doing if they were high (01:16:44:00)  That being said, whenever the platoon went on a stand-down, as soon as the men were out of the field, one group would go wherever they needed to go to get a beer while another group went wherever they needed to go to get drugs (01:17:01:00) o From what Alioto saw, the drug use amongst the soldiers was largely restricted to the rear area(s), which happened to be where the bulk of the soldiers in Vietnam were stationed (01:17:48:00) Alioto’s platoon almost always had a Vietnamese scout assigned to it (01:18:16:00) o However, given the types of operations that the 101st Airborne was operating at the time, working in the triple canopy jungle, Alioto never once saw a Vietnamese village (01:18:32:00)  If the men saw human life, it was either an American soldier or an enemy soldier (01:18:56:00) o Still, there was a large contingent of Vietnamese civilians who worked in the rear area(s) and by and large, Alioto got along great with them (01:19:07:00) �   Alioto never had concerns that the Vietnamese working on the bases were enemy personnel (01:19:46:00) The experience of the soldiers in the field was so strong that just the experience of getting out of the field for six or seven days on a stand-down was more enjoyable than a week’s vacation in Florida (01:19:52:00) Alioto was fortunate enough to receive an R&R (Rest and Recuperation) to Bangkok, Thailand in the middle of his tour; even better for Alioto, he ended up receiving a nineday R&R instead of the standard seven-day (01:20:25:00) o Alioto took his R&R in September and in the following January, his company received a new First Sergeant (01:20:47:00)  Several years before Alioto deployed, a band named the Hollywood Argyles had release a song titles “Alley Oop” and for the majority of his tour, Alioto was called “Oop” by the other soldiers (01:20:56:00) o Eventually, the new First Sergeant came up and asked if Alioto had been on R&R yet; almost immediately, Alioto formulated a complete thought and said he had not (01:21:34:00)  Alioto decided to drag it out for a little bit and the First Sergeant eventually said that Alioto’s best friend in platoon was going to Hawaii on R&R and there was an extra spot open (01:22:18:00)  At the time, the in-demand R&R spot was Australia but soldiers had to wait eight or nine months to receive an R&R there (01:22:55:00) o Alioto ended up going to Hawaii with his friend, who was trying to convince his wife, who had sent him a Dear John letter, to come meet him (01:23:15:00)  There were a large portion of men in Alioto’s platoon who were married and many of whom had married only a month or two before they deployed; from what Alioto can remember, almost half of the married men ended up receiving a Dear John letter (01:23:29:00)  When Alioto and his friend arrived in Hawaii, they got a hotel room for cheap and the friend got in contact with his wife, who was at a bowling alley at the time (01:24:00:00)  The wife said that she was not going to come to Hawaii and about a minute later, she said that she had to go because it was her turn to bowl (01:24:44:00)  When the wife said that, the friend slammed the phone down and swore at the wife before ripping the phone off the wall (01:25:37:00)  Meanwhile, Alioto was hoping to find the first girl he could and strike up a conversation between her and the friend (01:26:25:00)  The two eventually went to a bar and came across a group of four girls, who they started talking with; however, one of the girls eventually mentioned that her father was in the military, which set the friend off again (01:26:42:00)  Around three in the morning, the two made it back to the hotel and Alioto passed out, only to be woke by someone shaking his shoulder; when he opened his eyes, he saw it was a black prostitute that his friend had gone �  out and hired for him by way of apology for messing up the evening (01:27:19:00) When Alioto first arrived at Bravo company at the beginning of the tour, there was a black First Sergeant who interviewed him (01:28:38:00) o The two men hit it off and as it turned out, because Alioto had the highest test scores out of anyone in the company, the First Sergeant offered Alioto the company position when the current company clerk rotated home (01:28:49:00) o After the soldiers were pulled off of LZ Kelly, they were flown into some lowlands, where it was warm and sunny and they were told to take off their boots and socks to dry them out (01:30:01:00)  All the soldiers had jungle rot on their feet and for Alioto, for almost a year after his tour, he had to take his shoes off and leave them outside because they would stink so bad (01:30:28:00)  As the men were drying off, the company medic was walking around, checking the soldiers’ feet and when he got to Alioto, he said Alioto had the worst case of trench foot he had ever seen (01:31:14:00)  In reality, Alioto did not have trench foot; he had just been laying in the sun for so long that his feet were sunburned (01:31:28:00)  The medic sent Alioto back to the rear area with two other soldiers to see a doctor and when the doctor saw them, he said there was nothing wrong with their feet (01:31:35:00)  Alioto talked with the first sergeant, who told him to take a helicopter out to his unit; however, Alioto knew how disorganized everything was in the rear, so he figured he could get away with spending a couple of days in the rear and nobody would be the wiser (01:31:52:00)  After a couple of days, Alioto finally took a helicopter out to where his company was supposed to be, around Firebase Bastogne; however, none of the company was there (01:32:29:00)  When Alioto finally caught up to the company a day or two later, nobody said anything (01:33:03:00) o Eventually, when the company made it to Firebase Tomahawk, the first sergeant flew out and called in Alioto to talk (01:33:22:00)  When Alioto walked into the hooch where the first sergeant was, he remembers the first sergeant waging his finger and saying that Alioto was not going to be the company clerk (01:33:48:00)  When the first sergeant said that, Alioto realized that he had traded two days for eight months; however, as it turned out, it was probably for the best because Alioto was a better soldier in the field than out of it (01:34:04:00) Carrying the M-60 was exhausting work and when Alioto first joined the company, another soldier was carrying the machine gun; however, the soldier said that the next time a big soldier came in, he was passing off the M-60 and as it turned out, that soldier was Alioto (01:34:43:00) o Once Alioto managed to pass the M-60 onto someone else, the remainder of his tour was much more palatable (01:35:32:00) �     In total, there were only five or six major fights that Alioto was involved with during his entire tour in which his unit suffered significant casualties (01:36:08:00) o Alioto’s unit never once had a situation where the enemy tried to probe their position and/or send sappers against them (01:37:20:00) o Alioto’s unit did encounter enemy bunker complexes but it was always after the enemy had gone; the men would often take a hill and it would be obvious that there had been an enemy position there (01:38:01:00)  During one time, the unit finally managed to take a hill that they had been attacking for around four days (01:38:56:00)  One of the first men at the time of the hill dropped some grenades into a hole, thinking there might be some Vietnamese hiding in them (01:39:04:00)  Instead, the hole turned out to be a Vietnamese latrine that proceeded to explode straight up and cover the soldier in feces (01:39:17:00) o It was May, which meant the weather was getting warmer and the soldier had no way of getting the stench off apart from canteens of water (01:39:31:00) o The platoon eventually went down a day or two later and the soldier cleaned himself off in a pond (01:39:39:00) 80% of the time, the soldiers ate C-Rations while in the field while the other 20% were LRP (Long-Range Patrol) rations; Alioto himself always carried a bottle of Tabasco sauce and made sure his food was drenched in it (01:40:14:00) o For the most part, Alioto tried to eat the same three meals as much as possible; whenever they were re-supplied, the men took turns pulling out meals and if any of his meals were there, Alioto took them (01:40:41:00)  The men were re-supplied every four days, so Alioto typically carried eight meals on him, as well as thirteen quarts of water (01:41:08:00)  After a re-supply, Alioto was usually carrying about 100lbs of equipment and supplies and by the time the next re-supply came in, he was down to around 60lbs (01:41:15:00) Alioto was only wounded once in the field, when he was nicked by a piece of shrapnel from an American artillery round (01:42:16:00) o As weird as it sounds, a large portion of the men who were injured in Alioto’s unit were injured either marching up or down the mountains (01:42:32:00) Alioto never counted down the days he had left until he got out of the field; he always knew the day and roughly how many months he had left but that was it (01:44:27:00) Because of the incident where he stayed in the rear area longer than he should have, Alioto was not taken out of the field when it came close to the time when he would go home (01:44:43:00) o When the time came for Alioto to leave, he was pulled out of the field and began going through out-processing; however, the soldier who was doing the outprocessing said there was a mistake because Alioto still had three weeks left in the field (01:44:52:00) �o Alioto went to the company first sergeant and told him what had happened; when the first sergeant told him to go to the helicopter pad to rejoin the company, Alioto refused to (01:45:07:00) o Eventually, Alioto was given the job of escorting a prisoner from the base to a base in Da Nang (01:45:23:00)  Once in Da Nang, Alioto met up with some Air Force personnel who he had met during his R&R and he stayed at their barracks for two weeks; when he finally made it back to the unit, the first sergeant asked where he had been and Alioto merely said that he could not get a helicopter for the ride back (01:45:52:00) End of Enlistment / Post-Military Life (01:46:11:00)  Once Alioto finally left Vietnam, he did not have much time remaining on his enlistment; he returned home in March 1971 and was discharged in August 1971 (01:46:11:00) o During the last remaining months of his enlistment, Alioto was mostly stationed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, although for two months he was stationed at an Army base in Germany (01:46:18:00)  When he arrived in Germany, Alioto asked if there was any way that he could be assigned to a job in the rear area; eventually, Alioto was given an assignment was an MP (Military Police Officer) (01:47:11:00)  When Alioto reported for the duty, the commanding officer said that before Alioto could go out on an assignment, he needed to have a German driver’s license (01:47:32:00)  Alioto took the test and flunked it on purpose so that he would not have any assignment; ergo, until the next test, Alioto had nothing to do except read, watch movies, and go to local bars (01:47:58:00) o Alioto ended up flunking the exam the second time he took it as well (01:48:52:00)  Once he was back in the United States, Alioto went to Fort Sheridan and bided his time until his enlistment was over (01:49:04:00)  Alioto got out of the Army on August 24th and was back working at a Ford plant just after Labor Day (01:49:34:00) o After he was out of the Army, Alioto had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder; if he drank too much, he would occasionally be a little obnoxious with some of his friends (01:49:47:00)  Alioto figures that part of it was he did not know anyone else who had gone through the same experiences he had (01:50:03:00)  During Alioto’s first night home, he was sleeping in one of his sister’s rooms and when he woke up in the middle of the night, he saw a Styrofoam and immediately thought it was an enemy soldier; he started yelling and both his parents had to come in to settle him down (01:50:19:00)  Alioto figures it did not take much more than a year for him to become acclimated to civilian life (01:51:12:00) � o Alioto did not receive much in the way of a negative reception when he returned home (01:51:22:00)  At one point, Alioto was hitch-hiking from Fort Sheridan and was picked up by a group of hippies (01:51:28:00) o When Alioto returned from Vietnam, he first flew into Fort Lewis, Washington, then to Detroit Metro Airport, and he hitch-hiked home from there (01:51:47:00)  Once Alioto got home, he went into his house, took a shower, put on civilian clothes, and walked to where his mom was working; when he arrived, he told the secretary to tell his mom that the man she had met in the bar the night before was there to take her to lunch (01:52:26:00)  The secretary called Alioto’s mother, who worked on the second floor of the building and when she came out, Alioto thought she was going to fall over the railing (01:52:47:00) o For Alioto, it was not so much that anybody treated him poorly; instead, what bothered him was mostly that people did not acknowledge what he had done, apart from his family (01:53:14:00)  Alioto’s younger sister had gotten him a membership to the VFW; however, when Alioto went there for a beer, he received a very frosty reception from the World War II veterans (01:53:32:00) Alioto worked for Ford off-and-on through 1978, when he was laid off during the oil embargo, at which point he attended Arizona State University (01:54:23:00) o In 1976, Alioto met a young man in a bar who worked as a businessman/trader and the two eventually became roommates; for three years, the friend pushed Alioto to get into what the friend was doing but Alioto did not have enough selfconfidence to do that type of work (01:54:46:00) o Eventually, Alioto did go in for an interview with the friend’s manager, who said that in two months, he would hire Alioto (01:55:37:00) o Alioto told the friend what the manager had said and the friend suggested Alioto go for another interview at one of the firm’s other offices; (01:55:52:00)  Alioto went to the second interview and when asked, he said his sales experiences was limited to selling newspapers and golf balls; when the manager asked how Alioto did selling the newspapers and Alioto told him, the manager said he wanted Alioto to take an aptitude test (01:56:08:00)  Alioto took the test and answered all one hundred questions (addition of fractions) on the test and took another test where he had to write as many words as he could that began with the letter “T” in the three minutes (01:56:46:00)  The firm sent Alioto’s test to be graded and when it came back, he went in and the manager said that although the company was going to hire him, it was not going to be in sales (01:57:10:00)  When Alioto asked why, the manager said they had never seen anyone score so high on the aptitude tests and they feared Alioto was not going to be able to work with everybody; Alioto pointed out that he had spent ten years between the Army and working for Ford and had gotten along with everyone (01:57:24:00) � o As it turned out, after he took the job, Alioto eventually ended up becoming the number one person in the entire firm (01:58:18:00) Alioto believes that the time he spent as an infantryman made him extremely secure in himself (01:59:15:00) o A lot of people have asked Alioto how he could endure being in combat for a year and Alioto’s answer was that his parents did a great job raising him, the Army did a great job training him, and he acclimated to anything (01:59:31:00)  Alioto knew that if he was able to go through Vietnam and acclimate to that, he could acclimate to anything (02:00:02:00) o Looking back, if he was twenty years old and had to do it again, Alioto would serve (02:00:02:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alioto, Michael (Interview outline and video), 2013 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alioto, Michael Description An account of the resource Michael Alioto was born in 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. Despite having a college deferment, he received a draft notice in 1969, and rather than argue the issue, he decided to go into the Army anyway. Despite his high test scores, he was trained as an infantryman, and was deployed to Vietnam in April, 1970. Assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, he spent most of his year in Vietnam on patrol in the northern part of South Vietnam, usually in or near the A Shau Valley. His platoon took heavy casualties in a number of firefights, and participated in the Ripcord campaign in the summer of 1970, reopening Firebase Gladiator to support Ripcord while it was under siege. When he tour of Vietnam was up, he was sent to Germany briefly, and then completed his enlistment in the United States. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-03-05 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AliotoM1480V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a1e2e55cc41c89c86f686e5f03a5c670.m4v e51843ac1db7a5aa38c9db45143f6dff https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cf804f0632aa4f981325dd477a9ef5ca.pdf 51a1296a525abdf7c97a0f2f0c717ef2 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Richard Alkema World War II 52 minutes 33 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. -Located very near to the Detroit River. -Father was an engineer on the Wabash Railroad. -Has a history of railroad workers in the family. -Able to keep busy with work throughout the Depression. -Attended South Western High School in Detroit. -Graduated 1944. -Sold newspapers as a teenager. -Likely heard about Pearl Harbor from the papers. -Father was from the Netherlands. (00:05:00) -Decided to enlist in the Navy after high school. -Received permission from a Federal judge in order to enlist. -His mother very hesitantly signed for his enlistment. -The fact that certain family members were in the military helped to influence him toward joining the Navy. -Two brothers in law that were involved in the military in Italy, and later Germany. -Another relative that was in the Navy. Training and Locomotive Engine Delivery to Europe -Sent to Great Lakes, Illinois for basic training. (00:10:00) -Next, sent via train to Norfolk, Virginia for gunnery training. -Boarded the Seatrain Texas ship. -At that point he had about a week of basic training, and a week of gunnery training. -Upon leaving there was a 100 ship convoy. -Left from New York Harbor. -Destined for England. -England was in need of locomotives. -While crossing the Atlantic, the ship was shot at but the torpedo went underneath their ship. (00:15:00) -However the ship was damaged. -Docked at the Falmouth, England. -Delivered two locomotive engines. -Next, crossed the Mediterranean and went to Naples, Italy. -Delivered two locomotive engines. -Baldwin engines made in Pennsylvania. -Finally the last two engines were delivered to Marseille, France. �-They knew how to use the anti-aircraft guns, however there wasn’t extensive instruction given. Pacific and Transporting Japanese Civilians -Next headed to the Panama Canal with a destination for Japan. -Travelled with some other ships to Panama. (00:20:00) -Left the Seatrain Texas ship to board the LST 801 headed for Japan. -The goal was to pick up Japanese that were remaining from the War. -Japan had surrendered by this point. -Many of them were women. -Eventually the boarded Japanese were to be repatriated back to Japan. -Picked them up at Okinawa. (00:25:00) -Usually on guard duty. -Took up laundry duty as well during certain times. -Refused to swim in the ocean because of the dangerous sharks etc. -Guards with guns would keep watch for sharks while other crew members swam in the ocean. -Experienced some bad storms on the LST. -Sea sickness amongst the crew was common. -Threw their trash overboard from meals etc. (00:30:00) -Situations to fire anti-aircraft guns to attack were seldom at that point. -During their time at Falmouth they were able to go into town. -Did not have transportation to get around. -English citizens were welcoming to them. -Did not go into town at Naples or Marseille. -At Okinawa they were able to go ashore to town. -However it was not common. -In Japan they were unwelcome to go into town. (00:35:00) -The trip from Okinawa to Japan was short. -So the interaction between the crew and Japanese being transported was limited. -Communication to the US at home was not very feasible. -Sent mail to their base. -Socialized with his fellow guard members. -Only one person was a closer friend of his. -His duration in the Navy lasted about two and a half years. -Discharged in 1946. Post War Life and Misc. -Relieved to be sent home when the War was ended. (00:40:00) -Certain ships would have the luxury of a shower stall while others did not. -LST vehicles were extremely cramped. -A lot of movies to watch to keep the crew entertained. �-LST featured showers with desalinators. -Priority was to use the pure water for laundry and drinking not bathing. -After leaving the military he worked with his father on the trains. -Made good money. -At that time their family was using one car amongst them. (00:45:00) -His work with the railroads lasted about 10 ~ 12 years. -Took flying lessons to be certified to fly a plane. -Didn’t continue on to fly as a habit or as a pilot. -Some of his friends were casualties that never returned from War. -Didn’t enroll in college after being discharged. -Became a police officer as well as working security jobs. -Worked for about 12 ~ 15 years. (00:50:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_AlkemaR1905V Title A name given to the resource Alkema, Richard (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-03 Description An account of the resource Richard Alkema was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1926. After graduating high school in 1944 he enlisted to the Navy. For his brief basic training he was sent to Great Lakes, Illinois. In Norfolk, Virginia he was trained to use the anti-aircraft guns to be a guardsman. Thereafter he traveled aboard the Seatrain Texas ship to Falmouth England, Naples Italy, and Marseille France to deliver locomotive engines. The ship next passed through the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor where Richard boarded LST 801. Their next destination would be Okinawa where they transported Japanese to the mainland in the aftermath of the War. His time in the military lasted two and a half years and he was discharged in 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alkema, Richard Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c8d1def6e1d3f9b8a9f06165a787d9d4.pdf 770a869da0917f1e5ca19313ab2d7853 PDF Text Text AKTE VAN BEKWAAMHEID ALS ONDERWIJZER. J DIRECTEUR EN LEERAREN DER RIJKSKWEEKSCHOOL voor ;~~~»17::::::~~=~:~~:::~~~ onder a 1, der Lager-onderwijswet 1920, en artikel 36 der bij het Koninklijk besluit van 11 September 1923 (Staatsblad n°. 439) behoorende Regelen, en onder toezicht der door den Minister van Onderwijs, Kunsten en Wetenschappen overeenkomstig artikel 2 van het Koninklijk besluit van 10 September 1923 (Staatsblad n°. 434) aan21oter, . • ? / - ~~ . gewezen gecommitteerden, op . 2f!/'.Y.(2._/f.û:?.. J ::-2:i.. ~~~~.:=~~~~~·~···:: .: .~ f /20,/~ ·1/·--·-• -? .19...1,.1... : : ~ ~::: ::: : : ·. :. : ::: :··. : : : ·:: .-: .X ~. ..., geboren d~n y~'Á&~~/4.. . te . en hem ten gevolge van dat examen uitgereikt de AKTE VAN BEKWAAMHEID als ONDERWIJZER. NAMENS DIRECTEUR EN LEERAREN, DE GECOMMITTEERDEN, � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_DOC_1933-06-02-P-Termaat-teaching-certificate-357 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alkmaar (Neth.), Rijksweekschool Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1933-06-02 Title A name given to the resource Pieter Termaat teaching certificate Description An account of the resource Teaching certificate of Pieter N. Termaat. In Dutch. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Teachers Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource nl Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fad650b272318fee55255de984710d8e.mp3 fee504ce3d90034500781df0a2da72f6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/df6721a84db782119235a8e64a147a8d.pdf 8ec90d9cfd90413b57cc62a97d32ae6d PDF Text Text GV043-07 Connected Exhibit Interviews Interviewee: Ja-Queshia Allen Interviewers: Gayle Schaub Date: April 21, 2016 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: If you just want to tell me a little bit about yourself to begin with… 0:06 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: This campus? 0:45 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: 0:57 I lived in North B and I know the name changed. I don’t know what the named changed to, but it was North B. Yeah, they, yeah a whole bunch of them are changing. 1:08 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Yeah, so the downtown campus and then I just wanted to stay in Allendale because I was afraid and I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t want to get lost. Where did you live when you first got here? Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Okay, so my name is Ja-Queshia Allen and I am from Flint, Michigan and I am also a first-generation college student. So coming into college was like really different for me and I felt a wide array of emotions. So when I first got on campus I was nervous. I was afraid. I was scared. I didn’t know anyone at all, so in my mind I’m like “I’m in this new city. The campus is really big.” Now I’m a senior and I’m like “This campus isn’t that big,” but when I was a freshman I was like scared because there’s two campuses and I was like “I don’t know about the other campus, but I’m just going to stay on this campus.” Yeah, so all of the names are changing. But I was just really scared because I didn’t know anyone and I was just, I felt very alone, too. So I had… You didn’t know anybody from Flint coming? You didn’t connect – 1:20 No, I didn’t know anyone, so it was really scary. So I had to meet people and I met my RA and she was a sophomore, so she introduced me to people and then – sophomore or junior, it was one of the two – but she introduced me to people, I met people on the floor, and after I met people, I felt not so alone. My homesickness went away. Because I used to go home all the time when I was like just feeling sad and feeling like I didn’t know anyone. But she introduced me to people around campus, and that made that feeling go away. So then I start feeling more positive about being on campus, and not feeling so afraid and nervous to meet new people. And then my sophomore year I ended up getting involved in a co-ed business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, and so I got really involved in that and met a lot of people. And started attending more campus events and now, being a senior, I wish I would have done that my first semester �as a freshman instead of my second semester going into my sophomore year. Because the difference was just, and emotions, like I felt really depressed freshman year and then now I’m just like really happy and I can go to people and I can call people and I have friends. And even though I still really don’t know anyone from Flint, I just know people from everywhere now because I just put myself out there to meet new people and not stay, I guess, in that box. Gayle: Ja-Queshia: So when you say at the beginning, you went home a lot, for – like, you went home every weekend? 2:59 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: For how long, would you say? Would you say like weeks, months, the whole year? 3:07 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: That repeated cycle of going home? It was probably the whole semester. Ok. Like until Christmas? 3:13 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: It was probably like every other weekend. Yeah, until Christmas. And then when I got back I was just like “I need to meet new people.” And I took that step because it’s kind of a hard step when you just don’t know anyone and you’re nervous about it. So I took that step to just put myself out there and meet people and I think that’s advice that I would give someone coming in, to meet people and even though you’re going to be nervous and afraid, still take that step because you don’t want to be sitting in your room, sitting there depressed and sad like I was the whole semester. So do you remember like a specific, I mean outside of your RA, do you remember a specific, like, event you went to for the first time that kind of made a difference? I mean, besides the business fraternity, was there something else? 3:59 Umm, I have went to a couple – what was that event called? – it was put on by the Black Student Union, because she was black, so she took me to events that I would probably like. And that’s when I met more people. That was, I would say, similar to me, and was also some were first generation college students, too. So just finding those people who you relate to, also, and yeah, and after that I just kept attending, like, those events. And then, I had attended, it was, I can’t even remember all of the events I’ve attended because I just kept going. I had started looking on the GV page and looking at the different events that were taking place. And I went to an event that was put on by the LGBT resource center and they had a speaker there, so just still getting out and meeting new people at the different events that I probably thought that I wouldn’t even attend. Because, coming from a small city like Flint, there’s not really events �that go on. So coming to campus and seeing that “Oh my god, there’s so many events.” Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Too many sometimes. 5:12 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Yeah, there were Sunday night ones at the Connection. Where they do the food of a country. 5:40 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: 5:50 Gayle: Social work. So did you declare that right away, or did it take you some time to figure out? 5:55 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Really? Yeah, and so just even just that small little event, just tasting food, you’re meeting people who are different from you, but you can learn so much from them. So what’s your major? Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Yeah, and there’s so many events and then I wanted to meet different people, like from myself, so I would go to any type of event honestly. There was one event that I went to and I was just tasting food, I can’t remember the event, but it was tasting food of a different culture. And I met people through that, and I was like “Oh my god, college is awesome now.” So I was thinking about criminal justice when I first came to college because I knew I wanted to go into a helping profession, but when I like really talked to someone about social work and how a wide array of like different jobs you can get from it, I was just like “This is for me.” Because I don’t want to be a police officer, because I don’t have the heart to you know, arrest someone, shoot someone, tackle someone, but social work I can go and I can help older adults, I can help children, I can help teenagers, I can help anyone. So I declared social work, I would say, my first semester. So yeah, a few months into the first semester I declared social work. And never wavered? 6:40 No, I didn’t. And then I was also afraid to deter, and that’s probably bad, but I knew social work was for me, but I didn’t want to deter from my declared major because I had talked to someone who had been here for about six years because they changed their major. So I wanted my declared major to be the only major and I wanted to really like it and I love it now. And now I’m going to get my masters in social work. So I feel like I’m a social worker at heart now. Have you always lived on campus, or do you live in some of the – where do you live right now? �Ja-Queshia: 7:12 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Because all of your classes are downtown? 7:16 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: 7:48 No, not so much with activities. I do have an internship with the Grand Rapids Housing Commission right now. My last day is Monday because I’m graduating, but I’ve been at the internship for my whole senior year. So I’ve really been able to get experience from working in housing. So now I want to move on to work in a different area of social work. So with the master’s program I’m hoping to get an internship in hospice because I really want to do that because I went through things with my grandmother, and end of life, and the social worker was there like along the way. So I want to be that social worker for another family. So I really want to get an internship in that field so I can know for sure if I would want to have my career in that area. So how’d you get this job? Student and Academic Success Center? 8:43 Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Yeah, I moved downtown last year, so my junior year. And my first trip downtown was, I believe, my sophomore year was my first trip downtown to the downtown campus, and I didn’t get lost. So I was surprised and then after that I was like “Oh yeah I want to stay downtown and that’s going to be really different for me.” So I moved downtown and I love staying down there now. Have you gotten involved in anything like beyond campus, with activities just going on in Grand Rapids, or any kind of? Gayle: Ja-Queshia: I stay downtown now. I got it my freshman year actually. So Marnie Parris-Bingle, she is my advisor for TRiO Student Support Services. And so when I first met with her, she could tell that I was really nervous and everything. And she was talking to me about jobs and I had told her I have been working since I was 15 and I’m not used to just not working at all. And I was asking her about any job openings she may know of. And a few weeks later she emailed me and said “We have a job opening here and I would really like if you would work for us.” And so I came in and I talked to her about it and I was hired. So I just think that was like a godsend job because I was really stressing out about trying to find employment, especially not knowing Grand Rapids or the campus. I didn’t know how to get a job. But I knew I needed one because, yeah tuition is pretty expensive. And buying books and supplies and everything else. So how did you get involved with TRiO, then? 9:49 They sent me a letter over the summer like before I came to start my freshman year. They sent me a letter and asked me if I wanted to be in the program. And I had known about TRiO previously because in high school there was a program �called Gear Up and I was really involved in Gear Up all of my high school years and they always told me about TRiO. So when I saw the word TRiO I was like “Of course I want to be with TRiO.” It’s for first generation college students and I’m that. And I got a lot of help from being involved in Gear Up, so I want to be in TRiO. So that’s really how I got involved with TRiO. They sent me a letter and I signed it and then when I got to campus I had to meet with an advisor. So I met with Marnie and I felt at home with the program I would say. And I actually met people from being in the program, too. Some of my friends, my best friends, are actually in the program also. So TRiO has been a really big part of like my education here, because so many resources that they have connected me with. And just being that support system along the way, or like that family away from home. Because the advisors there, they build a relationship with you, they don’t just like, oh, this is all school related. No, they want to know about your emotional state of mind and everything that’s going on in your life. Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: So do you think that help comes to those who ask for it, more? I mean if you were to kind of talk to a new student, would you say, “Ask for help if you need it?” 11:21 Yes, I would definitely say that because I know I used to didn’t want to go to the writing center because I thought “I don’t know, I don’t need the writing center.” But when I went I got so much help and I didn’t even, like, they would tell me to go in a different perspective, different route with my paper that I never knew I could even go in. So help is, if it’s free on campus, utilize all of the resources. I’ve utilized the Speech Lab, the Writing Center, the library, checking out books. Yeah, just in general the Knowledge Market. I’ve utilized all free resources. The printing labs. Some people don’t go up to the computer labs, and I tell them you can print for free, you can do your work in the computer labs. There are so many computer labs around campus. So utilize those free resources and also, there are like the counseling center, career center, and then you got the student academic success center and the tutoring center. I’ve had tutoring plenty of times. And I think it’s a pride thing sometimes with tutoring because I know before I first signed up I was like “I don’t need a tutor. I’m smart. I can do this.” And then I just finally gave in and that tutor really helped me. So just all of those free resources. What specific classes? 12:37 It was economics. Microeconomics. Yeah, that class like killed me. And I believe it was another math class. But if I didn’t have my tutors, I probably wouldn’t have got through the class. So getting over that pride and just using all those free resources. I never thought I would use the career center or the counseling center, but I did my freshman year. So… �Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: So give me like, if you can, give me either a really, a stand out memory. Either because it was so great or because it was so frustrating or because it was so, so something. Like your best day, your worst day. 13:16 I can say my worst time I was, just being, was when I couldn’t pay the rest of my tuition fees. That was like a really scary and bad feeling. So I had to reach out to different family members, friends, and reach out to everyone to get donations. So I vowed that I never wanted to be in that position again. So I applied for as many scholarships as I could last year for my senior year. And my senior year is literally paid off with no loans at all because I filled out so many scholarships, like I was really dedicated because just that, that feeling of “Oh my gosh, I’m not going to be able to complete school if I don’t pay this tuition. I’m going to be a failure.” Just all of those negative thoughts running through your head and then you’re just, you’re sad and you’re feeling so bad. You’re just depressed. And I never wanted to feel like that again. So that was my motivation to reach out to scholarships and even if they need a few essays, I will write those essays. How’d you find them? How’d you find the scholarships? 14:25 On the GVSU website. The My Scholarships page. I literally went through all of the scholarships and wrote down which ones applied to me and which ones I would be able to apply for. And it was really surprisingly a lot of scholarships that applied to me. It was minority scholarships, first-generation, social work, just freshman or sophomore, like it’s literally so many categories of scholarships. And I didn’t know any of those scholarships even existed. So I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t reached out to the career center or financial aid or the TRiO. I reached out to MarcQus Wright and he gave me an entire list of scholarships and I literally spent weekends just going through scholarships and writing essays and sending them out. So I would say even though that was the worst feeling I’ve ever felt being on this campus, it really motivated me to get money from – Gayle: The letters must have been the best part. Ja-Queshia: Yeah! Gayle: Congratulations! Ja-Queshia: 15:28 Thank you. It just motivated me to get that free money that’s out there because a lot of times there’s a lot of scholarships that go, you know, unfulfilled, like people don’t apply. And even now, the School of Social Work are sending out emails saying “We don’t have enough applicants,” and I’m like “I applied for that scholarship, so I’m in there.” But that money is just going to, and then people �could lose grants from not giving away money, too. I found that out. Yeah I would definitely tell someone, you know, even though you feeling like “Scholarships, ugh, that’s extra work.” I would say “Do that work because not being able to pay for your books or tuition is the worst feeling ever.” Especially when you have so many goals to be successful. Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Is anybody coming to – are you going to walk? 16:22 Yes, I’m gonna walk. Yes I, like, my family is already emotional. Like, my mother is already crying because I took Grad Fest photos and sent them to them, put them on Facebook and everything. So all my family is already emotional. So next week is going to be very emotional. And then you move? Or are you staying where you’re living? 16:43 I’ll stay where I’m living – downtown campus. Because your classes will be downtown? 16:52 Mmmhmm. And you’ll start right away in May? 16: 54 Yup, I start right away. Nope, I get a week, a week to get ready for graduate school. But I’m still in the mindset of schoolwork, so I believe that’s the best bet. Not taking any breaks, just going straight through. It will be quite a change. It’s interesting. The grad school experience is different. 17:15 Yeah, I’m kind of nervous about it, but I’m excited at the same time, because I’m like “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m getting a bachelor’s degree, first, and now I’m going on to get my master’s degree.” And I’m first in my family and I feel like I’m just creating this new pathway for people that, people in my family who thought that they couldn’t do it. Like, my little brother looks up to me. Like when I go home now he’s just like “You know I’ve been applying to colleges.” And I’m like “Really?” He’s like “Yeah, I see you, you’re graduating.” How old is he? 17:50 He’s, I don’t even remember, I’m sorry. He’s going to be a senior next year. So he’s already like getting his goals together for college. So I’m really proud of myself for creating that positive image for him. Because I don’t even know if he was thinking about college before. Because I feel like boys more so focus on sports and so he was focused on sports, but now he’s focused on college and �getting that career. He also wants to go into criminal justice. So I feel like our fields are kind of connected, too. Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: So when you were in high school, what made you think “Oh, where should I go to school?” 18:29 It was really interesting because – Did you have student advisors, and things? 18:33 Yeah, I did have, they were called counselors. It was really weird transitioning from counselors to advisors. Yeah, I just sort of looked up colleges and applied and then with Gear Up we went to college visits. So I have visited almost all the schools in Michigan, well not almost all of them, but it was a really good amount of colleges that I visited. So CMU, Oakland, Ferris, Eastern, like all of those – Western? 19:06 Yeah, Western, then Grand Valley. So U of M. I visited so many colleges. So I just narrowed it down to which ones I guess I felt more at home with. And I felt more at home at Grand Valley’s campus. Why? 19:20 I don’t know. Honestly it was just that feeling of “I need to be here.” And then the campus was beautiful. Oh my God, it was – I think it was the most prettiest campus I have seen. It was just so beautiful. And I was like “Yeah, I can see myself here.” And then they had my program, criminal justice, even though I didn’t know I wanted to go into social work. I’m glad they had social work. And then I, this is really weird, I looked up the criminal rates, like not criminal, but – The crime rates in the city? 19:51 The crime rates. And so when I was telling some of my peers that I looked up crime rates, they were like “Why did you look up crime rates?” and I’m like “Because I want to know where I’m going to be going.” And coming from Flint, there’s crime everywhere. I don’t want to be going to college where there’s crime everywhere. And Grand Valley had the lowest crime rates out of the schools that I was applying to. So that was another factor. Wow. 20:17 Yeah, and I was just always on the Grand Valley page looking at all the resources and things that was available to students. So I just figured this was the place to be. And I’m glad I chose this school because I don’t regret it at all. And we have �two campuses, I feel like that’s a big thing. Because I can go downtown and come here. And both campuses have different stuff, I feel like. Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: You like living downtown? 20:43 Yeah, I like living downtown. Do you live near the campus, or do you live – 20:46 Yeah I live on campus downtown. So I live in Winter Hall. Oh, ok. 20:50 Yeah. So I, my classes are right there, and then if you ever want to go like get something to eat, you can just walk down the street. I feel like in Allendale you need a car in order to get places and I don’t like that feeling of, I feel like I was in a box, kind of, on the Allendale campus. So downtown campus is like you can just walk everywhere and walk anywhere you need to. And you can go – Have you gotten to know downtown? Like, do you hang out downtown? Do you – 21:19 I’ve went to like the Rosa Parks Circle and I walked around downtown, but I haven’t really like, I feel like I haven’t really been downtown and just walked around the whole downtown area. But I’m pretty familiar with the areas that I do go to. So like Division and Fulton and then Rosa Parks Circle. I really love that yogurt place that’s over there. It’s kind of expensive. 21:48 Yeah, but it’s so good! Yeah, it is pretty expensive. It is just so good. And I just give in every time. I’m like “I’m just going to give in.” We have a librarian downtown who I work with who always wants Froyo for lunch, like that’s her lunch that’s what she eats. 22:05 Yogurt? Yeah. 22:06 Oh my gosh. Really? It like, it gets you so full, but it’s so good! It’s probably unhealthy, too, because you load up on the sugar and toppings. Well I live close to downtown, well more on the west side. If you take Stocking, do you know where Stocking is? 22:21 Uhhh, probably. �Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Stocking is like, it’s called Lexington, but then if you head north it turns into Stocking and, like, kind of angles off and leads over to the west side. Like there’s Stocking School. 22:37 A lot of the streets do that, they like do this little – And they change names? 22:43 Yeah, it’s kind of confusing. You’ll get there. 22:48 Yeah, but being in college has been awesome. Yeah I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Even though I’ve had a variety of emotions, it’s okay. Does your family ever come and visit you? 23:00 No. Or do you not want family to come and visit you? 23:05 They can come, I don’t mind. But my mother, she is a caregiver, she’s a caregiver for my grandparents, so, yeah she’s very limited into how much she can travel. But she really wants to travel, but she has, like, that responsibility. So my dad – Speaking of travel, did you ever consider traveling abroad? Doing study abroad? 23:29 I wanted to. I wanted to do it with the master’s program. But I just didn’t want to extend, like, the year, because I know study abroad will probably be a few weeks or a semester, and I really didn’t want to extend the, I guess I’m graduating. Have you checked it out though? Have you talked to anybody? Because they can sometimes work with you and tell you what credits you can get abroad. 23:52 Yeah I didn’t even think about that because I was always looking on the website and then it would say “Oh, this is a certain amount of weeks,” and I’m like “Oh my gosh, this is going to put me back.” So – Well sometimes if you take a semester, you actually take your classes there and you get credit. 24:05 Oh really? Yeah, you should definitely talk to somebody. �Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: 24:11 Because I wanted to study abroad, so bad, because I feel like that would be an awesome experience. I actually just did a service learning trip in Mississippi. Biloxi, Mississippi. For a week. With Anne London and Quincy Williams. So that was really great. And that, that made me want to travel more. For what class? 24:31 It was public and nonprofit. PA 380. Who taught that? 24:36 Anne London and Quincy Williams. Oh you just said that… 24:41 Yeah so that was a really great experience and now it makes me want to travel more. Yeah, study abroad, I’m going to have to check into that, because study abroad would be awesome. But I know that the program is advanced and so I don’t know if I can wiggle things in there. But they can answer your questions. 25:04 Yeah. So any faculty really stand out to you? Anybody that you had that was like – who was your favorite professor in 4 years? 25:13 My favorite professor? The social work professors are so good. I couldn’t chose one. I would say Sally Pelon because I had her class actually three times because, when I had her the first time, she was amazing. So I had, registered for her other classes that I knew I needed to take and she was an instructor. I’m like “She’s an awesome professor.” And no matter what the topic she was still an awesome professor. And she was really open to like office hours and she would work with you around like if you couldn’t make it to office hours. And she also just would talk to you in general about how you were doing and if you needed help with anything else, not just pertaining to the class, but just anything in general. And she, she wrote letters of recommendation for me for grad school, too. And she was just awesome. I would just say, she’s awesome. She’s awesome. She was just – she’s so helpful. She’s all around great. She’s a really great professor. But honestly, I would say all of my social work professors have been great. Because they’re, I feel like they are social workers at heart. Like, they’re just there to help you get that knowledge so you can be a great social worker. And all of them have been helpful and supportive and they work with you. Yeah. And I know some people say some of their professors haven’t been good, but the social work professors are awesome. �Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: So how has your experience been just taking sort of the liberal arts classes? Sort of the gen eds? I mean are you glad that you – 26:53 I’m glad I don’t have to take them anymore. No, it was – different professors made the classes harder than they should have been, I would say. Just, I guess, because my class is a gen ed, so it’s not going to be easy. But the class like, they just made it harder than what it was sometimes. So like I had a geography class and that class was maybe harder than what it should have been. It was harder than classes that I really needed to take, like psychology and social work and everything. And that class was just harder than any other class. And I kind of feel like it shouldn’t be that way because it’s a geography class. I don’t know if I’m explaining that right, but I feel like, the difference in professors can be a hit or miss. That’s true. Yeah, that’s true. 27:51 And so I’ve had my share of good professors and bad professors I would say. Well not bad, but not so well, I guess. But you just kind of, you got to work with it. You just got to keep going because you know you need that class and you know if you drop that class you’re probably going to have to retake that class with a different professor, so just stick it out and don’t waste your money or credits. Kind of like with bosses. You’re going to have good bosses and bad bosses. 28:18 Yeah, you kind of just got to go with it. And attend to their rules and regulations and do all of the work, no matter how unnecessary you think it is. Do you have roommates? 28:30 No, I had roommates freshman and sophomore year, but junior and senior year I’ve been in the one-bedroom. So, yeah. My roommate freshman year was really great, but my roommate sophomore year, it was a crazy experience. Kind of like the professor thing. Were they assigned? Or did you – 28:54 It was random assigned. Yeah, random assigned. Yeah, just different personalities, different backgrounds, experience and everything. It was just really, really different for me. So I didn’t want to be random assigned again. So I kind of just – I need a single. I don’t need any more roommates. Well you made it through, you dealt with it. 29:17 Yeah, I just stuck with it and made the best out of it that I could. Yeah. We’ve all been there. �Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: 29:29 Yeah, I just like make the best of it. I try. I had a roommate who had a bird. I hated having that bird in the room. 29:37 Really? Is it allowed to even have – This was years ago… It was then! 29:44 Yeah, it was just miserable. I made it through. Looks like it. And then some. 29:50 Yeah. So I don’t know what else to ask you. I don’t know. You seem like you are quite successful. You made the most of these four years. 30:00 Yeah and it’s from help from different people too. Because you always need support, you always need help. You can’t figure out everything, you don’t know everything, so reach out to people, get help from people, learn from people. Do you think you’ve had a chance to be a mentor for somebody? Maybe even if you didn’t intend to be? Do you think there’s someone out there who could say “Oh she really helped me.”? 30:25 I hope so. I have helped people, like, by working at TRiO, I’ve helped people, I talked to people, I’ve given advice to people, and shared like my experiences and my story. So I would hope there’s people that have been impacted from my help and my experiences. But I can’t give you a name right off the – Well you didn’t do any formal mentoring? 30:50 No, not formally. That’s okay. I’m sure you did, I’m sure there are people – 30:57 Yeah, I hope so. And then this. 31:01 Yeah, I hope I can inspire some people. No that’s great. I don’t know if there’s anything you want to add, but this is, I love hearing these stories. 31:11 I would just say keep pushing through all of the trials and tribulations, your challenges. And get help when you need help, use resources, and connect with people. Because people around campus know things that you don’t know. So �using those connections. And not just with students, but with faculty and staff. Because they have other connections that they can direct you to, also. So utilize everything on this campus, including everyone. Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: Gayle: Ja-Queshia: End Are you going to maintain any friendships, do you think? 31:40 Yeah, I think I am. Because I feel like you make friendships in college and it’s like for a lifetime. And – But you’re staying. And some are moving on? 31:52 Yeah, so I’m going to make an effort to keep in touch with people who are moving and traveling. Because those relationships are like what makes your experience better. I have to admit, things like Facebook help a lot. I didn’t have that, you know, when I graduated 30 years ago. 32:17 Yeah it does, because then you – You had to write letters. 32:20 Really? Yeah, Facebook is going to come in handy especially with everyone graduating. It’s definitely going to come in handy, so I guess that’s a good thing about technology. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Connected Exhibit Interviews Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource Collection of audio recordings and transcripts of Grand Valley State University students sharing their stories and experiences. The recordings were conducted as part of an exhibit created by the University Libraries in fall semester of 2016 titled "Connected" which featured short audio clips of students. The clips were combined with watercolor portraits of GVSU students by Ellie Lubbers and an interactive watercolor painting activity. Students were encouraged to paint 3" circles of paper to illustrate their current feelings about the college experience and attach them to the gallery wall. The aim of the exhibit was to inspire feelings of community, connectedness, and welcome to new and returning students. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/626">University Libraries. Connected exhibit files</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Universities and colleges Michigan College students Oral histories Education, Higher--United States--Anecdotes Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cadena, Cara; Schaub, Gayle; Frigo, Emily; Lubbers, Ellie; Fisher, Erin Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV043-07 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Allen, JaQueshia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-04-21 Title A name given to the resource JaQueshia Allen interview (audio and transcript) Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Schaub, Gayle (interviewer) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV043-07_AllenJ_2016-04-21 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/626">University Libraries. Connected exhibit files</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Relation A related resource Grand Valley State University Libraries. Connected Exhibit, September 2016 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Description An account of the resource Interview with JaQueshia Allen conducted by Gayle Schaub for the GVSU Libraries' Connected Exhibit, displayed in September 2016. Edited clips of interviews accompanied watercolor portraits of students and an interactive watercolor activity for exhibit visitors. Ja-Queshia is an April graduate now enrolled in the Advanced Standing Master of Social Work program. A first-generation college student from Flint, Michigan, Ja-Queshia decided early on at GVSU to step outside of her comfort zone and get involved on campus. She got a job with TRiO Student Support Services in her freshman year, joined Alpha Kappa Psi, a co-ed business fraternity, and actively sought out events and opportunities to connect with other students. Interested in working in a helping profession, Ja-Queshia took advantage of a service-learning experience in Mississippi, interned with the Grand Rapids Housing Commission, and intends to use her degrees to eventually work in hospice care. She wants to encourage other students to keep moving forward and accomplishing their goals, no matter what they may face, and not let anything stop them from being successful. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Subject The topic of the resource Universities and colleges Michigan College students Oral histories Education, Higher--United States--Anecdotes https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fb5e87df9b52898e847d4edada76b704.m4v 46bb33549ac3a5912aa2071ca405ffac https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e6ef0f65b15fcb209d1b082516308a93.pdf 54d5a17006848bf23721f5c8d37a6ddd PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project US Navy Paul Allen Total Time (01:23:00) Introduction (00:00:19)  Paul was born in 1926 in South Boston; his heritage includes some Irish and English (00:00:34)  His father served in WWI for the US Navy where he met his future wife in Belfast, Ireland (00:00:46)  Paul graduated from high school on February 1st, 1942; he was only 15 when he graduated as he skipped a couple of grades (00:02:19) ◦ He mentions that in middle school and high school that he was aware of what was going on in the world due to the Boston school system (00:04:15) ◦ Although he wanted to go to Harvard, Paul knew he would eventually end up in the military so he became a welder until then (00:05:42) ▪ Paul took the naval aviation exam and passed it- from there he went to Dartmouth College for mechanical engineering (00:07:00) ▪ Due to a small color blindness issue, Paul was sent to the Supply Corps by 1945; he went to school in New Jersey by the time the war was just ending (00:08:56) ▪ After he graduated from that school, he was stationed to the battleship New Jersey as the dispersing officer (00:09:07)  While he was at Dartmouth, Paul received naval and military training; in addition he took 15 hours of classes each semester (00:10:29)  Paul was the youngest officer on the New Jersey at the age of 19 (00:11:11) ◦ As a supply and dispersing officer, Paul arrived in San Diego to a pretty bad situation which he had to resolve which involved getting cash, equipment, food, and clothing for the men on board- they were headed to China for four months (00:15:08) Overseas & Beyond (00:15:08)  On the way, Paul mentions they had to refuel at Hawaii and Japan for several weeks; he mentions the trip was cold and torturous (00:16:40)  Paul said that he was almost killed while in China when it was Chiang Kai Shek's birthday but his rickshaw driver talked the men who held them up out of it (00:19:23) ◦ He didn't decide to make a career out of the Navy at that point as he mentions he was quite fed up with his captain at the time (00:22:00) ◦ Once he got back to San Diego, Paul decided to put in his papers; the Navy guaranteed he would get a masters degree out of it if he stayed on so he changed his mind; this was in 1947 (00:23:43) ▪ His next assignment was to join a destroyer based out of his hometown of Boston (00:24:05) ▪ At this time Paul held the rank of Lieutenant, which took him eight years to do (00:25:45) ▪ He was stationed on the USS Power at the time (00:26:13)  Paul trained at Guantanamo Bay for six months while he held the positions of supply �  and dispersing officer (00:26:58) He was on the USS Power for a year and a half; after Guantanamo, Paul says they did fleet exercises after that (00:28:22) In 1948 after the USS Power, Paul was asked where he would like to go next and told them he wanted to be stationed at a shipyard in Boston (00:28:49) Korean War & Beyond (00:31:06)  Paul arrived to the Eastern theater during the Korean War the day the United States invaded Inchon, South Korea on September 15th, 1950 (00:31:06)  He was primarily based out of Yokusuka, Japan at this time (00:32:05) ◦ Paul's future partner was one of a few hundred nurses that was flown over to Yokusuka; this was during the last week of November in 1950 (00:35:03) ◦ He mentions that the military was downsized considerably from World War II to the Korean War and says that there were only a few divisions from the Army and Marines as these divisions would be sent back to combat even after you were injured or received purple hearts if you were healthy enough to return to combat (00:37:52) ▪ Paul's brother joined the National Guard in Minnesota and was sent to fight in the Korean War; his brother lost seven platoon leaders in three months and became the sergeant major of the battalion at the age of 23- he passed away at the age of 59 from cancer due to the effects of contracting malaria while in South Korea (00:40:39) Back Home & Eastern Theater (00:41:35)  Paul became the deputy chief of petroleum logistics for the Navy while he worked in the Pentagon (00:41:35)  He served in the Pentagon for two years; he helped set up fueling stations throughout the rest of the world in case of another war breaking out (00:43:35)  Paul served on the USS Essex from June 1954 til 1956 as the aviation supply officer (00:44:53) ◦ After being stationed near Taiwan, Paul and the crew of the USS Essex were sent to Thailand as he mentioned it being a very touchy place; most of the missions were diplomatic and he mentions the natives of Thailand liked them being there (00:47:27) ◦ Between training and deployment, Paul says they lost 13 aircrafts and five pilots (00:49:40) ▪ After the Essex, Paul was the logistics and planning officer for the naval air force pacific fleet; he was stationed in San Diego, California (00:52:18) ▪ At this time, he made the rank of Lieutenant Commander (00:52:37)  Paul was stationed on Subic Bay in the Philippines; his wife and three of his children were there as well- he was stationed there from 1959 til 1961 (00:53:42)  He went to Monterey Bay Naval Postgraduate School; from there he went to the aviation supply office in Philadelphia- he did this from 1962 til 1964 (00:55:37) ◦ Paul mentions that when the Vietnam conflict finally came along he realized it was a big mistake (00:58:46) ◦ He made rank of captain and had a small staff of about 20; four of them were commanders and the rest were high ranking civilians (01:02:10) ◦ Even after Paul aired concerns about overspending on supplies in one event, the military went ahead and did it anyways (01:08:30) ▪ After one of Paul's flights to Da Nang, Vietnam was cancelled, a gentlemen at the hotel bar offered Paul up a seat on his flight (01:11:37) ▪ Paul's impression of Vietnam at that point was that the people were very �unhappy; people were getting killed for no reason over there (01:13:22) Back Home Again (01:13:50)  After Vietnam, Paul decided to leave the Navy and came back to the states to head the international logistics at the supply systems command as a primarily diplomatic job (01:14:18)  Paul looked for a civilian job and was hired as the head of information systems and became the chief deputy of social services for the state of Michigan (01:15:14) ◦ Paul's time in the service made him a person with integrity, honesty, and it gave him a great education (01:18:49) ◦ The service also taught him to ignore extraneous things and turn the other cheek (01:19:26) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_AllenP1652V Title A name given to the resource Allen, Paul (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-06-23 Description An account of the resource Paul Allen was born in 1926 in South Boston. His father served in World War I for the US Navy. Paul graduated high school at the age of 15 in 1942. Although he wanted to go to Harvard, Paul knew he would end up in the military he wound up being stationed to the battleship New Jersey as a dispersing officer where he would be the youngest officer on the ship at age 19. After a few years on a few different ships, Paul would arrive to the Eastern theater during the Korean War as he was primarily based out of Yokusuka Japan in late 1950. He later served assignments at the Pentagon and aboard the carrier USS Essex (1954-56), and later had assignments in the Philippines and at the naval base in Da Nang during the Vietnam War. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Allen, Paul Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ace1c97f7a623577a06847c044ec3393.mp4 e9c2f779bfa0ce4277bfe0cfec52180a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b20c0d1194421a86635f06211496b641.pdf 337008469bf0b78652b4ffeb51cdbdf1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Ronald Allen Vietnam War 24 minutes 45 seconds (00:00:01) Overview of Service and Training -In the Air Force from 1970 to 1974 -Worked with the Airborne Air Rescue Recovery Service -Better known as Air Force Pararescue -Worked as a crew chief on the Sikorsky HH53 helicopter -Started off with the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah -Spent his first year there (00:00:36) Deployment to Vietnam -In April 1972 he was assigned to the 37th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron -Stationed at Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam -Joined the squadron just after a rescue crew was lost during Bat 21 rescue attempt -Also joined prior to a major operation carried out at Quang Tri -Massive evacuation of South Vietnamese Rangers and Americans (00:02:18) Daily Life at Da Nang -Rocket and mortar strikes were a common occurrence -Lived on the north side of the base in the old Marine compound -Heavily fortified position that also had a hospital -Allowed them to get to the helicopters and to launch quickly -Had to wear body armor at all times for the most part -Ate mostly C rations even while on base -Worked in conjunction with the other maintenance teams -Insured that the helicopters and other aircraft were working properly -Formed a deep bond with each other -Worked with two Coast Guard pilots that were stationed at Da Nang -Being involved in the missions made him feel like he was playing a major part -Day to day life could be boring -Weather was always hot and humid both during the day and at night -Mosquitos were also a constant annoyance that he just had to get used to -Involved in a large number of missions (00:06:49) Involvement with the Army -Worked with the Army on occasion -Got invited to fly in a Cobra attack helicopter once -Took the opportunity to fly along the South China Sea coast and got target practice -Upon landing he was severely reprimanded by a superior officer -He was definitely not allowed to ride along in a Cobra (00:08:54) Enemy Attacks -Remembers on August 19, 1972 the base was hit by a sapper and rocket attack -Happened at night -Blew the doors off the hut where he slept �-The next morning, August 20, they were hit again -Attack happened at 6:30 in the morning -120mm Vietnamese rocket made a direct hit on the helicopter he worked on -Destroyed the helicopter -He was uninjured though (00:09:58) End of the War Pt. 1 -His unit was deactivated in December 1972 -He was flown out of Da Nang by the Utah National Guard -Remembers flying over the Ho Chi Minh trail as they left (00:10:36) Typhoons -During his time in Vietnam he was a part of two typhoon evacuations -Once to Saigon -Once to Thailand -Considered to be somewhat of an R&R period -Chance to rest for a couple days while the storm blew through (00:11:32) End of the War Pt. 2 -War was winding down when he was deployed to Vietnam -Army was being withdrawn -Firebases in the north were being overrun by Vietnamese forces (00:11:52) Involvement with Other Aircraft -Bombing missions were being flown out of Da Nang on a daily basis -He could feel the ground shake when the bombs were dropped in the distance -Search and rescue teams from his unit would follow the pilots out -Circled the area of operation in case a jet was shot down -Always a celebratory event when a pilot was recovered and returned to base successfully -Saw a B52 bomber land at Da Nang -SAM (surface to air missile) was stuck, unexploded in the wing -Vietnamese pilots would come into Da Nang and have to make crash landings -Remembers a rocket attack that destroyed several Marine F4 Phantoms -Marines suffered losses because of that (00:15:49) End of the War Pt. 3 -Towards the end of the war a large amount of soldiers were being moved to different positions -He and his unit were pulled out of Da Nang because of eroding security in the area -Also part of the political maneuvering that occurred -He was transferred to the 40th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron in Thailand -Worked with them for a few months -Remembers a large number of B52s flying out for bombing runs -Remembers one that crash landed upon its return -The crew ejected safely -In February 1972 he was pulled off the base in Thailand -Given twelve hours to pack and get ready to leave -Part of the Paris Peace Accords of 1972 -Flew out of Bangkok, Thailand back to the United States -Returned to the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah �(00:18:52) Enlisting in the Air Force -Enlisted in the Air Force to avoid getting drafted into the Army -He had a low lottery number which meant he had a high chance of getting drafted -He had a fascination with aircraft and the Air Force since a young age -This also played a major part in influencing him to join the Air Force -Had to travel from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Indianapolis, Indiana for his induction (00:19:49) Mascots of the 37th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron -The pararescue unit’s mascot was a boa constrictor named “Stretch” -It was a real boa constrictor that had been taken out of the jungle -Fifteen feet long -His maintenance crew’s mascot was a dog named “Dash” -He got hurt by shrapnel from a Vietnamese rocket attack once -Pararescue soldiers gave him stitches and brought him back to health -Dash received the Purple Heart for his wounds at an on base bar -They lost track of him during the evacuation of Da Nang -Never knew what happened to him -Stretch was taken with the unit to Thailand and released back into the wild (00:22:52) Reflections on Service -He felt that the war was an important part of shaping himself and his generation -It was difficult being a soldier or a veteran during the war -Despite the negative aspects of service he is glad that he was a part of the war -Feels that it was worth it because he was able to help save some lives � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Allen, Ronald (Interview outline and video), 2013 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Allen, Ronald Description An account of the resource Ronald Allen served in the Air Force from 1970 to 1974. He enlisted in the Air Force to avoid getting drafted into the Army and had a deeper interest in serving with the Air Force and working with aircraft. After travelling from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Indianapolis, Indiana he was inducted into the Air Force and was sent to basic training. He was deployed to Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam in April 1972 where he served with the 37th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron after he trained with the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah. During his time in Vietnam he was involved in a large number of rescue missions and had multiple incidents involving enemy artillery fire. In December 1972 his unit was deactivated and he was flown out of Da Nang by the Utah National Guard and attached to the 40th Air Rescue Recovery Squadron stationed in Thailand. In February 1972 he returned home and continued to work with the 1550th Combat Crew Training Wing in Ogden, Utah. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cullison, Jennifer (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-05-21 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context AllenR1495V Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/983363555d7dea2549468aaefffa5eba.pdf 03c9b4c0e2da4aa3f9161d2a525e60f6 PDF Text Text C11YOF ALPENA COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN ADOPTED JUNE 26, 1990 �C11YOF ALPENA COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN ADOYI'ED JUNE 26, 1990 THE WBDC GROUP \l,cl'III< ,\., I' ll!f \"~"\l'\t. .I'll 11\1\.L I\. ,llU.)l,'-i �CITY OF ALPENA COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN Alpena City Council William LaHaie, Mayor Franklin Mcl<im, Mayor pro tern. Thomas Kelly, Councilman Robert Reicks, Councilman Thomas Twite, Councilman Alpena Planning Commission Paul Sabourin, Chair Carol Shafto, Vice-chair Peter Skiba, Secretary Robert Kane, Commissioner Steven Lappan, Commissioner David Karschnick, Commissioner Richard Phillips, Commissioner Richard Silver, Commissioner Sandra McDougall, Commissioner D. Lee Ballard, Planning Director Final Public Hearing: February 20, 1990 Adopted by the Alpena Planning Commission: June 26, 1990 Adopted by the Alpena City Council: June 26, 1990 �CITY OF ALPENA COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN CONTENTS 1 Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Il. Market Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A. B. 2 3 3 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 C. D. E. Market Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Image Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Gateways ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 2. Major Corridors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Harbor Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Character Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Thunder Bay River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Industrial Bayfront .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. Wildlife Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9. Downtown Government District . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10. County Government District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. North Government/Institutional District ... . . . . . . . . . . 12. North Industrial Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13. General Physical Image/Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recreational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...... . .. 1. Local Recreational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Bikeway Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Regional Recreational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Facilities and Public Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. North Government/Institutional District . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. County Courthouse and Annex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Downtown Government District ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Senior Citizens Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 5. Cemeteries . . . . . . . . .. ... . .... .. . . . . . . . . .. . .. 6. Police and Fire Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Public Works Garage and Material Storage Facility ...... 8. Alpena County Road Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9. Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. 10. Higher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Utilities ..... .. . . . . . . . . . . .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - i - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 10 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 20 �I Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sanitary Sewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Storm Sewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. 4. City Light Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Natural Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Regional Roadways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Local Roadways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Rail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Deepwater Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Transit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Intercity Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. Improvement Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Historical Population Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Population Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Resident Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Economic Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Building Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Labor Force and Unemployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Retail Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Tax Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Housing Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Housing Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Housing Conditions Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Environmental Features and Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Floodplains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woodlands 4. Existing Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. I F. G. H. I. J. K. III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 20 21 21 21 21 22 23 23 23 25 25 26 26 26 26 28 28 28 29 33 33 33 34 36 37 37 38 40 40 40 41 41 43 Strategic Plan (Mission Statement Goals, Policies, Priority Actions, Secondary Actions) 46 A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Promotional Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recreational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Facilities and Public Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Population Stability and Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - ii - . . . . . . . 46 47 50 52 53 54 57 �H. I. IV. Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Modification of Regulatory Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 60 Implementation (Assignment of Task Responsibilities, Task Completion Target Dates, Funding Sources, Organizational Needs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 A. B. . . . . . . . . . 67 V. Capital Improvements Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 VI. Monitoring 74 VII. Future Land Use Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 A. B. C. Future Land Use Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Land Use Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Future Land Use Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 77 79 VIII. Current Plans and Policies Reviewed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Appendix A: Resolution of Adoption by the Alpena Plan Commission. 83 C. D. E. F. G. H. I. ProlllOtional Efforts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -. . . . Community Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recreational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Facilities and Public Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Population Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Modification of Regulatory Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I I I - iii - .. .. . .. 61 61 63 65 68 69 70 71 �TABLES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Historical Population Growth and Population Projections, . . . . . . . Population by Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Population by Age Group, Median Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Permit Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Labor Force, Unemployment Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retail Sales by Store Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . State Equalized Valuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 31 32 . . . . . . . . 4 19 24 30 39 42 45 81 34 35 35 36 FIGURES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Image Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Existing Road System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Historical Population Growth and Population Projections Housing Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Environmental Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Existing Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Future Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I I I I I I- I I I - iv - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �CITY OF ALPENA COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN I. MISSION STATEMENT The City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all residents of the City of Alpena. To this end, the City of Alpena Planning Commission has developed the plan in accordance with the following general goals and activities: The physical image of Alpena will improve. • • • Increase and improve community promotion/lobbying efforts. Improve the city's appearance. Implement urban design and zoning recommendations contained in the Comprehensive Development Plan. The economy of Alpena will expand and diversify. • • • • • Maintain public utilities and improve as needed. Improve surface, air, and water transportation networks. Provide needed tourism amenities. Promote the development of the Harbor Area. Reinforce Downtown Alpena as a vital retail, entertainment, and office center. The population of Alpena will stabilize. • Provide sufficient housing for all income and age groups. The government of Alpena will operate effectively and efficiently. • • • • Provide quality and cost-effective public services and facilities. Preserve and increase property values and enhance revenue sources. Use financing and regulatory tools creatively and effectively. Offer attractive and diverse recreational facilities. The natural resources of Alpena will be protected. • Implement future land use recommendations contained in the Comprehensive Development Plan. -1- �II. MARKET ANALYSIS A. MARKET DESCRIPTION The City of Alpena is the major urban center in the northeastern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Alpena is the financial, educational, cultural, and medical center for the six-county market area comprised of Alcona, Alpena, Iosco, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Presque Isle counties. The six-county area has a population of 100,100. The Alpena Market, part of Michigan's Sunrise Coast, features outstanding natural resources and recreational facilities. These assets have made the region an increasingly popular tourist and retirement destination. The area's predominant natural feature is Lake Huron- Alpena County alone has 50 miles of Lake Huron shoreline. The Alpena community is also an important mining, manufacturing, and recreational center. Alpena, settled in 1848 and incorporated as a city in 1871, was originally a lumber town, and river power was used for lumber, pulp, and paper mills, as well as electricity generation. Alpena was also an important commercial fishery center and ship provisioning port in its early years. The Detroit and Mackinac Railroad's arrival in 1887 began the process of industrial diversification. Limestone quarries in the area led to the establishment of the world's largest cement production complex. A spin-off industry of the cement plant is the Besser Company, which designs and manufactures equipment used to make concrete blocks. The Lafarge cement plant, the Besser Co., the Abitibi-Price Corp. hardboard plant, and the fletcher Paper Co. paper mill are among the leading base industries in the city. Alpena's harbor on Lake Huron at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River enabled the city to prosper during its heyday as a mill town and fishery center. The lakefront location then was critical to the success of the limestone mining/cement and forest products industries. Today, Alpena's riverfront and lakefront setting is a key to the city's emerging role as a year-round resort center. Alpena has excellent health care and educational facilities, and an unusually high amount of cultural amenities. Alpena General Hospital provides quality health care in a facility which has just undergone a $12 million expansion. Alpena Community College and the Alpena Public Schools provide a wealth of educational, cultural, and recreational facilities and services. In addition, the city has quality library and museum facilities and two live theaters, one of which is a professional theater. - 2 - �B. IMAGE ANALYSIS Every community projects an image. A community's physical image can be critical to its economic prosperity or even its survival as a desirable place to live. Tourism and business attraction are dependent to a great extent on community image. What image does Alpena project to the first-time visitor? The WBDC Group conducted an "image analysis" of Alpena to answer this question. A "physical image analysis" addresses important visual characteristics of the community, both positive and negative. Field observations are summarized below and on the analysis plan displayed on Figure 1. The Strategic Plan section of the Comprehensive Development Plan outlines recommendations for retaining positive aspects or improving negative aspects of Alpena's physical image. Gateways: The physical image of a city begins to be formed upon arriving at the outside edge of the community, when one enters through an imaginary "gateway" into the city. Alpena has three major gateways: the south gateway (US-23 South/State Street), the west gateway (M-32/Washington Avenue), and the north gateway (US-23 North/Chisholm Street). South Gateway: This gateway is located on US-23 South/State Street at the city limits. An attractive large welcome sign has been placed at this entrance, with some flower plantings. However, the sign is lost in the confusion created by competing signage in the immediate vicinity. To the east, there are positive views of Mich-e-ke-wis Park, the ice arena, and Thunder Bay. Still, the ice arena and park and entry sign area are not unified as well as they could be. Also, the ice arena sign is unattractive, which contrasts with the positive image projected by the arena itself. West Gateway: The intersection of M-32 and Bagley Street on the west side of Alpena forms this gateway. This gateway lacks the improvements that have been made to the other two major gateways, such as special welcome signs and flower plantings; thus, there is no feeling of arrival. In addition, there is a missed opportunity to inform visitors of and direct them to the nearby high school facilities. This entrance to the city will become increasingly important as improvements are made to the M-65 Highway west of Alpena. More and more traffic will be entering Alpena through the "West Gateway". North Gateway: This gateway is located at the intersection of US-23 North/Chisholm Street and Long Rapids Road/Johnson Street. Overall, this entryway into Alpena presents a very positive image with its proximity to the generally attractive North Government/Institutional District and the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary. - 3 - �CITY OF A PENA ,...Odh lndustt\aj Park COMPREHENSIVE DEV ELOPMENT PLAN Good beginning toward utab llshlng • positive, cohulv• light lndustrlal d istrict Better control of slgn-si• and site d•"•loprnent could lur1her strenglh~n this area. North GoltWIY lack of ar,lyal. Need for bell., slgnage. Street scape/landscape statement to create a "gateway." Proximity 10 Government/ lnsUtulfonal District and WIid Ille Sanctuary/We11ands District of1ers potential to make a strong energy statement U.S ...23 North !Chfsholml Corridor UHi positive ol th• 3 entry corridors. Oppor1unlty to build upon 1n already pleu1nl corrklor between the Governrnenl/ lnslltullonal Ind Wlldtlfe Sanctuary Dlstrlct1. Polentbl t I ,lti tMCti Strengt scaptn(t. • HgNlr.g_ '-----'--------1-------+I"" • specw4 p,vlng • slgnaveJgraphlcs Potential to ntand tM i.tlstrlct lo laMNra Park •long.lM river. NMd 16 SCrMn pafillng. Co,ridor Is noMucrlpt between the river end the Coun1y Government District. County Government Dlslrlct otters potenllal •• • strong node betwMn the river and the ceo. Corridor bKomu non-descrlpt tMt~ County Govern~t District and the ceo. lmprovlld atrNtsc•~ could help the overall ldenUly or this corridor. ~rvl'Wt1land1 Plstdct I, / / Poaltlve Image end..,,. of lt.~ng n,iture In IN City. 16; :~ Lafarge (_ _ IM_A_G_E_A_N_A_LY_S_IS___j CrNtes strong r.creatlonal Ind wUdllle habitat Opportunl-1, ••. Fairgrounds' )evel ol maln l • nance needs lo Improve to become more poslUve •nd enh•nu tis reladonshlp 10 rh1er •nd w•U•nds. N LEGEND 0 ....... ...... • lack ol •rrlval at ma)or lnleraectlon. Need for better slgnage. Streelsea~•ndsc•pe st•I • ment 10 c, ..te a "gateway." Bulkt upon high schoot·a p,ox• tmlty to lnlerHctlon. Provkfes Iha harshest views •ong Thunder Bay with Ablllbl and LaF•ge. Often ~sents a sl•rk edge lo ......... PRIMARY CORRIDOR Nl• c.nt residenUal areas, • m'IOUgh Good potandal, p6Me lo, martne • ~ wm turthet strengthen .,,.. . . . . Lack ol good psdntrailnlblk• Mnuge to the ....,_ Need lof improved algMgei grephlal to klentlty publlc \, M-32 fWHhlng100) Conldor Many positive Images. • open space ol cemeteries and wlldllle Hncluary • many Hctlons of stately old homes and 1, ...11ned slrHts Positive lmag. brnka down In places - run down homes • slrlp commercial u$ • l W ' :! a: 0 South CIIOWIY Good large •c• Je s ign needs slronger landscape lratMwork. AddlUonal slgnaga Is cluttered and contu1lng. Ice rink and park could make stronger contribution to enlry s ttilement. GATEWAY Primary northl•oulh llnlt with gen•rous rlghl-ol way. Soulh .-net pre<fomlnantly •trip comm.rclal with lnstltullonal, transitioning to rasldenllal. z;t South CSIIII) CwrldPC Many posttJva Images with stately okf homes •nd tr... lined SltNfa. Some well done and some not so well done commercl•I strips. Missed opportunl!Jes with rare views ol Thunder Bay and lack of promln..,I pedeslrlanlblk• peths connecting open spaces, U.S. 23, and the wetartront. N•e<f ben•r slgnage/graph lcs to Identity bey.side open • paces along this corridor. Good ld•ntlftabte rram.wortl starwd by atrHt•captng begin• to crHt• s ome CMtlntte boundarlH. Need for grul• r con•lllency In UM or s trM lscape ateirn.nts. lack ol anting. NNd to expend lrNfmrtnf to all ol CBO, Hpeclally MSI ol lM rive,. lack ol scrNnlng makes most ~k}ng Iola• detraction. Small p&au •t comer of 2nd and Chfsholm ls • postttv. paopla•s-~- Need fo, more Inviting pedntrltln Jinks from 2rtd to IM cMc bulldlng clust•r and wat..-ffont araa. Lack of archttectu~ continuity In faeada treatments. tmp,o..,. menl OI lhls woukl rMke CBQ more coha•lve. • -- SCHM! • reu are acraened and buffeted wlU1 p&anUngs. Addition• ! scrHnlng of ground lavet KUYIUH from both res!~ CMnu•I • r•H IM'1f the water would do much to vlsually upgrade these areas. ••••••• SECONDARY CORRIDOR C4.ttf9flt lack ol CMa,On clarlty or organlntlon I• • hlndranc. lo ntabllShlng • HnN o r ...... ........ NNd ror ttrongtf' Mnk befWMn cao and harbor area. cao currently tum• H• back to Potent.r to crMttl • permarwnt l•mer·s nwuc n s-r1 or • CIIDlharbot Nnk. Good wetlftfronl oppof1unHlu southwnt of downtoWn with Thon,p9on Perk, ...., StrMt Petit, Slafllghl 8Mch and llk:h-+ll•wfs Pan. THE •AH M A I ' ~ • Y ntl CITY 0, AI.NNA., 0 4 00 1 00 1200/1100 WBDC SCllLE IN FEET GROUP ~,....... ,-.,.i ,..., . ,~......-.:... -.c.,. n:•......... x-, ~-...., •. , w ..x.: ·1.1,:: u .:- ,.,., :141., .~,:-:.•.""'.:.u ... u : ;,. .- 1.. �A welcome sign with some plantings has been installed at this entry. However, due to the deep building setbacks and the great amount of open space in this area, the current sign and plantings are undersealed and inadequate. Increased landscaping would help in this regard. In addition, the sign is different than the one at the south gateway, which conveys an inconsistent image. Major Corridors: A community's major traffic corridors are important elements that contribute to the formation of a community's image. Often a motorist will gain impressions of a city solely by the appearance of a traffic corridor used to travel through the city. Alpena has several heavily travelled corridors. Four of these corridors are discussed as follows. US-23 South (State Avenue) Corridor: The southern corridor into the city generally projects a positive image as it features some views of Thunder Bay and goes through a neighborhood characterized by stately old homes and tree-lined streets. The many waterfront parks along this route are some of the community's most important assets. The bayfront parks are not identified effectively, however, and can easily be missed. These facilities are not connected with each other as well as they could be; a more prominent pedestrian/bicycle path system would fill this deficiency. The commercial development at the south end of this corridor has some problems with excess signage, inadequate landscaping, and poor access control. These conditions do not contribute to a positive image. M-32 (Washington Avenue) Corridor: This corridor has many positive images, including the open green space provided by the cemeteries, the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary, and the roadside park, as well as many sections of stately old homes and tree-lined streets. The positive image breaks down in places, however, with poorly maintained homes and poorly designed commercial strips found along the corridor. US-23 North (Chisholm Street) Corridor: Entering the city from the north, one passes through a relatively unattractive commercial strip south of the industrial park. The motorist then enters an already pleasant section of the corridor near the Holiday Inn and the North Government/Institutional District. This attractive section continues past the hospital facilities south to the river. At the Chisholm Street Bridge, there are outstanding views of the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary. -5- �The corridor is nondescript between the river and the County Courthouse. However, the County Government District offers potential as a strong focal point between the river and the Central Business District, as it serves to break up the monotony of the strip with its attractive grounds and deep building setbacks. The corridor again becomes rather nondescript between the County Government District and the Central Business District. An improved streetscape could help the overall identity of this corridor. Ripley Boulevard: Ripley Boulevard, a primary north-south link, is characterized by a generous right-of-way. The south end is predominantly strip commercial with some institutional uses, but it transitions to residential. At the north end of the corridor commercial uses again predominate. The mixed-use character of the strip has the appearance of being unplanned; however, this corridor does not have a crowded feeling about it due to the buildings being set back farther than on some other commercial corridors in the city. Harbor Area: The Harbor Area is an invaluable asset for the City of Alpena, and the pleasant views of the bay and the nautical amenities contribute to form a very positive image. The recent expansion of the marina will further strengthen this area. A negative aspect of the Harbor Area is that it is not well connected to the Downtown retail area. Downtown currently turns its back to the harbor, and there is a need for a stronger link between these two important activity areas. The entire Riverfront Park/Marina/Bay View Park district currently lacks design clarity or organization, which is a hindrance to establishing a sense of place. The entire district lacks good linkages, such as pedestrian/bicycle paths connecting all of these facilities. Pedestrian/bicycle access to the water's edge is limited. There is a need for improved signage and graphics to identify public areas in the Harbor Area. The current signage is inconsistent and may discourage users who might mistakenly assume they are entering a private facility. Downtown: Many effective steps have been undertaken to improve the image of the Central Business District. For example, the small plaza at the corner of Second Avenue and Chisholm Street is a positive "people place" that provides a needed seating area (there is a general shortage of seating available within the Central Business District). In addition, the streetscape design serves to create identifiable boundaries for the shopping district and makes the atmosphere more inviting to pedestrians. However, some elements of the streetscape are not consistent. For example, trash receptacles and flower barrels are used which do not complement the original design of the streetscape elements. - 6 - �Further inconsistency will be evident when the streetscape design planned ·for the "Old Town Alpena" section of Downtown north of the river is installed. This new streetscape will be different than the contemporary style currently used- it will be a tum-of-the-century design complementing the historic buildings in "Old Town Alpena." This inconsistency does not project a negative image as long as the two streetscape styles are used in distinct areas (based on an updated Downtown design plan). Another concern is the lack of adequate screening of Downtown parking lots, which makes most of these lots a detraction. The unscreened lots expose wide spaces of unbroken asphalt when empty, and become cluttered eyesores when full. More inviting pedestrian links from Second Avenue to the civic building cluster and from Second Avenue to the waterfront area are needed to upgrade the image of this transitional area. Perhaps the most noticeable detraction from Downtown's image is the lack of architectural continuity in storefront treatments. The current appearance of many of the storefronts is dated and unappealing, as the dignified original architectural features of the buildings in most cases were covered up in the last few decades. The resulting mix of facade treatments is inconsistent, unattractive, and presents a cluttered image. Improvement of this condition by historic rehabilitation of Downtown storefronts would make the Central Business District more cohesive. Character Conservation: Alpena has an excellent collection of architecturally significant historic buildings. This unique architectural character conveys many positive images. Whereas in the past few decades Victorian homes and commercial buildings were considered to project a negative image, today such structures are a source of community pride and are considered important resources with a unique character much in demand by homeowners and business operators. Hundreds of communities across the nation have encouraged the historic rehabilitation of storefronts along their downtown Main Streets, and interesting and successful "gaslight" shopping districts have been created. The few Downtown commercial buildings in Alpena which have undergone historic rehabilitation present a positive image. In the past, new construction and renovation have often ignored the character of adjacent buildings. This has produced an unattractive mixing of architectural styles. However, the new savings and loan office building under construction Downtown has been designed to blend comfortably with the context of the historic buildings in Downtown Alpena. The use of this relatively new design technique projects a positive image, and the institution's new building will reinforce, rather than detract from, Downtown Alpena's unique character. Thunder Bay River: The Thunder Bay River has outstanding potential as a pedestrian linkage and recreational amenity within the city. Its many positive images include the existing parks and pedestrian/bike paths at Riverfront Park, LaMarre Park, and the Bi-Centennial path on the north side of the river between the - 7- �Chisholm Street Bridge and the railroad bridge. However, the lack of a consistent pedestrian/bicycle path limits the opportunity of access to the river in many areas. There is also a need for improved maintenance and treatment for the river edge in many places. Industrial Bayfront: The heavy industrial area which fronts on Thunder Bay provides the harshest views along the bay. The industrial facilities often present a stark edge to adjacent residential areas, although some areas are screened and buffered with extensive plantings. Wildlife Sanctuary: The Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary is a community amenity that projects a positive image of keeping nature within the city. The sanctuary provides strong recreational and wildlife habitat opportunities. The fairgrounds' relationship to the river and wetlands area could be made stronger. The appearance of the fairgrounds from Eleventh Avenue does not project a positive image. Downtown Government District: The collection of government buildings in Downtown -City Hall, the Library, the Federal Building, and the National Guard Armory- form a district of similar buildings with similar uses. However, this district is not thought of as having a distinct identity and is not as cohesive as it could be. County Government District: I The County Courthouse site presents a positive image. There is a missed opportunity, however, to unify the courthouse block with the County Courthouse Annex across the street. Pedestrian access between the two facilities is not well defined. Furthermore, the annex site is not linked in any way to the County's La.Marre Park along the river. These three facilities could be connected to create an attractive "County Government District". Parking lots behind the courthouse and the annex lack screening to soften the transition to the adjacent residential areas. i 'I North Government/Institutional District: While this district projects a positive image, there is a lack of cohesiveness. Signage and landscaping needed to unify the area are deficient. Also, the pedestrian crossing at Johnson Street that connects the two sections of the community college campus is not as well established nor as safe as it could be. - 8- �North Industrial Park: Overall, the organization of the industrial park is effective and is a good beginning toward establishing a positive, cohesive light industrial district. However, many elements typically associated with a quality industrial park setting are missing. Signage and site development controls currently used do not ensure the highest quality industrial site design. For example, loading and storage areas are generally not screened, and the placement of signs is inconsistent and even cluttered in some areas. General Physical Image/Identity: Alpena gives a mixed impression to the outsider. On the one hand, the city has many outstanding amenities which project positive images. In addition to the amenities discussed elsewhere in the Market Analysis section of the Comprehensive Development Plan, the city is characterized by neat, well-kept residential areas; clean streets and ongoing beautification plantings; excellent implementation of traffic control measures such as roadway markings, channelization, and user separation (bicycle paths and sidewalks); architecturally attractive and diverse houses of worship; and, a relatively mild climate. There are many opportunities for Alpena to distinguish itself in the area of attracting tourists. Fishing and hunting opportunities are endless, as are opportunities for other year-round outdoor activities. The distinctive ethnic flavor of Alpena is another asset which is currently underutilized in promotional efforts. Other opportunities include corporate tours and observation of quarry operations, as well as promotion of the scuba diving and sink hole exploring opportunities. There are several conditions which do not contribute to a positive image for Alpena. Current graphics and signage used to identify City of Alpena facilities are nondescript and may need to be upgraded. Consistent and attractive identification of all City recreational facilities would encourage more use of these facilities by tourists. The graphic quality of water tower markings is inconsistent and in some instances, dated. The signage and parking at the ice arena needs to be upgraded, and the facility may be underutilized from the standpoint of community-wide marketing efforts. - 9- I �C. RECREATIONAL FACILITIES Recreational opportunities in northeast Michigan will need to play a vital role in the diversification and expansion of the region's economy. Recreational facilities both within the Alpena city limits and in the surrounding area not only help attract tourists, but are important components of Alpena's quality of life. A description of both local recreational facilities within the Oty of Alpena and regional recreational facilities follows. Local Recreational Facilities: The current City of Alpena Recreation Plan was prepared in 1989. The plan includes proposed park improvements and implementation strategies. The facilities provided at each park as well as the recommended improvements from the plan are discussed below. Coastal Parks: Mich-e-ke-wis Park, located along the city's southern boundary, includes two large public beaches, Starlight Beach and Mich-e-ke-wis Beach. Opportunities at this park include picnic facilities, a shelter building (including restrooms, concession stand, locker rooms, and an office), tennis courts, two children's play areas, two ballfields, the ice arena, and bikeways along US-23 and along the beach. Recommendations for this park include improvements to parking areas, picnic tables, benches, pedestrian pathways, landscaping improvements near the water treatment plant, reconstruction of the tennis courts, and the acquisition of additional property to allow for expanded views of the park. The Alpena City Council has established the goal of having a recreational vehicle (R.V.) park in the Alpena Area. However, a 1987 feasibility study commissioned by the City concluded that the development of a public RV Park at Mich-e-ke-wis Park would not be economically viable. Plans to provide an additional R.V. park are currently under study by the Planning Commission. Recreational facilities at the Harbor Area and Bay View Park include a bandshell, two basketball courts, a ball diamond, four tennis courts, two volleyball courts (basketball, ball diamond, tennis, and volleyball facilities are property of the Alpena Public Schools), a tot lot, the Small Boat Harbor /Marina, a boat launch, and a fish cleaning station. The small boat harbor has been expanded to include a total of 132 boat slips. Planned improvements for this area include the addition of attractions for pedestrians, fishermen, and the non-boating public, such as pathways, landscaping, signs, and picnic tables. As discussed in the Image Analysis Section of the Comprehensive Development Plan, the Harbor Area and Bay View Park complex lack cohesion, as individual amenities are not well configured in relation to each other or the entire complex. While the provision of the bandshell was a successful community effort, its specific location may not have been ideal with respect to the entire park layout. The bandshell seating area needs definition. All further improvements to the Harbor Area and Bay View Park should strictly follow the City's Outdoor Recreation and Park Master Plan as most recentlyadopted by the Park and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission. - 10 - �Riverfront Park located near the mouth of the Thunder Bay River in the Downtown area is divided into North and South Riverfront Parks. South Riverfront Park provides the following facilities: dock fishing, docking of larger watercraft, picnic tables and benches, concrete walkways, an open space area, and a parking lot. North Riverfront Park incorporates active and passive waterfront recreation. According to the park's master site plan, the following facilities are planned: boat launch (completed), boat mooring, a parking lot (completed), a shelter building/amphitheater, a fishing pier, a boardwalk, an open lawn area and landscaping, and a pedestrian linkage to South Riverfront Park and to Downtown. Phased implementation of this plan was recommended because of its high cost. These improvements have begun and already have added much to the appearance of this highly visible facility. Two other Oty parks are located along Lake Huron- Blair Street Park and Thompson Park. Blair Street Park, a small neighborhood park located on Thunder Bay, provides a beach and fishing area and a few picnic tables. Recreation Plan recommendations include keeping this as open green space with additional picnic tables, grills, and landscaping. The park also includes a pier structure which houses a major City storm sewer extending 320 feet into the bay. The City recently made improvements to this park, with financial assistance from a State Coastal Zone Management Grant. Thompson Park is a small one-acre park that provides a Thunder Bay swimming beach. Minor improvements recommended in the Recreation Plan include rebuilding the beach with new sand and a new retaining wall. Due to its small size, Thompson Park is intended as a more passive area and Starlight Beach is designated as an active beachfront park, as Starlight already has all needed amenities such as restrooms, adequate parking, etc. Other City Parks: Avery Park, a pocket park just north of Downtown, contains several shade trees and benches and serves as a rest stop for the elderly, a neighborhood play lot, and as open space. It is unlikely that this park will ever be enlarged. Therefore, planned improvements for this park are confined to its present limits. In conjunction with the "Old Town Alpena" project, Avery Park will receive a Victorian-style four-faced bronze clock and Victorian-style lampposts and park benches. Kurrasch Park is part of the Kurrasch Housing Project and contains limited playground equipment and an open field area. The City Housing Commission's office is located on site and includes a community room for indoor recreational use. The Recreation Plan recommends that this park be developed as a facility for low profile children's play. Other recommendations include the addition of a basketball court and park benches and the installation of a fence and landscaping to screen the railroad from the play areas. - 11 - �McRae Park provides both community-wide and neighborhood type recreational opportunities. Facilities at the park include: three fenced ballfields, two practice fields, a children's play area, two tennis courts, two parking lots that provide four basketball half-courts, a concession and restroom building, and a park shelter. The Recreation Plan recommends that the tennis courts be resurfaced and enclosed with perimeter fencing, the children's play area be expanded, additional spectator seating, park benches, and picnic tables be installed. A planting program also will be continued. The addition of three parcels of land at the comer of Merchant and Hueber Streets would help unify the park and provide space for use as a soccer field or permanent open space. The 40-acre Oxbow Park, located in the northwestern part of the city, was once used as a sanitary landfill and has been vacant for several years. Analysis in the 1989 Recreation Plan indicates that the residential areas adjacent to this 40-acre area are deficient in "community park" space. Facilities at this park include two ballfields and a shelter building/ concession stand. Planned improvements include four ballfields, four tennis courts, two basketball courts, a storage area and warming area, and a concession stand), several picnic areas, and children's play areas. A greenbelt/natural area would completely surround the park. County Parks: LaMarre Park is an Alpena County park located within the city limits just east of the Ninth Ave~ue Bridge. This park provides open space for picnicking, and is, along with the nearby dam site, an extremely popular fishing site. However, some improvements are needed at this facility, such as a sign notifying fishermen of the cleaning station at the Harbor. The Alpena County Fairgrounds include a campground with a camper sanitation station as well as a canoe launch, picnic area, and playground. These facilities are underutilized when the fair is not in operation, and existing signage is poor. Steps should be taken to better identify these important facilities. Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary: The Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary, a wetland area approximately 500 acres in size, is located in the center of the city along the Thunder Bay River. Recreational opportunities offered there include: boating, canoeing, fishing, nature study, picnicking and walking (on Sportmen's Island). The sanctuary provides all benefits associated with wetlands including habitat for various types of wildlife. The Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary Committee prepared a report in 1980 which analyzed the resources and future potential of the site. The committee recommended to retain the sanctuary for public use and to officially define and recognize the area. The Oty offered management support for Sportsmen's Island and the Bagley Street Bridge area. These two sites are the most heavily used for hiking and fishing activities. Sportsmen's Island, a Oty-owned park, is designated for passive recreation and environmental education by agreement with the Michigan Land Trust Fund, which provided most of the purchase money. The City has removed utilities and the vacant shelter building. - 12 - �Bikeway Plan: The 1983 Recreation Plan proposed a bikeway plan to serve as a connector between park areas and business districts within the city. The implementation of this system would require the installation of identification signs and bike racks. Regional Recreational Facilities: Regional recreational facilities are important components of the City of Alpena's tourist industry. Some of the regional recreational opportunities that play an important role in the city's economy are discussed as follows. The Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve encompasses all of Thunder Bay as well as other off-shore areas of Alpena County to a depth of 150 feet. The preserve has one of the highest concentrations of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. The preserve attracts many divers, but the potential of this resource from the standpoint of tourist attraction has not been fully realized. Fishing in the Alpena area is exceptional. The Thunder Bay River above the dam offers smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, panfish, and perch. Below the darn and into Lake Huron, anglers catch salmon, lake trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout, and some pike, walleye, and channel catfish. Hunting opportunities in the Alpena region are outstanding. Hunters can find both large and small game animals and game birds common to Michigan. Thousands of acres of State-owned land are available for hunting in the Alpena region. Cross country skiing in the winter and hiking in the warm months are also popular activities for this area. Within 20 miles of the city are several hiking trails and natural areas available for these activities. Norway Ridge, Chippewa Hills Pathway, Besser Natural Area, Ocqueoc Falls, and the Wah-Wah-Tas-See Pathway are a few of the areas where skiing and hiking are offered in beautiful natural settings. Another popular activity in this region during the winter is snowmobiling. Devil's Swamp Trail, located south of the city, offers 27 miles of marked trails. Indian Reserve Trail, off Indian Reserve Road, has six miles of snowmobile trails. In addition, the State Forest areas are available for snowmobiling at no cost. Golf is another activity offered to the tourist in northeastern Michigan. Two 18-hole golf courses located near Alpena are the Alpena Golf Oub and Alpena Country Club. There are three other golf courses within a half-hour's drive of Alpena: Thunder Bay Golf Course in Hillman, Rogers City Golf Course, and Springport. In addition, there are numerous county parks, State parks, and State Forest campgrounds in the Alpena region. - 13 - �D. COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES: A community facilities location map is shown on Figure 2, the Community Facilities Map. North Government/Institutional District: This area in the northern part of the city includes the Alpena Civic Center, the Jesse Besser Museum, Alpena Community College, Alpena General Hospital, the Alpena County Sheriff Department and Jail, the District #4 Health Department, and the Northeast Michigan Mental Health Complex. Each of these facilities is discussed below: 1. Alpena Civic Center: The Alpena Ovic Center contains meeting facilities for conventions and community groups and offices of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce. 2. Alpena Community College: Alpena Community College's main campus offers courses in applied sciences and general studies. Arrangements for offering advanced undergraduate and graduate courses through Central Michigan University and Lake Superior State University have recently been made. 3. Jesse Besser Museum: The Jesse Besser Museum exhibits cultural and historical displays for public benefit. museum is fully accredited and is a major tourist attraction in the city. 4. The Alpena General Hospital: This facility was constructed in the 1930s and has recently undergone a $12 million expansion. These new facilities enable the hospital to continue to provide quality health care services to residents from throughout the Alpena market area. Alpena General Hospital is an important community asset and its excellent reputation has helped to attract retirees to the region. 5. County Sheriff Department and Jail: These services are located in a modern facility on the southeast corner of Chisholm and Johnson Streets. 6. Northeast Michigan Mental Health Complex: A new Northeast Michigan Mental Health Complex is planned for a site adjacent to Alpena General Hospital on Johnson Street. - 14 - �7. District #4 Health Department: The District #4 Health Department is located in the former County Farm facility, a historic structure on the east side of Chisholm Street just north of Alpena General Hospital. County Courthouse and Annex: The County Courthouse and annex house County of Alpena offices and courts. The Courthouse, considered an art deco landmark, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown Government District: This district contains the following facilities: City Hall, the Library, the Federal Building, and the Armory. Each is briefly described below. 1. City Hall: The Alpena City Hall contains City administrative offices as well as the police department. This facility is near capacity. 2. George M. Fletcher Public Library: This quality facility, across from City Hall, houses the Alpena County Library. The library offers a wide variety of community services, including lectures and a full range of children's programming. 3. Federal Building: This building is located near City Hall along the Thunder Bay River. The building is used by only one full-time office (Coast Guard Auxiliary), and is considered by the General Services Administration to be underutilized and a candidate for being put up for sale. Re-use of the building should be explored, as the building's architectural style cannot be replaced and it helps to form, with City Hall and the Armory, a complex with a traditional monumental civic character. The character of this "Downtown Government District" provides continuity with the community's past. Possible uses for the building include government offices, a maritime or lumbering museum, a tourist or business information center, or office space for a professional firm, such as a law office. 4. National Guard Armory: This building located just east of the Federal Building, provides space for community groups to hold meetings or exhibits, as well as larger gatherings such as wedding receptions. - 15 - �Senior Citizens Center: The Senior Otizen's Center provides services and activities for the elderly. The facility is conveniently located between the two large senior housing facilities on the south side of the Thunder Bay River, just northwest of Downtown. The facility does not take full advantage of its riverfront location, and various site improvements could be made to provide an outdoor activity area on the river side of the building. Cemeteries: There are three cemeteries in the city which are operated and maintain~ by City employees. The 61-acre Evergreen Cemetery is owned and operated as a public service. Two cemeteries, Hebrew and Grace Lutheran, are privately owned but are maintained by Oty staff. Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, located along M-32 near the other cemeteries, is privately maintained. Police and Fire Services: The Oty's Central Fire Station building located on the comer of Third Avenue and River Street, is in relatively poor condition. The North Fire Station is located on Oldfield Street near the Ninth Avenue Bridge. Although the North Station is relatively new, it has developed foundation problems due to poor fill (this facility was built on approximately 30 feet of sawdust). The present location of the two fire stations in relatively close proximity to each other is undesirable. The City may need to seriously consider consolidating the two stations into a single new station in light of rising costs and the condition of the existing facilities. It also may become increasingly necessary to provide a station in the southwest area of the city, as commercial and residential development continues along the Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street corridor. The pace of development in this area will be accelerated upon completion of the U.S. 23 Bypass along Hobbs/Bagley. Alpena Township has stations on North US-23 and on State Avenue south of the city. The City and Township fire departments should continue past cooperative efforts and should explore new ways to work together. The City's police department operates out of City Hall, where police facilities are becoming cramped for space. Therefore, the City has considered consolidating the police department along with the fire services to one new facility. The preferred location for the new facility is at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Chisholm Street, across from the Senior Otizens Center. The site was purchased with a federal grant designated for site acquisition for a future combined facility. - 16 - �Public Works Garage and Materials Storage Facility: The Public Works Garage is located on Campbell Street adjacent to a residential area. This has been identified as a location of incompatible land uses, but the garage site is zoned for industrial use. The Public Works Department has discussed ways to combine the garage with the Materials Storage Facility in order to eliminate the travel distance between the two facilities. The City of Alpena Public Works Department maintains the Materials Storage Facility on Long Lake Avenue near the north city limits. The facility is approximately three miles, by city street, from the Public Works Garage. Alpena County Road Commission: The Alpena County Road Commission's (ACRC) newly constructed building is located on Bagley Street. This facility will be able to serve the County's needs beyond the next ten years. Bagley Street was recently upgraded to a two lane paved roadway and is planned to become a US-23 bypass route around the Alpena Central Business District. Elementary and Secondary Schools: The Alpena Public Schools operates the following ten elementary schools: Ella White, Hinks, Lincoln, Long Rapids, Maple Ridge, Hubbard Lake, Sanborn, Wilson, Besser, and Sunset. Thunder Bay Junior High and Alpena High School also provide public education for the area's youth. These schools also provide numerous recreational facilities for public use, including the Plaza Pool at Alpena High School. The three parochial schools in the area are St. Anne (K-8), St. Mary (K-6), and Immanuel Lutheran (K-8). The School District has vacated the Bingham School facility at the northeast comer of Fifth and McKinley Avenues. Potential redevelopment of this facility for residential use has been investigated. Higher Education: Alpena Community College, located on the north side of Alpena, east of U.S. 23, plays a key role in the educational, economic development and labor force development efforts in the Alpena community. Enrollment has grown 33 percent in the last 5 years, with nearly 2,500 students enrolled in the Spring Semester, 1989, with 1,800 of those being at the Alpena Campus. The student body has includes a high percentage of non-traditional students, with an average student age of 29 years. The College places a strong emphasis on meeting the career training needs of Northeast Michigan. For example, a new program has been developed to train corrections officers, to meet increasing demand for certified qualifications in this area. Outreach to the community is also an important part of the College's mission. In 1988, the College established the Center for Economic and Human Resource Development. This was intended to focus - 17 - �the College's activities which serve economic development and service to the Northeast Michigan business community. Services which are provided in the Alpena area through the Center include coordination of community volunteer programs through a Volunteer Center, customized training programs for area businesses, career planning assistance in area high schools, business startup and expansion planning and consultation services and operation of an industrial and environmental testing lab. - 18 - �E. UTILITIES The City of Alpena offers sanitary sewer and water services to the majority of residences and businesses within the city limits and portions of Alpena Township. The operation and maintenance of these facilities is handled through a private operator under contract with the City. The service areas for the City's water and sanitary sewer systems (within the city limits) are shown on Figure 2, the Community Facilities Map. Water: The City of Alpena receives its water supply from Lake Huron's Thunder Bay. The original sections of the City's water system were built in the 1920s. The City plans to institute a 2 percent per year replacement program for both water and sanitary sewer systems. Water usage for the City averages 2 million gallons per day. This number may be deceiving because it represents an average of periods of high and low usage. The current operating capacity at the water treatment plant equals 5.25 million gallons per day. The maximum design capacity of the facility equals 8 million gallons per day. Water service is provided within the city limits and to approximately 50 percent of residences in Alpena Township (primarily the portion south along US-23). Residents in the Long Lake area, Ossineke area, and the residential developments in between have also expressed some interest in connecting to the City's water system because of poor well water quality. Proposed development may add approximately 275 new customers in the short term. Service to areas north of town is limited due to the presence of subsurface bedrock. If the service area is expanded, there will be a need for additional dear well storage or increase in the plant's existing mixed media filter rate. The City is currently utilizing 38 percent of its total water system capacity. Accommodating the expected increase in the water distribution system may require some expansion of the water treatment facility. Provisions have already been made for such expansion on the south side of the existing plant. R. S. Scott Engineering conducted a needs assessment of Alpena's water system in 1968. Several of the improvements recommended in this study have been implemented. Establishment of a new water intake location is still under consideration but is not planned at the present time due to cost constraints. This was proposed to avoid potential water pollution problems which could exist at the present location near the mouth of the Thunder Bay River. Sanitary Sewer: Alpena's wastewater treabnent facility is located at Water Street and Harbor Drive at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River. This facility was updated in the early 1970s. Its current treatment capacity is 5.25 million gallons per day. The City is now using 67 percent of this capacity. - 20 - �The City provides sanitary sewer service to a majority of homes within its boundaries, as well as some areas of Alpena Township. Septic systems are still in use at approximately 85 scattered locations within the service area. The areas north of the city which have bedrock close to the surface are difficult to serve. This condition has hampered development in these areas. Recent expansion of the service area has occurred in several areas to the south and west of the city. An effort is being made to upgrade two percent of the sanitary sewer system and water distribution system each year. Storm Sewer: The majority of streets in the city are comprised of an urban cross section with curb and gutter, drainage structures, and an enclosed storm sewer system. New storm sewer is installed when curb and gutter is added as part of new developments. The majority of the storm sewers outlet at various points along Thunder Bay River. The city currently does not experience significant flooding of the storm sewer system, even during periods of frequent or heavy rainfalls. The dams along Thunder Bay River provide effective flood control. An increase in improved land within the city should not have a significantly negative impact on the City's storm sewer system as long as adequate storm drainage measures are provided as part of the development. Such measures might include the provision of stormwater detention basins or retention ponds. City Light Division: The City of Alpena owns its street light system (approximately 1,021 street lights), which currently illuminates nearly every street intersection in the city, with mid-block illumination provided on various major streets and in the Downtown area. Electricity: The Alpena Power Company provides electrical service to the community and its environs. This private utility firm owns a number of hydroelectric power generating facilities situated at dams along the Thunder Bay River. Within the city limits, one such facility is located just north of the Ninth Avenue Bridge. Alpena Power's corporate offices are located Downtown on Second Avenue at the river. Natural Gas: Natural gas service is provided to the City of Alpena by Michigan Consolidated Gas Company (MichCon). MichCon has facilities in two locations in Alpena: an office facility on Chisholm Street in Downtown and a service facility on US-23 north of the city. - 21 - �Telephone: Telephone service is provided in the Alpena community by GTE North Inc. GTE has facilities in both Downtown Alpena and in the North Industrial Park. - 22 - �I TRANSPORTATION I I Recent planning efforts aimed at increasing public awareness of Alpena's many attributes have focused on transportation as a major issue. In particular, roadway improvement needs have been identified which will facilitate circulation in and around the city and increase accessibility to the northeastern Michigan area. The need for more frequent and direct commercial air links to larger hubs downstate has also been cited. The Alpena deepwater port has been upgraded with the completion of the Second Avenue drawbridge project, and additional improvements are being considered. These measures are seen as vital ways to encourage economic growth and promote tourism in the region through upgrading of the transportation system. Regional Roadways: I I U.S. Route 23 (US-23), which follows State Avenue and Chisholm Street, provides primary north-south access to Alpena. This two-lane roadway is a designated State trunkline and follows the western shore of Lake Huron for much of the way between Standish and Mackinaw Oty. Access from the west is served by M-32, another two-lane State route which follows Washington Avenue within the city limits. A third trunkline, M-65, provides additional north-south access to central Alpena County. Access to Alpena has been hampered by the circuitous nature of US-23 along the lakeshore as well as M-32 and M-65 which contain many jogs, hills and sharp turns. At times, heavy seasonal and recreational traffic overload the two-lane trunklines in this area, causing many to avoid these routes and opt for more easily accessible destinations. US-23 is heavily utilized by commercial trucking lines and hazardous waste haulers due to load limit restrictions along portions of M-65. The result is conflicts between local traffic and through-passenger vehicles and trucks. Local Roadways: Travel within the City of Alpena is primarily served by US-23 and M-32, which intersect in the heart of the Central Business District. Residential and commercial development which has occurred along these trunklines has reduced their ability to function mainly as through-routes and instead, these roads must serve as primary access to many adjacent properties. As a result, volumes on the trunklines are nearing their current capacities. Several County and.local roads carry traffic to and from the outskirts of the city, but most of these eventually connect back to the two State routes rather than bypassing them. Figure 3 displays the City of Alpena Act 51 Map and traffic count data. I ~ I I I I , Arterial and collector streets are evenly distributed throughout the city. Ripley Boulevard and Second Avenue, carrying traffic volumes comparable to US-23 and M-32, can be classified as major arterial streets. Ninth, Eleventh, and Grant Avenues, as well as Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street and Long Rapids Road have lower volumes and appear to function well as minor arterials. The presence of only four bridges over the Thunder Bay River poses some constraints on cross-town travel, but based on current volumes, it does not appear that an additional crossing is needed at this time. The collector roadway system is comprised of streets similar to Oldfield Street, Miller Street, and Third Avenue. The current volumes on the majority of these streets are below their estimated capacities. - 23 - �CITY OF ALPENA COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN -- -- I ---I I I I t' . . . . .. ·. · :· '. I .- - ' - - - - - t - - - " t t " r : /·1 L__ __ 1 rr-··- I! -~ - J ( EXISTING ROAD SYSTEM 7 LEGEND 0 STATE TRUNKUNE ••••••• COUNTY PRIMARY COUNTY LOCAL MAJOR STREET \, LOCAL STREET (YEAR) 10,000 ADT-AVERAGE DAI LY TRAFFIC l'!Qif; STREET CLASSIFICATIONS BASED ON ACT 51 MAP APPROVED BY MOOT ON 4-17-86 THE t 400. 100 120Gl1100 SCilLE ·IN FEl!T \\'RDC C.ROL'P ~~';"° \OCMC.,\. ' ~• 1• JJ.MiCICIO ~ ===== ""'""" I.ASIUCl>l71J1'0 ~ •• l• 1W.. Ul �I l Alpena's local street network has developed in a grid fashion, paralleling either the Thunder Bay River or Lake Huron shoreline. Washington Avenue, Campbell Street, and Baldwin Street all bisect the city diagonally, creating a number of angled intersections at side street locations. Other roads within the city contain jogs or offsets, due to the proximity of the river, lakeshore, or the Detroit & Mackinac Railroad tracks, which result in poor operation. A majority of the local streets within the community, including primarily residential streets, extend for a number of blocks. One drawback to this scheme is that a number of side street intersections are created along major thoroughfares such as Washington Avenue, Chisholm Street, Second Avenue, and Ripley Boulevard. Rail: The City of Alpena and surrounding region are served by the Detroit and Mackinac Railroad. The tracks follow the general alignment of US-23 as far north as Alpena, then head inland to the northwest toward Mackinaw Oty. Several spurs run along the east side of the Thunder Bay River to serve industrial sections of town. Although the railroad tracks cross major roadways at several locations throughout the city, traffic delays are not frequently experienced, due to the low volume of train traffic in the area. Of note, however is the coexistence of periodic train traffic with vehicles on Tenth Avenue near Chisholm Street and on Fletcher Street, just north of the Abitibi-Price Corp. facility. Tracks running down the center of the roadway are not separated in any way from cars, posing a potential safety problem for those unfamiliar with the area. Airport: Alpena County Regional Airport, formerly Phelps Collins Field, is located west of Alpena on M-32. The airport is County-funded and is the only airport in close proximity to the city. The facility is home to the Phelps Collins Air National Guard Base at the present time, and also provides general aviation services and limited commercial air service. Welch Aviation and Aviation North, both of Alpena, provide charter and flight services. Commercial air service has been felt to be inadequate since federal deregulation and lobbying efforts are underway to improve commercial air service to the area. This lobbying effort has been identified as a primary Alpena City Council objective. Currently, Great Lakes Airlines provides daily roundtrip service to Detroit (Metro Airport B Concourse) and Sault Ste. Marie (with connections to Chicago). Drummond Island Air also has daily round-trip flights to Detroit Metro Airport. Lobbying efforts are also attempting to guarantee the retention and expansion of Air National Guard activities at the airport. The economic benefits of the Guard presence are considered to be irreplaceable, and the Alpena City Council has made this lobbying effort a major priority. The airport functions as an important "gateway" into the Alpena community. passenger terminal does not have an effective welcome center. - 25 - However, the air �Deepwater Port: The port at Thunder Bay along Lake Huron can accommodate commercial shipping vessels at private facilities at Lafarge, Abitibi-Price Corp., Fletcher Paper Co., and Alpena Oil Co. One of the largest fleets on the Great Lakes, owned by Inland Lakes Management Company, utilizes Alpena's port. The completion of the Second Avenue bascule bridge has opened up the Thunder Bay River to commercial shipping and larger recreational boats as far upstream as the Ninth Avenue Bridge. Additional improvements under consideration include dredging and an improved tum basin upstream from the Second Avenue Bridge. Transit: Public transportation services within the Alpena area are provided by the City of Alpena-funded DART dial-a-ride system. DART service extends to shopping areas outside of the Alpena city limits. This operation is contractually provided by a private firm. Intercity Bus: Intercity bus service is provided to Alpena by Greyhound Lines. The Greyhound route which serves Alpena runs from Alpena south to Bay City. The bus station is located in Downtown Alpena on Washington Avenue. Improvement Needs: Alpena's ability to encourage new economic growth will be based in large part on the capacity and condition of the transportation system which serves the area. Improved access to the northeastern Michigan region will enhance its desirability to both new industry and year round recreational visitors. Alternatives for the upgrading of US-23, as well as M-65 and M-32, have been the topic of an ongoing study by the Michigan Department of Transportation. The current proposed improvement plan calls for upgrading of US-23 in stages, beginning at its south end, to serve primarily regional and local trips. In conjunction with these changes, portions of M-65 and M-32 would be modified to better accommodate commercial truck traffic. The 1988 MOOT U.S. 23 Study also endorses the implementation of the "Alpena Bypass", which would carry through-trips around the city via Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street/Genschaw Road and Hamilton Road. In connection with the Hobbs/Bagley route alternative for the Alpena Bypass, there has been discussion of improving Hamilton Road east of North US-23 to Wessel Road, and improving Wessel Road south to Ford Avenue. The plan would straighten Wessel Road by relocating the southern section eastward. In addition, Second Avenue east of Hueber Street would be improved to truck route specifications and extended eastward to connect to the realigned Wessel Road. The primary purpose of these improvements would be to better accommodate heavy truck traffic, including hazardous waste haulers, to the Lafarge Corp. and Abitibi-Price Corp. area by eliminating the need to travel through - 26 - �Downtown Alpena. Designating the Long Rapids Road/Johnson Street route east to the bayfront industrial area as a truck route has also been discussed as an alternative in conjunction with the development of the bypass. A number of changes to the local roadway network have been planned or implemented in recent years which will help to improve traffic operations. Implementation of a one-way street system in the Downtown area continues to be a viable method for increasing capacity of the existing system. The Second Avenue Bridge has been rehabilitated to better service traffic to and from the industrial areas on the east side of the river. The widening of Ripley Boulevard has made it a more viable route for north-south trips through town. Ongoing rehabilitation projects on streets such as Bagley Street, Second Avenue, and Miller Street will better serve local traffic. In addition the LaFarge Co. plans to remove the viaduct over Ford Avenue near the Lafarge plant, to eliminate this long-standing traffic impediment. The need still exists, however, to address areas of potential concern along both State trunklines and major or local streets within the City of Alpena. Washington Avenue (M-32) contains several sections of narrow pavement and has several intersection alignment problems. The sharp angle at the intersection of State Avenue and Chisholm Street continues to slow through-traffic in this area. US23 contains several areas of on-street parking, heavy pedestrian traffic, and numerous side street intersections, which contribute to overall traffic congestion along this route. In addition, traffic accidents are highest in this area due in part to high operating speeds, lack of tum lanes at certain intersections and insufficient capacity during peak periods. Near the Central Business District, inadequate sight distance around existing buildings presents a safety hazard. The proximity of the Post Office on Second Avenue, combined with the wide pavement in this area creates congestion and illegal U-turns just east of the drawbridge. Delays and congestion are also experienced at the intersection of Oldfield Street and Second Avenue. Misaligned or offset intersections contribute to operational problems at several locations throughout the city. - 27 - �G. DEMOGRAPHICS Historical Population Growth: The population of Alpena County grew steadily from 1900 through 1980, with Alpena Township accounting for a third of that growth. Since 1980, the county's population has stabilized. The population of the Oty of Alpena has remained relatively constant throughout the century, but in terms of the city's share of the county population, the city's share declined to 37 percent by 1980. This change was consistent with national trends in suburban growth, and was reinforced by the unavailability of land suitable for development in the City of Alpena due to the presence of Lake Huron, the Thunder Bay River, wetlands, poorly drained soils, shallow bedrock, and so forth. According to the decennial U.S. Census counts, the City of Alpena's population peaked in 1960, when 14,682 residents were counted. The population of the city then began to fall slightly, consistent with national trends toward a smaller household size and the national loss in manufacturing employment. Another factor has been the change in availability of housing stock as neighborhoods, particularly along arterial and collector roads, have undergone transition from residential to commercial land use. Population change from 1960 to 1986 was estimated to be a reduction of 23.1 percent. One impact of this shift in population has been a relative reduction in State shared revenues, which are often allocated on a per capita basis. Table 1 and Figure 4 present population history data for the City of Alpena, Alpena Township, and Alpena County. Population Projections: The State of Michigan Department of Management and Budget projected in 1985 that Alpena County's population will remain constant through 2010. The City of Alpena is also projected by the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA) to remain stable through 2010. NEMCSA assumed that the city's share of the county population will remain a constant 36.5 percent, consistent with the 1980 to 1988 trend. This assumption is supported by the National Planning Data Corporation, which projects that the city's population will be 10,643 in 1993, a total of just over 35 percent of the county's population. The National Planning Data Corporation, a marketing research firm based in Ithaca, N.Y., uses a variety of current indicators to make its population estimates and projections. While overall population stability during the next 20 years appears to be the case, continued slight annual population decline in the city will occur into 1993 if the National Planning Data Corporation projection holds true (a drop in population of almost 13 percent from 1980 to 1993). The 1993 projection is based on current trends, and indicates the kind of decline that can be expected unless measures are taken to counter such trends. However, building permit data for the City in 1987 and 1988 show that past trends may not be continuing. Still, efforts must be undertaken to create a climate in which past population trends will not continue indefinitely. Table 1 and Figure 4 display population projections for the Oty of Alpena, Alpena Township, and Alpena County. - 28 - �Resident Profile: Alpena's population has a much higher percentage of White persons and is older on the average than the State of Michigan as a whole. Over 99 percent of the Oty of Alpena's population is White, in contrast to the statewide percentage of 85.0. Table 2 shows racial composition data for the City of Alpena, Alpena Township, Alpena County, and the State of Michigan. The median age of the city's population is currently estimated to be 34.5 years, which is higher than the statewide median of 31.7 years. One reason why Alpena's median age is higher than the state's median age is that the 65 years and older age group is estimated to comprise just over 20 percent of the city's population, which is substantially higher than the statewide share of 11.5 percent. While there is occasional concern expressed over the relatively high percentage of elderly in Alpena, this condition should not necessarily be thought of as a negative economic indicator, as retirees have brought economic booms to many communities across the country. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of elderly persons live independently and require no assistance with activities of daily living, contrary to popular myth. Still, the Alpena community has an opportunity to expand and improve services and facilities to the elderly population, such as senior centers, health care facilities, ambulance services, dial-a-ride services, and the like. Table 3 gives current estimates of age group and median age data for the City of Alpena, Alpena Township, Alpena County, and the State of Michigan. - 29 - �Figure 4 Historical Population Growth and Population Projections City of Alpena, Alpena Township, Alpena County, 1880- 2010 • Alpena County ---o-- City of Alpena ,'ii 32000 Alpena Township 30000 28000 26000 24000 22000 C 20000 -g_ 16000 a. 14000 0 ca 18000 0 12000 - +- -······ · · · ~v~ J -•• ••r ~~~~. . ... ... . . . / I 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 I····························· l.............. t. . . . ~ . :=. . ............... - + ....... " 0 1880 I 1890 1910 1920 y ~----. / +-~(" + -· · · · · · · ··· · · · I 1900 ~I 1930 I 1940 1950 Year 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census Michigan Department of Management and Budget National Planning Data Corp. Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency �Table 1 Historical Population Growth and Population Projections City of Alpena, Alpena Township, Alpena County, 1880 - 2010 City of Alpena Alpena Township Alpena County City's % of County 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1990 1993 1995 2000 2005 2010 6,153 11,283 11,802 12,706 11,101 12,166 12,808 13,135 13,805 12,214 1,675 2,932 6,616 9,001 10,152 11,942 9,958 11,535 9,827 14,682 18,254 19,965 17,869 18,574 20,766 22,189 28,556 30,708 32,315 32,454 31,940 31,387 31,375 31,105 30,900 31,100 30,757 31,939 30,139 32,034 31,977 31,600 31,059 11,290 11,150 9,635 10,643 9,415 11,337 Sources: 64.7 63.7 62.2 65.4 61.7 59.2 51.4 44.9 37.8 37.4 36.8 36.5 36.3 35.3 36.5 1880 - 1980, U.S. Bureau of the Census 1981 - 1987 estimates, Mich. Dept. of Management and Budget and U.S. Census Bureau 1988 estimates, 1993 projections, National Planning Data Corp., Ithaca, N.Y. 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 county proj., Mich. Dept. of Management and Budget 2010 dty projection, Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency Table 2 Population by Race City of Alpena, Alpena Township, Alpena County, State, 1980 City of Alpena Alpena County Alpena Township State of Michigan White Black Asian Other 99.3% 0.1% 0.2% 0.4% 99.5% 0.0% 0.1% 0.4% 99.4% 0.1% 0.1% 0.4% 85.0% 12.9% 0.6% 1.4% % Hispanic 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1.8% % % % % Note: Hispanics may be of any race. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census - 31 - �Table 3 Population by Age Group, Median Age City of Alpena, Alpena Township, Alpena County, State, 1988 City Township County State 0-9 years 10-14 years 15-17 years 18-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years 65-74 years 75+ years 13.0% 5.7% 3.8% 11.5% 16.9% 12.0% 8.1% 8.8% 11 .3% 8.9% 14.1% 6.6% 4.9% 9.8% 18.2% 13.0% 11.1% 9.4% 8.1% 4.9% 14.3% 6.5% 4.6% 10.1% 17.4% 12.5% 9.4% 8.8% 9.6% 6.8% 15.0% 6.7% 4.7% 11.3% 18.4% 14.3% 9.1% 8.9% 7.1% 4.4% Median age 34.5 33.1 33.4 31.7 Source: National Planning Data Corporation - 32 - �ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS The economic condition of the Alpena area has been the subject of much discussion and analysis in recent years. A major economic readjustment strategy (Target 2000) was completed in 1988 by the Midwest Research Institute (MRI). The MRI study analyzed current conditions, made a set of comprehensive recommendations, and also contained a target industry analysis. Overall, the MRI study presents a thorough analysis of the local economy, and its analysis will not be duplicated here. However, a few economic indicators which directly affect land use planning decisions are presented below. Building Activity: Building activity trends are important in determining land use needs. Annual construction activity in the City of Alpena was fairly consistent from 1963 through 1975. During this period, an average annual number of 20.4 residential units were built in Alpena, and the total number of all building permits averaged 279 annually. This period was followed by three years of greatly increased residential building activity (1976 - 1978), with 1977 being the peak year for construction activity in Alpena. A major drop in construction then took place, leading to no single-family homes or commercial buildings being built in 1982. Single-family building activity remained stagnant through 1986, but some recovery was evident in 1987 and 1988. Commercial permits issued were up slightly in 1986 and 1987. Table 4 provides building permit data for the Oty of Alpena. Labor Force and Unemployment: The unemployment rate in Alpena County paralleled the statewide unemployment rate and rose dramatically from 1980 to 1982. The county's unemployment rate peaked at 20.9 percent in 1982. Recovery in employment rates has been slow in Alpena County, however. While the statewide unemployment rate has declined steadily and is approaching national levels, the county rate in 1988 was still 3.5 points higher than the state rate, and twice as high as the U.S. unemployment rate. This high rate persists in spite of the fact that the labor force in the county has lowered considerably. The annual average county-wide labor force dropped by over 3,000 persons from 1980 to 1986. (There was a slight gain in the county labor force from 1986 to 1987, however.) Table 5 gives 1980s labor force and unemployment data for Alpena County. - 33 - �I I Table 4 Building Permit Data City of Alpena, 1980 - 1988 I I I I No. of Residential Units No. of Commercial Permits Total Permits 7 252 200 177 298 312 338 264 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 35 26 17 15 17 15 12 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 12 28 27 21 22 18 50 72 56 34 12 11 9 11 6 3 17 5 9 7 334 333 364 297 234 222 322 405 341 333 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 17 13 0 3 1 3 5 13 12 3 3 0 2 5 4 8 6 3 327 271 196 256 223 293 379 387 475 7 3 8 7 5 6 Source: City of Alpena Building Inspector Retail Sales: Retail sales in the Alpena area have been relatively strong in spite of the economic downturn experienced in the community. All major retail store groups except General Merchandise and Automotive experienced drops in total sales from 1981 to 1984, but a partial recovery in sales occurred in all of these groups by 1987. General Merchandise and Automotive sales continued to grow from 1984 to 1987, and strong sales in these two groups is the major reason for overall retail sales increases from 1981 to 1984 and from 1984 to 1987. Table 6 lists retail sales by six "store groups" in Alpena County for 1981, 1984, and 1987. - 34 - �Table 5 Labor Force, Unemployment Rate Alpena County, State, 1970, 1980 - 1988 Annual Averages Labor Force 1970 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 Employment 13,600 13,400 12,225 12,450 11,050 11,075 10,875 11,200 11,750 15,750 15,650 15,450 15,275 12,950 13,100 12,625 13,125 13,200 Unemployment Rate Unemployment 2,150 2,250 3,225 2,800 1,925 2,025 1,750 1,925 1,475 Coun!f State U.S. 7.9 13.7 14.4 20.9 18.4 14.8 15.5 13.8 14.7 11.1 6.7 12.4 12.3 15.5 14.2 11.2 9.9 8.8 8.2 7.6 4.9 7.1 7.6 9.7 9.6 7.5 7.1 7.0 6.2 5.5 Source: Michigan Employment Security Commission Table 6 Retail Sales by Store Group Alpena County, 1981, 1984, 1987 1981 1984 1987 Store Group Food ($000) 41,041 34,990 38,627 Eating & Drinking Places ($000) 13,562 9,341 11,032 General Merchandise ($000) 11,992 18,161 21,696 7,725 6,874 8,670 19,093 28,695 31,341 5,818 4,825 5,039 145,411 150,116 168,010 Furniture/Furnishings/ Appliances ($000) Automotive ($000) Drug ($000) TOTAL ($000) Source: Sales and Marketing Management - 35 - �Tax Base: The City of Alpena's 1988 State Equalized Valuation was $148,224,700. This valuation represents only a 3.6 percent increase from 1981- an average annual increase of approximately 0.5 percent. When measured against inflation, the City's tax base has actually been stagnant in the 1980s. Property tax revenues have not kept pace with increases in City operating costs, and the City has had to lower the cost of various operations and has implemented or increased user fees. Table 7 displays property tax base data for the City of Alpena. Table 7 State Equalized Valuation City of Alpena, 1976 - 1988 State Equalized Valuation $96,795,223 102,757,201 106,917,822 115,358,425 137,635,518 143,038,962 144,411,200 144,463,100* 145,068,900* 146,259,500* 146,844,500* 146,042,500* 148,224,700* 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 *Includes Commercial and Industrial Facilities Valuation Source: Oty of Alpena - 36 - �HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS Housing Profile: The predominant housing type in Alpena is single-family dwellings. Single-family residential areas in the city are generally well-maintained and attractive. Older neighborhoods are located adjacent to the Central Business District, while the newest single-family residential areas are located in subdivisions in the western area of the city near the high school and in the area north of the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary. A housing conditions survey was completed in October 1988. Residential structures were rated on their exterior appearance. Three categories of maintenance were used in the rating process. The Housing Conditions Map displays the results of this survey. As expected, the older residential areas have the highest concentrations of structures with poor exterior conditions. However, the number of "poor" structures was limited, and it appears that County Housing Commission rehabilitation programs have been successful. Conversion of single-family dwellings into apartment houses has occurred in older sections of the city, and particularly along major thoroughfares such as Chisholm Street. The vacancy rate for these units appears to be low. Over a dozen apartment houses, buildings, or complexes provide market rate apartment units in the City of Alpena. These facilities are distributed throughout the north and west ends of the city. The City of Alpena Housing Authority operates 195 dwelling units for low income residents. Two of the complexes are oriented to the elderly and another two complexes are occupied by families. These facilities have very low vacancy rates, and waiting lists are relatively long. The two senior housing apartment complexes, Riverview Apartments and the Albert C. Fowler Apartments, are both on the northeast side of River Street, and overlook the Thunder Bay River. The Alpena Senior Citizens Center is located between the two facilities. Various housing developments oriented to the elderly have been provided by the private sector in recent years. In the city, the Pinecrest Manor complex and the retrofitted Wilson Dorm, a former community college residence hall, are notable examples of this type of senior housing, along with Birchwood Meadows in Alpena Township. Both local and downstate retirees are being attracted to these developments. Migration of retirees to rural counties in northern Lower Michigan is an important trend observed in the 1980s and will likely continue through the end of the century. Licensed nursing homes located in the area are Provincial House on Long Rapids Road in the city and the Pierce Nursing Home on Golf Course Road in Alpena Township. The City of Alpena also contains a high concentration of adult foster care homes. While this housing option fills a strong demand in the community, a preponderance of adult foster care homes can begin to overwhelm local services and can impact property values. The City of Alpena should be careful to not permit adult foster care homes at a density greater than the minimum density allowed by State law. - 37 - �Housing Conditions Survey: A housing conditions survey of all residential structures in the City of Alpena was conducted in October, 1988. Results of the survey are shown on Figure 5, Housing Conditions Map; housing conditions are generalized on the map and shown by "block face" rather than on a structure by structure basis. The following rating criteria were used in the survey: Excellent Condition: • • • • • Very well-maintained structure Roof and gutters free from sagging No evidence of foundation cracking or exterior wall defects No cosmetic repairs or maintenance needed Yard upkeep immaculate Good Condition: • • • • • Well-maintained structure Roof and gutters free from sagging No evidence of foundation cracking or exterior wall defects Any required repairs are cosmetic in nature Yard well.;.maintained, consistent with neighborhood standard Fair to Poor Condition: • • • • • Fairly well-maintained structure to dilapidated structure Roof and/or gutters require some degree of repair Minor to significant structural damage to foundation and/or exterior walls Minor to major repairs required to upgrade structure Yard fairly well-maintained to not maintained or cluttered with outdoor storage The survey results reveal that the City of Alpena's housing stock is generally well- to very wellmaintained. Areas with concentrations of housing in fair to poor condition include the following: • • • • • • The area bounded by Walnut Street, Adams Street, Long Lake Avenue, Pine Street, and Oldfield Street. The area bounded by Washington Avenue, Ripley Boulevard, Eleventh Avenue, Chisholm Street, and Third Avenue. The area bounded by Chisholm Street, Eleventh Avenue, the Thunder Bay River, and Ninth Avenue. Along Ford Avenue, from Oldfield Street east to Herman Street. Along State Avenue, from Baldwin Street south to Wisner Street. Near the intersection of First Avenue and Campbell Street. - 38 - �1 ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES AND LIMITATIONS The environmental features in and around the City of Alpena provide both incentives and barriers to potential development. The remaining land available within the city suitable for residential, commercial, and industrial development should be identified and development can be directed toward areas where environmental features do not pose serious limitations. Future growth patterns and density of development will be influenced by environmentally-sensitive features. Most of these features present both benefits and drawbacks to potential development. Several environmental features were analyzed and include soils, wetlands, floodplains, and woodlands. Environmental features are depicted on Figure 6. Soils: An evaluation of soil types for the city was conducted in order to determine those areas that present development limitations. Soils information was provided by the Alpena County Soil Survey, prepared by the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). A second source provided by the SCS, a general soils classification and summary for Alpena County, published in 1973, was also utilized. Two different categories of soils with development limitations were identified within the city. Much of the soils in the area north and east of the city are stony and underlain by limestone bedrock. The other classification of soils which present limitations for development are either wet sandy soils that are poorly drained or are organic or peat soils. The majority of these wet soils are located along the Thunder Bay River floodplain and south of the city paralleling the lakeshore. There are also some isolated sections north of the Downtown area. Areas shown on this map are not necessarily undevelopable, however some site alteration may be required thus increasing the costs of development. Floodplains: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined the City of Alpena's official Flood Hazard Boundary Area shown on the Flood Rate Insurance Map completed in 1982. The Flood Hazard Boundary Area is shown as the floodplain on the Environmental Features Map (Figure 6). This area has been identified by FEMA as the area within which there is a one percent chance in any year that a 100-year flood will occur. The floodplain areas in Alpena are located along the Thunder Bay River, primarily in the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary area, and along the Lake Huron shoreline. The floodplains along the river and the Lake Huron shoreline serve as water recharge areas and natural water retention basins during periods of heavy precipitation or high lake levels. Three isolated sections of Lake Huron Shoreline south of the harbor are included in a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) designated High Risk Erosion Area District and appear on - 40 - �the Alpena zoning map as such. This district establishes greater setback requirements in areas that are subject to high rates of erosion. Development within the 100-year floodplain requires an extensive permit process managed by the MDNR. Should these floodplains coincide with wetlands areas, development in these areas may also be subject to the Goemare-Anderson Wetland Protection Act (Act 203 of the Public Acts of 1979). Wetlands: Wetlands provide a multitude of aesthetic and economic values, several of which are listed below. • • • • • • stonnwater storage erosion control wildlife habitat water quality groundwater recharge open space Development in wetland areas can benefit from these values by incorporating wetlands into site plans. The wetlands shown on the Environmental Features Map were designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Boundary determination was done using high altitude photography in October, 1978, and should be considered preliminary. Wetlands in the city limits include locations along the Thunder Bay River banks, the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary, the section in the southwest comer of the city, and isolated sections north of Downtown. The development in these or other suspected wetlands may be affected by the Goemare-Anderson Wetland Protection Act (Act 203 of the Public Acts of 1979). This act places dredge and fill restrictions on MDNR-determined wetlands. The MDNR defines wetlands as follows: "land characterized by the presence of water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, wetland vegetation or aquatic life." Soil types, vegetation, and level of water table assist in making wetland determinations. Woodlands: The Environmental Features Map also identifies areas with major tree stands. These areas have been designated by the MDNR as forested and wooded wetland in the MDNR's Michigan Resource Inventory System. These areas were determined through interpretation of 1978 aerial photographs. Woodlands are located in the southwest section of the city, corresponding with the wetlands there, in the northernmost sections of the city, and in isolated sections (north of Downtown). Generally speaking, these woodlands should be preserved and incorporated into developments whenever possible, to preserve the many positive values provided by woodlands. - 41 - �Cl TY OF ALPEN COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPM NT PLAN LEGEND [ ] SU SURFACE BEDROCK CJ POORLY DRAINED SOILS ~ FLOOD PLAIN • WO DLOTS \. THE \\'Bl)( C,R< )l P ~EIHl"f'.IT ~,VO ...,.,__,_ ~•l••us.-.1111 ~,..... ........... .au.. ~i....,~u:a �K. EXISTING LAND USE Figure 7 displays the existing land use pattern in the Oty of Alpena, based on an inventory taken in October, 1988. The following land use categories were utilized: Single-family Residential: This category included one-family detached dwellings. This land use was the predominant residential land use found in the Oty of Alpena. In some instances isolated duplexes or single-family homes converted to two- or multiple-family use were included within this classification. Two-family Residential: The two-family residential land use category was comprised of detached duplex dwellings (including single-family homes converted to two-family use), where found in areas of high concentration. Twofamily dwellings were found to be concentrated in two general areas: the older north side neighborhoods, particularly along Second and Ford Avenues; and, in the central residential area bounded by Chisholm Street, Third Avenue, Washington Avenue, and Ninth Avenue. Multiple-family Residential: The multiple-family residential classification included any dwelling with three or more units. Dwelling unit types included in this use category were apartment buildings, garden apartment complexes, attached townhouses, retirement homes and nursing homes, and converted single-family dwellings with three or more units. These uses were located throughout the city, with concentrations along the Thunder Bay River just west of Downtown, along the Washington Avenue corridor from Downtown west to Ripley Boulevard, along Long Rapids Road in the far northwest section of the city, and in the far southwestern section of the city north of Grant Avenue. Office: This category consisted of land used for office buildings. Office uses were located in Downtown Alpena, along Ripley Boulevard, along Chisholm Street, and in the Arbor Lane office park north of Long Rapids Road. Commercial: The commercial land use category included both service commercial and retail commercial uses. Commercial uses of land were found in Downtown, in the State Avenue/Ripley Boulevard area, in the Washington Avenue/Ripley Boulevard area, along Second Avenue north of the river, and along the Chisholm Street/US-23 North commercial corridor. - 43 - �Light Industrial: Light industrial uses included warehousing, distribution, research, and light manufacturing and assembly operations. Light industrial uses in Alpena were found primarily in the North Industrial Park and in scattered sites at the fringes of heavy industrial areas. Heavy Industrial: This land use classification was comprised of quarries, salvage operations, auto body repair shops, and manufacturing facilities which typically process raw materials and are characterized by outdoor storage and other externalities such as railroad sidings, smokestacks, and the like. Vacant land owned by heavy industries was generally included in this category as well. Heavy industrial uses were found to be a very prominent in the Oty of Alpena, and included the properties of the following manufacturers: Lafarge Corp., Besser Co., Abitibi-Price Corp., Fletcher Paper Co., D & G Trim Products, Thunder Bay Manufacturing, and other heavy manufacturers. A pocket of heavy industrial uses, some discontinued, was found near the intersection of Campbell Street and the D & M railroad tracks. Park/Public Open Space: The recreational land use category encompassed all public parks and recreational facilities, as well as public-owned open space. Parks and recreational facilities owned by the City of Alpena, Alpena County, Alpena Public Schools, and the State of Michigan were included. Public/Quasi-Public: This land use classification included public uses other than parks and recreational facilities, such as schools, fire stations, and other federal, State, County, and City facilities. Vacant land under public ownership was included in this category as well, such as most of the northern section of Alpena that was annexed to the Oty in 1971. Also incluaed were quasi-public uses including churches, private cemeteries, and similar institutional uses. Vacant: The vacant land use category was defined to include undeveloped lands not in public ownership. Large concentrations of vacant land were found in the far southwestern section of the city, and also in the northwest and northeast parts of the city. Many of the undeveloped areas of Alpena pose limitations to development due to environmental constraints. - 44 - �III. STRATEGIC PLAN The Strategic Plan section of the City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan contains a detailed action plan for each of the following elements: • • • • • • • • • Promotional Efforts Community Image Recreational Facilities Community Facilities and Public Services Utilities Transportation Population Stability and Housing Economic Development Modification of Regulatory Tools The action plan for each element is organized as follows: • • • • Goals - based on the Mission Statement Policies - derived from the Goals Priority Actions - primary policy implementation strategies Secondary Actions - secondary policy implementation strategies The City of Alpena Planning Commission ranked proposed Actions into "priority" and "secondary" categories using a weighted scoring system. Three rating criteria were used: • • • Cost to Implement Benefit and Impact on Community Attainability The "Attainability" criterion was given more weight than the other two criteria. Results of this rating process are included in the Strategic Plan below. A. PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS GOAL: Increase and improve community and regional promotion/lobbying efforts. POLICIES: 1. Improve accessibility of community data base. 2. Support efforts of Target 2000, Inc. economic development activities. 3. Engage in additional lobbying efforts. - 46 - �4. Develop additional expertise in lobbying. 5. Participate in regional intergovernmental and municipal organizations. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Lobby for and support development of a private, regional resource recovery and/or solid waste-to-energy facility. 2. Lobby for the development of additional stable, family-supporting jobs in the Alpena area. SECONDARY ACTIONS: 1. Develop close ties with area State and federal legislators. 2. Support lobbying efforts for: • • • • B. US-23 highway improvements, such as four and, in needed locations, five lanes between Standish and the M-65 cutoff completion of Phase 2 of the US-23 and M-65 transportation improvement program two daily round trip flights to Tri-Cities Airport in Saginaw County maintenance of Air National Guard presence at current or increased level COMMUNITY IMAGE GOAL: The physical image of Alpena will improve. POLICIES: 1. Improve the city's appearance. 2. Implement urban design and zoning recommendations based on the image analysis. 3. Improve signage and landscaping at major entrances ("gateways") into Alpena. 4. Upgrade appearance of commercial frontage along major corridors. 5. Undertake efforts to conserve the architectural character of Alpena. 6. Take steps to soften the visual and environmental impact of the industrial bayfront area. - 47 - �7. Create a unified County government complex with the Courthouse, Annex, and LaMarre Park. 8. Make the "North Government/Institutional District" more cohesive. 9. Upgrade site development requirements at the North Industrial Park. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Through zoning, further restrict commercial signage along major commercial corridors and tighten zoning ordinance provisions for elimination of nonconforming signs. 2. Encourage industries to provide additional screening adjacent to residential areas and along waterfronts. 3. Improve parking lot screening requirements in the zoning ordinance. 4. Develop attractive entry statements at the major entrances or "gateways" to the city, at U.S. 23 south, U.S. 23 north and M-32 city limits, incorporating the following: a. b. c. d. provision of a new landscape/ entry sign statement at Bagley and Washington Ave. (M-32).(could include relocation of existing sign to more visible site.) provide more landscaping around the U.S. 23 north entry sign at Johnson St. add more landscaping and coordination of various community signage at U.S. 23 south "gateway." Introduce a consistent community logo/banner theme along major street corridors in the city. 5. Develop an improved and consistent City or county-wide logo/signage system for all cultural and recreational facilities. 6. Upgrade streetscape along Chisholm Street. 7. Improve screening of parking areas along Abitibi-Price Corp., Hetcher Paper Co. and D&M Railroad river frontage. - 48 - �SECONDARY ACTIONS: 1. Replace main ice arena sign. 2. Strengthen z.oning ordinance standards for screening of refuse containers and parking areas, and standards for landscape buffering between commercial and residential uses. 3. Encourage tree plantings within the Oty, including on public right-of-way. 4. Continue and expand voluntary beautification efforts by homeowners, businesses, and industries. 5. Encourage adaptive and compatible use of vacant historic structures. For example: • • • • reuse churches for museum, day care center, art gallery, offices reuse railroad station for destination theme restaurant, museum reuse commercial and industrial buildings for offices, retail, housing reuse historic homes for professional offices, restaurants, bed-and-breakfast inns 6. Provide technical assistance/information to home and business owners interested in historic rehabilitation. 7. Create a unified County government complex by joining the Courthouse, Annex, and LaMarre Park with streetscaping including lighting, special paving, and signage. 8. Screen parking lots at the County Courthouse, the Courthouse Annex and Alpena Community College. 9. Strengthen and identify North Government/Institutional District with better signage. 10. Implement zoning or deed restrictions intended to upgrade image of the North Industrial Park: • • • • • • • consistent placement and size of corporate signs require access to sites by clearly defined driveways prohibit outdoor storage and loading areas from front yards and side yards on corner lots require screening of outdoor storage areas and loading areas require landscaping and buffer strips consider requiring facades to be 50 percent covered by materials other than sheet metal require parking lots to be paved - 49 - ) �11. Improve the appearance of the North Industrial Park by providing uniform shared signage at entrances and improving maintenance of common areas. RECREATIONAL FACILITIES GOAL: Offer attractive and diverse recreational facilities. POLICIES: 1. Cooperate with other jurisdictions to integrate Oty, Township, and County parks and recreation plans to create an expanded, coordinated, and more efficient county-wide recreation and parks system. 2. When possible, encourage service clubs, user groups, neighborhood groups, etc., to implement recreation plan elements, Discourage development inconsistent with the adopted plan. 3. Continually seek equitable funding of construction, maintenance, and operation of recreational facilities and recreational programs, among users, City taxpayers, and other governmental jurisdictions. 4. Design and operate parks and open space in accordance with master site plans, and in a manner that enables efficient and proper maintenance and operation. 5. Fully utilize the amenity value of the Thunder Bay River and its adjacent lands, including but not limited to the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary, Sportsmen's Island, the Alpena County Fairgrounds, the Ninth Avenue Dam, and North and South Riverfront Parks. 6. Focus on completing development of City waterfront parks and support facilities for the Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve, before directing attention to inland "community" parks, except to meet the need for "neighborhood" parks. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Develop and follow a master site plan for the riverfront area between the Chisholm Street and Bagley Street bridges, which includes the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary, Sportsmen's Island, and pedestrian walkways/bikeways. 2. Complete North Riverfront Park improvements as proposed, and link the park to Downtown. 3. Encourage establishment of a county-wide Recreation Authority in cooperation with other governmental units and Alpena Public Schools. - 50 - �4. Increase the number of "neighborhood" parks to serve children in residential areas not near other playgrounds, as appropriate tax-default and condemned property becomes available. Encourage and enlist participation of neighborhood groups and service dubs to equip, maintain, and "adopt" such parks. 5. Upgrade signage at appropriate recreational facilities. 6. Improve both vehicle and pedestrian access to waterfront parks, particularly to Starlight Beach and Mich-e-ke-wis Park, with participation by the Michigan Department of Transportation as appropriate. 7. Apply for recreation grants on annual basis. SECONDARY ACTIONS: 1. Implement ongoing recommendations in County and City parks and recreation plans and revise plans annually or as needed. 2. Develop and implement efficient and effective maintenance programs. 3. Study providing additional pedestrian/bicycle paths along the Thunder Bay River, such as along the south side of the river between Second and Ninth Avenues, where most of the land is under public or semi-public ownership. 4. Implement LaMarre Park area improvements without harming fishing conditions: • • • 5. Implement darn area improvements: • • 6. improve signage directional sign to Fish Cleaning Station at the Harbor Area provide steps at southeast comer of bridge and river provide less hazardous access to darn fishing site improve signage and eliminate public/private access confusion Encourage the County to prepare a new master plan for the Alpena County Fairgrounds: • • • • • • improve maintenance remove fencing where appropriate upgrade fairground signage provide sign to Green Playground improve signage for public access site to river/ Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary link fairgrounds to waterfront pedestrian/bicycle path system. - 51 - �7. Encourage the upgrading of the County campground recreational vehicle facility to serve entire area on an ongoing basis. 8. Support private sector development of a recreational vehicle campground in the Alpena area, as deemed commercially feasible. COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES GOAL: The government of Alpena will operate effectively and efficiently. POLICIES: 1. Provide quality and cost-effective public services and facilities. 2. Preserve and increase property values and enhance revenue sources. 3. Use financing tools creatively and effectively, and promote fiscal responsibility. 4. Promote intergovernmental cooperation and coordination. 5. Improve the City's internal and external communication efforts. 6. Promote development of future community leadership. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Prepare and annually update a capital improvements program. 2. Provide an enhanced 911 emergency communication system. 3. Annually maintain a balanced budget with an unrestricted General Fund balance of 15%. 4. Participate in quarterly joint meetings of City, Township, and County. 5. Reduce by July 1993 the property tax rate by two mills below the July 1987 rate. 6. Assist in the establishment of a training program for development of future community leaders. 7. Provide a new shared police and fire facility. - 52 - �SECONDARY ACTIONS: E. 1. Study ways to increase intergovernmental coordination of public safety functions. 2. Coordinate delivery of services with other governments. 3. Continue regular communications between the City government and its constituency. UTILITIES GOAL: Maintain public utilities and improve as needed. POLICES: 1. Provide effective solid and toxic waste management. 2. Maintain water distribution and sanitary sewer and stonnwater collection systems and expand as needed. 3. Maintain water and wastewater treatment facilities and upgrade as needed. 4. Provide equitable funding of municipal utility services. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Increase intergovernmental coordination of municipal utility service delivery. 2. Support private development of a regional solid waste-to-energy facility. 3. Implement capital improvements program for water and sanitary sewer operations. 4. Based on a utility rate study, develop an equitable system between the City and Township for funding water and sewer utilities. 5. Assist in the implementation of, and proportionately participate in, County-coordinated resource recovery, recycling and solid waste planning and management efforts. - 53 - �TRANSPORTATION GOAL: Improve surface, air, and water transportation networks. POLICIES: 1. Continue to coordinate transportation planning efforts with the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Alpena County Road Commission. 2. Improve the capacity and safety of State trunklines, major City streets, and hazardous intersections within the City. 3. Regulate the placement of driveway access points and on-street parking to preserve desirable capacity levels. 4. Extend existing streets or provide new roadways to serve developing areas and/or alleviate traffic congestion on existing routes. 5. Continue to promote improved vehicle and pedestrian circulation within the Central Business District. 6. Provide adequate parking and vehicle capacity in the Harbor area, and provide welldefined pedestrian links from the waterfront to other parts of the City. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Implement an Alpena Bypass along Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street, and support other U.S. 23 improvements as outlined in the US-23 Improvement Study, Final Report. 2. Assist in the development of long-range plans for the improvement of local routes to serve industries to the east of M-65. 3. Designate and improve a truck route (possibly via Hamilton Road to Wessel Road) which links US-23 to northside industrial areas in order to minimize traffic hazards and reduce impacts of accidents such as hazardous spills. Realign Wessell Rd. and North Second Ave. as shown on the Master Plan map, to provide a more direct route to the Lafarge industrial complex. - 54 - �4. Request MOOT to make trunkline improvements at the following locations, with the City to assist as possible: • • • • • 5. Improve traffic safety and increase traffic capacity of Chisholm St. between State Ave. and Johnson St., particularly at the following locations: • • 6. Upgrade surface and width of the Chisholm Street (US-23) bridge over the Thunder Bay River to improve rideability and pedestrian safety. Widening of Chisholm Street (US-23) to provide separate left tum lanes at Ninth Avenue. Install additional overhead directional signs on Chisholm Street (US-23) in the Central Business District to reduce driver confusion. Improve sections of existing pavement on Washington Avenue (M-32) between Bagley Street and "Old Washi~gton Avenue" and from Charlotte Street to Third Avenue. Reduce the number of intersections of minor streets along U.S.-23 in the City. Chisholm St./State Ave. intersection. Chisholm St./Washington Ave./First Ave. intersection. Request MDOI' to: • • • Eliminate "right-tum-on-red" at signalized intersections where sight distance is obscured by buildings dose to the road. Instate two-way or four-way stop signing at unsignalized intersections with similar sight distance problems in the Central Business District. Provide uniform signage at intersections which currently have combinations of "Stop" and "Yield" control. SECONDARY ACTIONS: 1. Develop an on-going program to monitor traffic volumes and intersection operations throughout the city. Routinely take traffic counts on local streets and initiate studies of specific locations where operational or safety problems exist. 2. Develop and implement access control guidelines for trunklines and major streets, to control and number, location and spacing of driveways on these roadways, and promote the use of shared accesses, frontage roads or rear access service drives where appropriate. - 55 - �3. Explore ways to provide off-street parking in areas along State Avenue near several park facilities and seek alternatives to on-street parking along Chisholm Street in commercial districts, where current on-street parking causes congestion and safety problems. 4. Consider ways to alleviate congestion at the intersection of Second Avenue and Oldfield Street such as instating two-way traffic on Miller Street between Walnut Street and Johnson Street to facilitate access to the signalized intersection of Second Avenue and Miller Street. 5. Realign Walnut St. at the Adams and Long Lake Avenue intersections. 6. Consider modifications to the existing pavement markings and traffic signing for the separate right turn lane on Ripley Boulevard at Campbell Street. Shorten the length of right turn lane bay provided, and provide a tapered section to direct throughtraffic into the left lane. Adjust signing to include "Right Lane Must Turn Right" instructions at a greater distance from the intersection. 7. Support a voter-approved County primary road improvement program that will assist in the funding of city street improvements. 8. Provide more defined and safer pedestrian crossing for the community college across Johnson Street. 9. Improve or remove the deteriorating concrete viaduct over Ford Avenue at the Lafarge plant unless an alternative truck route is established. 10. Provide additional separation between trains and motor vehicles on Tenth Avenue near Chisholm Street and on Fletcher Street south of Second Avenue. 11 . Realign the intersection of Washington Avenue (M-32) at Eleventh Avenue. 12. Provide streetscape improvements along Second Avenue east of the Thunder Bay River to produce a narrower and more defined roadway. Seek to relocate the existing post office drop box to alleviate current traffic congestion and U-turning vehicles. 13. Encourage the County to upgrade the welcome center at Alpena County Regional Airport. - 56 - �G. POPULATION STABILI1Y AND HOUSING. GOAL: The population of Alpena will stabilize. POLICIES: 1. Encourage the provision of housing for all income and age groups. 2. Promote a balance in the housing stock between permanent and seasonal residents. 3. Protect the integrity of single-family neighborhoods. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Use future land use plan and zoning ordinance to promote housing development. 2. Encourage seasonal living by promoting the development of facilities and offering services which serve seasonal residents. 3. Preserve existing housing stock through continued rehabilitation efforts. 4. Enact zoning regulations to protect single-family residential areas from conversions of single-family dwellings to multiple-family use. 5. Enact zoning regulations to protect single-family residential areas from excessive commercial encroachment. SECONDARY ACTIONS: H. 1. Provide housing for all income levels. 2. Encourage conversion of Bingham School to apartments. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOAL: The economy of Alpena will expand and diversify. POLICIES: 1. Support implementation of the Economic Adjustment Strategy for Alpena County as recommended by Midwest Research Institute. - 57 - �2. Promote tourism development through provision of tourism-related amenities and services. 3. Promote private development of Downtown Alpena as a vital commercial, financial entertainment and office center, and seek other viable and compatible activities to locate in the Central Business District. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Participate in and support implementation of the Target 2000 Economic Adjustment Strategy for Alpena County. 2. Implement previous plans to link Downtown to the waterfront by use of streetscape improvements. 3. Promote long-term development of the south side of the mouth of the Thunder Bay River for compatible non-industrial use. SECONDARY ACTIONS: 1. Emphasize historic character in tourism development efforts, such as: • • • bed-and-breakfast inns in historic residences Alpena architectural walking tour brochure annual/ongoing historic home and church tours 2. Promote Alpena's ethnic identity in brochures and in annual Downtown/waterfront festivals. 3. Promote industrial tours, and encourage development of a quarry observation deck. 4. Promote the Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve and scuba diving opportunities, and encourage expansion of facilities and services for scuba diving. 5. Provide an improved pennanent shipwreck interpretive center. 6. Promote sinkhole exploration opportunities in conjunction with the Michigan Karst Conservancy and the Michigan Interlakes Grotto (state chapter of the National Speleological Society). NOTE: The remaining Economic Development Secondary Actions focus on Downtown Alpena and its importance to the economic vitality of the Alpena community. - 58 - �7. Properly contain Michigan Department of Transportation road salt storage area at Alpena Oil site. 8. Designate Island Mill for Medium Density Residential use. 9. Implement Downtown Development Authority /Tax Increment Financing Plan and annually update to reflect current economic conditions and current design practice and trends. 10. Encourage historic rehabilitation of Downtown storefronts to their original appearance to create architectural continuity and help establish a cohesive shopping environment. For new development in the Downtown Area, encourage design and architecture which are compatible with the existing historic architectural character of the Downtown, following the example of the new First Federal Savings and Loan building. 11. 12. Consider changing, over time, to a historic-character streetscape design throughout Downtown to complement existing buildings and reinforce distinctive character of Downtown. 13. Ensure that additions to Downtown streetscape elements such as planters, waste receptacles, and light posts be consistent in style with the preferred streetscape design. 14. Provide more sidewalk seating in the Downtown core. 15. Provide more inviting pedestrian links between Second Avenue and the Downtown civic building cluster with use of streetscape improvements. 16. Implement the current Downtown urban design plan and revise to reflect current economic conditions and current design practice and trends. 17. Support and encourage efforts of the Downtown Development Authority to accomplish the following: • • • 18. target business recruitment efforts to develop a diverse mix of Downtown uses. develop programs to financially assist in Downtown storefront renovation improvements. develop coordinated policies and practices in such areas as advertising, special events promotion, uniform business hours, etc. Encourage improvements to the appearance of Alpena Shopping Center, such as: • • •• signage linkage to Downtown and the Marina area provide screening/landscaping of parking, loading, and mechanical areas. - 59 - �MODIFICATION OF REGULATORY TOOLS GOAL: Use regulatory tools creatively and effectively, to achieve goals expressed in the Master Plan. POLICIES: 1. The City desires to achieving the goals of the Master Plan through voluntary, coordinated efforts between the public and private sector wherever feasible. 2. Where voluntary efforts to achieve Master Plan goals are not feasible or effective, the City should, as a second alternative, modify existing regulatory tools, primarily zoning, to help achieve Master Plan goals. 4. The City encourages future development to be consistent with the Future Land Use Map contained in the Master Plan. PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. Revise City of Alpena subdivision control regulations to require paved streets, stormwater management and sidewalks in all new development. 2. Develop standards for on-site management of stormwater and adopt by ordinance. 3. Compatibility and consistency with the Master Plan policies and the Future Land Use Map should be used as a guide in the consideration of all rezoning petitions. 4. City Boards, Commissions and staff, shall act consistent with established and adopted policies and regulations. 5. Encourage consistency and coordination between City of Alpena and Alpena Township land use policies, zoning and subdivision regulations, to provide and promote consistent growth policies and regulations between the two jurisdictions. - 60 - �IV. IMPLEMENTATION Implementation of the Strategic Plan must begin with specific assignments of task responsibilities, scheduling of target dates for completion of tasks, and selection of funding sources. In addition, organizational changes may be necessary in order to implement some of the priority actions specified. in the Strategic Plan. Following is a listing of all Strategic Plan "Priority Actions" together with responsibility assignments, target dates, funding sources, and, where appropriate, organizational changes. Task Completion Target Dates are defined as follows: • • • A. Near term: within two years from time of plan adoption Intermediate term: two to five years from time of plan adoption Long term: five to ten years from time of plan adoption PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS PRIORITY ACTIONS: 1. B. Lobby for and support development of a private, regional resource recovery and/or solid waste-to-energy facility. • Task Responsibility (lobbying): City Council, Planning Commission, County, Township, Target 2000, Inc., Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Michigan Council of Governments • Task Completion Target Date: long term • Funding Sources: Private capital, Oean Michigan Fund, Proposal C funds • Organizational Needs: owner/ operator New regional or County authority and/or private COMMUNITY IMAGE 1. Through zoning, further restrict commercial signage along major commercial corridors and tighten zoning ordinance provisions for elimination of nonconforming signs. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission • Task Completion Target Date: near term - 61 - �2. 3. 4. 5. • Funding Sources: Planning Commission Budget, General Funds • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working session Encourage industries to provide additional screening adjacent to residential areas and along waterfronts. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, Chamber of Commerce • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: Corporations • Organizational Needs: committee Expanded Chamber of Commerce beautification Improve parking lot screening requirements in the zoning ordinance. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: Commission budget, City General Funds • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working session Develop attractive entry statements at the major entrances or "gateways" to the city, at U.S.-23 south, U.S.-23 north, and M-32 city Hmits. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, City Council • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: City General Funds • Organizational Needs: Committee with City, Chamber of Commerce, local Service Oubs and citizen representation. Develop a consistent City or county-wide logo/signage system for all cultural and recreational facilities. • Task Responsibility: Recreation Board, Chamber of Commerce - 62 - �6. 7. C. • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: City, County, School District, Chamber of Commerce • Organizational Needs: Recreation Board task force Upgrade streetscape along Chisholm Street. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, City Engineer, property owners • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: Community Development funds, property owners • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission study group Improve screening of parking areas along Abitibi-Price Corp., Fletcher Paper Co. and D&M Railroad river frontage. • Task Responsibility: Corporations • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: Corporations • Organizational Needs: committee Expanded Chamber of Commerce beautification RECREATIONAL FACnITIES 1. Develop and follow a master site plan for the riverfront area between the Chisholm Street and Bagley Street bridges, which includes the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary, Sportsmen's Island, and walk/bikeways. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, Recreation Board, Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary Advisory Committee • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: Resources grants • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission study group City General Funds, Michigan Department of Natural - 63 - �2. 3. 4. 5. Complete North Riverfront Park improvements as proposed, and link the park to Downtown. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, City Engineer • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: Resources grants City General Funds, Michigan Department of Natural Encourage establishment of a county-wide Recreation Authority in cooperation with other governmental units and Alpena Public Schools. • Task Responsibility: City, Township, County, School District • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: To be determined • Organizational Needs: Joint study group Increase the number of "neighborhood" parks to serve children in residential areas not near other playgrounds, as appropriate tax-default and condemned property becomes available. Encourage and enlist participation of neighborhood groups and service dubs to equip, maintain, and "adopt" such parks. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, Recreation Board • Task Completion Target Date: long term • Funding Sources: Resources grants City General Funds, Michigan Department of Natural Upgrade signage at appropriate recreational facilities. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, Recreation Board • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: City General Funds • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission/Recreation Board study group - 64 - �6. Improve both vehicle and pedestrian access to waterfront parks, particularly to Starlight Beach and Mich-e-ke-wis Park, with participation by the Michigan Department of Transportation as appropriate. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, Recreation Board, City Engineer, Michigan Department of Transportation • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: City General Funds, Michigan Department of Transportation • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission study group COMMUNITY FACIUTIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES 1. 2. 3. Prepare and annually update a capital improvements program. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission • Task Completion Target Date: annual • Funding Sources: Planning Commission budget • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working sessions Provide an enhanced 911 emergency communication system. • Task Responsibility: County, City, Townships, GTE North Inc. • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: Millage, County, City, Townships, GTE North Inc. surcharge • Organizational Needs: County-wide task force Annually maintain a balanced budget with an unrestricted General Fund balance of 15%. • Task Responsibility: City Council, City Manager's office • Task Completion Target Date: annual • Funding Sources: City General Funds - 65 - �4. 5. 6. 7. Participate in quarterly joint meetings of City, Township, and County. • Task Responsibility: City, Township, and County • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: City, Township, and County • Organizational Needs: Regular joint meetings Reduce by July 1993 the property tax rate by two mills below the July 1987 rate. • Task Responsibility: City Council • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: revenue sources • Organizational Needs: City Council revenue study group Increased property tax base and other enhanced existing Assist in the establishment of a training program for developing future community leaders. • Task Responsibility: Target 2000, Inc., Chamber of Commerce, Cooperative Extension Service, Alpena Community College, Area Labor Council • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: Extension Service • Organizational Needs: Advisory committee representing business, labor, government, and agricultural sectors Target 2000, Inc., Chamber of Commerce, Cooperative Provide a new shared police and fire facility. • Task Responsibility: City Council • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Funding Sources: Bond Issue, General Funds. - 66 - �• Organizational Needs: departments. Advisory committee representing police and fire UTILITIES 1. 2. 3. 4. Increase intergovernmental coordination of municipal utility service delivery. • Task Responsibility: City, Township, County • Task Completion Target Date: long term • Funding Sources: Utility revenues • Organizational Needs: Regular joint meetings Support private development of a regional solid waste-to-energy facility. • Task Responsibility: County, private corporation, private haulers, City Council, Planning Commission, Township • Task Completion Target Date: long term • Funding Sources: Private capital, Oean Michigan Fund, Proposal C funds • Organizational Needs: owner/ operator New regional or County authority and/or private Implement capital improvements program for water and sanitary sewer operations. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, City Council, City Engineer • Task Completion Target Date: ongoing • Funding Sources: City General Funds, State and federal grants • Organizational Needs: Existing City department operations Based on a utility rate study, develop an equitable system between the City and Township for funding water and sewer utilities. • Task Responsibility: City Council • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term - 67 - �• Funding Sources: City General Funds • Organizational Needs: Existing City department operations, consultation with Alpena Township. TRANSPORTATION 1. Implement an Alpena Bypass along Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street, and support other U.S. 23 improvements as outlined in the US-23 Improvement Study, Final Report; and 2. Assist in the development of long-range plans for the improvement of local routes to serve industries to the east of M-65. 3. 4. • Task Responsibility: Michigan Department of Transportation, Alpena County Road Commission, City /County Transportation Committee • Task Completion Target Date: long term • Funding Sources: State Transportation Economic Development Fund, Urban System Funds, County Primary Funds, Federal-Aid Secondary Funds • Organizational Needs: Accelerated programming and selection processes Designate and improve truck route linking U.S.-23 to northside industrial areas. • Task Responsibility: _ Michigan Department of Transportation, Alpena County Road Commission, City /County Transportation Committee • Task Completion Target Date: long term • Funding Sources: State Transportation Economic Development Fund, Urban System Funds, County Primary Funds, Federal-Aid Secondary Funds Request MOOT to make trunkline improvements in the City. • Task Responsibility: City, Michigan Department of Transportation • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate and long term • Funding Sources: City General Funds, MOOT Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF). • Organizational Needs: City Engineer, Michigan Department of Transportation, outside consultant coordination - 68 - �5. 6. G. Improve traffic safety and increase traffic capacity of Chisholm St. between State Ave. and Johnson St. • Task Responsibility: City Engineer • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate and long-term • Funding Sources: City general funds. • Organizational Needs: None required. Request MDOf to make signal and signage changes at intersections. • Task Responsibility: City Engineer • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Funding Sources: MOOT operating funds. • Organizational Needs: None required. POPULATION STABILITY AND HOUSING. 1. 2. Use future land use plan and zoning ordinance to promote housing development. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working sessions Encourage seasonal living by promoting development of facilities and services which serve seasonal residents. • Task Responsibility: City of Alpena and Chamber of Commerce • Task Completion Target Date: ongoing • Funding Sources: Chamber of Commerce funds • Organizational Needs: Expanded Chamber of Commerce promotional committee - 69 - �3. 4. 5. Preserve existing housing stock through continued rehabilitation efforts. • Task Responsibility: County Housing Commission, Habitat for Humanity • Task Completion Target Date: ongoing • Funding Sources: Community Development funds, State Neighborhood Builders Alliance funds • Organizational Needs: Existing programs Enact z.oning regulations to protect single-family residential areas from conversions of single-family dwellings to multiple-family use. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, Gty Council • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working sessions Enact zoning regulations to protect single-family residential areas from excessive commercial encroachment. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, Gty Council • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working sessions ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1. Participate in and support implementation of the Target 2000 Economic Adjustment Strategy for Alpena County. • (See Target 2000 Economic Adjustment Strategy for detailed implementation plan.) 2. Implement previous plans to link Downtown to the waterfront by use of streetscape improvements. • Task Responsibility: Downtown Development Authority, Planning Commission • Task Completion Target Date: intermediate term - 70 - �3. !:. • Funding Sources: Assessment, tax-increment financing (TIFA) • Organizational Needs: committee New Downtown Development Authority design Promote long-term development of the south side of the mouth of the Thunder Bay River for compatible non-industrial use. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, City Council • Task Completion Target Date: long term • Funding Sources: State Proposal D funds, Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, City General Funds, private capital • Organizational Needs: Target 2000, Inc. committees MODIFICATION OF REGULATORY TOOLS 1. 2. 3. Revise City of Alpena subdivision control regulations to require paved streets, stormwater management and sidewalks in all new development. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, City Council • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working sessions Develop standards for on-site management of stormwater and adopt by ordinance. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission, City Engineer, City Council • Task Completion Target Date: near term • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working sessions Use the Master Plan and Future Land Use Map as a guide to decision-making on all rezoning petitions. • Task Responsibility: Planning Commission - 71 - �4. • Task Completion Target Date: ongoing • Funding Sources: Planning Commission budget • Organizational Needs: Planning Commission working sessions City Boards, Commissions and staff shall act consistent with established and adopted policies and regulations. • Task Responsibility: Appeals, City staff. Planning Commission, City Council, Zoning Board of • Task Completion Target Date: ongoing • Funding Sources: Not applicable • Organizational Needs: None - 72 - �V. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAMMING Upon adoption of the City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan, the Alpena Planning Commission, in accordance with State law, should annually prepare a Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The CIP should be based on the following: • • • • Comprehensive Plan recommendations, prepared and updated by the Planning Commission. Tax Increment Financing and Development Plan, prepared and annually updated by the Downtown Development Authority. City Council Policy Statements. Public input. The Planning Commission should submit its annual Capital Improvements Program to the City Council at the Council's first regular meeting in January, for inclusion in the City budget for the fiscal year beginning the following July 1. The consistent support of the City Council will be essential for successful implementation of the Planning Commission's efforts to establish an official annual capital improvements program. - 73 - �VI. MONITORING Progress in implementing the City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan's Strategic Plan should be monitored on a regular basis. It is recommended that the following monitoring schedule be established: • Monthly agenda item, Planning Commission. Many planning commissions become too preoccupied with short-term "maintenance" duties such as site plan reviews, and avoid long-range planning efforts. To help prevent this situation from occurring, the City of Alpena Planning Commission should continue to schedule special monthly meetings oriented toward long-term and comprehensive planning concerns. A monthly agenda item to discuss Comprehensive Development Plan implementation would be appropriate. • Annual progress report prepared by Planning Commission. The Planning Commission should prepare an annual report which summarizes progress made towards achievement of Strategic Plan goals and policies. Such a report may, if desired, be distinct from an existing overall Planning Commission annual report, and could be written for external, public · information rather than for strictly internal reporting requirements. • Five-year plan update, with official plan amendments. The City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan is not permanent document; priorities may change from year to year. that regular five-year updates be undertaken and officially adopted. then be continuously up-to-date and maintain its acceptance over • intended to be a It is recommended The document will the long term. Plan amendments on an "as needed" basis. The plan will need to be amended from time-to-time before the five-year updates are prepared. Unexpected but useful development or funding opportunities may arise from year to year. Additionally, amendments such as changes to the future land use map may be needed, possibly in conjunction with rezonings (zoning map changes). - 74 - �VII. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN A. FUTURE LAND USE POLICIES GOAL: Implement the following future land use policies. POLICIES: 1. Protect Low Density Residential areas from conversions of single-family dwellings to multiple-family use. 2. Protect Low Density Residential areas from commercial encroachment. 3. Use the future land use plan and zoning ordinance to promote housing development. 4. Integrate land use aspects of existing Downtown plans into the future land use plan. 5. Coordinate City and Township growth and development policies in response to proposed development of the Alpena Bypass along Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street. 6. Promote long-term development of the south side of mouth of Thunder Bay River for compatible non-industrial Central Business District use. 7. Encourage mixed-use office and service development of vacant Besser Foundation/ Alpena Public Schools land north of Alpena Community College. 8. Designate the south side of mouth of Thunder Bay River south of the Ninth Avenue Bridge for compatible non-industrial use. 9. Establish a general purpose Central Business District land use category to accommodate the unique needs of the Downtown area. 10. Provide Central Business District designation only where there is adequate shared parking. 11. Provide a gradual transition of land uses along the Washington Avenue Corridor. 12. Separate frontage land uses along the Ripley Boulevard Corridor into distinct residential and non-residential areas. 13. Encourage elimination of incompatible uses along the Chisholm Street Corridor. - 75 - �14. Promote redevelopment of former industrial area southwest of the intersection of Washington Avenue and Ripley Boulevard. 15. Encourage elimination of incompatible uses north of the intersection of Washington Avenue and Ripley Boulevard. 16. Protect viability of traditional neighborhood markets. 17. Encourage use of clustered medium- and high-density residential developments in areas with environmental limitations. 18. Encourage industrial development within established industrial parks. - 76 - �LAND USE DESIGNATIONS The following land use designations are established for the City of Alpena Future Land Use Plan: • Low Density Residential: This category is intended for residential development with a density of less than four units per acre. • Medium Density Residential: This designation is intended for residential development with a density of four to six units per acre. • High Density Residential: This category is intended for residential development with a density greater than six units per acre. • Office/Service: This classification is intended for uses such as office buildings and for mixed use service districts which may include office buildings, museums, convention centers, public facilities, hospitals and other medical-related facilities, social service agencies, churches, colleges, schools, and accessory apartments and dormitories. • General Commercial: This designation is intended for the widest variety of retail and service businesses. Businesses intended for this district could include auto service centers, restaurants, and small shopping centers. • Central Business District: This designation is intended for a blend of retail, office, and service establishments. Entertainment uses such as motion picture theaters and playhouses are other important uses intended for the Central Business District. • Light Industrial: This category is intended for such uses as warehousing, distribution, research, assembly, and other less intense manufacturing. - 77 - �• Heavy Industrial: This classification is intended for extractive uses and manufacturing operations which typically process raw materials. • Public/Quasi-Public: This designation is intended for public facilities other than parks, recreational facilities, and open space. Quasi-public and institutional uses such as churches and private cemeteries are also intended for this district. • Park/Public Open Space: This classification is intended for public-owned parks, recreational facilities, and open space. • Undeveloped: This category is intended for the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary area and the Thunder Bay frontage strip east of the Lafarge plant. - 78 - �FUTURE LAND USE ACTIONS (see Figure 8, Future Land Use Map) 1. Provide Medium Density Residential areas at Palm and Huron Streets, at Second Avenue and Hueber Street, and at Tenth Avenue and Fair Avenue, to serve as transitional uses between Heavy Industrial and Low Density Residential areas. 2. Integrate land use aspects of Downtown Development Authority Plan into Future Land Use Plan. 3. Integrate land use aspects of Downtown urban design plan into Future Land Use Plan. 4. Designate the area in the southwest comer of the city bounded by Hobbs Drive, Grant Avenue, Addison Street, and First Avenue for High Density Residential use. 5. Designate the area bounded by Hobbs Drive, Third Avenue, Garden Street, and a line formed by extending First Avenue west to Hobbs Drive for Medium Density Residential use. 6. Designate parcel northeast of Washington Avenue (M-32) and Bagley Street for Light Industrial use. 7. Designate Alpena County Road Commission site for Light Industrial use. 8. Designate area south of Oxbow School site in the northwest comer of the city for High Density Residential use. 9. Designate Sportsmen's Island, the County Fairgrounds, and the two roadside parks for Park/Public Open Space use. Designate other Thunder Bay River frontage west of the Chisholm Street Bridge for Public/Quasi-Public use or Low Density Residential use. 10. Designate the Thunder Bay frontage strip east of the Lafarge plant and the Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary site as Undeveloped. 11. Encourage High Density Residential and compatible Central Business District uses along the south side of the Thunder Bay River between LaMarre Park and the mouth of the river. 12. Designate Island Mill for Medium Density Residential use. 13. Designate LaMarre Park and vacant parcel southeast of Ninth Avenue and the Thunder Bay River for Park/Public Open Space use. 14. Designate vacant Besser Foundation/ Alpena Public Schools land north of community college for Office/Service uses. - 79 - �15. Designate south river frontage east of Chisholm Street Bridge (on the north side of Fourteenth Avenue) for Low Density Residential use. 16. Provide parking-exempt Central Business District designation along Second Avenue north of the Thunder Bay River only as far as Miller Street. Designate commercial frontage north of Miller Street for non-parking exempt General Commercial or Office/Service uses. 17. Provide distinct Low Density Residential, Medium Density Residential, and Central Business District areas along Washington Avenue/M-32 from Ripley Boulevard to Downtown. 18. Designate Ripley Boulevard frontage south of Third Avenue and north of Sixth Avenue for Office/Service and General Commercial uses. 19. Designate the traditional Downtown area for Central Business District use, including Chisholm Street frontage north to Eighth Avenue; Washington Avenue frontage west to Tawas Street; and Second Avenue frontage north to Miller Street. 20. Designate an area northeast of the Kurrasch housing project for additional adjacent High Density Residential use. 21. Designate industrial area at the intersection of Campbell Street and the D & M railroad tracks for General Commercial use. 22. Designate vacant industrial area at Ninth Avenue and Ripley Boulevard for Low Density Residential use. 23. Designate existing neighborhood market sites with Commercial land use designation. 24. Designate North Industrial Park and Huron Industrial Park for Light Industrial use. 25. Develop a generalized future land use plan for Alpena Township areas adjacent to the City of Alpena on the Hobbs/Bagley corridor, that would experience development and traffic pressures from the proposed Alpena Bypass. 26. Provide High Density and Low Density Residential areas in the undeveloped northern section of the city to provide housing for anticipated employees added in the adjacent mixed use Office/Service area and consistent with the generalized future land use plan for adjacent Alpena Township areas. 27. Designate the Bingham School site for High Density Residential use. - 80 - �VIII. CURRENT PLANS AND POLICIES REVIEWED The following plans, studies, and policies were reviewed in conjunction with preparation of the City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • City of Alpena Comprehensive Plan and Report, 1964 Alpena Township Comprehensive Plan, January, 1979 Alpena Central Business District Improvement Plan, August, 1968 Tax Increment Financing and Development Plan, December, 1986 City of Alpena Coastal Land Use and Design Plan, September, 1982 Master Development Plan for the Oty's Small Boat Harbor Envisioning the Future, City Council Vision Statements, March 12, 1988 Envisioning the Future, City Council Vision Statements, January 14, 1989 Project 2000 Goal Statements, May 24, 1988 Resolution Supporting Improvement of Northeast Michigan's Regional Highway System, July 12, 1988 Planning Commission Policy Statement re US-23 Safety and Capacity Through the City, November 1, 1988 City of Alpena Master Plan for Parks and Outdoor Recreation, 1983 Update City of Alpena Master Plan for Parks and Outdoor Recreation, 1989 Update Target 2000 Economic Adjustment Strategy for Alpena County, 1988 US-23 Improvement Study, Final Report, Michigan Department of Transportation, November, 1988 City of Alpena Sewer Plan, 1966 City of Alpena Utility Plan, 1977 - 82 - �APPENDIX A: RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OF THE ALPENA CITY PLAN COMMISSION, ALPENA, MICHIGAN, ADOPTING A COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND FUTURE LAND USE PLAN. WHEREAS, the City's current Comprehensive Plan and Report was prepared and presented by Raymond W. Mills & Associates, of Midland, Michigan, in 1964; and WHEREAS, the Alpena City Plan Commission has actively pursued development of a new Comprehensive Development Plan since December 1985, and has been assisted by The WBDC Group in these efforts since June 6, 1988, during which tim~ the Plan Commission has held five public hearings, the last being held on February 20, 1990; and WHEREAS, it is the desire and intent of the Alpena Plan Commission to adopt a comprehensive plan, including a Future Land Use Development Map, as presented in the document entitled "City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan" which was prepared by The WBDC Group and the Plan Commission in accordance with both modern planning practices and with State law, particularly with the Municipal Planning Act, Public Act 285 of 1931, as amended, and referenced as MCL 125.36-125.38. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ALPENA CITY PLAN COMMISSION that the "City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan" presented at the February 20, 1990, public hearing, and subsequently revised into the document presently held by the Plan Commissioners and the City Council, including sections entitled Strategic Plan, Implementation, Capital Improvement Programming, Monitoring, Future Land Use Plan, and the Future Land Use Map, all included therein, as amended on June 5, 1990, be hereby adopted. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the ·Plan Commission recommends that the Alpena City Council adopt the "City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan", as approved by the Plan Commission, so to establish clear and consistent pub l ic planning policy, and to provide appropriate policy direction to staff, affiliated boards and commissions, and others. This resolution offered by Comm i ssioner Shafto and seconded by Commiss i oner Lappan at a Special meeting of the Alpena Plan Commission on Tuesday, June 26, 1990. The resolution was call as follows: AYES: approved with a vote of _9_-_o_____ , with a roll Sabourin, Shafto, Skiba, Kane, Lappan, Karschnick, Silver, Phillips, McDougall NAYS: _._.N=o=n=e'-'-------------------------------ABSENT: ~N=o~n=e'--'------------------------------I, Peter Skiba, Secretary of the Alpena Plan ommission, DO HEREBY ATTEST that the above is a true copy of a resolution oped by the Alpena Plan Commission at a Special meeting held June 26~ 1_z Peter Skiba, Sec , � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Alpena_Comprehensive-Development-Plan_1990 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alpena Planning Commission, City of Alpena, Alpena County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-06-26 Title A name given to the resource City of Alpena Comprehensive Development Plan Description An account of the resource Comprehensive Development Plan for the City of Alpena prepared by the Alpena Planning Commission with the assistance of The WBDC Group June 26, 1990. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource The WBDC Group (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Alpena (Mich.) Alpena County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/559409fbdcae572b091f850aa40e8023.pdf f720762bd525c69c12378aa1a762bf50 PDF Text Text FROM THE LIBRARY O.FJ · Pl ann\ng & 7..onin:s Center, In~. ALPENA TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN \ a pla nned working community �A L P E N A T OWNS H I P C OMP RE HE N S I V E P L A N January 1979 This project is a joint effort of the Alpena Township Planning and Zoning Commission and the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments with financial assistance provided through a grant from the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-583) administered by the Office of Coastal Zone Management (OCZM), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Connnerce (USDOC) via the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Land Resource Programs Division and, in part, from the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments and the Township of Alpena, Alpena County. �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ALPENA TOWNSHIP Alpena Township Board D.H. Riley, Supervisor Christine Dubey, Clerk Gerald Nowak, Trustee Stan Mischley, Trustee Genie Diemond, Treasurer Gerald Fussey, Trustee Bill Desormeau, Trustee Alpena Twp. Zoning Bd. Alpena Twp. Plan. Comm. Clarence Carr Jack Wilkenson Charles Reagle, Jr. Maurice VanAcker Pierce Moore Walter Wolf Don Cross D.H. Riley Pierce Moore Tom Hendricks Herman Saretsky Richard Burgeson Alpena Twp. Zoning Bd. of Appeals Clarence Carr Donald Bartosh Patricia Pettenger Gerald Now".k Jack Wilkenson Alpena Twp. Planning & Zoning Commission Effective September 19, 1977 Clarence Carr, Chairman Walter Wolf, Vice-Chairman Don Cross, Sec. D.H. Riley Tom Hendricks Herman Saretsky Maurice VanAcker Charles Reagle, Jr. Zephere Dault - Zoni ng Administrator Technical assistance for plan development Northeast Michigan Council of Governments 131 Shipp St. Gaylord, Michigan 49735 �I I I I I I I I I I I A RESOLUTION 1t.e.ga.1tding THE FORMAL ADOPTION OF THE ALPENA TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BY THE ALPENA TOWNSHIP PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION WHEREAS, The Alpena Township Planning and Zoning Commission is a duly organized board of Alpena Township, and; WHEREAS, The Alpena Township Planning and Zoning Commission is charged with the responsibility of developing a community comprehensive plan, and; WHEREAS, This document represents those efforts toward the development of such a plan, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, The Alpena Township Planning and Zoning Commission does hereby adopt this document as the Alpena Township Comprehensive Plan. Move.d btj Don Cross , 6uppoM:e.d by Roger Linseman to adopt the. above. 1t.v.ioluilon a;t_ the. January 8th, 1979 meeting 06 the. Alpena. ToWrtf.ihip Pla.nn,i,ng a.nd Zon,i,ng CommiMion by a. vote. 06= 6 Na.yv.i Abf.ie.nt 0 1 ----- Cha.,i.Juna.n, Alpena. TowMhip Pla.nn,i,ng a.nd Zon,i,ng Comm,<.f.,f.iion Se.CJte:ta.Jt.tj, Alpena. TowMhip Pla.nn,i,ng and Zon,i,ng CommiMion �I I I I I I A P.ESOLUTION regarding THE FORMAL AOOPrION OF THE ALPENA TOWNSHIP COHPREHENS IVE PIAN BY THE ALPENA TOWNSHIP IDARD OF TRUSTEES WHEREAS, The Alpena Tovmship Board is a duly oreanized board of Alpena Township, and; WHEREAS, The Alpena Township Planning and Zoning Commission is charged with the responsibility of developing a community comprehensive plan by authority of the Township Board and; WHEREAS, This document represents tho::;e efforts toward the development of such a plan, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, The Alpena Township Board does hereby endorse this document as the Alpena Township Co~prehensive Plan. Moved by ____ M_is_c_hl_e_y.__ _ _ _ , supported by _ _r_To_\_ -,ak _______ to adopt the above resooution at a Special Meeting held on Tuesday _J_a_n_u_a_ry_2_.3.._ 1 _1_9_7_9____ by the Alpena Township Board of Trustees by a vote of: AJes _ _5"------ -----Absent ------Abstained: Dubey Nayes 0 0 Dia.nond attested by CU- M/2.b( Christine M. Dubey, C l e N �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION •••••••••••.•••.••••••••••.•••••••••••••••..•....••• 1 PEOPLE ......••.•••.•....•.•.•.•.•••••.........•................. Population Characteristics •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Population Projections •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Education ••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••.••.••••••..••• Socio-Economic Characteristics ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.. 10 ACTIVITIES ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• .••••• Residential •••••••••••••• ·••.••.••••••••••••.••••••••.••.••.. Commercial ••••••••••••••.••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Industrial ................................................. . Agriculture ••••••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••.••••••..••• Recreation ................................................. . SERVICES •••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••• CoID.munica t ions . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . • • . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Energy ..................................................... . Water Supply ••••••••••••••...••••••••.•••••.•••••••.•••••••• Sewage Disposal •••••••••••..••.•••••••••••••.••••••••••••••• Solid Waste ••••••••••••••••••••.••• • •••••••••••••..•••••.•.• Fire Protection •••••••••••.••••..•••.••••••••••••••••••..•.. Police Protection ••••••.•••••••••.••.•••.•••••••.••••••••••• Education •••••••••••••••.••.••.•••••.••••••••••••••..••.•••• Transportation •••••••••••••••.•.••••••••..•.•.••••••••.••••. Health & Welfare •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••.•••.••..• Government ................................................. . 10 15 19 20 26 26 29 32 33 35 38 38 39 40 41 41 44 45 45 46 55 56 58 58 60 ENVIRONMENT Climate General Physical Features ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Geology .................................................... . Topography & Surface Water Drainage .••••.•••••.•••••••••.••• Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vegetation ........................... . ..................... . Wildlife ••.•••••••••••.•••••.•••••• ••• •••••.•••••••••••••••. Coastal Management •.••••••••••••••• • •••••••.•••••••••••••••• 84 GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES ••••••••...•..•••••••••.••••••.••• 103 GOALS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • 104 OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES ••••••.•••••••••••••• • •••••.••..••••••••. 105 FUTURE LAND USE • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . • . • • • . • . • • • . • • • 109 IMPLEMENTATION ll5 APPENDIX A 62 64 69 78 80 �I I I I I I LIST OF MAPS MAP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 I I I I I I I I I I I 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 TITLE Regional Setting Enumeration Districts Generalized Land Use Patterns Water System Sewer System Road System Average Daily Traffic Volumns Annual Mean Temperature Annual Mean Precipitation General Physical Features Sub-Surface Geology Topography Watersheds Long Lake Watershed Soils Limitations for Development - Forestry Limitations for Development - Agriculture Limitations for Development - Residential Limitations for Development - Recreation Major Forest Species Unique Wildlife Areas Sport Fishing in Lake Huron Coastal Boundary (CZM) Present Coastal Land Uses Coastal APC'S (north portion) Coastal APC'S (southern portion) Coastal APC's (east central portion) High Risk Erosion Areas Special Flood Hazard Areas Future Land Use Plan Partridge Point Recreation Area PAGE 6 30 37 42 43 48 50 59 59 61 63 68 70 71 73 75 75 77 77 79 81 83 87 89 94 95 96 98 101 110 114 �r- I I I I I I I I I I I I I LIST OF CHARTS CHARTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 TITLE Population Trends - 1900-1970 Relative Densities - 1970 Age Group Comparisons - 1970 Age/Sex Pyramid - 1970 Family Size - 1970 Persons By 1965 Residence Population Projections - 1975-2000 Persons 25+ By Years of School Completed Family Income Persons By Poverty Status And Age - 1970 Poverty Levels In 1969 By Size Of Family And Sex Of Head Economic Comparison Employed Persons 14+ Years By Occupation Employed Persons 14+ Years By Industry Employment And Unemployment Statistics Subdivision Platting Sequence Residential Development (permits issued) Housing Units By Year Built Enumeration Districts - Housing And Population Commercial Activity By Area Industries in Alpena Township Agriculture Geology PAGE 8 11 12 13 14 14 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 24 25 27 28 28 29 31 32 34 65 �I NT R OD UCT I ON �• • • INTRODUCTION Purpose of the Plan Every individual or group plans their future to some extent, some more extensively than others. Individuals plan their budgets, their insurance program, their educational goals, their retirement program, and their daily activities. Families plan their vacations, or whether to add a room to the house. Businesses plan inventory levels, advertizing, campaigns, and capital investment. Municipalities must plan their futures, too. Planning is necessary to determine the wisest use of the connnunities' resources, both physical and human, in order to reach established goals and objectives. Comprehensive planning is a process which considers a broad range of community characteristics in establishing a strategy for future development. One of the basic objectives of this Plan is the attainment of a desirable, efficient, and satisfying living environment for the residents of Alpena Township. To be efficient and effective, the Township needs a guide for growth and development. development. It will provide the framework for a guide for growth and It will provide the framework for numerous daily decisions on zoning, public services and human needs. This master land use, or development plan is designed to promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare in Alpena Township. Its further purposes are: - To encourage the use of lands in accordance with their characteristics and adaptability, to limit the improper use of land, and to avoid the overcrowding of population; - To provide adequate light and air; - To lessen congestion on the public roads and streets; - To reduce hazards to life and property; I 1 I �- To facilitate adequate provisions for a system of transportation, sewage disposal, safe and adequate water water supply, education, recreation, and other public requirements; - To conserve the expenditure of funds for public improvements and services to conform with the most advantageous uses of land, resources and properties; - To conserve property values and natural resources; - To insure a desirable trend and character of land, building, and population development. Planning - In General All communities change over time. They grow and decline. people who make their homes in a community change, The type of The services they desire change. Many times these changes occur all at once. The population increases, home are built, and suddenly, the school system is overcrowded with too many students for the available classrooms. are strained. Primary services such as fire and police protectio Water supplies may become contaminated by an increasing number of septic tanks. The community's government is suddenly faced with huge bills, over-extended taxes and possibly unable to cope with the demands. A comprehensive plan can help a community cope with the changes. First of all, a plan can point out trends that often precede a growth spurt so a community can be aware of its potentials for growth. that growth. It can prepare financially for The plan can help the township avoid inefficiency and waste. The plan can also help the community government control growth and promote order and thus insure a continued high quality physical and social environment. The goals, objectives and policies can help guide everyday governmental decision1 thus insuring a desirable living environment. portant function. Herein lies the plans most im- A comprehensive plan can be the basis of a rational and on- going decision making process. With an accurate and complete information basis, 2 �the community can guide itself into its own most desirable growth pattern. Herein lies also the major problem with a comprehensive plan. It is often difficult to realize that this document is but the beginning of a never ending development process. The plan cannot be an end unto itself. Its worth lies not in its phrases, maps, and predictions, but rather how successfully its information and suggestions can be translated into the living community. A plan is worth no more than the paper it's printed on unless it is used. However, no plan will forever continue to accurately present the facts without continuous review and updating. information is accurate. A plan can only be as useful as its As a community changes, so must its plan change, to reflect the evolving social and physical patterns. Planning In Alpena Township Actual planning is relatively new to the Alpena Township area. methods used in the past often proved ineffectual. Indirect Zoning has been in effect since 1970, but has not until recently, had the benefit of working in association with documented planning proposals. I In September of 1977, the Alpena Township Board took steps to officially establish a Township Planning/Zoning Connnission. The vehicle of Public Act 168 of 1959 was used and as authorized by Section 11 of the Act, the authority to I l zone was transferred from the existing Township Zoning Board to the newly formed Commission. Initial meetings that were held convinced the newly formed Planning Commission that if their prime objective "to Plan" was to be met, outside professional help would be necessary. In the later part of 1977, the North- east Michigan Council of Governments was contacted and contractual arrangements were secured. Additional financial assistance was provided to NEMCOG under the Coastal Management Program, administered by the Land Resource Programs Division of 3 �the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The report that is herein con- tained is the end product of the cooperative efforts of the State, Region and Alpena Township. Although outside assistance was provided for the Plan's development, the Plan itself is a product of the Alpena Township Planning Commission. The key to the Plan is the Goals, Objectives and Policies that evolved from insight into the assets and liabilities of the township. The "key" is a direct pro- duct of the Commission itself. The Planning Approach The Alpena Township Comprehensive Plan, if it is to be used effectively, must be as accurate and as thorough as possible. comprehensive organization. It must have a logical and To this end, the Planning Commission has used the PASE planning approach, developed by the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments. The PASE system catagorizes inventoried materials, basic to the plan, into four main areas; R_eople, _Activities, fervices, and ~nvironment. Each facet of Alpena Township was thus classified for study purposes. People Services History Population Characteristics Population Projections Economy Communitications Energy Water Supply Solid Waste Education Transportation Police and Fire Protection Health and Welfare Activities Environment Residential Commercial Industry Agriculture Recreation Surface and Sub-Surface Geology Soils Surface Water Vegetation and Wildlife Physical Development Potential As these various facets were evaluated, their inter-relationships were explored and explained. These interrelationships pinpointed the issues and 4 �potentials that are a part of the Goals and Objectives that the township has set for the future of the area. The future land use plan for Alpena Township is a graphic portrayal of the goals and obje~tives that have been established. It ts a concept map that depicts the Township as it may appear twenty years from now. Again, it is important to remember that while the future land use pattern is a goal for the township to str~ve for, it is very general. The actual land use pattern that evolves will be the result of the decisions every township resident makes every day, both privately and in public meetings and elections. flan is meant as a guide for those everyday decisions. 5 The Alpena Township �LAKE HU MAPLE RIDGP. TOWNSHIP ALPENA TOWNSHIP ALPENA TOWNSHIP THUNDER DA'f Q.$.~ INEKE ]"_0\'I!:!~ Tu•c• • ••• A •GIMl.1111 ...... 0. • Lll,.I • l f'""1:ST .&\.I.I Q c•• • • • • _L __ j i ....:.. ·=·:-1· _ ... ~S£CO CO. 1 0M•l1•,.·;·· 0••··· ........ "' •1l•u l 11 M 0 1'TMORC:--.CY CO. COlll'W I TM MOHT .. OIICNCY ,.,,11. ' --r-,::'..'.~-,--;.....-______ ___...,·•"'-· ... r-....,... "......... • TO• .. : ,o .. ••••" I - ..• , MILLMAN •, e LO'W'CU.a I - --'--4tlll:A1'LtNO cu,111, 0 I g ! .·=. , ...... I I J_ f 1•&AV(II C•a1,c1 •••HcH ------IOUlH f I oaa1NC11CI LCON CO. CALaCONlA CL I NTON ALCO,.A I ~ COMIN• o oa c.... NORTHEAST MICHIGAN REGIONAL SETTING -:-r--- •;. ••r -+,s;:::: ~ \.All~ MAP 1 .1111.C.N u 1...... _,-------~--L---f : ; 0 CIU\UORO CO ..:• . • zz z ,,.,. C z • I IIITCMILL ,--'----r':.::'•:.:•::••:.:·J---l MILLIN I "••••• ! I cu • T1e IIIKADO 1 _____ ..J_, _ _ 10 IS 20 MILES ~-..,.NA44- ..... SC ALE 6 �Regional Setting and Historical Perspective Alpena Township is the largest township in Alpena County, Michigan. The township is approximately 118 square miles in area, with a 1977 population estimate of 9,510 personij. The town$hip is bounded on the north of Presque Isle County, the west by the Townships of Maple Ridge and Wilson, the south by Sanborn Township and on the east by Lake Huron. centrally located in the township on Lake Huron. The City of Alpena is Alpena Township is one of eight townships and ten political units (counting the county) that make up Alpena County, Michigan. townships. The Township encompasses in area, 3.28 geographic Major transportation routes bisect the township - north-south by US-23 and east-west by M-32. Alpena Township's past, like that of all Northeast Michigan, intertwines with that of the white pine lumber industry that flourished from about 1850 to 1910. At the turn of the century, the Townships had a population of 1173 persons. As the lumbering industry declined, people left the area to find jobs elsewh~re. of 40.2%. By 1920, the population had decreased to 701 persons, or a decrease By 1930, the Townships started to again attract people and a slight gain was achieved. After 1930 to the present, steady increases were achieved and during most periods increases were higher than the county, region, or state. Refer to Popu.R..a,;,U,on T~en.d.6 chart on next page. Alpena Township's growth has always been firmly intertwined with the City of Alpena. The City provided the necessary commercial and industrial activities, while the Township, until recently, served as a "bedroom" community for persons employed in the city. Current trends indicate that Alpena Township is becoming more and more indepen4ent of the City as commercial and industrial growth increases. 7 �CHART 1 POPULATION TRENDS 1900 - 1970 1900 %Chg. 1910 % Chg. 1920 %Chg. 1930 %Chg. 1940 %Chg. N.E. Michigan Region 62102 +14 .4% 71057 ·7.3% 65867 . .,,,, 59588 +14.3"' 68098 • Alpena County 18254 +9.4% 19965 ·10.5% 17869 +3.9,r. 18574 +11.1%. 20766 40 .9'1(, 928 •24.5% 701 +16.0" 813 +106.0'MI +ll.111fi, 758 +9 .0% 826 47.611, 598 +33.1 .. 796 -6.9 .. 749 +l.l'tt 811 1950 %Chg. 1960 % Chg. 1970 S.2'Wt 71617 +is.a, 82962 +lJA,r. 94106 +6.9'1(, 22189 +21.7'1(, 28556 +7.5% 30708 To wnships: Alpena 1173 Green 670 1675 +75 .0'1(, 2932 +125.6 .. 6616 •31.0" +6.4,I, ...,,, 9001 863 Lo:ig Rapids • 1243 +5 .6% • 1312 -31.2% 903 -12.a-. 787 +ll.2'tt 875 •7.3% 811 +9.21'> 886 M_a ple Ridge 783 4.8 .. 761 •15,4'1(, 644 • .3% 646 +16.3"' 7S1 -41.0 .. 706 +21.5'1(, 907 +20.3"Mt 1091 Os<ineke 587 +70.4% 1000 +9.2% 1092 +2 .1"' 1122 1232 ... 5 .. 111S 1188 +13.91', 1353 Sanborn 542 +56.3% 847 -u.a-. 1413 +14 .9'A 1424 Wellington 730 .,.... 376 ·2 .7% +9.IYt 772 +10.4 .. 8S2 +l.1,r. 878 • 366 +14.2 .. 418 -11.2-. 371 .7.3 .. 1454 +13.7"' 1653 -t.s-. 11802 +7.7"- • Includes Wtllington Township Source: U.S. Census Bureau 12706 •12.6.. 344 -12 .1'1(, 1304 +4.2,. 13S9 ...... 1492 +14.S'Wt 1709 11101 .,.,. 12166 +5.3.. 12808 •z.,,,, 1313S +11.IYt 14682 Cities: Alpena City 60.9 .. 1496 (X) Wilson ~6.5 .. 41.a-. .,.,. -41.0.. 878 269 1824 13805 �History has indicated the desirability of Alpena Township as a place to live. This comprehensive plan will help to insure that it will remain desirable in the future. With careful attention to the factors that make Alpena Township attractive and a strong effort to preserve them, Alpena Township will continue to be a place where people will want to live, work and play. 9 �I NVE NT O RY �P E OP L E �l l ~ l l PEOPLE Population Alpena Township was created to serve the people that live within its boundaries. it must first of all, attempt to better understand the general character of the people that make up the Township. This section of the plan should pro- vide the insight and the understanding that is necessary. ~ l l l l l l If the township is to meet the needs and desires of its people The following information is primarily based on data provided by the 1970 "Fifth Count" census. The "Fifth Count" census was taken in conjunction with the 1970 U.S. Census and was based on a sampling technique. It was not a 100 percent count, but was rather a 20 percent sample of responses, weighted mathematically to approximate a 100 percent count. It is important to remember that these are only approximate and as such can only serve as a general description. Despite this inaccuracy, the statistics are valuable as a means to describe the unique character of the people of the Township. census was taken during 1976-77. A mid-decennial Data is available and was used as a check, and in some cases, as an update on pertinent data used in this study. The Fifth Count for Alpena Township indicates that the 1970 population of the Township was 9001 persons. With an area of 118 square miles, the average density of the Township is76.3 persons per square mile. The average density of Alpena City is 1866 persons per square mile and is 52.0 for Alpena County. indicated in Chart 2, the Township is the second most densely populated area of the county. It is also the largest, population wise, of all 83 Townships in the eight county Northeast Michigan Region. In addition, the Township's population is greater than four of the Region's eight counties, larger than six of the Region's seven cities and larger than any of the Region's seven villages. 10 As �CHART 2 Relative Densities - 1970 Rank Political Unit 1 City of Alpena 2 Land Area (Sg,. Miles2 1970 PoEulation Densiti 8.2 13,805 1683.5 Alpena Township 118.0 9,001 76.3 3 Sanborn Township 43.5 1,624 37.3 4. Wilson Township 77.3 1,824 23.6 5 Maple Ridge Township 53.0 1,091 20.6 6 Long Rapids Township 54.2 878 16.2 7 Ossineke Township 104.9 1,353 12.9 8 Green Township 77 .8 863 11.1 9 Wellington Township 53.1 269 5.1 County of Alpena 590.0 30,708 52.0 County of Alpena (Excluding City of Alpena) 581.8 16,903 29 .1 TOTAL Source: 5th Count Ce.n6£L6 11 �Chart 3 , Age. Gll..oup Compa!U60n-6, compares the number of people in the various life stages for the Township, County, and the Northeast Michigan Region. CHART 3 Age Group Comparisons 1970 Life Stage Alpena Twp. Retirement 65+ Mature Family 45-64 Family Forming 20-44 Secondary School 15-19 Elementary School 5-14 Pre-School 0-4 477 1352 2835 864 2552 921 % 5.3 15.0 31.5 9.6 28.4 10.2 Alpena Co. 2608 5773 8599 3379 7729 2610 . % 8.5 18.8 28.0 11.0 25.2 8.5 Northeast Region 10,352 19,763 19,763 14,116 21,644 8,469 % 11.0 21.0 21.0 15.0 23.0 9.0 5th Count Ce.n-6U6 Source: Alpena Township has a relatively high percentage of people in the Family Forming group (20-44). This is a healthy situation as this group, along with the Mature Family group (45-64) represent the groups that are gainfully employed, pay the most taxes, and in general, support the other age groups. When these two age groups constitute a majority of the population, the community will generally be stable, both economically and socially. Alpena Township has a similar percentage of children under 19 years of age (38%), when compared (32%). to Alpena County (34%) or the Northeast Michigan Region This is further substantiated by the relatively small family size in Alpena Township, with 2.94 persons per family, as compared to the City of Alpena, with 3.07 per family and the Region with 3.32. 12 �CHART 4 ALPENA TOWNSHIP AGE/SEX PYRAMID 1970 AGE MALE FEMALE 65+ 234 45-64 ,..... w 0-4 5.3 639 15.0 1368 1467 I 15-19 5-14 243 713 20-44 I % of Total 461 403 J 1320 456 4552 MALES I 465 4449 FEMALES The Age/Sex Pyramid for Alpena Township breaks the population (1970) into age groups by sex for comparison. The percentages for each age group at right combine male and female totals. Source: 31.5 9.6 1232 I I U.S. Census (.interpreted and designed by Northeast Michigan Council of Governments) 28.4 10.2 �I I I I I I I I I I I CHART 5 Family Size Alpena Township (1970) Unrelated Individuals (14+) 2 Person families 3 Person Families 4 Person Families 5 Person Families 6+ Person Families Total Source: Alpena Township has 955 or 37.6% families that have two or less members . Over 51% (1316 families) have three or less members. The average family size, as pointed out earlier, is 2.94 persons (does not include Unrelated Individuals). The birth rate in Alpena Township is slightly lower than the County as a whole; 3.43 as opposed to 3.56. This fact points out that growth in Alpena Township is due to a greater extent, to people moving into the township rathe r than by births. Chart 6 gives some indication as to where the people are moving from. CHART 6 Persons by 1965 Residence I I 2535 5th Count Ce.nJ.iM l I I I I 369 586 361 449 363 407 Same House Different House, Same County Different House, Same State Different State Abroad 1965 Address Not Given Source: Number Percentage 4456 1886 926 534 102 173 55.2 23.3 11. 5 6.6 1. 3 2.1 5th Count Ce.nJ.iU-6 As shown above, almost one quarter of the households or families had moved to Alpena Towns hip from somewhere within Alpena County itself. Almost as many more moved to the Township from another county in Michigan, a dif ferent state or from abroad. 14 �Population Projections Population projections are always dangerous to make. No area ever grows at a constant rate and many factors can effect the actual numbers. However, it is necessary to try to predict future population so that facilities and services can be planned to meet the needs of the future. In an attempt to be as acct·,rate as possible, a staff report entitled Regional. Population P4ojemon1.>, prepared by the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments was utilized to determine the future population for Alpena Township. Due to the broader base utilized in the report, a greater degree of accuracy evolved. The following information is taken directly from the report and describes how the projections were arrived at. The resultant projections for Alpena Township as well as the other political units in Alpena County are found in Chart 7 on page 17. Method The Federal OBERS Series E population projections were felt to be unrealistic and were not used since they do not adequately take into account local information. The population projections prepared by the Planning and Policy Analysis Division, Department of Management and Budget, State of Michigan, were utilized as a base projection. a township level. The State's projections are on a county level and not Qn The State model used to project the county populations is in the broad category referred to as Cohort/Survival technique, or Cohort Component method. This model starts with age cohorts as of the base year, 1970, and then alters the beginning population by adding births, subtracting deaths, and adjusting for migration during the projection period. As would be expected, the resulting projections are dependent on the assumptions made about fertility and death rates, and the component hardest to predict, migration. 15 The State office �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I of Management and Budget works with the U.S. Bureau of the Census in the Federal-State Cooperative Program. A straight-line trend projection was also calculated for the region as a whole and for the individual counties. In analyzing the two forecasts, it was felt that generally the State projections were rather high and conversely, the straight-line forecasts were too low. Therefore a third forecast was calculated representing a combination and resolution of the data derived from these other two sources and taking into account localized information such as growth trends and future growth potentials. These final projections also included adjustments and modifications reflecting the perceived future developments and constraints which will affect population change. Assumptions for the three calculations are as follows: - Unrestrained growth Increased in-migration of retired persons Lessening out-migration of young people In-migration of major new industry/firms Substantial improvement of system transportation and community infrastructure Medium - Continued in-migration of retired persons - Medium increase of economic development and industry - Slow to medium improvement of transportation system and community infrastructure Low - Stagnent or declining growth General economic stagnation/no major economic development - Increasing high energy cost (i.e. gas, etc.) - Continuing out-migration of young people - No significant improvements to the system transportation The "medium" projections are felt to be most accurate and are presented for Alpena County in Chart 7. 16 �CHART 7 Northeast Michigan Council of Governments Population Projections 1975 - 2000 Alpena County POLITICAL UNIT 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 2000 CITIES Alpena WWFP* 13,805 13,936 14,640 15,045 15,654 18,096 14,300* 15,400* 16,200* 17,100* 19,400* TWPS. Alpena Wv!FP* 9,001 10,203 12,462 9,400* 10, 100* 13,611 15,400 17,803 10,600* 11,400* 12,600* Green 863 896 952 982 1,015 1,174 Long Rapids 878 862 878 903 888 1,027 Maple Ridge 1,091 1,161 1,280 1,395 1,480 1,712 Ossineke 1,353 1,493 1,793 1,925 2,030 2,348 Sanborn 1,624 1,759 2,159 2,789 3,089 3,570 269 248 274 275 296 342 1,824 1,958 2,159 2,357 2,453 2,837 30,703 32,516 36,597 39,282 42,305 48,909 Wellington Wilson COUNTY Total WWFP* * 32,000* 34,200* 36,100* 38,200* 43,129* Wastewater Facilities Plan, Alpena Township, 1976, Scott Engineering 17 �• I I I I I All demographic projections are based, at least in part, on past trends with respect to migration, fertility and survival. Consequently, there is always room for a wide margin of error, especially when the data is disaggregated to smaller areas. In light of this, the base projections, particularly at the county and township levels, were adjusted to reflect past, current and future plans and developments. This process was undertaken by reviewing past development accomplishments and planning documents, seeking input from the individual county planning connnissions, and taking into account other localized information. In undertaking the described adjustment process, even though it is a somewhat subjective procedure, it allows the projections to reflect the •· past and future developments which complements the strictly objective methodology. I that will alter and effect the demographic projections. It is understood that changes and new development's will take place in the future To reflect any changes, a process of refinement and updating will be accomplished on a periodic basis by the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments. I I 18 �Education The educational attainment in Alpena Township will affect the services and facilities demanded by the residents. In general, the more education a connn~- nity has, the more cultural opportunities its people will desire. This is particularly true when large numbers of residents have attended some college. These people have in general, lived in a more urban atmosphere and may desire the amenities they found in larger, more urban communities. Chart 8, below, illustrates the education levels of those persons 25 years or older in Alpena Township. Those persons younger than 25 were not included s many of them had not completed their education. In Alpena County, 49% of the population has at least a high school diploms Alpena Township is slightly higher than the County with 56.7%, with the highest percentage occurring in the 25 to 44 .age group. CHART 8 Persons 25+ By Years of School Completed 25-44 Age Group No School Elementary 1-7 Yrs. 50 8 Yrs. 221 High School 1-3 Yrs. 432 4 Yrs. 1236 College 1-3 Yrs. 253 4+ Yrs. 233 Percent with High School Diploma or more 71% 45-54 Age Group No School Elementary 1-7 Yrs. 55 8 Yrs. 211 High School 126 1-3 Yrs. 4 Yrs. 265 College 1-3 Yrs. 94 4+ Yrs. 85 Percent with High School Diploma or more 55+ Age Group No School Elementary 1-7 Yrs. 8 Yrs. High School 1-3 Yrs. 4 Yrs. College 1-3 Yrs. 4+ Yrs. Percent with High School Diploma or more Source: 5t .h Cou.n.:t Ce.n..w ~ 19 53% 206 338 197 166 32 45 25% �• • Socio-Economic Characteristics A study of the socio-economic characteristics and changes is an essential - step in evaluating any community. When local governments assume the task of planning for the future, they are automatically dealing with the needs of a changing population. Failure to look closely at the social and economic trends can and has resulted in economic and social loss to many Michigan communities. This section of the inventory will describe some of the essential social and economically related aspects of Alpena Township. By knowing how the resi- dents make their living and how the Township, as a whole, compares to its neighbors, certain needs and desires can be recognized. Family Income - Chart 9, shows how many families have incomes in each $2,000.00 income bracket. Unrelated individuals are not included. CHART 9 Family Income Alpena Township - 1970 Number of Families Income • Under $2,000 $4,000 $6,000 $8,000 $10,Q00 $15,000 $25,000 Source: $2,000 - $3,999 - $5,999 - $7,999 - $9,999 - $14,999 - $24,999 and over 94 142 192 310 487 649 272 20 5~h Cou.n:t Cen-6(.L.,6 The median family income in the Township is $8,420.00; half of the families make more than , $8,420.00, half make less. A median is a type of average that is not affected by extremely high or low incomes, and is therefore more meaningful than the mean average. Alpena Township's median income is above that of the Region ($7,470.00) and below that of the County ($8,765.00). • • This is expected as Alpena County is the most economically stable county in the region, while the region itself ranks low in the State. 20 �Another socio-economic factor worthy of evaluation is the poverty status of its people. Chart 10, which follows, tabulates the number of persons abo and below the poverty level by their ages. CHART 10 Persons by Poverty Status and Age Alpena Township - 1970 Number Percentage 270 3% 89% Above Poverty Level 65 and over Under 65 80ll Belo~ Poverty Level 65 and over Under 65 Source: 180 540 2% 6% 5th Count Cen.6ll6 The dividing line of 65 years of age was chosen as this is the age most people retire and must rely on Social. Security and pensions for their income. Eight percent of the Township's total population have incomes below the designated poverty level. poverty level. Of the persons 65 years or older, 40% are below the It is important to remember that no precise dollar amount can be given as a "poverty line". Poverty levels are determined according to family size, income, head of family, and whether the family lives on a farm. This "line", therefore, varies from family to family. Chart 11, Poverty Levels in 1969, illustrates only how the poverty levels given in Chart 10 were determined. 21 �CHART '11 I II Poverty Levels in 1969 by Size of Family and Sex of Head Size of Family All Unrelated Individuals I I -- FARM Female Head Total Male Female Head Head $1834 $1840 $1923 $1792 $1569 1607 1512 Under 65 years 1888 1893 1974 1826 1641 1678 1552 65 years and over 1749 1757 1773 1751 1498 1508 1487 All Families 3388 3410 3451 3082 2954 2965 2757 2 persons 2364 2383 2394 2320 2012 2017 1931 Head under 65 yrs. 2441 2458 2473 ,2373 2093 2100 1984 Head 65 & over 2194 2215 2217 2202 1882 1883 1861 3 persons 2905 2924 2937 2830 2480 2485 2395 4 persons 3721 3743 3745 3725 3195 3197 3159 5 persons 4386 4415 4418 4377 3769 3770 3i61 6 persons 4921 4958 4962 4917 4244 4245 4205 7 or more persons 6034 6101 6116 5952 5182 5185 5129 Source: I I I I I I Total NONFARM Male Total Head Ve.pall.tment 06 Comme,r.c.e., BWLeau. 06 the. Ce.n6u.6, Urr.lte.d Sta.te..6 faU.S.c.hlga.n, Popui.ation: 1910, Ge.ne/Lal Soc.la..l a.nd Ec.onom.lc. ChaJta.c;te.,r.,UUc.6, PC I 1) - C24, IAppe.ndZx. B, pp. 29-31). CWUh 22 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Alpena-Twp_Comprehensive-Plan_1979 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alpena Township Planning and Zoning Commission, Alpena Township, Alpena County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1979-01-08 Title A name given to the resource Alpena Township Comprehensive Plan Description An account of the resource Comprehensive Plan for Alpena Township developed by the Alpena Township Planning and Zoning Commission with the assistance of the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments January 8, 1979. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Alpena Township (Mich.) Alpena County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives