81 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2707c13f50b853401b8bfd2c94777955.pdf 6ceeb6cf702442fcb0985fb9f71d85cf 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 Catholicon [folium 148] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_148Balbus1482 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Balbi, Giovanni, -1298 Description An account of the resource One leaf from Catholicon by Johannes Balbus. Printed in Strassburg by the Printer of the 1483 Jordanus de Quedlinburg (Georg Husner) not after June 30, 1482. Illustrated with red rubricate initals. [GW 3186; ISTC ib00024000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Strassburg: Printer of the 1483 Jordanus de Quedlinburg (Georg Husner) 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 1482 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/ae0891bdda70e6f4614c0220a08573ce.mp4 df356c9ef5a2d2b9c09290a6bd3f5a4b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a29e8359db0036ba71f668a3bac39a3d.pdf aa9d0f862cb882c9100e5ad907a0aa04 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Conflicts Served In: Afghanistan, Iraq Interviewee’s Name: Jeff Baldwin Length of Interview: 41:59 Interviewed by: Cody LaRoy Rollins Transcribed by: Sam Noonan Interviewer: “Hello, this is a joint project between the Grand Valley State Veterans History project and the WKTV Voices. My name is Koty LeRoy Rollins with the Grand Valley State Veterans History Project and I’m here with Jeff Baldwin from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Alright, let’s start off — what was your life like before you joined the military?” Pretty normal. I’d grown up as a kid [in a] small town. You know, just always playing, going to school, you know. Typical, I guess you would say. Interviewer: “Did you join [the military] to get out, or?” No, so my grandfather — he did twenty-three years in the Army, retired… he never deployed, and then my brother — when he was in high school, he’s much older than I am, but he was always my role model — he joined the Navy, so when I was in high school I always really wanted to just follow in my brother’s footsteps and join the Navy. And then it was my senior year of high school, sitting in Home Ec class, you know, our teacher turned the TVs all on for the classroom, never done that before so when he turned the TVs on something’s wrong, and you know we could see the news and you know they kept replaying the tower falling and stuff like that, I went home and I just didn’t think the Navy was the right answer, I wanted to do more. So looking back, I should’ve joined the Navy. (laughter) But I wanted to do more for my country when that attack happened, you know I’m eighteen, nineteen years old, nothing really going on, no college, no — didn’t really care about life at that time you know, I just wanted to see what was out there and then you know, after 9/11 I just knew I had to do something so that’s what I did. (2:35) Interviewer: “Alright, and you enlisted out of Royal Oak, Michigan, right?” No, I was born in Royal Oak. I grew up in a small little town about an hour and a half south of Grand Rapids, it’s called Hartford, Michigan. I grew up there and then I graduated from a small little town called Dowagiac where I did pretty much all my high school years there, transferred like in late middle school and all of high school I was in Dowagiac and graduated in 2002, so… but yeah no, I moved out of Royal Oak when I was probably about three years old, so I was just born in Royal Oak. Interviewer: “So what year did you enlist?” 2004, I enlisted two years after high school. �Interviewer: “Okay. And what was that like? Was it a quick process, were they…?” Yeah, so you know, talked to the recruiter, got me right in. Went to Lansing, did the whole MEPS thing, the whole physical. And then I signed up to be a constructor equipment operator, basically bulldozers, anything that you can think of that’s earth-moving and heavy, that’s what I wanted to do. So the biggest facility that had the training place was Fort Leonard Wood, which is home of the military police, engineers and chemical. So it’s one of the biggest training stations for all five branches in those three classifications, so they sent me down there and I was there for basic and then did my AIT, and then in the fall of 2004 is when I went to Fort Polk, Louisiana for my five-year with 10th Mountain, but… Interviewer: “Okay. Let’s jump back a little bit — so you did boot camp and AIT in the same place?” Yes. Interviewer: “AIT being your like, job training.” Right, yup. So a lot of — there’s some units, depending on the MOS they call it … it’s one station training unit, I did basic and then I transferred to my AIT unit. So I like — for construction engineers, our basic was only six weeks for AIT. So we had eight week of basic, and then we got new drill sergeants, a whole new barracks, new location for another eight weeks, whereas the military police and the combat engineers, they’re stationed there for strictly you know, sixteen weeks with the same drill, the same location so they can do their basic and AIT all at once. Interviewer: “Okay.” So mine was separated. (5:22) Interviewer: “Was basic—” Basic was a blast. I loved basic, I absolutely loved basic. The drill sergeants, they were always preoccupied with the other kids that were… what’s the better term… they had no idea what they were getting [themselves] into and they did not like it. So they did everything they could think of to get out of the military. Interviewer: “Really?” Yes. So we had quite a few people come up pregnant during basic, we had people go AWOL during basic, we’ve had… it was really interesting, basic was a blast. Basic was fun. Interviewer: “And you were pretty straight-laced in basic, you just did what you need to do?” Do what you’re told when you’re told how you’re told to do it. There’s no questions asked, roger that. Interviewer: “Alright. So what was AIT, just like—” �AIT was a lot harder. AIT was a lot harder the drill sergeants were a lot more strict, you know our physical fitness programs, they were much more tougher, more rigorous, more consistent. Like all the time they’re just, working, exercising, constantly, constantly. But you know, not only that but we also had to know the equipment that we were working on, we had tests to do which was fun, but you know, then you also had to know the manuals of the pieces of equipment and then take tests on that as well, so… you know. Interviewer: “So you had to know the machines front and back?” Yeah. Inside and out, not only with physical being in the vehicle, you had to know the “book vehicle” as well, which could’ve been a little tedious on certain vehicles depending on you know, how the hydraulic systems operate cause some don’t operate the same. Interviewer: “Okay. How many vehicles did you have to get trained in?” (7:24) For AIT I think there as eight. If I recall… Interviewer: “So you’re learning a new one every week?” Yes. Yeah, pretty much, exactly. That’s pretty much exactly what it is. Interviewer: “That’s pretty intense. Did you receive any special combat training?” During? Interviewer: “Like during boot camp and AIT?” I mean just your basic stuff, I mean you know, just a little bit more intense than what you see in the movies but pretty much the same concept. Interviewer: “So you’re just like — basic rifle firing, that sort of thing?” Yeah, you know they’re gonna make you be able to run five miles without dying, pretty much. Interviewer: “It’s kind of important.” Right. Interviewer: “So how’d you do in AIT? Did they like grade you, or?” Pretty much. But it was more like, overall kind of, you know, they gave you a couple questions on the book, and then you had to go actually jump in the vehicle and do a couple different, you know, hands-on… depending on the vehicle, like a bulldozer they wanted you to make a nice smooth pass for let’s say 100 yards — you know, with minimal bumps into it, make it as smooth as possible or make a berm, you know, twelve feet tall. You know, like a tank berm or something like that, something quick, you know, [it’ll] take probably about twenty, thirty minutes to you know — somebody that knows what they’re doing, just jump in it and just do a little hands-on exam and you’re good to go. �Interviewer: “Okay. And were these like timed, where they like, ‘You have to get this path done in—'” Depending on the vehicle it could’ve been, absolutely, yeah. Depending on the vehicle. Cause like some vehicles you know, like dump trucks — you know, there’s only one thing that it does, and it just dumps. The rest of the time it drives, so you have a driving course to do and then you have to spread a load, so you know each vehicle is a different phase you know, different test but yeah, same concepts. Interviewer: “Guess I never really thought about dump trucks in the military but makes sense.” Oh, there’s a lot of them. Interviewer: “So after AIT you said you went on to Fort Polk?” Yup, I went to Fort Polk, I was with 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain [Division]. It was one of the newest units established in the military at the time, I was stationed down there for five years. And I did two tours, I did one tour in Afghanistan, 2006, and then I went to Iraq in 2007. And Fort Polk is home to what’s called JRTC, joint readiness training center, that’s where like, a lot of branches from the Army or units from different branches come down and train, either two weeks to thirty days inside like, a really, really rigorous jungle-ish desert atmosphere, I mean it’s — depending on the season of Louisiana, I mean it could be really, really hot or it could be really, really cold. Either way you’re in the jungle, so you know, and it’s one of the best climates to train for, you know, I mean that’s been there since Vietnam so I mean it still works today. (10:44) Interviewer: “So before we jump into your deployments I do have one question for clarification: you said 10th Mountain, why is it called that? Out of curiosity.” 10th Mountain is just one of the bigger divisions in the military, and then 10th Mountain Division is the most deployed division in the military out of all branches including the Army, it’s the most, number one deployed. Why they call it 10th Mountain I’m not a hundred percent sure, the home of 10th Mountain is based up in Fort Drum, New York, pretty close to the Canadian border where there’s a lot of rigorous hills and mountains. Interviewer: “Maybe it has something to do with that?” Right. Interviewer: “Something to look into.” Right. Interviewer: “So your deployments—” But I don’t know the whole hundred percent history of 10th Mountain Division. Interviewer: “Yeah, I mean can’t really expect you to.” �Right. (laughter) Interviewer: “So your first deployment in Afghanistan. What was that like, cause this was your first time out of the country right?” Yeah, yeah this is… so we left, I think it took us about three days to get to Bagram. So we flew just, you know, once we left we flew to like just a little couple different, like we flew into Ireland just to fill up the plane then we flew into Germany, filled up the plane then we flew into you know, jumped on the military planes and then got to the country, but we were at Kandahar for about two weeks before they sent us off to our little base camps. I don’t remember too much, like where at in the country we were at. Interviewer: “That’s okay.” But you know, we were pretty much all over the country of Afghanistan you know, basically what we called it, FOB hopping, our forward base camps, forward operating bases. We would just bounce you know, here for two weeks, here for two weeks, here… so we were all over the place. Interviewer: “What were you guys doing?” A lot of different things. Some… being a construction equipment operator, you know, there’s some roads that we would just fix, or there’s some villages that we would go and help repair roads — going, making roads up into the mountains to get the… you know, the Taliban or whatever, whoever they are now — Taliban when I was there. So basically going up you know, making roads and ditches and then the company, when I got to 10th Mountain, Fort Polk, there was about fifteen construction engineers. We were in a company of about 200 combat engineers, those guys were, you know… they look for bombs and they blow stuff up. Well we tear down buildings and we fix roads you know, that’s what… so we kind of correlate together, so pretty much you know, make roads and clear paths, basically that’s what we did. (13:58) Interviewer: “And how did the locals like you, I mean you’re fixing their infrastructure so?” Some were pretty cool, some weren’t. But we were in some really, really rural areas where you know, you can see a village probably about four or five miles away in between the mountains, you know you got a mountain here and a mountain here, and it’s just desert, flat land in between the two of you so… you know, you’re six miles away so… Interviewer: “So you never really interacted?” Never really encountered too many of ‘em, no. So you know, unless we’re like actually out on a mission and you know, and then we start either getting from you know taking fire from one side of the mountain or you know, or were there to assist another unit that’s been taking fire from some side of the mountains, but you know it’s a very, in my experience it was very weird in that country cause just how the layout was, but… I was only there for three months so… Interviewer: “Okay, so—” �So I didn’t have a whole lot of experience in that country, no. Interviewer: “Okay. And so you were different from the combat engineers, you were just doing infrastructure, road work, that sort of thing.” Pretty much. Interviewer: “Would you be like one of the forward guys since you have to build the road or would you—” You could say that, or there was times where the guys had to go up and blow debris out of the way, go in and rocks are covering the road or boulders or we’re trying to make a path through this mountain or through… and they’ll just go and blow it up and we’ll move the rubble and keep on going. Or there’s a bridge in the way and… Interviewer: “Gotta get … that.” Yeah, so we’ll see what we can do the fix the bridge or is it best just to take the bridge out and… what do we gotta do here, so… Interviewer: “So you’re sort of like quick problem-solvers, so to speak.” Oh yeah, absolutely. Gotta be. Interviewer: “So did you see much combat in Afghanistan?” Me personally no, not really. You know, when we were there for pretty much, when I was there for the first three months of the six-month time that we were there as a unit, it was pretty much more like getting the layout, feel of the land, coming over to this village helping out for a couple of a days and then just basically going around, making our presence known like, ‘Hey,’ you know, it was 2006, it was right after everything got hot in Afghanistan. But as we were there and starting to leave things got you know, picked back up but we would have really intermittent heat spurts between us and the enemy, so we’re just kind of basically hopping around, hearts and minds is basically where we were at, so… (17:02) Interviewer: “Sort of to show you know, ‘we’re not just here to destroy the place, we want to help too,’ and you’re fixing their roads and stuff.” Right, exactly. Right. Interviewer: “You weren’t paving roads though right, you were just making dirt roads.” No. Yeah, just pretty much fixing dirt roads, filling in potholes, you know, just making them nice. Interviewer: “Okay. So after that three months you went home.” Yeah. �Interviewer: “Home being back to Louisiana?” Yeah, so when I got hurt I came back to Louisiana for about a month, and then I came back to Michigan to be with my family for about two weeks, and then I went back to Louisiana. Interviewer: “Okay. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get hurt?” It was a really, really freak accident bro. I’ll just leave it at that. Interviewer: “Alright. So you get hurt, you get sent back.” Yeah. Interviewer: “But they — you still stayed in the Army after that?” Yes. Interviewer: “What did you do after that?” So after the injury it took me about two months to recover, I stayed with my unit, I still trained, still worked, put the uniform on, still drank everyday with the guys. (laughter) Nothing really changed, except for when it did come to the work aspect, putting on the uniform — what were my limitations you know, what I wanna do compared to what the doctor in my unit… command would allow me to do are on two separate paces, so you know, like the doctor, he wanted me at home, the unit wanted me at the company on light duty, me, I wanted to be in the fuckin’ field training, working with my guys, whether we’re either at the gun range playin’ in the mud or blowing stuff up, depending on… so, but you know, it took about an additional two weeks for me to get — or two months for me to [get back to] a hundred percent. Interviewer: “Okay. But you did — you did bounce back.” Yeah. Slowly, so you know, it was just slowly integrating back into that process. Interviewer: “And what rank were you at this point? Cause I know—” E4 at this time. Interviewer: “Okay, so you had some guys under you.” Yeah, so I got to Fort Polk in 2004, so I was there for two years before we even you know, deployed to our first unit out, when we got there we knew we were gonna get deployed, cause number one we’re 10th Mountain, 10th Mountain always gets deployed, and two, we’re the newest unit, 2 10th Mountain, they’re gonna send us first — before, you know, welcome to the shit, basically, here you go, you know. It’s not hazing but it’s… hazing. (laughter) You know? Here you go. Interviewer: “I get it.” Right, so I mean it’s pretty much how it went for us, but hey, job got done and we’re back, so… Interviewer: “Alright. So after that where’d you go?” �After Afghanistan? I stayed at Fort Polk, I did — I had a four-year contract with them, so I did my two years and then so I still had another two years. So in 2007 we deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. And then we were there for thirteen months, I reenlisted probably within six months of being downrange when my window opened, so you know, I took a signing bonus and — well, reenlistment signing bonus, and did another four years. Interviewer: “That’s how they get you.” Yeah, so you know either way I was either gonna be deadlocked, stuck in Iraq for thirteen months or I could’ve stayed in the Army for another four years, got a — got a really, really nice sign bonus, tax free, and then came home, and still would’ve had a military career for another two years, so that’s what I did. Interviewer: “So what was Iraq like?” Iraq was crazy. There was no day that was the same, no two days were ever the same. Every day was different, it was very unpredictable, you always had to be on your toes. There was a lot of dumb things that we did, when it came to like FOB protection and FOB security and… so you know, safety aspects, things got a little out of control but Iraq was really… yeah, it was definitely fun but it was intense. Interviewer: “Yeah, and FOB means forward operating base.” Forward operating base, yeah. (21:38) Interviewer: “So did you move around that country as much as you did—” No, no, we… once we got in we established [operations] about a couple miles right from the heart of Sadr City you know, we’re right in the west downtown Baghdad, like west side of Baghdad, it’s hot, it’s hard. We’re right in the city and nah, we stayed there for thirteen months, I mean the few of us would go to different FOBs to help like, the infantry or the artillery or you know, these guys and this unit, this unit, we’ll go there and help like, dig trenches for electrical or water, if they don’t have good access to paved roads we’ll do our best to get ‘em better access you know, otherwise they’re just driving on very fine moondust basically. Dust particles from the sand, so… Interviewer: “Did you… so you’re doing kind of similar stuff to what you were doing in Afghanistan, just like helping infrastructure.” Right. Right, but yeah, instead of being out in the country now we’re doing everything in the city, so instead of like digging a lot of roads or paving roads, or you know, fixing roads, we’re more cleaning up trash and pushing crap off the road so that people can drive on the roads, so that we can drive on the roads, cause everything’s a hazard over there I mean, they put bombs in everything. It’s no joke. Interviewer: “That had to be a scary job then.” �You know, we’ll put concrete barriers just to, you know route traffic ‘cause I mean they have no… structure, like they don’t give a shit. They drive, you can get thirty cars driving one way and you’ll get fifteen cars driving head-on to ‘em, nobody cares. Interviewer: “That’s scary.” They don’t care. They do not care you know, or you’ll get ten cars driving one way and a guy in a donkey you know, pulling a cart of milk would drive right through the … like what are you doing? They don’t care. Interviewer: “So what were the locals like then? Cause I mean you had to interact with them.” Oh, some were cool, some didn’t like us, some were really, really awesome, the kids were really cool, if we did have the chance to interact you know, we played soccer with a lot of ‘em during certain times, we had a lot of different locals work with us, so they’d bring their kids you know, so we got to interact and… but some just didn’t like us, I mean I totally understand you know, I get it. But you know, you just gotta deal with it. Interviewer: “So did anything like super notable happen to your unit while you were there, or just a lot of trash cleaning?” (24:25) I mean… our unit, our guys were what’s on called route clearance. So their job for the whole thirteen months while we were there, our combat engineers, their guys’ job was just going around looking for roadside bombs. When I first got to — when we first got there in 07’ I got attacked, cause I was the platoon gunner for my guys, for our construction, well second platoon needed a M240 Bravo machine gun, and I’m like, ‘Well, I’ll go sir, but I’m not giving you my weapon,’ you know if you want my weapon you’re gonna take me and I’m gonna go on the mission. You know, not giving you my gun, I’m not going into this war gun-less, no, that’s not how this is working. So for about nine months I did route clearance, me personally. I wasn’t really attached to my guys per say, but there was some missions I would go on with my construction guys but I was [primarily] route clearance for the nine months I was there. Interviewer: “Okay, so that’s leaning a bit more closer to the combat engineer aspect.” Yeah, yeah. Interviewer: “And did you find a lot of bombs?” We found a lot of bombs. There was one point I think when we were there, we found the most in a certain amount of time than other units that were throughout, but then again you know, we’re right in the heart of the city and it’s getting hot. Like, you know, this is when the whole eruption of Sadr city, we’re barricading Sadr city, like my guys are going into Sadr City, so it got really hot in Iraq at this time. Interviewer: “And what was that like for you?” I mean, some days were better than others but you know, I had a job to do. You know, I had guys that needed me and that I needed so, here we are together, so… �Interviewer: “So what’d you do for the last four months of the deployment?” I pretty much… for the last four I was right back with my construction guys, that’s when we went into Sadr city and we started barricading and blocking off parts of Sadr city so nobody could come in, nobody could come out. Interviewer: “Why were you guys doing that?” Cause of how insurg— you know, like all Al-Qaeda, Taliban, whatever you want to call the insurgent you know, how heavily populated they were into that area, you know, we just wanted to kind of confine them so that we can control the situation and you know, mandate the peace. Interviewer: “Was that hard to do?” Yeah! Yes, very, very hard. I mean, I don’t blame ‘em. You know, of course they’re gonna rebel and fight the fuck back, you know, I would too, but… you know, I’m there to stop you from doing what you want to do in the first place, but you know you just don’t listen and respond to the word ‘No,’ so we have to take different matters, and this is not where I want to go with it but… you know. Interviewer: “Yeah. And I can imagine, you probably had a lot of people who had nothing to do with this conflict—” Pissed off! Oh absolutely they were pissed off, I totally understand. Totally understand. I mean, I was pissed off too, like I lost some really good friends because of this shit, so… you know. (27:54) Interviewer: “So anything else in that deployment you think’s worth mentioning for this?” You know, being… I mean, what I thought was really, really cool about being over in Iraq is we got the opportunity to constantly do missions in and around the Baghdad University areas, so we got to go to the colleges and we got to see some of the tributes that Saddam Hussein built for military personnel across the world throughout… you know, history! In the last four decades, three decades. That he had monuments built, so we got to see those and you know, there’s a thing that the military does that’s called R&R, rest and recover, so we got to spend three days at … one of the kids’ palaces, that was the shit. Interviewer: “I’ll bet.” That was legit. Walk in, huge crystal, gold chandeliers, Olympic-size swimming pool in the back yard, surrounded my gorgeous palm trees and then as soon as you take a step outside you’re just in trash, like trash filled everywhere. Interviewer: “That’s so sad!” It’s like dude, whatever, you guys are… good for you guys. Interviewer: “So you just got to spend like three days in an Olympic-sized swimming pool?” �Yeah, I mean it was legit, so like you know, one of the rules was like no rank can be thrown around, but you have to keep your military bearing, but like you know, here you are having… throwing a volleyball or a football around with some major, some lieutenant colonel that you have no idea who the hell he is or what unit he’s from, but who cares, you know? Interviewer: “Yeah! It’s an experience.” Or you got some like, private, brand new kid that just showed up and has never, you know… eighteen-year-old kid that’s never seen combat before, he’s been nothing but for the last three months now, you know… he’s getting something hot to eat for the first time in three months, so he doesn’t know what to do, yeah, no, it’s cool to see that. Interviewer: “Yeah, I bet.” And definitely need that little break, but… you know. Interviewer: “How often would you get that?” For me… we got quite a few breaks, I mean we had some pretty decent luxuries, I mean it was 2007 so technology was pretty advanced especially for the military so I mean we had phones on our base camp you know, just prepaid phones and then we had internet access as well so I mean… Interviewer: “That’s pretty awesome.” Comms being back to the States was way legit, you know getting care packages at least once or twice a week was pretty normal you know, it probably took the mail maybe about a month to catch up and then it was right there every day, so… it was pretty legit, I give it to ‘em. But definitely seeing the country, seeing the Euphrates river, seeing the Tigres river, and just knowing the history that’s been there since the beginning of the world you know, these are substructures of our world that’s been there and it’s just kind of cool seeing it, but like you can definitely see the destruction and devastation that mankind has put on some of these places over the course of… the beginning of time, like the rivers are just filled with trash, the university is probably one of the most gorgeous things about Iraq I’ve ever seen, it’s just the layout of the campus and how clean the campus and you know, the people that go to school there, like girls walk around in little shorts, it’s legit dude. So people, guys walking around in tank tops and tshirts you know, like there— Interviewer: “It’s not what you expect!” It’s like totally out of the norm, then you go a block down the street you know, everyone’s all straight. Straight faced, angry, only showing their eyes… you know. (32:34) Interviewer: “So after that you went home.” Yeah, so when we got back in 2009, January 1st, 2009, I got orders in February — cause I reenlisted in Iraq — I got orders to go to Fort Leonard Wood and be an AIT instructor, at 554 �which is the same exact company that I had when I graduated AIT five years prior to, now. So here I am, gonna be an instructor for the same thing that I did. Interviewer: “Okay. So you’ve kinda gone full circle at this point.” Yeah, pretty much. So right back to where I started. Interviewer: “Okay. So what was that like?” It was hell. It was horrible. I hated it, it ruined my career. Interviewer: “Really?” Yeah, I did not like it at all. Coming back, you know I — strict discipline, when I became an AIT instructor I was not a drill sergeant. So I’m just regular permanent party NCO, so I kind of lost that mentality, that emphasis of the NCO because here I am training soldiers on how to do their job, but I don’t have the drill sergeant credibility. I just have a basic, ‘Oh, he’s just some NCO.’ ‘Oh, he’s a drill sergeant, oh, he’s this.’ You know, here I am just E-5, E-6s are getting the same look, but you know, the military — especially the Army — lost a lot of their bearing. They got really, really soft. So when I got there, you know, my first sergeant, during the safety brief, he’s like, ‘You gotta say please, you gotta say thank you, you can’t yell, you can’t scream, if you have any problems you gotta take it to this person, and if it doesn’t go there you gotta take it to me,’ he’s like, ‘This is a whole new Army,’ he’s like, ‘where before we could get in your face and yell,’ he’s like, ‘this is not how it is.’ And I mean that’s how they did it to me, I mean they were in my face yelling and I understand, I disagree but I agree with it at certain times, but sometimes you have to get into somebody’s face and be like, ‘Look, if you don’t understand why I’m having you do this, it’s cause somebody’s life is going to die. It could be mine, it could be yours, it could be somebody else’s, who knows. This is why this needs to be done, because people’s lives are at stake.’ You know, we’re not talking about making fries or something stupid (laughter) but you know, having this whole new mentality like, you know where the soldiers now above me… I disagree with that standard. Totally disagree, cause I cannot train you if: one, you won’t let me train you, and two, you keep not doing everything I say. Like, if I tell you, ‘Hey, this needs to get done,’ or ‘Hey, I want you go do this,’ or ‘Hey, this is how we’re gonna do this exercise, this is what you’re going to do,’ — and you tell me no, and I can’t argue you? Then why am I here? Why am I here to train you if I can’t train you? Interviewer: “I completely understand.” (35:51) No, I’m done. I’m done. Interviewer: “So at this point you were E-5?” Yeah. Interviewer: “And that’s just.. after that you just didn’t want to be in the Army anymore?” Well, I wanted out. Like I wanted to get back into a FORSCOM, I really wanted to get back into deployments, I wanted to get back you know, to what I knew the Army was. Like FORSCOM was starting to change and I wanted to get back to possibly getting back downrange so I put in a �lot of different paperworks to get into different units, but… you know, I just didn’t. My two years there, got out, done. Interviewer: “Alright.” I miss it, I mean it sucked but you know, the Army just wouldn’t let me get back to FORSCOM, they wanted me to stay in TRADOC and it’s like, ‘No, I don’t wanna stay here, this is not what I want to do, so I’m done.’ Interviewer: “So what’d you do after you got out?” Me… I got married when we got back from Iraq, so me and my wife, and then we had our daughter when I was at Leonard Wood for the two years, we ended up having a child. So the three of us, we moved up north towards Traverse City area where she’s from, and then I started working a couple different jobs and then I got into — I heard about the whole Montgomery G.I., post 9/11, … programs, through connections as I’m trying to go through the VA system. So I applied for college up in Traverse City, got into that for automotive, I did that for three years I was up there, once me and the ex-wife — we got divorced in 2013 — things got really, really rough for me, and then 2015 I just finished the automotive program, me and one of my buddies, we opened up an auto shop together up in Traverse City, there’s three of us that did that. And I don’t know if you want to call it like a midlife crisis-type aspect but that’s kind of what I went through, but instead of being on a positive note I actually went inpatient therapy for a couple months down at Battle Creek VA Hospital, which was really amazing and — cause it was there, when I was there for about a month and a half — one of the doctors pulled me off the side, told me about VOC rehab and what I was doing [with] my education, and applied to Grand Valley, got into it, here I am! Interviewer: “So the VA actually like really helped you?” (38:39) On certain aspects yeah, absolutely. Absolutely they did. You know, once I got into finding the people in the VA that wanted to help it was easy. But finding the help was really hard, cause I’ve had many people in the VA system that are just ruthless, like they should not even be affiliated with… they should be working at McDonalds’ is what they should be doing. Interviewer: “Yeah, we’ve heard a lot of…” Horror stories. Interviewer: “Yeah.” Yeah, I bet you have. Interviewer: “Alright, well that pretty much wraps us up. I do want to ask one last question cause I always ask this to people, would you do it again?” Yes. I would. I really would, you know, I would — if I had it my way, or if some people — I know a few people who would even agree, I think there’s two things that every American citizen needs to do. Either one, they need to do two years in the military, or right after high school they need �to go into college. And if they don’t go into college right after high school or within a year or two after high school, then they have to go into the military. For at least two years. Interviewer: “So like South Korea?” Right, or like Switzerland — one of the most peaceful, beautiful countries in the world. Every citizen joins the military for two years. And then they get medical and education benefits, Switzerland’s medical is one of the best in the world. We’re the worst, so we need to do something. Interviewer: “Alright, this will actually be the last question, I promise. I wanna ask this specifically cause you’re a father. If your daughter grew up and said she wanted to join the Army, would you say yes? I know that’s kind of a tough question.” The Army… I would dispute the hell out of. One, because for me the things that I accrued over the time in the Army, I love the Army, I love my friends in the Army, but everything I did in the Army means nothing in society. It doesn’t mean — I cannot get a job in construction, I can’t get a job working equipment, you know I have to get back to school [for] either one to get trained, or I have to start on the totem pole holding a flag on the side of the road, and slowly find one of those managers that’s willing to talk to me for thirty seconds so I can show ‘em, ‘Hey, this is what I did in the military, can I jump on this piece of equipment?” Interviewer: “Yeah.” That’s very hard to do. You know, I could go and pay to have all my certs and then go get that job, but that’s gonna be about $15,000 out of pocket. Interviewer: “Yikes.” So the Army no, I would definitely encourage college first. You know, that way, one, if she wants to go in the military they’ll finish paying off her college, and two she can get advancement in rank you know, she can go off cert and make four times more than what I made. Interviewer: “Yeah.” Or pick a different branch. Do a branch that means something. Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard. What you do in those branches sticks with you [for] your life. Marines and Army, you’re on their terms. Interviewer: “Alright, so that wraps us up.” Alright brother. Interviewer: “Thank you!” [END] � 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 BaldwinJ2302V Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Baldwin, Jeff Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-04 Title A name given to the resource Baldwin, Jeff (Interview transcript and video), 2019 Description An account of the resource Jeff Baldwin was born in Royal Oak, Michigan and grew up in Hartford, Michigan. He enlisted in the Army in 2004, two years after he graduated high school. He went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training and advanced individual training to be a construction equipment operator. After that, he went to Fort Polk, Louisiana and was assigned to the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. Baldwin was deployed to Afghanistan in 2006, where he worked to fix roads and clear routes of barriers and threats. After three months, he was injured and sent back to the base in Louisiana. After he recovered, he went to Baghdad, Iraq in 2007 for his second deployment. He stayed there for thirteen months, again working mostly in route clearance because IED’s were more of a threat. While in Iraq, he visited a palace for three days for R&R. He also reenlisted in Iraq and returned home in 2009. Baldwin finished out his service at Fort Leonard Wood as an advanced individual training instructor. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Leroy-Rollins, Koty (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States—History, Military Veterans Video recordings Afghan War, 2001-2021—Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401. Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c9df3d58950310306d90f79a2474885a.mp4 9e0ab08a7264f8a3144a05d478b0c235 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dbd2b7816011b4e6f6f0e902b8054b98.pdf 7627c8454809b52a851e719c2a6ce1ad PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW RALPH BALDWIN Born: Grand Rapids, MI Resides: Interviewed by: Frank Boring, GVSU Veterans History Project, Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, November 7, 2011 Interviewer: If we could begin with your name and where and when you were born? Ralph B. Baldwin and I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the 6th of June 1912. Interviewer: which makes you today, ninety-two years old. Right Interviewer: There is a lot I would like to cover, in terms of your life, but given the restriction of this being a military history. If we can begin with Pearl Harbor and you can explain where were you and what were your circumstances when you first heard about Pearl Harbor? I was an instructor in the Department of Astronomy at Northwestern University. I had registered for the draft and immediately after Pearl Harbor I was put on a list of people that were not going to be drafted, but they assigned me to teach navigation. 1:22 I had to work like a dog to keep ahead of my students and I didn’t like it because I couldn’t see any sense in spending the entire war teaching navigation. In March, the March after Pearl Harbor, I received a telephone call from Robley Williams, a man who had been a professor at the University of Michigan and he said in a fact, “we have a job for you”, and I said, “What is it?” He said, “none of your business, but we want you to come down to Washington for an interview”. I did and it was one of the most unusual interviews I 1 �have ever had. We talked about everything except what I was going to do. We had to listen to some of Robley Williams terrible puns, which were no where near as good as mine, and I went home without learning a darn thing about what they wanted. 2:36 In about two weeks I got another call from Robley and he said the FBI had checked me out as ok, and he said, “come on down”. Interviewer: Now, you had a family at this time, right? I had a wife and a son. Interviewer: Ok I talked it over with Lois before the second call and decided we would accept the offer if it did come through, and when it came through we packed up and it was almost the end of the semester, so we finished the semester and drove from Evanston to Grand Rapids, said goodbye to my parents, drove to Silver Spring, Maryland, which is at the north point of the district, and I was with the laboratory for about five years. 3:34 Interviewer: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves; you had no idea what you were going to be asked to do? I had no idea whether I was even going to be paid for it. Interviewer: Let’s talk about your arrival then. Where were you living? Robley had found a house for us, which we rented for three months and had to get out because the people were coming back. We rented another house, stayed there for a year, year and a half and on our youngest son’s second birthday we moved into a house that we bought. Interviewer: So I assume that you were getting paid then? 2 �I was getting paid, actually, the tremendous sum of a little over four thousand dollars a year. 4:28 Interviewer: Let’s talk about the first day. You’re in Washington, what was your first day at work like, so to speak? I drove and had to park on the street—I couldn’t even park at the laboratory, Applied Physics Laboratory, I couldn’t part in their region, walked in the front door and was immediately met by a man about six feet seven or eight and built accordingly, and he wanted to know what my business was and I gave him Robley’s name. Robley came down and maybe for the next hour and a half we spent discussing the secrecy and how they really didn’t want to shoot me if gave some stories out about it. Then they took me in to meet the man who was to be my boss for the next four years. 5:32 His name was McAllister and he was a marvelous individual. Interviewer: What was the first day like? You mentioned that they briefed you and what not; did you get a chance to see the operation? Were you restricted to one room? I never was restricted to one room, but people were working enough, so they didn’t wander around. My first day, they put me in a laboratory where they were analyzing test Proximity Fuses. They would take the fuse apart; I would, and spread out the inwards, so that laboratory scientists could find out what failed or what succeeded. Interviewer: So this program was already, perhaps in it’s infancy, but it still had already started when you came? 6.36 The program started in England. In 1940 the British found that they had a few airplanes, Spitfires, etc., and they were better than the German planes, but they had so few of them, 3 �and their anti-aircraft gunnery was terrible. It was just as good as the Americans or the Germans, but with an ordinary time fuse, which is sort of an alarm clock set for a time sufficient to allow the shot to get close to an enemy plane, and we had about three hundred parts as an estimate composing one Proximity Fuse. 7:40 I use that term Proximity Fuse, but I haven’t defined it. It’s in the nose of a shell, it is fired from a cannon and the one that we used for the navy, was the navy 5 inch 38, and the one for the army was the 90mm, a little smaller. The work was being done exclusively on the navy fuse because the naval fleet had been badly hurt at Pearl Harbor and we just couldn’t allow it to be destroyed. We’d have lost the war, I think, if that happened. We had to make sure that every one of those three hundred parts could stand the shock of being fired from a gun, a canon. 8:37 Those shells were fired at a speed of about 2700 feet per second and the gravity equivalent was, if I remember correctly, somewhere around 20,000 G, or 20,000 times the force of gravity. The fuse had to go through all of that, but every one of those parts had to operate as though it were on a breadboard in the laboratory, and it was an almost impossible job. 9:27 For years, about two, we didn’t have much success; we’d get maybe ten or fifteen percent operability. The navy wanted a minimum test firing of fifty percent success and we didn’t get that until the late fall of 1942. Interviewer: Now, you’re mentioning navy, perhaps they thought of it as a priority, but what about the army and the rest of the military branches? We did nothing on the army fuse, or the British navy and army, until we made the navy fuse operable, and then they—it was always in the planning, but the difficulty was twofold really. There wasn’t just one gun, but the navy had a 5 inch 25 and a 5 inch 38 4 �and the 5 inch 54, each one, of which, gave a different kind of shock and we had to get fuses, which would operate, first on the 5 inch 38, which was the standard gun for the navy. 10:46 We didn’t do anything for maybe six months after I got there on the 90mm for the U.S. Army, we did nothing for the British Army until after the American Army was taken care of. We did work on the British fuse, which, except for the battery, which produced the electric power, and it’s works, which was the same as the American Mark 32 for the 5 inch cannon. 11:29 Interviewer: I find this fascinating because if you look at the face of it you’re figuring on putting a device into a shell and it’s going to shoot off, but it’s far more complex than that because you have different caliber guns, you have different uses, you have different branches of the military. The navy isn’t the same as the army, so all these factors had to be taken into account. Every one, and we fired, actually, about a million and a half shells in testing. We made, over the whole war twenty seven million Proximity Fuses sent out for use. Interviewer: I understand they did they get allocated out? The navy got so many, the army got so many? The navy had the highest priority all through the war, and they got whatever they needed. Interviewer: Let’s go back to the first days on the job. We’ve established that this was a program started by the British; now you’re taking it on to try to perfect it, what kind of numbers of people are we talking about on this team? 12:32 The laboratory started with about five or six people at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism in Washington, and by the time I got there we had moved over into a used car garage in Silver Spring, Maryland, which we modified and enlarged tremendously. 5 �When I got there we had about a hundred people, almost. We spent approximately a billion dollars on this program, but we never had more than about eight hundred people at any one time. Interviewer: Now in your group it’s self, when you come to work, how many people were in your immediate area? We weren’t segregated in that sense and I had actually—at no time during the war did I have more than about fifteen people working with me. 13:58 Interviewer: Now, were these individuals all working on the same project or did they have individual projects that all tied into the main project? I can’t answer that off hand without getting into the type of work that we were doing. As I said earlier the fuse for the U.S. Navy had the highest priority. One day in March of 1942, I was driving down to the Army War College and the thought occurred to me, “Will these things burst over land by the influence of the land or over water, which is the way we test them, or by the reflection of a radio wave from an enemy plane?” 15:05 Each fuse sent out a radio wave and when it is reflected back it is detected by the same tube, oscillator tube, that sent it out, but the reflective wave is in a little different wavelength because of the Doppler effect. The shell is moving relative to the target, whether it’s land or water or a plane. When that reflected wave is compared to the one that is sent out, a beat note is sent up, and the beat note has a frequency about the same as the wave length of sound and when the beat note is at the right point, the right velocity and the right intensity, it tells the fuse, “now”. 16:07 A switch operated, it allowed an electric current from the battery to go through a little squib. A tiny squib, which is an explosive charge, maybe three eighth of an inch high and a quarter inch—through a hole 6 �near the bottom of the fuse and set off about a quarter inch of tetrol at the very base of the fuse. That blew up and set off the explosive charge of the shell. Now let me diverge a little bit. That all happened automatically, in other words, the target committed suicide. They didn’t know it, but that’s what they were doing. The shell is moving close to two thousand feet a second when it passes the plane. If you take a shell in the laboratory, burst it with it’s full charge of explosive, most of the fragments go our directly sideways. 17:24 Because the shell is moving, they go forward and when they get out about seventy-five to eighty feet from the shell, they have converged until the path of the fragments is about twenty, maybe twenty-five feet wide. The plane has to be in those twenty-five feet or the fragments will miss it, but at two thousand feet a second that is an extremely small time. If the fuse did not operate quickly enough the fragments would miss the plane and you would have the worlds most expensive form of self-destroying ammunition. 18:18 That meant that the plane—the shell going past the plane, the fragments out there twenty-five feet wide had—call it twenty feet, and it’s going at two thousand feet per second, you got about a hundredth of a second and if you had a fuse that operated in two hundredths of a second, you’re going to get a miss. 19:06 Interviewer: Yes, and you had mentioned earlier about the tests in the laboratory, that the fragments would go out to the side opposed to when it was moving forward they would go forward. I’m trying to picture this. We’re talking about a real explosion in the lab? It wasn’t in the lab building, I’m sorry—no, no this was outdoors and what they did was they made a table, set the fuse on the table here and out here fifty feet, or something like 7 �that, was a fence, solid wood, and they set it off electrically and counted where the fragments went. Interviewer: That’s brilliant, so you had—forgive me because I’m really trying to visualize this. How many tests of that particular period of time you were trying to solve these problems, are you talking every day they would be tested or every week? 20:06 Well, they would determine the pattern that was typical for each shell and actually, in that that particular time and actually, in that particular thing, they were all pretty similar. Interviewer: I apologize for moving so quickly here, but we have limited time and there’s so much to cover. Was there a moment or a particular period in the very beginning stages of your work there where you felt that a breakthrough was made, something that was accomplished beyond the testing, the testing, and the testing? The British started, they developed a theory, but they never could make a really successful fuse. 21:00 When we came into the war, considerably later, the British gave us all of their information, they had the theory and it was correct. They had proven if everything went right, and it might be only one or two percent of the time in the early stages, that they were on the right track. When they gave it to us they were getting maybe fifteen or twenty percent operability, but they were at war and we weren’t, so we took the program over and some of their men came over to help us get started. Interviewer: Was there a period, or a moment, in the very early stages where you felt yourself that a breakthrough had been made, that you were now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel? 22:00 8 �One thing that had to be demonstrated, and the British had done it and we redid it--we would fire shell vertically and they would come down base first. If your shell comes down base first, hits the ground, it will penetrate for maybe two feet, and the shell will be protecting the fuse because of their relative positions. Early in the game they fired in a 57mm gun, the test fuses and they found that some of them would survive with parts good. Well, if some of them would survive we were doing something right, and we knew very early that we could find out what we were doing wrong because the principle was correct. 22:59 Interviewer: Looking back on it, this is very exciting, but I imagine the daily routine could be tedious, or was there a general excitement all the way through this? In writing my books I contacted a great many of the people who were still left, and almost without exception and without prodding, they thought their work at the laboratory was of vital importance and a thrilling top spot in their lives. We were not bored. 23:43 Interviewer: Good, where were you when the first successful test was made? Were you still at the same place? I was at Northwestern that was done before I got there. Interviewer: You were talking about how the navy had the priority and all, but was the navy the first one then to actually get a fuse that worked? Yes, and the first battle use of the fuse was on the fifth of January 1943, and not far from Guadalcanal. The American small fleet had been bombarding a Japanese camp, or whatever you call it, on some island down there and was returning to the area of Guadalcanal at night, no I’m wrong, this was a daytime thing, and three Japanese planes came right down with the sun behind them. 25:00 They weren’t seen by radar or 9 �visually until they dropped their bombs. One of the bombs hit the Achilles, which was an Australian [British] cruiser, and the other two missed the U.S. cruiser Helena, and fortyfive seconds from the time of sighting, the Helena had its anti-aircraft guns working, and on the second shot they got the Japanese plane. They had a search because they wanted to get that plane if they could, but it sank. They recovered the pilot and they brought him back to the Helena, and as he came up the gangway he pulled out his pistol and shot himself. 26:06 That was the first battle use of any Proximity Fuse. Interviewer: Now, lets try to understand the physics of this. In the past, before the Proximity Fuse was designed, if a Japanese plane was coming toward an American cruiser, you would basically be shooting at it like you would at a carnival or something, you’re just trying to hit the target? There were two ways, and neither of them good. They were all that our fleet, or any other fleet had. They had fuses that would go off by contact. Well, your chance of hitting a plane moving very rapidly with that type of fuse were practically zero. They had another fuse, which in effect had an alarm clock set in the nose and you could set that for whatever time you wanted up to twenty-five seconds flight time. 27:18 The idea being to get the shell to pass within about seventy-five feet of an enemy plane and to burst at that instant, just an instant as it’s passing. Well, that time fuse was better, but it was not good, and every navy had those. 27:46 Interviewer: So, the enemy’s coming in and the shells are blowing up and their just concentrating on whatever area you’re shooting at. It’s not being attracted to— It’s not being attracted, the shell is independent, and once you fire it, you committed it to a given path. 10 �Interviewer: So, now what is the difference with the Proximity Fuse that you’ve designed? The Proximity Fuse, in it’s nose, has a first, four tube, and later a five tube, radio tubes, glass, and the shock of firing activates a battery and eliminates certain safety’s that are built in, so the shell won’t burst if you fire it from the tail end of your own ship, you don’t hit the bow. Interviewer: So, this now goes and seeks out—what is it seeking? 28:53 It doesn’t seek anything, you’ve committed to a path and that path is reasonably close to the target and all the time it’s flying the shell will be emitting a radio wave, and that radio wave is reflected off the plane to the target and back, and detected by the same tube that started it. It will develop that beat note that I mentioned , and if the beat note is right and the intensity is right it starts a series of three little explosions and those explosions have to be so fast that the fragments from the bursting shell, following a path only about twenty-five feet wide out in the distance of the plane, and the plane has to be in that area. 30:00 Interviewer: Now you were mentioning earlier about glass tubes, and I understand that you were involved in the development of that. No, I was not involved in that type of research at all. The glass tubes were about equal in size to the metal part that holds the rubber on a wooden pencil, to give you an idea of the size. We made triodes and tetrodes, and one of them was a—well, it’s a particular type of a fuse that acts as a switch. When everything is right that switch operates and the whole thing blows up. Interviewer: Ok, so in terms of the parts, this is what we’re talking about, right? 11 �Yes Interviewer: Is this the one that was developed for the navy or is this a different one? No Interviewer: So this is different. 31:00 The one that was developed for the navy had a bigger area here. It was two inches instead of an inch and a half and we could use a battery that was considerably bigger and more rugged than the one that had to be used in this. We finally had to develop a completely new type of battery, which the electrolyte was in a little glass tube, that glass tube had to resist the firing, we didn’t want to activate it too soon, resist the handling before the firing I mean to say, and the spin of the shell, and the 90mm rotates around four times a second, the spin distributes that electrolyte among a whole series of battery plates, and within about a tenth of a second of firing, the fuse is operable. It was the safest fuse ever developed. 32:09 We never had a bore burst, where it bursts in the gun, and there were less early bursts outside the gun than in any other type of fuse. Interviewer: You know I find this remarkable because from my understanding, and forgive me because my understanding of science is limited, but the complexity of this is, and would seem to me, almost be automatic that problems would happen and that something would blow up before it got out of the bore of a gun, or something, but you overcame that. That was our job, to eliminate that type of happening, because if you eliminate a premature burst, you got a good shell going on and can still work. 33:04 12 �Interviewer: That makes sense now, but I’m just trying to picture going through all the imaginations and making sure that nothing happens. A big part of our laboratory group were people who were working on individual parts of a fuse. Everyday we would test. We would test operability, we would shoot them vertically, so we could recover the shell to find out what failed and what didn’t fail and if it failed, what could we do to change it? Interviewer: This looks like a piece of metal with some green plastic on it. What is it really? The plastic is the plastic called Ethos-cellulose. We started using Lucite, and we found out very quickly that the Lucite wasn’t strong enough and it would break, and when it would break we had a “dud”. We found—when I came back to the laboratory with that report, I went to the engineers, and they said, “we haven’t got anything that’s better than Lucite”, and I said, “You have to find something”. 34:16 They came back in a few days and said they had located a supplier of a plastic called Ethos-cellulose, and that plastic is strong enough—it has one weakness, it will, over a period of time, allow moisture to get in and that’s a whole story in it’s self how we solved that, but it was solved and all of the army, navy fuses, that went to battle use, had that type of a nose. 34:58 Interviewer: Now, without getting into too much detail, what’s in here? What kind of pieces are in here? There’s a battery in there. There’s a battery in the lower part, above it is a five tube radio set, one tube is an oscillator to send out a wave, this cap in the inner part, is isolated from this, so we have— and this really becomes part of the shell, so we have a flying antennae out there radiating and detecting the radio wave. 35:41 We had one group, which was working on 13 �eliminating failures in practically every component. There were something like three hundred components in each fuse. Now, there are multiple numbers in some of those. The fuse has to operate perfectly to have any chance of bringing down a target. 36:18 Interviewer: All those parts have to work in conjunction with each other. One can’t fail and if one fails is there---? Once in a while something fails, but it isn’t critical. Most of the time if it misses the fuse is a dud or it bursts. Let me give you a little statistics here. If you have a fuse, which statistically will operate perfectly at fifty percent, you can use it and it will be more effective than any other method. 37:34 It will actually, I’m saying this wrong. If every one of the three hundred components except one, is good, but that one is bad, you will get a fuse that operates about four percent of the time. If you have ten times better, it will operate somewhere around fifty percent of the time. 38:16 Operate rightly, and if you have another factor of ten good parts, it will operate about ninety-five percent of the time properly. Our job is to get the thing better than the fifty percent, and we did. The navy fuses and the army anti aircraft fuse were fired from these high velocity guns, big shocks, and we got them to be operable about seventy percent of the time. Interviewer: That’s remarkable When we got into the anti-personnel fuses over land, we started at about eighty percent operability, based on the work that had been done on the anti-aircraft fuses, and they were averaging between ninety and ninety-five percent for the big part of the war. 39:22 Interviewer: This may sound like a stupid question, but I want to make it clear in my own mind, are all the shells that are shooting at an airplane or that are shooting at a target, do they all have these on them or do only a few of them? 14 �Well, they were operating against an enemy plane. The fuse had to operate; also they had to know that the gun was pointed in the right direction. If you see a plane over here and you’re here, you don’t shoot at the plane, you shoot at where the plane is going to be when the shell gets there. It’s an extremely complicated proposition, so that’s why fifty percent operability is borderline. 40:16 We were getting better and better gun directors during the war. Some other people made some and we developed one for the navy that were—let me put it a little bit differently. The gun directors that the navy had when the war started were pretty good, but they took about twenty-five seconds to go through the routine of saying, “shoot it here”. Interviewer: It’s the guy standing there, letting the communications department know to shoot at a particular target? Yes Interviewer: I interviewed on of those gentlemen right in this very room. I wonder if he said anything like this. The Japanese found that it took that twenty-five seconds to have the director really line up on the—so every thirty seconds they changed their courses. 41:25 We developed a new gun director, which took 4.6 seconds to line up and the Japs didn’t know about it, and we shot down large numbers of Japanese planes with this new gun director. The same fuses we were using before, but they were much more effective. Interviewer: When you see on a documentary, or you watch one of these gun battles and you see the tracer bullets are being shot out— Those are all small, usually around 40mm guns. You’ve seen pictures of them and they go Bing, Bing, Bing? 15 �Interviewer: Yes They had contact fuses in them. 42:12 Interviewer: Ok They used the tracers to change-Interviewer: Yes, to see to course of what they were shooting, but these are heavier guns that you’re talking about. These are all-- nothing smaller than about a three inch. We took out too much of the explosives. Interviewer: Now, the ones that were used in the Pacific by the navy, we’re talking about the Okinawa Campaign, Leyte Gulf, were they used at Leyte? They were used in Leyte and it was in Leyte that they really started using the—the Japanese started using these Kamikaze planes and the Kamikazes, in a sense, did us a favor. If we didn’t have the fuse, they would have taken our fleet right out of the water, but they did have these fuses that in order to aim at the target they would have to go into a gliding path toward the aircraft carrier or battleship, or whatever it was. 43:18 They were on a path that allowed us to set those guns with accuracy and we shot down—well, I have a tape from Admiral Arleigh Burke and he was praising the fuse and telling how it shot down the Japanese planes by the dozens. In the battle of the Philippine Sea, they had what they called the Marianas Turkey Shoot and in the Turkey shoot a large number of planes were shot down. Some by our own aircraft, and a lot of them by the Proximity Fuse. Some of those were Kamikazes. 44:11 On that day, Japan lost, really, its fleet. The aircraft, we shot out about four hundred total, altogether, Japanese planes in those two days. 16 �Interviewer: I know two individuals who I’m sure would like to shake your hand. One of them was on the Hale and on of them was on the Franklin and they both survived. I wish I could get the true story of what happened on the Franklin. The navy people insist that it was a bomb that came and penetrated the deck and caught planes on the deck and below deck, all gassed up, and others called it a Kamikaze plane that came in. 45:16 I’ve had people from the Franklin give me two different stories. Interviewer: Well, the gentlemen I interviewed was, and there’s a pretty famous story about this group of 300 that were caught below, and rescued out and he was one of those and he stated that the Kamikazes were already coming in, but the explosions that they experiences were because the airplanes that were already in there, the American planes that were all gassed up, all those just exploded, that’s what he said. Well, what happened to the Franklin, and it survived under its own power and went back to the United States, but what happened to the Franklin is almost exactly the same thing that happened to the Japanese planes at Midway. We caught them with their planes on the deck. 46:10 Interviewer: the gentleman from the hale was, as you call them, a director. In fact his name is King Doyle, I don’t know if you know him. In Lowell he owns the King Flour Mill. I will bring it up. Interviewer: It would be fascinating, maybe the next time you get up here we will have to get you three guy in a room together. That would be an interesting 17 �conversation. You said the navy was the priority, so you got the navy one completed, but then you created one for shooting over land, and this created different problems. They were developed rather quickly because we had a long history of solving problems that were not quite as severe because a shell that is designed to burst above ground and fragment, will be fired at a lower muzzle velocity and therefore, a lower shock at firing. The anti-personnel fuses were largely, in this model, and they started at about eighty percent operability. 47:26 They moved up, until around the end of the war we were getting around ninety-five percent operability. I have a copy of a letter from General Patton, and he makes a statement that they caught a group of German soldiers trying to get across the Rhine, and with a time on target, oh I think it must have been more than just one time on target, they counted, by actual count, seven hundred and two dead Germans from that one. 48:17 Then he closed his letter by saying, “I think when all nations get this weapon we’ll have to devise new methods of warfare”. Interviewer: Wow, what battles in Europe was the Proximity Fuse used? What ones that you would know? The Battle of the Bulge, and I’m talking now of the anti-personnel use. The proper use of a tank will have back-up people with it, walking, and it wiped those pretty well out. In my book, “They Never Knew What Hit Them”, there’s a story that a Brigadier General now, who was captured I guess back there, was one of the first to use it. 49:24 In one salvo of 155mm guns they killed something on the order of several hundred. The way he put it is from the 2nd Army 3rd?] went through the area the next day and it was just covered with bodies. If you have a shell that is operated by impact, or by collision with 18 �something, and it hits the ground, it’s going to dig a hole and most of the fragments will go up and away from the target. If you’re in a foxhole, you’re pretty safe from anything except a direct hit. 50:15 I had a group of young women working with the mechanical calculators we had in those days, the Monroe etc. The calculations covering all possible angles of fall, velocity, etc., and against the same distribution of targets, if your shells burst at the optimum height, they would be about twenty-five times as efficient as the ones we had to start the war with. It was such a frightening thing because it was bursting above your head, and we have records of at least four German soldiers being executed, by the Germans, rather than go out in the areas covered by our interdictory fire. 51:35 Interviewer: The Battle of the Bulge, at least in the very beginning, was not in our favor. They broke through and were scattering us. Well, there’s a story not generally known to the public. The fuse had been perfected enough so the army said we could use it, but you can’t use it until Christmas day in Europe. 52:18 In the middle of the ice and snow etc., but we managed to get about two hundred thousand Proximity Fuses, for personnel use, over into the areas covered by the 1st and 3rd Armies, American. Captain Klompfenstein and I, on the 14th of December 1941, were sent to the field artillery headquarters out in Oklahoma. The army brought representatives from every group who were using regular fuses to train them in the use of the Proximity Fuse. 53:27 On the 16th of December Von Rundstedt launched his attack at the Battle of the Bulge. We had practically nothing over there, even our gunners were over here in the United States, and they stayed for a test that we moved up a day, called a TOT. We had eighty-four, as I remember it, canons ranging from all five of the weapons, the 75, the 105, the 155, the 8 inch, and the two 40mm. 54:18 Each one of them was 19 �controlled by a watch, and they were told, “at this instant, these cannon”, the closest distance to a hill, really, would fire and then progressively out until at the end, about two minutes before the shell could hit. The 240mm Howitzer fired its weapon, there were eighty-four guns and every one of those guns was aimed to land at the same time at a hill that was set-up as a target. It was awe inspiring, and it was shocking to see that hill explode. 55:16 That’s what really happened, it just blew and a person couldn’t have possibly lived through anything like that. In the Battle of the Bulge and afterward in the Argonne Forest we used TOTs, and the Germans—I’m not trying to say that the fuse won the war, or the fuse won the Battle of the Bulge, but it certainly shortened the Battle of the Bulge in great fashion, because those boys who were in Oklahoma when it started, got back over there and we got fuses that totaled two hundred thousand to them, which they could use at any rate they wanted to. The army, I guess the joint chiefs of staff, had set Christmas day of that year, as the day to release that fuse for use. When the Germans launched their attack on the 16th of December, the army big wigs put that date up to the 18th. 56:24 On the 18th we started shooting them back, and it was not far from that time, a few days, after the Proximity Fuse was first used that the Bulge began to shrink. Interviewer: I’m trying to picture, the Germans are moving forward, they look like their succeeding and the shells that we’re shooting at them are the traditional ones, so they’re exploding here and exploding there, but if a German got in a foxhole, he’s ok, and if he’s walking behind a tank, he’s ok, but then on the 18th the Proximity Fuse will explode over a tank and wipe out all those guys around that tank, or it can actually blow up near a foxhole and still get the guys in the foxhole. 57:12 This must have inspired terror? 20 �It did, why do you think that German soldiers were executed there in the Argonne [Ardennes] Forest? They didn’t know what hit them. I’ll tell you a little anecdote about that. In the early days we were firing vertically and the shell would go up—the 90mm shell would take about a hundred and five seconds and it would come down base first and you didn’t know where it was going to come down. I had one come down within twentyfive feet from me these were inert shells. Well, when the soldiers who were helpers, they would dig these up for us and spot them etc. They refused to go out in the area when they were coming down, so we had the army put up four posts and then a piece of four inch thick armor plate, so that will fix it. 58:21 So, they went out and when the shells were going to fall, they would step back under the armored plate. That was fine until a three inch hit and it hit right on top of that armored plate, and the noise was so bad that the boys were packing up, they wanted to get out of there. Well, we solved that by putting sand bags on top. When that three inch shell hit, the yellow paint that was on the body of the shell slipped right down and made a ring a little over three inches in diameter. The shell it’s self shortened itself by fifty percent. It’s no wonder we didn’t like that. I solved that problem, at first, in a weird sense. 59:28 I gave each one of the men a two foot square, two inch thick piece of pine wood and they would hold it up over their heads. They knew and I knew that it wouldn’t do any good, but they were doing something, something to protect their heads, and they would stay out. Stay out until that one came down so close, and then we went through the routine I just described. Interviewer: That’s amazing, and unfortunately we’re running out of time, so let’s –you said you had a little story about this lamp. :03 21 �On that early day in March 1942, I had been promoted by that time and was now the chief liaison officer to the U.S. Army. I had this series of meeting, usually once a week, at the Army War College with Colonel Froman, and on the way down the thought occurred to me that there had to be another use for these fuses. We were working antiaircraft only, but if that burst, and we know that the Germans have told us, and our own people too, A shell fired into a tree would hit a twig or so, and burst, and it was much more dangerous to people underneath the tree than it would have been with the contact fuse. 1:12 I got into the Army War College and Colonel Froman came out and as soon as we got out he turned to me and said to me, “Ralph, I think there’s another use for those fuses”, and I said, “Are you thinking of an anti-personnel use?” He said, “yes”, well, my fifteen-minute meeting with him lasted an hour and a half and he wanted to know what would have to be done. I came back to the laboratory and instead of reporting to my boss as I normally did, I went directly to the chemical research part of the lab and a man by the name of Phil Rudenick. I told him what we wanted; we wanted him to design a circuit, which would burst the shell at a lower height, and less sensitivity than the antiaircraft fuses. 2:16 He did—the only fuse we could modify at that time, to use, was a bigger version of this, but we weren’t getting a good result even with that, so we ordered two hundred rounds, two hundred fuses, one hundred for over land and one hundred for over water. Well, I went up there with Colonel Froman and a couple others, we started the water portion and we only got fifteen operable rounds out of a hundred. We could measure their height of burst. Then we went to the land and the first shell came whistling in—a dud, nothing at all, we’re in trouble. 3:10 The second one bursts something like twenty out of the one hundred actually burst, and they burst about half the height over 22 �land as they would have burst over water, which gave us a starting point. Two weeks after this we had a meeting with about six Generals, and an Admiral here and there, and I was called upon to tell about the test. The Admirals were absolutely shocked because the Generals made it known that they were going to need a lot of fuses and they wanted them. 4:18 About a week later an order came through for a million fuses. We weren’t ready, but we sure put a lot of pressure on him. It turned the lab completely over until now it would be ten times bigger. When that order came through we were in a meeting of the policy group at the lab, Merle Tuve was the director, and he said, “my God, I meant to pull the string on a small toilet and I got Boulder Dam”. 5:14 We’ll finish the story on this. I wanted one or two as a sample, I knew where they had hit, and this is what was left of the fuse as it blew out the nose. The shells had buried themselves at a fairly low angle into the ground. I was dressed with just a summer shirt on, this was April 29, 1942, so I went in after these and I got two of them, my son Dana has the other. They make pretty good lamps and the one thing I didn’t count on was that Poison Ivy was present in that area below ground. It was still early enough, so it hadn’t leafed out up above, and I didn’t know that I was digging into Poison Ivey, so I laid on the bed for three or four days with my arms out like this and Gentian Violet is not a cure for Poison Ivy and that’s all we had in those days. 6:31 Interviewer: I know what Gentian Violet is, it’s that purple stuff that you have to put on yourself. What would your thoughts be about the contribution of the Proximity Fuse to World War Two? I’ll give you my opinion, which is, it turned out, exactly the same as that of Admiral Arleigh Burke, who used the fuses extensively, and after the war he was Chief of Naval 23 �Operations and was the highest navy man there was. I have this down on a tape from him, that when they began to use the fuse in the march across the pacific, it was so much better, not perfect, but so much better than anything we had before, that it allowed the U.S. Navy to go into Japanese waters where they wouldn’t have dared go before. 7:44 One net result, which illustrates why I say the navy fuse shorted the war against Japan by probably a year, and that quote comes from Burke. If we hadn’t had the fuse we’d have won the war anyway, but we wouldn’t have gone into the western Pacific anywhere nearly as quickly. 8:18 When we did get up to Okinawa, and they could take of from Saipan with their B-52’s [B-29s] with the atomic bomb. They had just enough gasoline to go and drop the bomb and come back, and they couldn’t have done that unless the fleet had been able to move into Japanese waters. That’s why I feel very strongly that the Proximity Fuse, while it didn’t win the war, it shortened it by perhaps a year. Interviewer: Well sir, I’m hoping at another opportunity we’ll be able to talk even further, now that you’ve gotten through this particular one, but I’m afraid were going to have to wind down the interview. I want to thank you very much, and I realize you came up here especially for this interview and I greatly appreciate that you did that. 9:18 Well, I have been working off and on since the war to publicize the effects of the fuse and why it was important. I published two books on it, one “The Deadly Fuse”, and that sold for five dollars. I looked on the web a couple days ago and it’s now being advertised at eighty-five dollars. I should have saved some. The other one is called “They Never Knew What Hit Them”, similar, but different. 10:09 24 �Interviewer: That’s the one that I read, it’s more of a coffee table size with lots of photographs and detail in there. You have to forgive me, I didn’t understand all of it, but I’m not a scientist. Well, we’ll talk again and once again I thank you very much for your time sir. My pleasure 25 �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/. Title A name given to the resource Baldwin, Ralph (Interview transcript and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Baldwin, Ralph Description An account of the resource Ralph Baldwin was an astronomy instructor at Northwestern University in 1941 who volunteered for service after Pearl Harbor. He was initially assigned to teach navigation, but lobbied for a more important assignment. He was sent in 1942 to a secret program in Maryland being run by the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. Here he helped to develop the proximity fuse, a device that enabled anti-aircraft shells to sense when they were near targets and explode. By the end of the war, the fuse had become highly effective, and aspects of the technology developed for it are still used today. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American 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 2007-11-12 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BaldwinR 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/2b0dfe19aeefeefa3cb290f4cfddcf73.mp4 42ab78cbd16235ae7ab8202ce4a57964 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3d047b3326201205fa097c1f5706a1d4.pdf f774e41ba401f5398778f646004b9cb7 PDF Text Text GrandValleyStateUniversity Veterans History Project Scott Baldwin (32:50) Background Information ()  Scott enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard in 1983. He enlisted while a senior in high school. (00:20)  There was an Army National guard unit in his town. This inspired him to join as well. (00:52)  The first several days in the National Guard was trying to assimilate into what was a very tightly knit unit. (1:11)  The first few months of being involved with the guard is mentally and physically preparing for basic training. (1:50)  Training was very stressful and a shock to Scott’s system. (2:03)  While in the Army National Guard in Oklahoma, he was also in ROTC at OklahomaStateUniversity. He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. This would later aid in his civilian career. (2:44) National Guard Service ()  His first service was in Oklahoma under the Oklahoma National Guard. He also worked in DuncanOklahoma and WeatherfordOklahoma. (3:26)  He spent 9 years in the inactive reserve before joining the Army Reserve on July 2nd 2002. (3:55)  When Scott moved to Michigan in 2004 he joined a unit it KalamazooMichigan. (4:05)  Scott has been mobilized twice. When mobilized he spent a year at the InfantrySchool (20052006) at Fort BenningGeorgia. (4:13) Service in Afghanistan ()  He spent several months in Afghanistan serving as an operations NCO. He advised the Afghan military on how to conduct basic training. (4:35)  He served as an advisor of an Afghan colonel. (5:30)  The men had 57 Afghan interpreters to help the U.S. solders communicate with their counterparts. (6:23)  Scott had close encounters with suicide bombers or riots but was not directly involved in them. (6:50)  Scotts most memorable experiences was the culture shock he experienced when arriving in Afghanistan and leaving Afghanistan. (7:11)  There were 3 casualties that were taken while Scott served. None of them involved enemy action. (8:33)  There was one Afghan trainee who turned his weapons upon his instructors as well as fellow shoulders. He was neutralized after a firefight with U.S. soldiers. (11:00)  Scott was very fearful, particularly during his first several days in country. After a while, however, he grew used to the environment. (13:11) � Vehicles have a “Blue Force tracker” which as a real time moving map that showed streets as well as where other friendly units or convoys at. (14:12) Life in Afghanistan ()  CampAlamo, where Scott was located, was multi-service as well as multinational. (14:55)  The laundry and food service were run through outside contractors. The food was very good. (15:49)  Because Friday was the holly day for Muslims, the Afghan military didn’t train. The solders spent these days often relaxing or playing pickup sports games. (16:50)  There was electricity. Men often bought TVs, or had game systems that they used when there was down time. Scott often read. (18:20)  Men still had to do their job on Christmas. On Thanksgiving, the company that provided the food provided ice sculptures for the soldiers. (19:15)  Pastors would have special sermons as a result of holiday. (20:20)  While in Afghanistan the men had to learn to adapt to the culture. (20:53)  Humanitarian aid missions were carried out where soccer balls and shoes were given out to the people. The goods came from the U.S. and Britain but were given to Afghan military from them to hand out to build good will. (21:43) Exiting Afghanistan ()  The day that Scott was leaving country flights were being canceled due to cold rainy weather. While waiting for the flight to come in, the men stayed in tents. (24:10)  After returning from Afghanistan, the men had to demobilize at Fort RileyKansas. (26:08)  Body armor, weapons, and any other issued materials were turned in, in Afghanistan before being flown home. His wife and kids picked him up from the airport. (26:35)  He returned in February and went back to work in March of that year. (27:15)  Scott made lasting friendships that he has kept up. (27:48) Life after Service (28:22)  He works as an engineering manager for General Electric. (28:22)  Scott felt as though this service did make a difference and help many people. (30:00)  He learned to appreciate what the U.S. has and how good it is to live there. (30:52)  Scott is a member of the VFW as well as the American Legion and the General Electric Veterans Union. (32:33) � 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 Baldwin, Scott (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Baldwin, Scott Description An account of the resource Scott Baldwin Scott joined the Army National Guard in Oklahoma in 1986 and took ROTC training at Oklahoma State University. After a number of years on inactive reserve, he was activated, worked as a trainer at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was later sent to Afghanistan, where he helped train Afghan forces. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Benzing, Olivia (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 Afghan War, 2001--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 2011-10-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BaldwinS1352V 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/b20af89654a26c51e35e652608ef7a6a.mp4 eb9869c7668fcf74e6224f85a60e783c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a970d3cbaeb1b4b571470a5d497ea884.pdf 8582dc1571385f77531152701c5c6800 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Kenneth Ball Length: 36:22 (00:25) Background Information • • • Kenneth was born in Byron Township, Michigan and lived on a dairy farm He graduated from high school in 1952 and went to community college for a year before attending at the University of Michigan for architecture Kenneth got an architecture job in 1955 and was drafted into the Army in 1956 (2:15) Basic Training • Kenneth was sent to Fort Carson in Colorado where they lived in WWII vintage barracks • They began working on rifle handling, physical training, marching, maneuvers, and bib whacking • Kenneth was 23 years old and the oldest man training; most of the other men were 18 years old • Kenneth trained for 8 weeks and then went through advanced training at Fort Smith in Arkansas for 9 weeks • He had been training to be a supply sergeant, but never ended up using any of that training (6:55) Korea • Kenneth was shipped out on a troop carrier with about 1200 other men outside of Seattle • They were going over to Korea as replacement troops • Kenneth was assigned to the 8th Army Aircraft Maintenance Division • They were working in Repairs and utilities • Kenneth’s officer found out that he had worked as an architect and asked him to build a theater • The theater took 4 months to build and then Kenneth was rewarded with a week of R & R in Japan (15:30) Living in Korea • Kenneth was made corporal when he got back from Japan and continued working on new buildings • He worked with the Corps of Engineers and Korean civilians helped them also • Kenneth had to travel to Seoul once a week to purchase building supplies • The armistice had been in place and they were not ever worried about being attacked • Occasionally there would be a few shots going off at the DMZ �• Kenneth was in South Korea for 16 months while the government had been rebuilding and restructuring the country (22:50) Back to the US • Kenneth had 88 days left of his service time, but was not discharged right away • He was assigned to Fort Sheridan in Chicago where he waited for his time to expire, working on laundry duty • Kenneth was released in November and went into the active reserve and back to work • He was then in the inactive reserve in about a year and completely finished with his time in the Army in 1964 � 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 Ball, Kenneth (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ball, Kenneth Description An account of the resource Kenneth Ball was born in Byron Center, Michigan and graduated from high school in 1952. After high school he spent a year at community college before going to the University of Michigan for architecture. Kenneth was drafted into the Army in 1956 went through basic training in Colorado. He then went through advanced training to be a supply sergeant in Arkansas. After training Kenneth was sent to Korea during the armistice where he helped put up buildings for 16 months. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Byron Area Historic Museum (Byron Center, Mich.) BCTV 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 Korean War, 1950-1953--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 2008-10-07 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BallK 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/49fdff0f11d09bdb84a5b6d0f6298e67.jpg dc3be676ef4100f70c7a69f9228a1e49 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS1532 .O52 1898 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 DC-01_Bindings0286 Title A name given to the resource Old Chester Tales Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ball, Thomas (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of Old Chester Tales, by Margaret Deland, published by Harper & Brothers, 1899. Unsigned cover attributed to Ball. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1899 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/6af1bc2c5586e5c23a2499b02dca34b5.jpg c52e0bb7a102cb0e18cec089e25df2c0 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PS3525.E723 M4 1904 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 DC-01_Bindings0003 Title A name given to the resource The Merry Anne Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ball, Thomas Watson (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of The Merry Anne, by Samuel Merwin with illustrations and decorations by Thomas Fogarty, published by Macmillan, 1904. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1904 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/1798e9e46d3350588ec3c15eec777118.jpg 6ccd89857f446f1b35055f1f96019f79 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PZ7.M926 Cop 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 DC-01_Bindings0031 Title A name given to the resource The Copper Princess: A Story of Lake Superior Mines Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ball, Thomas Watson (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of The Copper Princess: A Story of Lake Superior Mines, by Kirk Munroe, published by Harper & Brothers, 1898. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1898 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/4e7a39dd47678435e682a70c5e2f2edb.mp4 6557dfd93dbdd0ea0f903f1b01f2d04d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2fa32cf16540f2041bd72746c54c9768.pdf 04c8088a959296bbe148e4673ab3f261 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Carl Ballard Length: 1:16:57 (03:00) Background Information • • • • Carl was born on October 16, 1932 in Kent County, Michigan He went to Wayland high school and graduated in 1951 Carl expected that he would be drafted; many of his friends had received their draft notice before even graduating Before the war started Carl had not even heard of Korea and did not know of its location (5:10) Enlistment in Army • Carl was able to enlist in the Army for 2 years instead of the standard 3 years • He enlisted when he was 19 years old in 1952 • Carl began training with the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Breckenridge in Kentucky • It was a very large camp and the first two weeks was just spent getting the new people organized • Each day they would get up very early and get harassed by drill sergeants • They spent a lot of time drilling, marching and doing other menial work that did not make sense • They began to develop a routine and started training with weapons • Carl spent 16 weeks in basic training (14:30) Leadership School • Carl volunteered for leadership school and spent 8 weeks working in the same area of Kentucky • He had volunteered because he thought he would receive 30 days leave • The time off on leave was cancelled and Carl was given 7 days to report to California after completing leadership school • Carl spent his time off visiting family and got engaged to his girlfriend (18:10) Trip to Korea • Carl spent 2 weeks at a camp in California just waiting around until they were going to leave • They left San Francisco on a troop ship and Carl was very sick for the first 3 days of the trip • He would have felt better if he would have been allowed to sleep, but they were always made to go up on deck and work �(23:25) Korea • When they arrived the area was secure and reservists were training on the rifle range • Everyone had got off the ship and assigned as replacements to various divisions • They had arrived in January and it was very cold • There were many children in the area begging the men for money and food • Carl was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, 9th Infantry Regiment • They stayed in tents in the reserve area • Carl was put on guard duty to secure a large hill in the area • They had good winter gear and were never too cold (34:40) Fighting Chinese • The first night in Korea was like a dream; it was not scary, but Carl felt that it was like walking in a fog • He got accustomed to things after a while and did become more fearful because he knew of the dangers that laid ahead • They only patrolled at night and practices on similar, safe terrain during the day • Carl’s first encounter with the enemy was in March while he was working on an outpost with a squad • His mission had been to warm the company if they were attacked and then delay the enemy in action while the company pulled back • The Chinese cut their communication, but Carl was able to launch a grenade at them • They got into a fight with mortars and artillery and Carl took cover in a fox hole • It was very dark and they had no idea how many people they were up against (48:30) Living in Korea • They received mail every day and Carl often wrote to his fiancée • They had three meals a day and only one of them was hot; they otherwise ate C-rations • They wore very heavy clothes for the weather, but often found themselves sweating • The men received a fresh pair of socks every day to prevent trench foot • They were never again attacked by the Chinese (53:50) Back to Reserves • Carl was sent to live in the reserve area and they were living in tents in a small village • He spent one day a week training and the rest of time he was on guard duty • They did not have much interaction with the South Koreans civilians, but worked with the South Korean soldiers (58:15) Heavy Weapons Platoon �• • • Carl was transferred to the Heavy Weapons Platoon where he worked with 60 mm mortars and 57 mm recoilist rifles He was a squad leader and no longer had to patrol at night because they maintained a permanent position Their job was to knock out the enemy from a distance during any battles that took place (1:03:20) The End of the War • After the cease fire it was strange and very quiet at night • All the firing had stopped and they were able to hear the sounds of the forest around them • Carl had enough points in April to rotate back to the US • He once again boarded a troop ship and was sick for the first few days of the trip • His family had not been expecting him • They landed in San Francisco and took a train to Chicago, and then a bus to Grand Rapids � 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 Ballard, Carl (Interview outline and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ballard, Carl Description An account of the resource Carl Ballard was born on October 16, 1932 in Kent County, Michigan. He graduated from high school in 1951 and then enlisted in the Army. Carl trained in Kentucky and went through leadership school after basic. He was then sent to South Korea where he joined the 2nd Infantry Division and went on patrols at night. Carl was later transferred to the Heavy Weapons company where he worked as a squad leader. Carl had received enough points to return home a few months after the cease fire. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Michigan Military Preservation Society (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 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 Korean War, 1950-1953--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 2004-10-27 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BallardC 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/4ef0a905ea534573d5cdb66ef520c62c.pdf 1a530d32e0bfc90a215cd576ec84ae2a PDF Text Text 1 Grand Valley State University Special Collections Kent County Oral History collections, RHC-23 Mary Baloyan Interviewed on November 13, 1974 Edited and indexed by Don Bryant, 2010 – bryant@wellswooster.com Tape #44 (1:10:47) Biographical Information Mary Baloyan was born 13 October 1899 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was the daughter of Martin (Mardiros) A. Baloyan and Nouvart Kurkjian who were married in 1897. Martin was born in Palu, Armenia (now Turkey) in 1868 and died 6 January 1931 in Grand Rapids at his home at 639 Cherry Street SE. Mrs. Nouvart Baloyan was born 3 December 1877 in Palu, Armenia (now Turkey). She survived her husband and died 7 March 1971 at Blodgett Hospital. Mary Baloyan died at Pilgrim Manor in Grand Rapids 21 January 1984 at the age of 84. The Baloyan family plot is in Greenwood Cemetery. ___________ Interviewer: This recording is made on November 13, 1974 at Pilgrim Manor on East Leonard, in the apartment of Miss Baloyan who is a lifelong resident of Grand Rapids. I’m now going to ask Miss Baloyan to tell about her family, her background and her early years as she recalls them in Grand Rapids. Miss Baloyan: Thank you. I am very proud to be able to talk on this subject because I’m so proud of the accomplishments of my parents and other relatives. My parents came to this country in 1897 from what was referred to as Old Armenia. I have seen their passport and it interested me at the time that they could leave the country but could never return. When some years later I took a trip abroad, my relatives were divided on the subject of whether I should revisit that part of the world or not. Since some thought it might be dangerous. My father always used to say, there must be great wealth and resources buried in the mountains of that area since so many Armenians buried their wealth rather than let the enemy Turks take it. My parents had to leave everything they possessed where they had come from, and these days it’s ironic that so many people ask for a hand out or easy access to a living where as I know from firsthand experience that my parents and family had to start with nothing, worked hard and availed themselves to the opportunities of this country. In time, they had three children. My brother was the first Armenian born in Grand Rapids, I was the first Armenian girl born in Grand Rapids and all three of us including, Alfred, my older brother. Alexi, my younger sister who eventually went into interior decorating, and I a middle child. All of us were given outstanding educations and special types of instruction such as in music, dancing, theatre training, interior decoration and my parents too took an active participation in so much of the civic life. �2 Interviewer: I just want to interrupt you a moment and ask, why did your parents happen to choose Grand Rapids? Was there any particular reason? Miss Baloyan: Yes, indeed. My grandfather, who had come to New York in 1890, which is my maternal grandfather, was a steel cabinet maker and as he attempted to work in his craft in New York, he was told he should be in Grand Rapids where the furniture industry was flourishing, and specifically, should be with John Widdicombe. He became the first Grand Rapids settler when he had promised Mr. Widdicombe that if he went into his employ he would never leave him. Widdicombe began taking an interest in him and a very old-fashioned and charming kind of loyalty came about because it was, in time when Grandfather wanted to bring his wife and grown up children to this city to join him, it included my maternal grandmother, my parents, newly married the year before, and a couple of the aunts and an uncle who came to be known locally as Armen Kurkjian. They came to Grand Rapids, Mr. Widdicombe had been instrumental in finding a home for Steven’s family to come too and it was in that home that my brother and I were later born. In time…. Interviewer: Where was that, Miss Baloyan? Miss Baloyan: Where? Interviewer: Where was that? Miss Baloyan: On Fifth Street, on the west side at that time, not too far from Grandfather’s place of employment, at that time. And so we three children grew up, on the west side, until I graduated from the University of Michigan, some years later. Interviewer: Could we back up just for a moment, I’d like you to describe your relationship to Mr. Armen Kurkjian whom I, whom I knew and rather well, because of my family’s early association with Fountain Street Church. Miss Baloyan: Yes, Uncle Armen had come to this country as a boy of 14. Interviewer: He was your mother’s brother? Miss Baloyan: He was my mother’s brother. He brought certain old-fashioned principles to this country with him. Such as the belief that young people shouldn’t smoke and other principles that he sometimes got laughed at. But he used to retain a very lofty kind of set of principles. Eventually as various members of the family joined local organizations, he got quite a good education partly through their encouragement of those who became interested in him. He met at the University of Michigan, eventually, a man named Melvin Baldwin, who became his college room-mate. They became very good friends. My uncle was in civil engineering and some years later, came to Grand Rapids. It must have been mechanical engineering, because he went into Oliver Machinery Company in which Mr. Melvin Baldwin’s family and the Tuthills had been very active. My uncle was, for many years, their sales manager and at one time, opened an office �3 in Saint Louis, Missouri for them. He eventually met, married the woman who left Grand Rapids as his secretary, whose maiden name was Elvestra Wurzburg and who became known as my uncle Sid did for her philanthropic work in the city. Both of them interested in both Fountain Street Church and crippled children’s work, Rotary Rehabilitation work. In the mean time my father opened an Oriental restaurant on East Fulton Street and an art goods shop, a block east of there also on East Fulton. They were quite, recognized as quality shops and in the summer-time when his children had vacation from school, he came to open summer-time resort branches in such places as Grand Haven or Muskegon, had even gone as far away as Cleveland, Ohio, Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor. However his primary interest was rugs and related art objects. My mother took a great interest in music, interpreting for less fortunate Armenians and in education her children. She herself joined the Lady’s Literary Club, eventually Women’s City Club and other broadening influences. She took a very active interest in church work. In this particular branch of the family attended Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church where I have been a member now fifty eight years. It has made a great many fine friendships for us among other values. For instance, through the work of my family, my sister and brother also went into related fields. Through the work of my family, we came to meet people in the various arts, so then we began taking an active interest. Eventually, I was encouraged to go into Civic Theatre work where I went on a board, worked in that area for twenty years, and became vice-president. Through our music lessons we became interested in concerts and help local concert campaigns. Also I became interested, after many years later, after mother’s death, in establishing some music scholarships on a college level for Interlochen in memory of my mother. There are also a memoriam of this at St. Mark’s church in her memory because while she was choir mother there, it was the consuming interest that meant a great deal to her. The other arts were not neglected. We had an interest in all of them. I eventually went to the University of Michigan after starting at junior college, became interested in English, along with several other hobbies such at the theatre, continuing as a hobby. After I had attained my master, masters in English at the University of Michigan I started teaching school six months in Zeeland. Interviewer: When was this, Miss Baloyan? Miss Baloyan: The beginning of my career was in 1923. As a matter of fact, when, the following year I came back, I came to Grand Rapids to start a career in teaching. It was the beginning of 42 ½ years in Grand Rapids in teaching—most of it at Ottawa Hills High School. The last thirteen years at Junior College, so that I taught English 43 years, 15 of those years also dramatics. Because I went for six years of education to the fine arts department of Yale University, where I was privileged to attend the famous Yale Workshop under George Pierce Baker, who used to be at Harvard but moved over to Yale when an enterprising philanthropist named Harkness built a good building, good theatre for Yale. So the work was transferred over there. I came back to Grand Rapids, established a laboratory theatre in Ottawa Hill High School which for fifteen years functioned under the name of mine. We sent out from that theatre people into many artistic areas. Some of them now professional and it’s a source of great happiness to me that many of the �4 people who participated and worked so hard, remember it and comment on it with joy to this day. Interviewer: Who were some of these people, could you tell who some of them are? Miss Baloyan: Yes, Jack Thompson, for instance, is on a college staff in New York, he appeared two or three years ago as the author of an article in the Harper’s magazine in which he attempted to recall his yesterdays in Grand Rapids, as his title was. “It was my privilege to have him name me in that article as his favorite teacher”. So, then Lloyd Matoon, he went into the commercial end of TV work, specializing for a while in the Chrysler ads. Out west, the man who is lighting the Lawrence Welk show did the lighting for me, in the laboratory theatre. His name is Wallace Stanard. His name is still seen on TV in connection with being technical manager for the Lawrence Welk program. There were others who went out west and there a some whose names I don’t just recall now, but many have commented. Several of the presidents of the local Women’s City Club have been former members of that group. Shall I name some of them? Interviewer: Yes. Miss Baloyan: Mrs. Birch, Mrs. Whittier, and Mrs. the present President, Mrs. Smiley I could be forgiven, I hope for some delight in their continuing to enjoy memories of those days because I believe so deeply that the extras in education such as contact with creativity, helped to give lasting joy in the memories of people who’ve experienced the creativity. Our work has included writing and designing of costumes, coloring of materials, making of patterns, make, designing scenery, making scenery, planning and & operating the lighting, and so many other areas. Ann Kleiner went to Yale after a number of years. She had been a student of mine in the laboratory theatre and she is now in Detroit doing creative lighting for Detroit businesses. Interviewer: Is that Bob Kleiner’s sister? Miss Baloyan: Yes, it is. When she comes to Grand Rapids, she contacts me sometimes. I take great delight in the fact that the students who had with me in dramatics, had invented the nickname “Chief” for me because they said my own name was a little long to say back-stage. Well, some amusing results followed, for instance the Kleiners were so use to calling me Chief at home, that their aunt Mrs. Seidman, now many years later, when she sees me downtown, says “Hello Chief,” and I love hearing say it. I am very proud of the viewpoint that my parents brought to this country from a place where there was so much tyranny. Their attitude was, that there are opportunities here, let us avail ourselves of some of the opportunities and let us help ourselves. I’m afraid I’m a little impatient with those who sit around and wait for help if they can help themselves because I’ve seen examples of members of my family including other cousins and uncles and aunts, members of my family, get through hard work and enjoy it and become contributors, not just absorbers, in society. One of the things for which I’m very grateful is that, though my family came from a land with so much tyranny, they welcomed the opportunity of freedom here. One evidence of it is that various branches of the family attended different �5 churches and became active contributors in different churches. Yet they didn’t sit in judgment on one another because it wasn’t the same as the old Armenian Orthodox Apostolic Church. I’ve always been very happy in the Episcopal Church. My uncle and aunt, the Kurchins, were always extremely happy in the Fountain Street Church. And this is just part of the freedom that they displayed all the way through. Some of them have been very funny. For instance, there was once a man who traveled all the way from California to this town because he’d heard there were unmarried Armenian girls in this town. He was a complete stranger, but he had once come here, during the Near East Relief War. He had come here to lecture and had seen some of us participating in programs and, decided, this was a good family to be attached to. So years later he came back, in order to try to make a match, went to my parents, and tried to persuade them to allow him to begin courting one of us, and to his amazement, instead of arranging a match, my father told him that they never interfered with the choices and decisions we made. So I’m proud that my family had acquired so much of the principles of this country. I’m grateful for them and, if sometimes, I fancy that some of the teaching I have done has been of some value, I cannot fail to give great credit to the family of character and intelligence that gave me a good start in life. Other subjects I should have touched on, perhaps, you would like to know, I moved from the West side to the Heritage Hill area. Interviewer: I’d like to ask you, I like to ask you some questions about how long did you live on the West Side and did you, go to school over there and if so, where? That’s the sort of thing, I’d like to go into now. Miss Baloyan: I attended Union High School as did my brother and sister both. I was given many fine opportunities there. Worked on the literary periodicals there, I graduated from Union High School in 1918. I started attending Junior College two years, where I made some of my life-long friendships, from other areas in the city and where I came to be a great believer in Junior College for giving a good foundation of an education. Then I went on to the University of Michigan for two years to get my BA, first. The year I was graduated from the University of Michigan, 1922. Our family who then had some stores on East Fulton for some time, decided to moved to the East side and selected a spacious place on Cherry Street, because it was not far from the downtown area. We found it a good central location to radiate from and as I taught in many different localities in the city, starting downtown at North Division two years, the Harrison Park Junior High on the Northwest, five years then in the Southeast at Ottawa Hills twenty-one years and interrupting the act for education and then eventually going downtown again to Junior College for thirteen years. And I radiated to the various schools and to the various Civic organizations, I had become interested in. Eventually I went on a board of directors and not only of the Civic Theatre and Community Concerts and Urban League, but I also did volunteer work. And my sister went into dancing and interior decorating. My brother stayed for awhile in my father’s business and eventually he opened a retail store of his own for rugs but later he started a rug servicing place on the side of the building. Mother joined an organization both for American and Armenian and both my parents tried to be good citizen in both, I feel that one of the �6 advantages of my background has been that I have been expected to be both a good American and a good Armenian and I have come to believe that this is for me at least, a better idea even, than the melting pot idea because I have seen that as various ethnic groups retain their customs and identity the various groups contribute a great deal of richness to American life. I have enjoyed living in the near downtown area. There are many advantages. There used to be even more. The streets are kept very clean in the winter because it’s a passageway through downtown. Those residences now considered old and large, used to be one-family residences and one knew one’s neighbors and there were many prime families and it was very…. Interviewer: Who were some, who were some of your neighbors…. Miss Baloyan: Well, across the street used to be some branches of the Alby family and next to them the Edwin Kleins who became active in a different kind of church, where he helped to spread the Giddeon Bible around. Next to them was a family whose name now escapes me but they lived in the brick house a very long time. Just west of us there used to be the Blanchards, there are many other old families whose names I would have to look up again to recall but, we all knew one another and it was a personal commitment to one another that I think was fine. It had another advantage that as people traveled towards downtown for business or religious purposes or other purposes, they had to pass houses such as ours and they often stopped and became acquainted and to this day they come and on the yards that are kept up well and the yards that aren’t. And I feel that I’ve been very many places in my life. I have never felt that the fact that I was from an immigrant family had handicapped me in the slightest respect because people of breeding and education apply these qualities to their outlooks and to the way they live. I’ve encountered people, we have been able to share ideas and laughter and an interest in causes. We have even found controversial subjects such as sometimes, politics and I have not felt any barriers to camaraderie and in fact, people of quality are actually interested in the different aspects of your life and background. Such as mine is full of unique customs and traditions. On New Year’s Eve, when my grandparents were living, they used to collect the entire clan, cousins, uncles, aunts, the children, into the living room which ran into the dining room. We’d all get down on our knees and our grandfather would lead us in prayer, for the coming year. We learned a great many customs that were unique to us. And I remember one time when I was in grade school, another custom that puzzled me for awhile, but I’m amused by now, because I was short of stature, I was to lead a wand drill in a program for relatives. Besides that the very charming teacher was dating my uncle at that time and I always wondered which was the reason that I was chosen. But I was to lead and my grandmother decides to come to the program. I was a little bit shocked when she kissed the hand of the principal, the teacher, and any other dignitaries around because since I had been exposed to a few of the customs and teachings in school I had decided very ardently that it was unsanitary for grandmother to kiss the hands of other people. As some years passed and I reflected what a sweet and loving grandmother I’d had, it seemed to me it was sweet and humble of her to do it because it was her way of paying respects and gratitude for what had been done for her members of her family. So though part of my bringing up has been �7 different, a considerable of it has been the same. I was fortunate enough to win a half scholarship in piano with Otto [(?) Molly], who started the symphony before the current Grand Rapids Symphony. He was a magnificent teacher and quite an interesting man, I used to take my piano lessons in the very room that is now the drawing room for the Women’s City Club. It was then his studio. Sometimes has as many as three grand pianos in it, usually Steinways. And he was tall, very strong man and sometimes, especially when I first transferred from an organ teacher to a piano teacher he felt I was still playing the organ on the piano and he put his knee under the piano board, would raise his knees and the board would leave my hands and would push my hands up and, he did many other interesting eccentric things that have to make him picturesque and that created great affection for him. He used to draw designs on music to show you either the way he wanted your wrist movement to go or the way he didn’t want your arm to go. He used to have other musicians come in from Chicago, where he had come from, to make records with him and if I’d had a good lesson because he knew I was enchanted by these informal sessions he used to reward me by allowing me to sit in the room on a stool quietly while he and a violinist and a cellist made beautiful, musical records. He had a hobby of photography that caused him to give the results of his picture making sometimes to students. Usually however, you knew if you’d had a good lesson because he wouldn’t say anything. If you didn’t have a good lesson he would point it out. Oh, I have been grateful not only to special teachers such as that, but, for instance to the Calle Travis Studio where I studied there from, with Harriet Blood, to study dancing and then years later after I had trained in dramatics I taught ballet and pantomime to some of Miss Travis’ senior students. It included such people as Marsha Travis, the Goodspeed girls, and so many other lovely girls whose names, I would have to look up but, some of the lovely young matrons of Grand Rapids. But teaching ballet, ballet pantomime in Miss Travis’ studio was a great privilege, since I always thought she had an outstanding ballet studio. I have covered several of the arts but our interests and activities were even more extensive than anything I have mentioned. So whatever else you would like to know I’d be happy to go into. Interviewer: Well, I can’t help but realize that, I run into you fairly often in the art museum. Have you ever had any special role in, in the life of the museum? Miss Baloyan: Only in the respect that, when a former director Otto Bach was here his wife Ciel (?) Cile Bach used to write skits sometimes which, I sometimes helped to perform for them. I remember too that a Dr. Rosenswag and I were together on an interview program one time. I can’t claim to have helped them in any other respect, except that we have always been interested in our family in helping in minor ways and just now I have presented them with some of my father’s fine ancient porcelain vases of Chinese make. Some of them are from the Chung Ling period, several centuries old. They have been appraised, it’s very valuable, has been accessed by the appraisers as extremely gorgeous and they will be at the museum in memory of my father. I have also promised to send them and, very soon, at the beginning of a new year, and send them and the public museum also, some silk rugs, since silk rugs are not very common here. The one that will go to the Art Museum is a silk Kashan(?) prayer rug of, some beauty and rarity. I can’t �8 say I’ve done a great deal for them, but I have enjoyed such contacts as I’ve had. And believe it is one of local institutions that should be helped. I have also felt that way about the Saint Cecilia Music Society of which I’m also a member and I wouldn’t know where to draw the line except to say all the educational and cultural, the artistic organizations in town receive our interest and support often. Interviewer: You want to stop for just a minute? I think we’ll turn the tape over at this time and proceed on side two. Interviewer: We stopped our interview for a moment and talked about a few other matters and Miss Baloyan has recalled that there are some other people she would like to talk about and I’m going to hand the microphone to her now and let her continue. Miss Baloyan: When my father’s store was on East Fulton the Grand Rapids Press and the Herald, the morning paper, were both within a block of distance from his store with the result that as we dropped into the store the members of the family became acquainted with some of the main writers in Grand Rapids including reporters, columnists, critics and even the editor of the Press, Mr. Booth and Mr. Frank Sparks from the Herald. They became of such interest to us that they actually influenced us in various ways and we were very fond of them. At one time since I had become so much interested in books, my mother used to make sure that when we were children we were always surrounded by educational material. Miss May Quigley, the children’s librarian used to tell me that every Saturday afternoon Mother used to walk to the library and say I would like a book of poems for my Mary and the result was I always had books around me and it became a lifetime interest so that gradually I became interested in writing. But I had so many other interests too. So I went to see Mr. Booth, the editor of the Press to interview him on what he thought of journalism as a possible career for a young lady who was attending the University of Michigan. And he said to me and he knew us well by then. He said I would like to encourage you to go into it but he said at this time you would have to limit yourself to obituaries and social notes and he said if you would find that sufficiently interesting then it would be well to go into journalism. When I think now of the changes in opportunities for women journalists I recall that with great respect for his honesty in that period of time. However, as I became interested in other area such as theatre, I attended various summer theatres, one in Booth Bay Harbor, Maine and one in the north of this state with one of the directors from Civic Theatre here. And since I had finished training at the Yale University Theatre, the Yale workshop department and since they didn’t allow us to specialize, it was a broad thorough training, and at that time as I wondered how I could use it, Miss Mary Remington, the well beloved drama critic of the Grand Rapids Press, said to me, if you decide to apply as the director of the Civic Theatre, we will back you. But by that time I was interested in teaching because I felt I could combine many of my interests in the teaching area. But to this day I have retained a deep interest in the work of our local columnists and critics. Don’t find them all equally good. For instance, Miss Margarete Kerns was a name I came to know well, and I hope that some of the newer people coming will match the contributions that were made by Mary Remington, Margarete Kerns, and others. I have also �9 come to respect the work of Jerry Elliot who writes with a distinctive style. And I think that some of these people who we have taken for granted have, made much more expanded contributions than we’ve realized. For instance, one of the special interests of the Cyprus situation to me last year was the fact that former Junior college student of mine, for I came to teach in Junior College eventually, was a boy who later became cultural attaché with the American Embassy in Cyprus. I wasn’t sure whether he had been returned to this country or not during the recent troubles and I knew that after his work at Junior College he had worked for a while with Mr. Elliot, Jerry Elliot and others at the Grand Rapids Press. I started to investigate and learned fortunately in May he had been returned to this country and there was a story within recent months of the fact that his wife and child had followed him. So you see reporters and columnists have not only done an interesting job for us but have trained some future journalist and government workers, who have contributed to our daily lives. I think some of fail to realize what a great town Grand Rapids actually is. Several times in the opportunities that I’ve had I have had tempting openings in other areas of this country but contrary to Mr. Butts, opinion of the area, I have loved Grand Rapids and I made the decision to come back here and to stay here and I’ve never regretted it. I know there are many others. Grand Rapids not too large, not to small and it’s had all the opportunities that the larger centers offer and it’s a good thing that some of us do prefer coming back to our town and bringing with us, experiences we have picked up elsewhere so that through our travels, we can bring a little of Maine, a little of Connecticut, a little bit of northern Michigan and so many other areas, back to Grand Rapids. I don’t think it’s an accident that Grand Rapids is foremost in some of the contemporary art projects of recent years and has shown leadership in other progressive areas I think it’s because, there is an interest here in good things. I don’t even think that the furniture industry has completely left us, for its influence on modern life can be shown in our continuing preference for quality in daily life. And I’m so happy to have known some of the people who have worked in connection with the arts in Grand Rapids and with furniture in Grand Rapids and with business in Grand Rapids. You asked, Mr. Hutchins, about my uncle Armen Kurchin one of the smart things he helped to do happened when the depression was felt so deeply here and some of the furniture factories were wondering what the future of the city would be. Well, the Chamber of Commerce and my uncle actively participating, used their skills for helping to bring in new metal industries and other new interests that have continues here and have helped to keep our commerce, successful as much as anywhere else in any period. Interviewer: You mentioned having written Secretary Butts in regard to his rather unfortunate remarks about Grand Rapids, if you would just like to comment on that. Miss Baloyan: I was indignant as I’m sure so were others, so I wrote Mr. Butts, that although I know Mr. Butts that you must have been at least half joking in your reference to Grand Rapids, when you suggested that, take away a furniture factory or two and the town could blow into Canada, I said there is a suggestion there that we are provincial. I said far from being provincial, this is a highly cosmopolitan town in many ways. Where else can you find in a middle-sized �10 town six colleges, an art museum that is sought out by neighboring communities, a public museum that goes in, that brings in many ethnic groups and it goes into other communities with its activities, this is a town of several hundred churches, this is a town which was smart enough when the furniture industry began suffering, weakening, smart enough to bring in other industries so that it could succeed if not always in the same way, then in new ways. This is indeed a cosmopolitan town with all the opportunities that one could find in the larger communities and so we’re not in the least provincial and I’m sure that although our new president may have compassion for workers in agriculture he is well acquainted with other aspects of Grand Rapids life too and so Mr. Butts in our community we like the authentic. Interviewer: Speaking of the president, do you know Mr. Ford or Mrs. Ford? Miss Baloyan: I know both, President and Mrs. Ford. In fact, at one time President Ford, as a choir boy sang in the Saint Mark’s Church Choir. His parents, his mother and his step-father, the Jerry Ford Seniors were extremely, highly respected both in our church and the community and they were wonderful people. In the later years I came to know Betty too as a dancer. In fact, in one of our local dramatic programs, she danced for us very beautifully, very gracefully. They are very fine people although one may differ with a particular political decision and practice, anybody who knows Jerry or Betty cannot doubt their integrity and good intentions. I will say they are very religious people, sincerely religious. I think we are fortunate that there are people of character who will try to help us out at a time character seems like a lost quality in this country, I don’t really believe that. I want to emphasize it just seems that way. Interviewer: Let’s turn it off a minute, Miss Baloyan, when you… I’d like to ask you, how you first became interested in the Urban League because that’s in, you were one of the first members, I believe? Miss Baloyan: I had been doing some work in dramatics when an old school-mate Marsha Marshall(?) who was in the Urban League work asked if I’d be interested in trying some dramatics with the minority group and whites working together. It sounded like an interesting project so I did one year of class work, in dramatics for both blacks and whites together. We met in the basement of the St. Philip’s Church which is called the Under-Croft and then at the end of the year, we gave a program at the local YMCA, where we were given an auditorium type of room with a platform and my students from classes at Ottawa Hills supplied the scenery and did the back-stage work and we gave a bi-racial dramatic program. Then at the end of that year, I was asked if I’d like to go on a board. I went on a board for three years at a time when Dr. Claytor was president at the end of that time I had a kind of collapse, at school and had to go to the hospital so I thought for reasons of health I should not consider returning to the board so I served one year of volunteer work in dramatics and three years on the board. And the Urban League work was most fascinating. One of the great benefits was that I got to know Paul and Ethel Philips real well and they are to this day among my very good friends and I’m still very much interested in the welfare of that project. This is just one of several of the civic groups that I �11 got interested in. The community Concerts Organization showed great promise for awhile because although there were New York agencies helping us, advising us and booking for us, the actual campaign work was done locally and we were able to bring international artists at a very low cost because many citizens helped to sell season memberships. You became a member by buying this season ticket. This work could have gone on indefinitely if the local group had not changed from the original plans, it fell through. I think probably the civic organization I worked for the longest was the Civic Theatre Group. Interviewer: When did you start to work for the Civic Theatre, were you, was it formed, when you were originally associated with it? Miss Baloyan: I joined in the year that Maud Feely was the director. She was a professional actress here with a professional troupe. Interviewer: In what year was that again? Miss Baloyan: Doing it from memory I would say roughly 1924. I was in the second play that was given called the Doctor, directed by Feely. For a time… Interviewer: How do you spell her last name? Miss Baloyan: F-double e-l-y. For a time it satisfied me to do character acting and when especially when Paul Stevenson came and the movement changed from the St. Cecilia building over on the west side in Old Germania Hall it was so colorful and the director was so talented that it became an enchanting and rewarding activity to act for him. In the meantime, he advised me, to go into some aspect of the theatre, possibly directing and I came to realize that directing would satisfy me most of all because although we the American public glorify the actors actually the director is one of those getting the greatest satisfaction because he has to be so creative that he can pull all the different arts together, that are involved in one unified production and approach and so because of Mr. Stevenson’s suggestion that I go on with work at Yale University, I did so and continued my interest in Civic Theatre when I returned as doing it as a hobby. I was on their board a long number of years and worked with them twenty years so with the work at several of the local buildings including the Ladies Literary Club, St. Cecelia, Germania Hall, before they began hiring public buildings when some of us gave our greatest devotion to it. The early days were colorful and interesting….. Interviewer: Who were some of the people in the early days that you remember? Miss Baloyan: Well, of course, the one that many Grand Rapids citizens would remember would be Mrs. Myrtle Coon Sherman. When her son who was a professional actor died, she decided to have a Saturday night salon, a weekly salon meeting in her apartment. And so she invited as a kind of memorial to him a group of local people which included Millicent Mackaway now Millicent Hubbard, Nacib Demusse, the former city manager of Battle Creek, Camilia Boone, �12 who married Nacib Demusse, Paul Stevenson, me and several other people who used to meet in her apartment weekly. We would meet professional people that came through the town briefly. We had a literary, artistic, theatrical interest and this group was part of the bowl work of Civic Theatre. Not the only ones but part of the bowl work and well, among some of the main people in later years, Mr. Phil Buchen was on one of the boards. Mr. A…I believe Harold Hartger was on the board, of course Allen G. Miller was an active member, it’s I’m afraid trying to go back without notes or doing and research leaves a great many gaps of important names, But these are some of the people. Interviewer: You must have known Louise Hirst? Miss Baloyan: Of course Louise Hirst, was a good friend of mine, and and a very active member, so was Mrs. Steketee and a…. Interviewer: Which Mrs. Steketee? Miss Baloyan: John Steketee’s mother. Interviewer: Oh, yes, yes. Miss Baloyan: And well, there were such well known names in Grand Rapids, such devoted, loyal people that’s it’s a shame that right now I don’t recall all the names too readily but, they worked hard in those early years. Interviewer: I like to ask a question, I know you’re a long, long time member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, are you, in any particular church group or guild in that, in that church? Miss Baloyan: I’m delighted you asked me this question because in the three years since my mother’s death, in the years that I’ve been alone, the opportunities at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church have meant survival for us. I am in some of the adult classes and they are taught by various members of the clergy. I am also in a Tuesday night discussion group, which takes up interesting, topics. I am also a member of Cathedral League, it was my mother’s guild and as I started taking her in later years, I was asked to join and did. Mrs. Harry B. Wagner is the present president of it. I have been extremely active in the classes conducted by the Reverend Mr. George Howell and the presently Mr. James (?) and presently the evening, Tuesday evening, group is being conducted by Mr. Peter Winter. So all three of our clergy are participating in a very fine learning opportunity for adults as the enrollment of the young people began dwindling. The so called task force planning, the educational program for the church created an enlarged program for adults and it has been extremely well received so that there are at least seventy-five adults enrolled in the Sunday morning classes now and I participate regularly, and feel that I have learned a great deal and one of the incidental bonuses is the delightful fellowship with church members. At one time when we were younger we knew the people in a young people’s group real well, but then as years followed we didn’t always have the opportunities to come to �13 know our fellow churchmen, intimately. These adult classes have provided fellowship together with what I consider a very beneficial part of our church program, the Sunday morning coffee following the church service which is an opportunity for visiting with one’s friends and I will say I have come to know dozens of church members well as individuals and they have come to be so important in my life. They’re so kind and considerate and thoughtful. And it’s such a joy to meet them out, say on a symphony night or other nights. One feels that one has acquired a second family. The church program has come to function very well. A part of it that I hadn’t expected to enjoy so much but do enjoy is the opportunity to serve on the community involvement committee I was asked to visit some of the agencies to which our church has contributed and I have interviewed their directors, written up reports of their answers and of the activities of these social agencies and we have started a file on some of the agencies that our church is interested in. We are going to make our next project the effort to get more individuals involved in active volunteering for some of the organizations that we feel are worthy. And this opportunity has been so interesting, so satisfying, as one gets so tremendously interested and then one reads in the paper that this or that group had to give up because they couldn’t continue financially. It became a personal disaster because one has become so much convinced of the worthiness of that project. Interviewer: Can you think of a particular one that has suffered, gone out of existence? Miss Baloyan: Well, the Baxter Community has, hadn’t releases and news stories saying that they’re having problems. I have heard a recent story that there may be funds coming to their rescue. But as a former teacher I am especially distressed because part of their programs consisted of the effort to educate all people of all races who live in a particular under privileged community, who wish to go to that center. The Baxter Community Center, offers education in so many areas and including some of the basic education work that may be found in quite a number of other centers also but it does not limit itself to that. I think that’s one of the most notable ones that has suffered for lack of funds. Interviewer: All right, I think we’ve covered quite a multitude of subjects, I’d like to ask you a question now, you just moved in the last few days I believe, Up to this new facility, the Pilgrim Manor, you lived, I believe, up to your move in the, your old family home on Cherry Street, is that correct? Miss Baloyan: Yes. We lived in that home fifty-two years. Interviewer: What was the address? Miss Baloyan: Six-thirty-nine Cherry Street. And I have now been at Pilgrim Manor two weeks and it has solved a number of problems for me. One certainly can no longer be alone and if one wishes to leave the group and other people one has one’s room and numerous places he can escape to lovely courts, with beautiful views and classroom, the activities don’t completely, fill one’s interest, some of us are allowed to drive, I continue to drive my car so that I can still seek �14 other areas where other interests of mine are but, this is a very friendly place to be with numerous opportunities, it is a concept that I was lucky enough to have in existence in my time. I shudder to think what people used to have to do in their retirement years a few years back. What a blessing that now, there are retirement homes often started by churches and sometimes built partly with federal funds, but what a blessing this particular retirement home has a hundred and fifty eight residents. There is a bus that is able sometimes to drive us to shopping centers or to other areas of the interest, if there are as many as nine persons interested. It’s easily available to downtown. There’s considerable freedom one is urged to continue attending their church of his choice, is urged to continue seeing his own physician and yet there is a good health center here too. It’s of course requiring some adjustments from a home that I have known for fifty-two years but, although many happy years were spent in that home, the time comes when one looks forward to the time when he may want and need more help, Thank God there is such a thing as a retirement home concept. And Pilgrim Manor is a very friendly one. Interviewer: I think that’s perhaps a good place to close our interview. I’m delighted to have had this opportunity to learn about many of your activities and interests over the years. You certainly had a fascinating life, and you’re one of the best beloved people in our community. I’ve heard that from many, many people. So, it’s now, I believe ten after three and, I hope maybe someday we can have another chat. INDEX A C Alby Family · 6 B Bach Family · 8 Baldwin, Melvin · 3 Baloyan, Alexi (Sister) · 1 Baloyan, Alfred (Brother) · 1 Baloyan, Martin (Mardiros) A. (Father) · 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11 Baloyan, Nouvart Kurkjian (Mother) · 2, 3, 9, 11, 13 Baxter Community Center · 14 Birch, Mrs. · 4 Blanchard Family · 6 Blood, Harriet · 8 Boone, Camilia · 13 Booth, Mr. · 9 Buchen, Phil · 13 Butts, Secretary · 10, 11 Cathedral League · 13 Civic Theatre · 3, 6, 9, 12, 13 Claytor, Dr. · 11 Coon Sherman, Myrtle · 12 D Demusse, Nacib · 13 E Elliot, Jerry · 9 F Feely, Maud · 12 Ford, President and Mrs. · 11 Fountain Street Church · 2, 3, 5 �15 H R Hirst, Louise · 13 Howell, Reverend George · 13 Hubbard, Millicent · 13 Remington, Mary · 9 Rosenswag, Dr. · 8 K Kerns, Margarete · 9 Klein Family · 6 Kleiner Family · 5 Kleiner, Ann · 4 Kurchin Family · 5, 10 Kurchin, Armen (Uncle) · 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 Kurkjian, Armen (Uncle) · 2 Kurkjian, Grandfather · 2, 7 Kurkjian, Grandmother · 2, 7 L Lady’s Literary Club · 3 Lawrence Welk Show · 4 M S Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church · 3, 11 Seidman, Mrs. · 5 Smiley, Mrs. · 4 Sparks, Frank · 9 St. Cecilia's Music Society · 8, 12 Stanard, Wallace · 4 Steketee, Mrs. · 13 Stevenson, Paul · 12, 13 T Thompson, Jack · 4 Travis, Marsha · 8 U Matoon, Lloyd · 4 Union High School · 5 University of Michigan · 2, 6, 9 Urban League · 6, 11 O W Oliver Machinery Company · 3 Ottawa Hills High School · 4 Wagner, Mrs. Harry B. · 13 Whittier, Mrs. · 4 Widdicombe, John · 2 Winter, Peter · 13 Women’s City Club · 3, 4, 7 Wurzburg, Elvestra · 3 P Philips, Paul and Ethel · 11 Pilgrim Manor · 1, 14, 15 Q Quigley, May · 9 Y Yale University · 4, 9, 12 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3dd900e17fcd265d94690c4b044354af.mp3 b03ddd1898ce3aed565de7606de81310 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_44Baloyan Title A name given to the resource Baloyan, Mary Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Baloyan, Mary Description An account of the resource Mary Baloyan's parents came from Armenia in 1897. She was the first Armenian girl born October 13, 1899 in Grand Rapids. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1922. She later was a teacher at Ottawa Hills High School, JRCC, and in Zeeland for about forty-three years total. She was involved with the Urban League, Community Concerts Organization, and Baxter Community Center. She was Vice-President of the Civic Theatre, and established music scholarships to the Interlochen Arts Academy. Mary Baloyan died on January 21, 1984. 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 Women 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 1974 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/4f772595fbbe983dedecca030956dcc9.mp4 37a3999983ca55181757ae38230faad4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/95e274c50c1393b862764780f842938a.pdf ab2accd81a3a525b2e1475dea61434b1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Dr. Gordon Balyeat (1:42:25) (00:25) Background Information • • • • • • • • Gordon was born in Michigan in 1911 and grew up in Sparta He enjoyed hunting, fishing, scouting and was very interested in sports In high school Gordon played football, basketball, ran in track, tennis, and field hockey He graduated in 1928 and went to Kalamazoo College in Michigan Gordon then went on to pre-med at the University of Michigan He was attending college at the time of the prohibition and depression They often drank at underground bars that were very secretive and illegal Gordon received his medical degree in 1935 and continued instructing at the University (12:00) Internship • • • Gordon received an internship opportunity and chose to get involved in practicing medicine rather than surgery There were not very many breakthroughs in medicine during the 30s Gordon then received a position at a clinic in Seattle and he resigned from the University (20:15) New York City • • Gordon was helping in city hospitals and ambulances The hospitals were very busy and diverse (28:00) Practice in Michigan • • Gordon began working with patients at Saint Mary’s hospital and Butterworth hospital He remembered Pearl Harbor being attacked, noting that it was hard to digest and not being able to predict what would happen next (31:20) Draft Board Work • Gordon began working for the Draft Board in Michigan, inspecting draftees and giving them diagnostic tests (34:10) Gordon is Called to Active Duty • Gordon was a lieutenant in the Navy at the Navy Pier in Chicago in 1943 • He was working with the Northwestern Medical Unit, which covered about 10,000 men • He had a great medical experience working here for 9 months • Gordon was then sent to Navy Medical School in Washington (38:15) Brooklyn Navy Yard • Gordon never understood why he was sent here �• He stayed with his wife in an apartment for 10 days and was then ordered to ship back to Great Lakes Naval base in Chicago (39:50) San Francisco • Gordon went from Chicago to San Francisco to board a ship to travel through the Pacific • Gordon help set up a hospital in the Russell Islands with the help of enlisted men and natives (49:50) Hospital Work • Gordon was testing and doing lab work, especially with malaria • He took many pictures, though bringing a camera was an offense punishable by court martial (57:40) The Trip to New Zealand • Gordon liked fishing and had wanted to take his time off in New Zealand • He went with a friend and his girlfriend and they took a Jeep to do some touring • They stayed in a famous and now very expensive and exclusive resort hotel and lodge (1:02:05) Russell Islands • They Navy had been planning to move the hospital to Japan during the invasion • Gordon worked with more patients that had been wounded in combat then those that had diseases • He also worked with more marines than with men from the Navy • Gordon was sent to several Seabee units to help with their hospitals • He was sent to Peleliu island after the hospital was shut down (1:05:40) The End of His Service • Gordon received a letter stating that he was being discharged, but he had to remain on the island for 5 more weeks • He left with many others to wait at Henderson Field, where they finally boarded a plane back to the US • Gordon landed in Pearl Harbor and then took an air craft carrier to San Francisco • He traveled to Chicago and went to work in a Navy hospital for four months before being discharged � 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 Balyeat, Gordon (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Balyeat, Gordon Description An account of the resource Dr. Gordon Balyeat was born in Michigan in 1911 and grew up in the small town of Sparta. He graduated from high school in 1928 and went to Kalamazoo College and the University of Michigan. Gordon attended college during the prohibition and the depression. After receiving his medical degree, Gordon worked in various hospitals from Seattle to New York. He joined the Navy in 1942 and worked with the Northwestern Medical Unit. Gordon was sent to the Russell Islands in the Pacific in 1943 to set up a hospital, where he tended many Marines wounded in battle. 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 United States. Navy 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 2008-04-21 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BalyeatG 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/cd34319847c12b7f96c7bdc52523c873.pdf 32ca7890165790e27eac517d470ef871 PDF Text Text •II GoR fassociates Inc. 0 �• : • • • • • • •• • •• •II , ,,...ny OF r.f \:·Y,;\ .,/~ • p\a\i, ,. ,,II .;,·1 .\., ·C I1 .J'. •' \ • ,.:. ...- · r · . ,'r .,\· or vv11 .. ~ , 0 - i l.1 ,..., . nC., . Cl -·- LAND USE PLAN Prepared for: BANGOR TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN JUNE 1991 Prepared By: GOVE ASSOCIATES INC. 1601 Portage Street Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001 �• •' • • • • • "• CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF BANGOR LAND USE PLAN I " "IJI "ill Township Officials C. Joseph Carland, Supervisor Sharon Russell, Clerk Ruth Charbonneau, Treasurer Clarence Bennett, Trustee Frank Rechsteiner, Trustee Henry Schumann, Trustee Duff L. Zube, Trustee Planning Commission Duff L. Zube, Chairman Dan Hatton, Ph.D, Vice Chairman Edwin R. Davis, Secretary Janet Causley, Member Jerry S. Kaczynski, Member William P. Schubert, Member Richard D. DeMara, Member William H. Darbee Attorney Gove Associates Inc. Planner �• "• • • • • • • • • •II • •II EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Plan is an update of the 1980 Bangor Township Land Use Plan. It is a prescription for the most appropriate uses of land within the Township to the year 2010, as determined by the Planning Commission. The Plan is designed to accommodate a target population of approximately 21,400 by the year 2010, which is an increase of more than 5,000 residents over the next 20 years . There are two major parts to this text. Part I describes the existing development in terms of the Township's historic population growth, its overall housing conditions, economy and natural resources along with the distribution of land use. Bangor Township, while essentially an urbanized extension of the City of Bay City, is a self contained political entity with a wide variety and density of housing, a substantial commercial base that is becoming a major retail shopping area in east central Michigan, a range of industries from Dow chemical to small machine shops, and its own school system along with police and fire protection. Historically, much of the river shoreline in the Township has been used for industrial storage and shipping. Although the Township is blessed with an expansive shoreline along both the Saginaw Bay and Saginaw River, there is very limited public access to the waterfront outside of the Bay City State Park in the northern part of the Township. Because of its close proximity to the Bay, and its low, flat topography, the Township has had to construct a fairly comprehensive drainage system to sustain residential development. Wetlands also exist within the northern half of the Township. There is, however, more than enough developable land within the Township to accommodate the target population . Part II describes the proposed future land uses for the Township over the next 20 years. An overall description is given of how various land uses should be distributed and each land use component is then described in more detail. To accommodate the target population and accomplish the goals and objectives defined in the Plan, an additional 1,440 acres of single-family and 27 acres of multiple-family will be required (using existing densities). Approximately 175 additional acres of commercial activities and 217 additional acres of industrial development will take place over the life of the Plan. New local and collector streets will also be constructed and existing roads expanded to accommodate new residential and commercial development. More recreational development, including public access to the shoreline, as well as commercial/recreation activities is also included in the Plan. Finally, specific projects and associated implementation measures are defined to assist in making the Plan a reality. Overall, this Land Use Plan is pro-active. That is, it prescribes that the Township Board, Planning Commission and residents take an active role in ensuring the desired results are achieved . �• • • • • • • •II • • TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I EXISTING DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION Description of Planning Area 1 Introduction 3 5 7 7 Age/Sex Composition 9 Basis for Township Analysis POPULATION Household/Family Composition Population Projections HOUSING Housing Characteristics Synopsis ECONOMY Introduction Regional Economy Local Economy State Equalized Valuation NATURAL RESOURCES AND EXISTING LAND USE Introduction 11 14 20 20 26 27 27 27 29 31 33 33 Natural Resources 33 Land Use Classifications Analysis of Land Use Patterns Residential 39 43 Commercial Industrial Public/Semi-Public Uses Undeveloped Lands Synopsis Road and Railroad Analysis Synopsis 43 53 56 57 61 62 66 70 �Page PART II FUTURE LAND USE INTRODUCTION OVERALL LAND USE Incremental Development Patterns RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT Goal Land Use Qualitative Description Implementation Policies Financing Program for Housing COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT Goal Land Use Qualitative Description Implementation Policies Financing Program for Commercial Development INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT Goal Land Use Qualitative Description Implementation Policies Financing Program for Industrial Development PARKS AND RECREATION Goal Land Use Qualitative Description Implementation Policies Financing Program for Parks and Recreation TRANSPORTATION Goal Land Use Qualitative Description Implementation Policies Financing Program for Transportation 72 74 78 83 83 84 87 88 90 92 92 92 95 96 98 101 101 102 104 105 107 108 108 110 111 112 118 119 119 119 122 124 125 • • ~ : • • • • • • • • "'• • • �11111 • "• "II • • "-II "II Page PUBLIC FACILITIES, SCHOOLS AND SERVICES Goal Land Use Qualitative Description Implementation Policies Financing Program for Public Facilities, Schools and Services NATURAL RESOURCES/ENERGY CONSERVATION Goal Land Use Qualitative Description Implementation Policies Financing Program for Natural Resources/ Energy Conservation SHORELINE LAND USES RECOMMENDED SITE SPECIFIC CHANGES Specified Land Use Changes DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES IMPLEMENTATION 126 126 126 132 132 133 135 135 137 137 137 138 139 143 143 145 149 �• ~ • • • • • •II • • • • • 1111 PART I - EXISTING DEVELOPMENT LIST OF TABLES Page TABLE 1 BANGOR TOWNSHIP AGE/SEX COMPOSITION 10 2 BANGOR TOWNSHIP AGE COMPOSITION (BY AREA) 12 3 BAY COUNTY AGE/SEX COMPOSITION 13 4 HOUSING TYPE (YEAR-ROUND) SELECTED COMMUNITIES PLANNING AREA HOUSING UNITS 21 5 23 6 REAL PROPERTY VALUATION (S.E.V.) 1980-1990 32 7 BANGOR TOWNSHIP LAND DISTRIBUTION BY AREA 1979-1980 8 TOWNSHIP SCHOOL FACILITIES - BANGOR TOWNSHIP, BAY COUNTY 1989/1990 50 58 LIST OF MAPS MAP 1 LOCATION MAP 2 3 CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS - 1990 FLOOD PRONE AREAS 4 WETLANDS 5 AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN EXISTING LAND USE 6 4 6 35 37 40 44 7 PARCELS FOR POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL/ INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 8 55 TRAFFIC COUNT (24 HOUR PERIOD) 68 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1 HISTORIC POPULATION GROWTH TRENDS 2 BANGOR TOWNSHIP POPULATION PROJECTIONS MEDIAN HOUSING PRICE ASKED 3 8 19 25 �PART II - FUTURE LAND USE LIST OF TABLES Page TABLE 9 10 FUTURE LAND USE ALLOCATIONS 77 PROJECTED ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL UNITS AND ACREAGE REQUIRED 11 12 13 14 15 86 PROJECTED COMMERCIAL LAND USE (ACRES) 93 INDUSTRIAL LAND USE ALLOCATIONS (ACRES) 103 BANGOR TOWNSHIP RECREATION PLAN SCHEDULED PROJECTS 114 SCHEDULED PLANNING DEVELOPMENT 146 IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE 150 LIST OF MAPS MAP 9 10 11 FUTURE LAND USE SEWER SYSTEM MAP RECOMMENDED LAND USE CHANGES 73 131 144 • • •Ill • • • • • • • �: • • • • • PART I EXISTING DEVELOPMENT �Iii •ill • Introduction �INTRODUCTION II This Comprehensive Development Plan for the Township of Bangor, in Bay County, Michigan, is an update of the Township's most recent plan which was adopted in 1980. While many of the Township's physical characteristics remain much the same today as they did in 1980, and the number of people living in Bangor Township has actually decreased, change has nonetheless occurred, and will continue to occur. Much of that change is manifested in ways of doing business, new technologies and changing social values. New retail marketing techniques that focus on specialty items, increased reliance on telecommunications, technology, home videos, increased popularity of jogging, walking and biking and increased use of the automobile are examples of the changes that have occurred since 1980 that impact upon the needs and characteristics of the Township. To effectively keep pace with, and accommodate, these changes, the Township needs to consistently review and change, as necessary, its physical, social and economic structure. At the same time, it is important to recognize the qualities of the Township's natural environment, particularly its shoreline, and retain that quality in future development. This will ensure a community that is both vibrant and attractive; hence, the reason for updating the original plan. To continue to meet the needs of its residents and to remain competitive as an attractive and accommodating place to live and to conduct business, Bangor Township must consistently be looking to, and preparing for, the future while at the same time retaining those elements of the community that make it unique and distinctive. This Plan is the primary means of facilitating these responsibilities. The following describes the elements of community planning that this text addresses: What is Community Planning? Community planning is planning by municipal government. It is concerned with • •I the solving of existing physical, social and economic problems in the community. It also guides future community growth and development. Community planning operates under the general objectives established by State legislation. It is also controlled by the voters of the community through their elected officials. In putting -1- �into effect the recommendations of the Planning Commission, the governing body has the final authority. The Planning Commission only recommends, but does so on the basis of facts and their analyses. The governing body has the authority to act on land acquisition, bond issues, and the effectuation of the public works programs recommended by the Planning Commission. It also has final authority on zoning and other legislation to regulate land uses and population densities . This is the legal and administrative framework of community planning. • • • -• • • • • • "'• "II • " I What Can Community Planning Accomplish? The most important function of community planning is to coordinate the various physical elements that make up the community. Its aim is to achieve optimum compatibility and efficiency between these elements. Community planning can prevent duplication of effort among the various departments of government and avoid competition for land and funds. Even more importantly, community planning can influence the stabilization, conservation and improvement of private property and natural resources. In general, it aids in furthering the welfare of the people . What is the Comprehensive Development Plan? The Comprehensive Development Plan is a product of the planning process. Through text, maps and other graphic aids, it explains the philosophy and desires of a community towards the future. Each community must be viewed as a unique area because of the variety of factors that influence its growth. The Comprehensive Development Plan seeks to express an ideal, yet achievable community in terms of existing conditions, growth potential and accepted planning concepts and standards. At the same time, the Plan is flexible enough so that changing future conditions in such areas as technology and demands for services can be met by the community. To be most effective, the Comprehensive Development Plan must obtain the joint participation of citizens and public officials in the orderly development of the community. -2- �.. • • "• II II -~ • • • • • •I I Description of Planning Area Bangor Township is located in the "Thumb" Area of Michigan near the southern end of Saginaw Bay. It is bounded on the northeast by Saginaw Bay, on the southeast by Bay City, and on the west by Monitor and Kawkawlin townships (see Map 1). Because of the Township's proximity to Bay City, with an estimated 1990 population of 38,730, and its own estimated 1990 population of 16,031, it is considered an urbanized area. Bangor Township encompasses approximately 15 square miles with over 13 miles of lake and river shoreline, making it a highly desirable area for waterfront activities. Consequently, much of the Saginaw Bay shoreline in the Township is densely developed with single-family housing. At the same time, a large portion of the Saginaw River has traditionally been, and still is, devoted to industrial/storage/shipping facilities. The combined high density residential and industrial land uses along the Township's shoreline has in effect precluded much of the shoreline from public access. The Bay City State Park and Tobico Marsh, as well as the Department of Natural Resources boat launch at the mouth of the Saginaw River, are the most predominate public access sites within the Township. Commercial activity in Bangor Township is currently the fastest growing segment of land development in the Township. A regional mall is currently being built along the Township's common boundary with Bay City and a community shopping mall is being planned adjacent to the regional mall. These developments can be expected to spur further commercial/office and possibly multiple-family construction in this vicinity. In addition, the Euclid Avenue commercial corridor has been a major shopping area for Bay County . In essence, Bangor Township has historically been a "bedroom" community, comprised primarily of residential land uses, with a substantial commercial base, particularly along Euclid Avenue and an expansive storage/shipping complex along the Saginaw River. Although the western (particularly southwestern) portions of the Township are fully developed, the northcentral sections of Bangor Township still contain a large amount of developable lands, particularly the interior portions of large blocks containing perimeter development. This Plan concludes that there is more than enough available vacant land in Bangor Township to accommodate additional growth over the next 20 years. -3- �1N _I __ J MOUTH -• MERRITT 1--7~~M=U~O~£N_j__ I I MAP 1 LOCATION MAP • • • • • •1111 ... • • • • -111 ~~cr-:-G-ove- A- . ssoc1ates Inc. \=7 -4- �Basis for Township Analysis ~ -II II II While Bangor Township encompasses a relatively small geographic area, its population density, substantial development and varied natural resources create a relatively diverse political jurisdiction. The Township can more easily be studied if it is subdivided into smaller "sub-areas" or "districts" for which information is easily available. To facilitate a more detailed inspection, much of the data identified in this Plan is derived from the 1980 Census using the block group as the basic unit. In 1980, there were eight Census block groups identified for Bangor Township. These are depicted as A through H in Map 2 (see Appendix A for individual Census Blocks), and will be frequently referred to throughout this Plan, both in the analysis of existing conditions and the determination of future land uses. The following sections describe the population, housing, basic economic structure, natural resources and land uses in Bangor Township using this "sub-area" concept. II "• • • • • • • •I -5- �_ _____ , H 9EAV£R CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS - 1980 RoAO i ~ 90Y SCOUT !! ! ,,,, t~~- l ~I ;ii ~~ I~, ~L l_j[ ~ I "™' 00.0 I I - ~i '\, j ~ 1l1 I Ii, ~' OTY Of' 9AY QTY ~ ---.!: ~ 6 $AQIHAW aTV 0, ~ BAY aTY I °' I • MotfTOIII TW> • MAP 2 CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS - 1980 @I Gove Associates Inc. �•I •II II -~ -- I I I Population �POPULATION Introduction People are a community's most valuable asset. They are the factor which allows the community to function as a complete unit. All other aspects of the community (i.e., government, structures and thoroughfares) would cease to exist without that one important element - people. • • • • • : • •I I I - The characteristics of Bangor Township's population determine the quality of life available within the Township. Local residents through individual collective efforts form the 'built' environment (as distinguished from the natural environment). This environment, consisting of industry, commerce, housing, public places, streets and highways, is in turn intended to serve those who live in and visit the Township. The built environment and the local economy are dependent upon the attitudes and backgrounds of local residents. Such factors as age, sex, education, income, life experiences and, most importantly, attitude determine the type and quality of lifestyle prevalent within the Township. These factors are consequently reviewed in detail below. Most of the data listed and analyzed in this Plan is from the 1980 Census of Population and Housing and, where possible, is updated to current conditions using 1990 preliminary Census data. In those instances where past trends allow for a calculated update of information, estimated figures will be used to arrive at an analysis of current conditions. The Bay City SMSA had a total 1980 population of 119,887 inhabitants representing an increase of 2,542 persons or 2.1 percent, over 1970. Population growth within the entire Bay City SMSA has occurred at a faster rate than within the City of Bay City which actually lost 419 persons between 1970-1980. In essence, the remaining townships and cities in the county actually added 2,961 people to their population base over that 10 year period. Bangor Township, which added 1,598 people, represented 54 percent of that total. That is, over half of the population growth in Bay County between 1970 and 1980 took place in Bangor Township. Since 1980, on the other hand, Bangor Township's population has decreased by over 1,400 people, or approximately eight percent. The population growth trends for the 1960-1990 (estimated) period for Michigan, the Bay City Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is essentially Bay County, Bay City, Hampton Township, Essexville, Monitor Township and Bangor Township are presented in Figure 1. -7- �- FIGURE 1 HISTORIC POPULATION GROWTH TRENDS 10 (/) 9 z 0 ::J 8 __J ~ 7 6 130 ,339 2. 11 ,849 (-2.1) 11 7,300 110 90 70 53,604 - 50 3 ,730 (/) 30 z<( 20 a (/) :::::> 0 ~ TWP. 15 10 6,770 5 3,857 3,476 3,167 0 1950 1960 1970 -8- 1980 1990 (ESTIMATED) " • • • • • • • •I •I I �1111 Age/Sex Composition '• = • • • • • • •I I • -I The age and sex composition of the Township's population is an important factor to consider in establishing the policies and programs that will best serve local residents. Needs and lifestyles differ among various age groups. Certain economic factors, i.e., types of retail goods stocked and sold, are dependent upon the proportion of men and women living in the area. There are several identifiable stages or cycles that individuals go through during the span of a lifetime. These stages each bring different predominant needs which in turn affect other elements of life in the general area, especially retail trade and public services. Table 1 depicts the 1970 and 1980 age and sex composition of the Township's population . Table 1 indicates that the number of residents under the age of 14 decreased between 1970-1980. This coincides with a national trend of declining birth rates and implies a low population growth or perhaps even decline over the next 1O to 20 years. On the other hand, the Township's retired population increased substantially during the 1970's and that increase is likely to have continued through the 1980's. The second largest rate of increase occurred in the 25-34 year age group, which by 1990 will be the 35-45 year age group. At least for the near future, community land uses and services that are oriented toward the established family and retired age groups might be increased in number and scope. The increase in the college age group also reflects the potential for an increase in the number of young families (or at least young married couples) living in the Township during the next 10 years . Although municipal boundaries define the characteristics of the residents of a community, they do not circumscribe the number and characteristics of those that work, shop and play in that community. The volume of business and type and quality of retail merchandise sold in Bangor Township and the public services and facilities (particularly park and recreation) in Bangor Township are also dependent upon the general characteristics of the population living in the immediate vicinity, outside of the Township's border. Consequently, the size and characteristics of this population group is also an important factor in planning for Bangor Township. That is, the Township and its surrounding environs interact with, and impact upon, each other especially because of the increase in regional retail development in Bangor Township. Therefore, Bay County is included in the analysis of population. -9- �' ~~~~ -- ~ ___:::_-: __ _ .. __-_ ... ~. TABLE 1 BMG)R 'IDWNSHIP AGE/SEX COMPOSITION 1970 1980 Total % of Total Pop. % of Total Female Female Pop. M3.le Aqe Total % of Total Pop. Pre-School 5 and Under 2,025 12.7 1,578 9.0 757 8.5 821 Elementary 6-13 2,862 18.0 2,618 15.0 1,278 14.3 Secondary 14-18 1,583 10.0 1,764 10.1 856 College 19-24 1,419 8.9 1,744 10.0 Young Family 25-34 2,191 13.8 2,917 Established Family 35-54 3,653 23.0 M3.ture Family 55-64 1,276 % of Total M3.le Pop. Change in Total Age Group 1970-1980 % Number 9.6 -22.1 -447 1,340 15.7 -8.5 -244 9.6 908 10.6 +11.4 +181 900 10.1 844 9.9 +22.9 +325 16.7 1,529 17.1 1,388 16.2 +33.1 +726 4,019 23.0 2,025 22.7 1,994 23.3 +10.0 +366 8.0 1,486 8.5 797 8.9 692 8.1 +16.7 +213 887 5.6 1,365 7.8 794 8.9 571 6.7 +53.9 +478 15,896 100.0 17,494 100.0 8,936 100.0 8,558 100.0 +10.1 +1,598 I _, .:::> I Retired 65+ Total (%) Median Age SOURCE: t-- - • 25.2 28.6 1970, 1980 U.S. Census of Population �Table 2 depicts the age composition of the eight "sub-areas". This table shows that the distribution of age groups in all the sub-areas in 1980 is fairly similar. There are a few notable differences, however, that should be identified. Areas A and G tended to have a higher proportion of pre-school children included in their population base than other areas. The relative concentration of elementary school age children also appeared to be higher in those areas. The proportion of high school age population tended to be highest in Area H (18.1%), compared to 9.5 percent in Areas A and B. Area D, likewise, contained a higher percentage of college age students than other areas. Area D also had the highest proportion of retirees as part of its population base. Area F, because of its larger population, obviously had the most number of residents in each age group. Table 3 describes the age and sex composition of Bay County, which provides at least a portion of the employees and customers for businesses within the Township. Table 3 shows that the population of Bay County grew at a slower rate (2%) between 1970 and 1980 than Bangor Township. The population under 18 years of age declined in total numbers as well as in percentage of total population. "• • • • • • • •I While college and young family age groups increased over that 10 year period, and by 1990 will be in the young and established family categories, older age groups (55 and older) also increased substantially. In general, the county, as the Township, will continue to experience increases in its older population groups. Marketing strategies and land uses (e.g. retirement communities, multiple-family housing, etc.) should be oriented toward, or at least increased among, this segment of the population . Household/Family Composition The composition of those individuals in families, single person households or group (two or more unrelated individuals) living quarters define the socio-economic character of the Township. The number and type of housing units and the effective buying power and purchasing habits of local residents are a function of the type and number of households. Households, then, should be considered the primary unit for evaluating and projecting housing, retail sales and community facilities. In Bangor Township, there were 4,655 households in 1970, or 13 percent of the county's 35,865 households. By 1980, the number of households in Bangor Township increased by almost 27 percent to 5,903. This represented 14.2 percent of the county's 41,455 households in 1980. This increase of 1,248 households between - 11 - �1 ~~~~~~~---------- n~~- - - - TABLE 2 BANGOR TOWNSHIP AGE COMPOSITION (By Area) I __. N I H % of Total Area Aqe A Total Area B Total Area C Total Area D Total Area E Total Area F Total Area G % of Total Area Pre-School 5 and Under 391 11.2 46 5.1 159 8.0 39 3.5 96 7.8 603 4.1 236 10.8 38 8.4 Elementary 6-13 669 19.2 127 14.2 248 12.4 95 8.5 132 10.7 816 14.1 358 16.4 56 12.4 Secondary 14-18 329 9.5 85 9.5 194 9.7 138 12.3 140 11. 3 593 10.2 227 10.4 82 18.1 Co 11 ege 19-24 252 7.2 104 11.6 138 6.9 .. 174 15.6 145 11. 7 630 10.9 208 9.5 19 4.2 Young Family 25-34 597 17.1 156 17.4 333 16.7 120 11. 5 151 12.2 1012 17.5 401 18.4 73 16.1 Established Family 35-54 855 24.6 228 25.5 551 27.6 299 26.7 342 27.6 1212 20.9 456 20.9 126 27.8 Mature Family 55-64 175 5.0 74 8.3 192 9.6 80 7.2 94 7.6 487 8.3 159 7.3 44 9.7 Retired 64+ 213 6.1 74 8.3 181 9.1 164 14.7 138 11.1 445 7.7 140 6.4 15 3.3 % of % of Total SOURCE: 3481 1980 Census STF3 ~-- • • 894 1996 1109 % of % of % of % of 1238 5798 2185 453 �~111 • ·• • • -· · - -- -- · --· TABLE 3 BAY O)UNI'Y AGE/SEX O)MPOSITION 1970 1980 % of % of % of Total Ferrale Ferrale Pop. M3.le % of Total M3.le Change in Total Age Group 1970-1980 Number % Aqe Total Total Pop. Total Total Pop. Pre-School 5 and Under 13, 799 11.8 11,022 9.2 5,419 8.8 5,603 9.6 -20.1 -2, 777 Elerrentary 6- 13 21,414 18.2 16,156 13.5 7,866 12.8 8,290 14.2 -32.5 -5,258 Secondary 14-18 12,428 10.6 11,812 9.9 5,788 9.4 6,024 10.3 -5.0 -616 College 19-24 10,411 8.9 13,354 11.1 6,860 11.2 6,494 11.1 +28.3 +2,943 Young Family 25-34 14,007 11.9 19,079 15.9 9,543 15.6 9,536 16.3 +36.2 +5,072 Established Family 35-54 25,545 21.8 25,098 20.9 12,703 20.7 12,396 21.2 -1.7 -447 Mature Family 55-64 10,187 8.7 11,239 9.4 6,011 9.8 5,228 8.9 +10.3 +1,052 9,458 8.1 12,120 10.1 7,169 11. 7 4,951 8.5 +26.9 +2,572 Total(%) 117,339 100.1 119,881 100.1 61,359 100.0 58,522 100.0 +2.2 +2,542 M=dian Age 25.4 Pao. I ....., w I Retired 65+ 28.7 �1970 and 1980, compared to a growth in population of 1,598 persons indicates a disbursement of existing households as well as inmigration of new households. That is, the low person per household ratio of 1.28:1 (1,598:1,248) that occurred in the Township between 1970-1980 reflects a national trend whereby older children are leaving their families and beginning their own households and higher divorce rates have resulted in a larger number of single parent households. Overall, the Township's household density decreased from 3.2 persons per household in 1970 to 2.94 persons per household in 1980, slightly above the 1980 county average of 2.87 persons per household. In effect, the Township experienced a disbursement of household members and an increase in smaller households resulting in a gain of housing units and an average decrease in the number of persons living in each household. Each community has households consisting of married couple families, single parent families, individuals and two or more unrelated persons. These different types of households affect the type and quantity of local services and facilities available, retail merchandise and the physical composition of the community. In Bangor Township, there were 3,957 married couples in 1980, comprising 67 percent of all households. Within the County in 1980, there were 26,820 married couple families making up 64.7 percent of all households, compared to 26,231 married couple families in 1970, when they comprised 73.1 percent of all households. By 1980, the number of families with a female householder and no husband present increased to 3,562 (or 8.6% of all households) from 2,679 (6.5% of all households) in 1970. Non-family households increased from 6,900 in 1970 to 9,823 (23.7% of all households) in 1980. These statistics verify the earlier statement that households in general are changing in composition and becoming smaller. Population Projections The quantity and composition of the population of the Township and surrounding townships over the next 2u years will be the foundation upon which community facilities and services, land use, housing, employment and retail trade will be structured. While it is not possible to project the composition of the area's future population, it is possible to estimate the number of people that will most likely live in the Township over the next 20 years. The following depicts three methods used to estimate the projected population for Bangor Township to the year 201 o. -14- : • • • • • • •I I �Method I: Past Growth Trends (Least Squares Method) - Based on actual Census counts over past 40 years. Year Population 1950 6,710 1960 11,686 1970 15,896 1980 17,494 1990 16,031 Growth rates vary from 72.6% between 1950 and 1960 to 36.0% between 1960 and 1970 to 1.0% between 1970 and 1980 and preliminary census counts indicate an 8.4% decrease between 1980 and 1990. The 1960-70 growth rate was approximately 1/2 the 1950-60 growth rate. The 1970-80 growth rate was about 1/3rd the 1960-70 rate and the 1980-90 rate shows an actual decline of over 8%. Utilizing a projection method called "Least Squares", which is based upon past trends, and calibrating the resultant forecasts to the 1990 Census, the following projections are identified: Year Population : • • • • • •I •I 1990 16,031 1995 17,098 2000 18,160 2005 19,223 2010 20,285 This method projects the Township's population to grow over the next 20 years at an average rate of 6.6 percent every five years. Method II: Population projection using new housing construction and household densities . The following are median household densities taken from Census data: 1960 1970 1980 1990 3.57 3.22 2.94 2.65 persons persons persons persons per per per per household household household household There has been an average decrease of 0.23 persons per household for each 10 year period between 1960 and 1990, which is equivalent to an average 8.6 percent decrease per each 1o year period . Assuming that this decrease will continue at an average of 0.23 persons per household for each 10 year interval through the year 2010, the following projection of household densities (at 5 year intervals) reflects that decrease: 1990 2.65 1995 2.53 2000 2.42 2005 2.30 -15- 2010 2.19 �Preliminary Census counts indicate there are 6,006 occupied housing units in the Township in 1990. One hundred eighty-seven housing units have been added to the Township's housing stock between 1980-89. It is estimated that 180 are occupied (applying a 4% vacancy factor). This is an average increase of 18 units per year over the past 10 years. However, over the past 50 years (1940-1990), the Township has added an average of 100 occupied dwelling units each year to its housing stock. This method assumes a slight increase in the 1980-1990 new housing occupancy rate to 25 units per year, or 1/2 of the average 1940-1990 annual growth in occupied dwelling units, that will be added to the Township's housing stock each year. The projected future occupied housing stock (based on a slight increase in 19801990 construction activity in the Township, resulting in a new average housing occupancy rate of 25 units per year) is: 1990 6,006 1995 6,130 2000 6,256 2005 6,380 ~ ~ • • •,. 2010 6,506 Multiplying the estimated number of occupied units by the estimated average household density for each five year interval yields the following household population projections: Year Population 1990 15,908 1995 15,509 2000 15,140 2005 14,674 2010 14,245 In addition, there were 54 residents of the Township who did not live in households in 1970 (these individuals resided in institutions or group quarters) representing 0.3% of the Township's population. By 1980, there were 147 individuals not living in households, or 0.8% of the population. By 1990, the 0.8% proportion remained, with 123 people living in group quarters. Assuming that rate (0.8%) will continue over the next 20 years, there will be 124 residents living in group quarters in 1995, 121 in the year 2000, 117 in 2005, and 113 by 2010. Adding those residents to the residents living in households results in the following total population projections: 1990 16,031 1995 15,633 2000 15,261 2005 14,791 -16- 2010 14,361 : • • • • • �~ : • • " Method Ill: Population projections based upon Bangor Township's population as a proportion of Bay County's total population. This method incorporates the historical comparison of the Township's population as a proportion of the county's total population and projects those proportions (ratios) over the next 20 years. In 1960, Bangor Township contained 10.9% of the county's population. In 1970, this proportion increased to 13.5%, by 1980 it was 14.5%, and in 1990 it remained at approximately 14.5%. Assuming a 1% increase in the Township's proportion of the county's population (the rate of increase between 197089) over each 10 year period through the year 2010, the Township's projected population would comprise 15.5% of the county's estimated 2000 population, and 16.5% of county's 201 O population. This is based upon Bay County's projected population to the year 2010 from Population Projections for Michigan to the Year 2010, adjusted to 1990 preliminary Census counts. Year Population 1990 16,031 1995 17,020 2000 18,008 2005 19,037 2010 20,065 Method IV: East Central Michigan Regional Planning and Development Region population projections for Bangor Township (adjusted to conform to the 1990 preliminary Census count). ,. "• • • • • • Year Population 1990 16,031 1995 16,201 2000 16,373 2005 16,252 2010 16,179 Method I represents the highest projected growth in population (4,254 people) and Method II projects a decrease in population of 1,670 persons. The most accepted projection, given past trends is that shown in Method II, which is based on actual housing starts and household densities. Even though this method projects a decrease of 1,670 people in the Township over the next 20 years, it is the most realistic given lower birth rates, and the overall trend of migration from the northcentral and northeast portions of the country to the south and west. Overall, under any of the four methods, the Township is not expected to undergo the dramatic growth in the population it experienced up to 1980. It must be emphasized that this forecast is based upon historic growth patterns. The ability of the Township to implement the goals established in this Plan, along with the strength of the region's long-range economy and the Township's "carrying capacity" will define the �actual population growth rate. A continued decrease in population is not considered desirable. Therefore, a "target" population, which will enhance the overall stability and quality of life of the Township is presented in Method V. Method V: A 7.5% increase during each five year period (or 1.5% per year) over the preceding 5 year increment. This is a projection method that, unlike the other four, is based on an economic growth scenario rather than past trends. This reflects an accelerated growth dependent upon the regional economy and includes individuals not living in households. This accelerated growth scenario assumes the area's economy will do well over the next 20 years and the projection reflects a "target" population the Township would prefer to reach. Therefore, this is the population projection upon which this Plan will be based. It is predicted upon regional and local conditions and policies that will, in effect, reverse the overall decline in population in this area of the State in recent decades. Year Population 1990 16,031 1995 17,233 -18- 2000 18,525 2005 19,918 + • • • • • 2010 21,411 • • • • • • • �FIGURE 2 BANGOR TOWNSHIP POPULATION PROJECTIONS 25,000 ..... , 20,000 z 0 ~ --- 17,233 17,090 17,020 15,201 18,0J"I 1133 1S,S2.5 18,110 -' ~ - - ,..... 18,373 ~· ~r+~BB 1,, METHOD V 285 20.000 11,037 14.262 18,179 METHOD IV 15,201 15,000 ... METHOD II 14.311 14,7111 <( _J • =:) o_ O 10,000 o_ 5,000 • • • • • • 0 1990 1995 2000 YEAR -19- 2005 2010 �• Housing • �HOUSING Housing Characteristics • Many elements of a community make up its quality of life, and housing is one of the most important elements. Housing is unique because it is really the only component within the community that is intimately associated with each household and at the same time, when taken as a whole, is a primary community resource. Whereas businesses and community facilities are important to the total perception and functioning of an area, they are not as integral to household functioning as individual residences. Consequently, the quality of housing more directly reflects the quality of life of a household. Housing Type Bangor Township's housing stock consists primarily of single-family units, as does the rest of Bay County. The proportion of single-family housing in the Township is slightly higher than the county in general. Mobile homes comprise the second largest proportion of housing units within the Township, followed by multiple-family housing. • • • • Table 4 profiles the characteristics of housing types, including changes between 1970 and 1980, for Bangor Township, Bay County, Bay City and selected comparable townships. The most dramatic change in single-family housing took place in Bangor and Hampton townships, where each increased by 1,000 units, although the proportion of single-family units within Hampton Township actually decreased by 1980. Hampton Township experienced a relatively larger rate of growth in multiplefamily housing than other jurisdictions, while Bay City actually lost multiple-family housing during that decade. The increase in mobile homes in Bangor Township was minimal, while the other jurisdictions (except for the county) doubled or tripled the number of mobile homes placed within their boundaries. This trend has essentially continued through the 1980's, with new housing construction being primarily singlefamily. The rate of growth, however, especially in Bangor Township has decreased substantially, with new construction between 1980-89 representing about 12 percent of the new construction that occurred in the Township during the 1970's. Hampton and Monitor townships experienced less of a decrease in new construction during the 1980's, with new residential building representing approximately 20 percent and 37 percent, respectively, of those township's building activity during the 1970's . -20- �t TABLE 4 HOUSIN3 TYPE (YEAR-ROUND) SELECTED O)MMUNITIES 1 Unit Unit of Government % of 1970 1970 'Ibtal % of Co. Bangor Township 3,964 81. 7 Harcpton Township 1,597 z.t:>nitor Township z.t:>bile Hones 2+ Units % of % of 1970 1970 'Ibtal % of % of % of 1980 1980 'Ibtal % of Co. 1980 'Ibtal % of 562 9.2 9.4 493 10.2 29.4 507 8.3 22.7 10.2 966 24.8 16.1 104 4.6 6.2 333 8.6 14.9 1.6 0.7 131 3.8 2.2 160 6.5 9.5 311 9.1 13. 9 3,910 24.1 74.3 3,562 21.8 59.5 46 2.8 2.7 172 1.1 7.7 5,261 14.6 100.0 5,985 13. 9 100.0 1,679 4.7 100.0 2,236 5.2 100.0 % of 1980 1980 'Ibtal 13.6 5,020 82.4 14.4 395 8.1 7.5 71.4 5.5 2,589 66.6 7.4 536 24.0 2,264 91.9 7.8 2,961 87.0 8.5 39 Bay City 12,262 75.6 42.1 12,577 77.1 36.0 29,121 80.8 100.0 34,949 81.0 100.0 Co. % of 1970 'Ibtal % of Co. 1980 Co. 1970 Co. I N _. I Bay County SOURCE: 1970, 1980 Census of Housing _____ ,,,-1--- �Housing Occupancy Housing occupancy refers to owner-occupied, renter-occupied or vacant housing that is available for occupancy. In 1970 there were 4,957 total housing units in the Township (of which 4,852 (97%) were year-round) and 4,665 were occupied. At that time, 3,364 or 69 percent, of the year-round units were occupied by households that owned their own residences, 1,114 units (23%) were renter-occupied and 187 units (3.5%) were vacant. There were 105 seasonal units in the Township in 1970. The Township's rental activity decreased during the 1970-1980 decade. By 1980, the total number of housing units in the Township increased to 6,142 (an increase of 1,185 units, or 23.9%), the year-round housing increased to 6,089, or 99.1 percent of the total supply, indicating that the majority, if not all, of the units that were removed during the 1970's were seasonal, or that seasonal units were converted to yearround housing. During the same 10 year period, the number of owner-occupied houses increased by 1,469 units while the number of rental units decreased by 42. Of the total number of units in the Township in 1980, about one-third were in Area F, with Areas A and C containing about 18 percent each of the Township's housing stock. Conversely, Area H only contained about two percent of all housing units. Countywide, rental housing decreased substantially as a proportion of total housing. This may be partly due to the declining economy of the area, which created an impetus for migration out of the county. Renter households have more flexibility in this ability to move. By 1980, therefore, owner-occupied housing comprised almost 82 percent of the supply of occupied housing, while countywide, owner-occupied housing accounted for about 79 percent of all occupied housing units. New housing in the Township between 1980 and November, 1989 continued to be oriented toward owner-occupied units. Of the 182 new units built during that period, all (except for 5 mobile homes) were single-family site built units. Table 5 Planning Area Housing Units - depicts the changes that have occurred over the past 19 years within the Township, Bay City and Bay County. "• • -22- �TABLE 5 PLANNING AREA HOUSING UNITS City of Bay City 1970 Total Units 16,622 Year-Round 16,618 I of Total 1980 100.0 16,320 99 . 98 16,311 % of w 1989 100.0 16,460 99.94 16,451 Occupied 66.9 11,321 72.8 11,760 Renter--Occupied 5,233 33.l 4,224 27.2 3,925 % of Year- YearRound 73.8 12,577 2 Units 2,047 12.3 - - 3 or M::>re Units 2,263 2.8 3,562* 46 0.2 172 I »:>bile Hares or Trailer 99.9 -1.0 -1.0 4,959 100.0 6,142 97.8 6,089 4,852 N:>v. 1980 100.0 6,288 99.11 % of 1989 6,235 % of 72.l 4,831 81.8 4,959** 25.0 -25.0 1,301 27.9 1,072 18.2 1,089** 7.3 3,964 81.7 5,020 100.0 26.8 36,579 100.0 43,395 99.2 28.5 36,061 98.5 43,170 47.4 22,699 65.7 32,771 18.0 -16.3 11,872 34.3 8,577 % of YearRound YearRound - 5,156 82.7 - % of YearRound ' % of N:>v. Total 1989 % of Total ChangE 70-85 100.0 44,942 100.0 22.9 44,717 99.5 24.0 99.4 % of Occueied % of Occupied % of Occueied 82.0 % of 82.4 1980 Occupied 3,364 80.0 1970 I of Total % of Occupied I of YearRound Est. ' Olange Total 70-89 11.l 75.0 YearRound 77.l 13,161 Bay County I of Total % of O::cueied % of Round Single-Family 12,262 100.0 1970 I of Total Occupied 10,585 % of ' I of OlangE Total 70-85 % of CM!er--Occupied No. of Units in Structure: Year-Round I N:>v. % of Oc~ied N · I of Total ~or Townshie 79 . 3 32,911** 80.0 45.0 8,228** 20.0 -30.7 20.7 % of YearRound % of YearRound 30 . l 29,121 80.8 34,949 80.9 36,221 81.0 24.4 - - 2,370 6.6 - - - - - N.A. N.A. N.A 53 1.1 - 21.8 N.A. N.A. N.A. 342 7.0 562* 9.2 567* 9.1 43.5 1,552 4.3 5,985* 13.9 5,949* 13.3 51.6 1.1 N.A. N. A. N.A 493 10.l 507 8.3 512 8.2 3.9 1,679 4.7 2,236 5.2 2,549 5.7 51.8 *Includes 2 Unit Residences **Gove Estinates SOURCE: U.S. Census 1970 Census Tract I:ata; 1980 STF3A; Field Survey; O:msuner Q.Jestionnaire; Building Permit I:ata ~ '. -l__ ,1,111 �• • • • " Age of Housing Stock An important indicator of the quality and cultural significance of a community's housing stock is its age. In 1970, 19 percent of the Township's housing was built before 1940, that is, these units were 30 years old or older. By 1980, 11.5 percent of all housing units in the Township were built before 1940 and of those, eight percent were rental units. About seven percent of all rental units were constructed prior to 1940, compared to 16 percent for all owner-occupied housing, indicating that, in general, deteriorated housing is not concentrated within rental units although owner-occupied housing is typically maintained in better condition than rental housing. Overall, there were 933 units in the Township in 1970 that were constructed before 1940. By 1980, the Township contained 842 pre-1940 housing units indicating 91 older units were removed from the housing stock during that 10 year period. According to the 1980 Census, the largest proportion of the Township's oldest housing units are located in the Areas E, D and B, each with over 60%-70% of their existing units having been built prior to 1960. The largest number of newer dwellings (built since 1975) have been built in Area F. Housing Value "• • • The market value of housing, both in terms of median value and percentage of housing under a specified value, is a good indicator of housing quality as well as housing demand. In 1980, the median value of an owner-occupied residence in the Township was $42,400, which was 118 percent of the county's median owneroccupied housing value. However, it represented only 93 percent of Hampton Township's median value of $45,700 and 87 percent of Monitor Township's median value of $49,000. This can partly be attributed to the larger number of older (pre1940) homes in Bangor Township than in those two townships. In 1980, the median price asked for vacant homes for sale in Bangor Township was $50,000, or 93 percent of the $53,800 asked in Hampton Township, 102 percent of the $48,800 asked in Monitor Township and 189 percent of the $26,400 asked in Bay City. In 1989, the current value of owner-occupied housing for sale in Bangor Township is $69,916, compared to $70,333 in Monitor Township, $57,754 in Hampton Township and about $37,000 in Bay City. These figures indicate that the value of housing in the real estate market in Bangor Township has increased 40 percent over 1980, compared to a 44 percent increase in Monitor Township, a seven percent increase in Hampton Township, and a 40 percent increase in Bay City . -24- �FIGURE 3 MEDIAN HOUSING PRICE ASKED 80 70 n n n ,,---...._ 0 0 0 0 60 ,- 50 <( 40 w u er: - 0) c..o ffl -tjlJ) r------- ffl - lJ) Q_ 0 0 0 ....... ······· 0 0 20 r------- n ffl -tj- c..o- N ffl 10 z 0 IQ_ 2 <C I . Q_ er: w 1- I- 1- 3 . >- >OJ u o_ <( I- o:S z er: . Q_ 03 0 z I- <( 0 2 OJ AREA SOURCE: 1989 lJ) ...... . 0 . w .. ..... 30 ED 1980 ~ r------- n - ffl ~ U) 0 0 co w - r---- ffl .._____,, 0 c..o ,0) BAY CITY BOARD OF REALTORS ,25- • • • �Median contract rent is another indicator of the quality of housing, although it is also dependent upon the availability of supply and the extent of local demand for rental units. In 1980, the median contract rent in Bangor Township was $302, compared to $219 in Hampton Township and $223 in Monitor Township, indicating that, in general, rental housing is of a relatively higher quality in Bangor Township. Rental housing in the area is currently in demand, with low vacancy rates and an average rent of $350-$400 per month. Within the Township in 1980, the median value of owner-occupied (primarily single-family) housing varied from $30,868 in Area H to $52,940 in Area C. In general, housing in the western portions of the Township, Areas A, B, C and D averaged about $48,883 compared to approximately $33,054 in the remainder of the Township. Areas A, B, C and Dare more established areas of conventional yearround housing, some being newer subdivisions of larger single-family homes. Much of the balance of the Township is comprised of smaller homes on larger, irregularly split parcels. Synopsis Bangor Township, which experienced substantial residential development in the 1970s has, during the 1980's, become a 'maturing' residential community. Although the growth in single-family housing in the Township has continued at a relatively high rate during the past decade, other townships such as Monitor and Hampton seem to have surpassed Bangor Township in housing starts. This 'stabilization' - that is, the moderate growth in housing the Township has experienced during the 80s - is desirable in that it permits a steady growth in the Township's tax base, while creating minimal impact upon the Township's resources. This is reflected in the 40 percent increase in the sale prices of owner-occupied homes in the Township . • • • ..:26- �• • "• " Economy �ECONOMY Introduction The development of a community is influenced to a great extent by economic activity within its boundaries as well as the economic vitality of the region in which it is located. Studies of the local and regional economy are therefore essential as a basis for forecasting the type, amount and timing of the growth that will occur in the community and consequently the impact upon land use and the public facilities that will be required. Regional Economy The economy of a community is heavily influenced by regional trends. In large part, when the region is prospering, this prosperity is reflected in local communities. For this reason, regional economic trends need to be assessed before local trends are evaluated. Bangor Township is in Bay County, which is the Bay City Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). The Bay City MSA is part of the larger East Central Planning and Development Region, which contains 14 counties in what is referred to as the "Thumb Area" of Michigan. The Region's economic base has historically been associated with automobile manufacturing and agriculture. Although the automobile industry has been declining it still remains a major employment source within the Region. As with the country as a whole, the Region's economy is becoming increasingly oriented toward nonmanufacturing industries, such as professional services, motel and restaurant employment. • In October 1989, there were 192,500 people in the labor force living in the Saginaw Bay City - Midland Labor Market Area (LMA). At the same time, there were 162,600 people engaged in wage and salary employment in the LMA, with 52,300, or 32 percent, in goods producing industries and 110,300, or 68 percent, in service producing industries. The largest manufacturing category was transportation equipment, followed by chemicals and petroleum. These are associated primarily with General Motors operations in Saginaw and Bay City and Dow Chemical in -27- �Midland. The largest service-producing industry was general services, such as medical, professional, social and other similar activities, with 38,100 employees, followed by retail trade (31,700 employees) and government (20,900 employees), most (including school teachers) of whom were employed with local governments. As the automobile industry - a major economic force within the region - enters the 1990's, it is expected to undergo substantial changes, including possible reduction in size of operations and employment. At the same time, the start-up and expansion of new small businesses will likely continue providing greater opportunities for additional employment than the area's major manufacturers. As a matter of fact, data available in County Business Patterns shows that over 50 percent of all firms in Bay County employ one to four persons. In Michigan, small firms enjoyed a net growth of 91,866 jobs between 1979-84, while employment in large firms declined by over 383,000 during that time. To facilitate this trend, and promote economic and employment diversity for residents of the Township as well as the Bay City area, Bangor Township should orient and design its industrial land uses to accommodate small manufacturing and service industries (i.e. incubator programs). The Region has identified issues and trends pertaining to economic development within the east-central portion of the state. These trends are important to the future of Bangor Township, as they will impact the type, quantity and location of land use activities the Township must provide to accommodate future economic development. These trends are: Retail and service industries will continue to grow, although they will provide a relatively low wage scale. Manufacturing operations will continue to downscale but the slack will be taken up by new small businesses. Job training programs continue to be important. Diversification will continue to be pursued. This includes tourism, service and retail businesses. Recreation development particularly on the Saginaw Bay, should also be sensitive to the environment. -28- �Boating, fishing and waterfront access and recreation are key elements in the state's and region's effort to bolster tourism and recreation development. Bangor Township is in a position to capitalize on this effort (i.e. access to water). Water quality issues related to the Saginaw Basin can have a significant negative effect on the tourist industry. These issues must be addressed on an areawide basis. Providing water and sewer systems on an areawide basis contributes to coordination and cost-effectiveness in development. Aging infrastructure, especially roads and bridges, need to be upgraded. These can be deterrents to economic development (new roads also need to be developed). Local Economy An assessment of the local economy of Bangor Township provides an insight into the role that the Township plays in the Region. In 1980, approximately 52 percent of all employed residents of the Township worked in Bay City and 45 percent of all employed Township residents worked in either the durable goods manufacturing industry or in retail trade. Most of the retail trade employment is either in downtown Bay City or in the Euclid Avenue strip commercial corridor. Within Bangor Township, service and manufacturing industries provide the largest employment base. Major employers include Bangor Township School (300 full and part-time employees), Dow Chemical Plastic Line Pipe Plant (132 employees) on E. Wilder Road, Made-Rite Potato Chip Company (100 employees) on N. Euclid, Euclid Tool and Machine (36 employees) on N. Euclid, Schmidt Tool and Machine (26-30 employees) on Patterson, Dobson Heavy Hau,I, Inc. (25 employees) on N. Euclid, and Bay Health Systems (2,000 total employees in the Bay City area). In addition, there are approximately 200 other employees in the Dow Chemical complex in the Wilder Road area. These companies are fairly randomly dispersed within the Township and except for the Dow Chemical complex, do not require large parcels -29- �for their activities. Other major employers include Bay Medical Center West Complex; Bayshores Nursing Home; K-Mart (with 135 employees, mostly part-time) . Retail trade is an important component of the Township's economic base, with the existence of retail and service establishments within the Euclid Avenue corridor, including the North Pointe Mall. The construction of a new regional mall at the intersection of Wilder and State roads, will enhance the Township's position as a major commercial retail and service center in the Bay City area, as well as the TriCounty region. The mall will likely have "spin-off" effects, creating a market for additional retail and service businesses, and perhaps multiple-family housing, along Wilder road, as well as State Street. The overall effect will be a substantial increase in service employment, especially retail trade, within the Township. At the same time, the Township, as well as Bay County, is analyzing the potential of the Saginaw Bay and Saginaw River as major economic resources, particularly for recreation oriented activities. The Bay County Growth Alliance has formed a Waterfront Steering Committee to oversee the development of the County's waterfront resources, including those in Bangor Township. The Committee has developed a strategy that essentially calls for a greater enhancement and diversification of the waterfront, including fishing, hunting, parks, commercial shipping, storage and processing, boating, housing and infrastructure improvements. These are all to be accomplished in a manner sensitive to the waterfront's natural environment. Many of the activities that the Committee will be addressing are located in Bangor Township adjacent to the Saginaw River, as well as the shoreline of the Saginaw Bay. While portions of this shoreline area are lowland and consequently not developable, there are sites that are buildable or conducive to recreational access and could be used to enhance the shoreline's economic viability, which in turn will contribute to the diversity of the Township's economic base. This will be addressed in more detail in a separate section of the Plan pertaining to shoreline development. -30- "• �State Egualized Valuation The State Equalized Valuation on real property is very important to a community since it is the basis for local property tax revenues, one of the primary sources of revenue to meet government expenses. Egualized Value Equalized value is a barometer of the economic activity occurring in an area. Equalized value reflects market value of real property and hence a comparison of equalized values of real property classifications over time will indicate the relative strengths of the various types of property in the community. Between 1980 and 1989, the Township's total state equalized valuation increased by 28.5 percent from $147,920,400 to $190,078,500. Equalized valuation for real property only increased by 28.7 percent from $131,154,500 to $168,835,800 during that period. In 1980, the Township's real property valuation accounted for 11.6 percent of the total county valuation. By 1989 the Township's real property valuation was 14.3 percent of the county's. Table 6 displays the change in real property values for the Township and other jurisdictions in the county. The table shows that, Bangor Township's equalized valuation for all real property grew at a higher rate than other comparable jurisdictions. The Township's real property valuation also increased as a portion of the entire county's real property SEV between 1980 and 1989 (from 11.6% to 12.2%). Overall, the Township has the third highest SEV in Bay County, behind Hampton Township and Bay City. Hampton Township's real property valuation actually decreased as a result of a decreasing or re-adjusted industrial property valuation. ~ •I In 1989, Bangor Township's real property valuation consisted of commercial ($37,802,300 or 22% of the Township's total real property), industrial ($11,012,800 or 6.5%), residential ($118,878,600 or 70.4%), and developmental ($1,142,100 or 0.7%). Obviously, residential land use is the greatest contributor to the Township's economy. As a matter of fact, except for Bay City, Bangor Township has the highest assessed residential property valuation in the County. It also has the third highest industrial and second highest commercial valuation in Bay County. As commercial development continues to grow in the Township, it is expected that this property valuation will likely increase at a faster rate than residential. Overall, Bangor Township's economic base, in terms of real property value, is healthier than most other jurisdictions in Bay County . -31- �TABLE 6 REAL PROPERTY VALUATION (S.E.V.) 1980-1989 Unit Bangor Twp. Hampton Twp. 1980 $131,154,500 %of Total 1989 11.63 %of Total % Change 1980-89 $168,835,800 12.2 28.7 328,426,400 29.1 320,576,650 23.3 -2.4 Kawkawlin Twp. 22,313,800 3.6 48,206,600 3.5 120.0 Monitor Twp. 87,319,100 7.7 109,029,900 7.9 24.9 223,460,939 19.8 254,840,600 18.5 14.0 $1,127,957,361 100.0 $1,378,554,676 100.0 22.2 Bay City Bay County Total SOURCE: Bay County Equalization Department -32- �• •,. • Natural Resources and Existing Land Use �NATURAL RESOURCES AND EXISTING LAND USE Introduction Any decisions that impact upon or change the physical development of the Township must be done in the framework of existing development. Residential, commercial, industrial and other land use patterns will greatly influence such decisions. Following are some of the basic applications of the analysis of existing land use that local officials may find useful: defines principal traffic generators can be used to estimate existing needs for municipal services shows areas and particular locations of incompatible land uses provides an understanding of physical features and their relationship to the development of various land uses can be used in the day-to-day problems of zoning and subdivision review Along with the relationship of various land uses within the Township, the strengths and weaknesses of land use patterns will be analyzed. Major problems in land development, including drainage, destruction of scenic areas, strip commercial development, and other natural and man-made problems will be identified. On the other hand, inherent positive resources such as shoreline areas, will also be discussed. Natural Resources The specific land uses of any area are often determined, in large part, by the existing natural resources. This includes factors such as topography, soil types, climate, vegetation, groundwater, and wildlife. Because Bangor Township is a part of a much larger area - i.e. Bay County and the "Thumb Area" of the State - many of its features are similar to the surrounding areas, and may be dealt with in general terms (i.e. climate). Other resources, such as wetlands, forest areas and shoreline, are much more specific to various parts of the Township, and can be mentioned independently. -33- �Bangor Township covers only 15 square miles, less than one-half of a standard geographical Township, which contributes to its high population density of 1,195 persons per square mile - the highest in Bay County. It has a level topography throughout. The residential portions of the Township are located around a strip commercial business district, and there are dispersed woodlots and wetlands within the Township. An important consideration when determining the use of land in most areas are the various soil types available. Soils, and their various associations, are related to geology, relief (topography) and natural vegetation of the area. Each soil type and/or association has defined limitations for specific types of development, and is, in turn, reflected in the analysis and establishment of the land use plan. Bangor Township contains 16 different soil types and associations, primarily consisting of the Pipestone, Tobico and Belleville associations and areas designated as Urban Land. Except for a small portion of the Township comprised of the Rousseau series, running in a northwest - southeast direction south of the Kawkawlin River, an overwhelmingly large proportion of the Township has soils with severe limitations for development. These limitations are due primarily to wet soils and potential flooding. The fact that a good portion of the Township is already developed with single-family dwellings and commercial and industrial businesses on these soils, obviously indicates that these limitations have been overcome through various engineering and construction processes, primarily the placement of storm sewers and retention basins during the 1970's. Topography The topography of the Township is representative of the county and surrounding areas in general. The relatively flat land varies only from a low point of 585 feet above sea level in the northern portion of the Township, to a high of 600 feet above sea level in the southwest corner of the Township. Generally, elevations range around 585 feet above sea level, which is only about five feet above the average 580 feet mean sea level of Lake Huron. This slight difference between the level of Lake Huron and the elevation of much of the Township creates a substantial potential for flooding. As a matter of fact, a large portion of the Township is in the 100 year floodplain (see Map 3). Almost all of the Township south of the Kawkawlin River is subject to 100 year flooding for about a mile and one-half inland from the Saginaw -34- " �·-- - - - - ~ ---- 11 • • • • • • • • -------- \ - ~ ! i ~ ..,.,_ ! j•· ~Q-1'~"' 9-il- ! ' ,tf ! !) -., • ., lf=d en -· I w II~~/= (JI I - ST II OffYf6M'f'CffY I~ ! ,, • ...IYbl,4. I I ill i ~ J~ legend ~ 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN ~ 500 YEAR FLOODPLAIN MAP3 FLOOD PRONE AREAS _,,. .... @I Gove Associates Inc. �II I II I I I I I I I -I I a I I • •I Bay and the Saginaw River. Most of that land is currently vacant and zoned for industrial use. There are, however, a number of residential plats that are also within the 100 year flood zone. This includes parcels of both sides of the Kawkawlin River and along the Saginaw Bay shoreline between the Kawkawlin and Saginaw rivers. Water /Wetlands Water plays a predominant role in the natural (and man-made) environment of the Township. There are five and one-half miles of Lake Huron (Saginaw Bay) shoreline, five. miles of Saginaw River shoreline and 5. 7 miles of shoreline on the Kawkawlin River. In addition, Tobico Marsh, the largest inland body of water, and Tobico Lagoon are surrounded by approximately four and one-fourth miles of Bangor Township shoreline. These bodies of water and shoreline areas are important resources for a wide variety of activities, from wildlife habitats to boating and swimming, to Great Lakes shipping and storage, as well as select residential development. Because of their impact upon the Township's economy and environment, shoreline land uses will be treated as primary components of this Plan. Tobico Marsh is a shallow body of water/woodland covering approximately 660 acres in Kawkawlin and Bangor Township. About 200 acres are open water. Approximately 80 acres of open water within the Marsh are in Bangor Township. Tobico Lagoon, which covers about 30 acres, is southeast of the marsh and has direct access to Saginaw Bay. This open water /woodland system is part of the 2,000 acre Tobico Marsh State Game Area. The Game Area also contains the Tobico Marsh Interpretive Areas, a wildlife refuge containing a wide variety of water fowl, as well as natural vegetation ranging from cattail marshes to stands of oaks and maples. The Tobico Marsh is a registered natural landmark of the U.S. Department of Interior. In addition to Tobico Marsh and Lagoon, there are over 600 acres of wetlands (primarily shrub and hardwood) distributed throughout the Township (see Map 4). These wetland sites are protected by Michigan law and consequently it is difficult to alter them to accommodate development. Climate Because Bangor Township is on the Lake Huron shoreline, the influence of Lake Huron is substantial. Lake Huron's most noticeable influence is its capacity to moderate temperatures during the summer and winter. The average temperature -36- �- • 1111 • • • - ••••• Ill • ,i;.9, \. ,g .,._. LEGEND ~ OPEN WATER E!] SHRUB, EMERGENT, AQUATIC BED ~ LOWL AND HARDWOOD -t.. <il\-..., ill , ... ! "''"* •• ~j 1111111 1,Y·f~..... ~ "8m&• n,.~ c::i ··......... % --•:•:•:•.:•.. %, ~ ~/~///////// ::. : /::;,/ :::. . • • ,W//, IP~ ~ - I ftQ Y • lllf, , ~ ¥• ... .,. ': •• :-. . .)iW-.". . . /b'l"": ·--·: :=: : : : :X~ , I ~i;i,,,..,,. 9-1>- ~ DR ! I ----'sf' I L-...U..._ILJL I ~r--,r-- • ST u.) --.I 1, I 'i MAP4 WETLANDS . _,,. , @I Gove Associates Inc . �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • during January is about 23 degrees F., and in July, the hottest month of the year, the average temperature is about 72 degrees F. The Township's location on the eastern side of the state protects it from the lake effect snows of Lake Michigan. Consequently, the area receives relatively less snow than most of the state. The Township's climate is continental. Because the day-to-day weather is controlled largely by the movement of pressure systems across the nation, prolonged periods of hot, humid weather in summer, and extreme cold in winter, are seldom experienced . Precipitation averages approximately 28 inches a year, with the majority falling in June (about 3. inches). More snow falls in January (11 inches) than in any other time of the year. There are 147 frost-free days during the year, and 197 days when the temperature is 28 degrees F. or higher, allowing for a relatively longer growing season than many parts of the state. Again, this is primarily due to the tempering effects of Saginaw Bay. Vegetation When the Bay City Area was first settled (about 1831), lumbering and farming were the major enterprises. Lumbering reached its pinnacle in the mid-1880's, giving rise to agriculture. Trees common to the area include Red Maple, White Ash, Eastern Cottonwood and Pin Oak. Existing soils lend themselves well to plantings of White and Norway Spruces, Eastern Cottonwood and Eastern White and Austrian Pines. Although much of the Township is urbanized there is still a large amount of woodland, particularly in the Tobico Marsh State Game Area, within the Bay City State Park, near the mouth of the Kawkawlin River, near the mouth of the Saginaw River and on the northside of the Kawkawlin River on the westside of the Township. In addition, there are several large woodlots in the southwest portion of the Township . The Township also contains several protected plant communities, all located either within the Tobico Marsh State Game Area or the Bay City State Park. Special Areas A portion of the Saginaw Bay shoreline in Bangor Township is designated as an Environmental Area under the Shoreland Protection and Management Act (P.A. 245) of 1970. This area (see Map 4) is currently subdivided and improved (Shady Shores -38- �Subdivision) and activities such as earthfilling are reportedly occurring within this area without permits which is a concern to both the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corp of Engineers. Environmental areas are designated as such for the preservation and maintenance of fish and wildlife, including spawning, nesting, migration, shelter or refuge. Permits must be obtained for any dredging, filling, diking, soil or natural drainage alteration, removal of vegetation or construction of permanent structures. Bangor Township also contain two stretches of shoreline, approximately 1.25 miles long that are designated under Act 245 of 1970 as High Risk Erosion Areas (see Map 5). These areas, one within the Bay City State Park and the other within the Shady Shores and Sunset Shores subdivisions near the mouth of the Saginaw River, are unstable and present a degree of hazard and risk for development. Under the Act, permits for construction or enlargement of a permanent structure on a site is required. Shoreline recession rates (erosion) vary from an average of 0.9 feet per year to 3.5 feet per year along the State Park Shoreline and from 1.6 feet per year to 5. 7 feet per year near the mouth of the Saginaw River. Protection of these areas from further erosion is important for the maintenance of a viable beachfront and shoreline. Land Use Classifications A classification of land uses is necessary to ensure a common understanding of the material presented. Land use can be grouped into major categories such as residential, commercial, industrial, open land uses and others. However, these categories are not precise enough for planning purposes and further division of the major categories is necessary. The following is a description of the various land use classifications used in this Plan. " •-. • • • • ' ' Residential This indicates an area in which dwellings with their accessory buildings occupy the major portion of the land and include the following subcategories: Single-Family Residential - An area in which a single-family dwelling unit and its accessory buildings are located. -39- • • • • �--11111111 ~~ 1:,~ l LEGEND i lffl ~ .,.,_ • HIGH RISK EROSION AREA ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREA 2 6 h~ ~ ~ O()~ '· ~ ~ ~ ~ fl ~Gl'J,.. ,,_ ~ DR l I n CllYflMY«rn" Il * ... ., •• "==fl 1,d, ~If!!!;~~ • OTYifl-MTCITY ~~~ I I ST 1r +:> 0 CIT"fflU't<ffY' I U [Jil m;:;m 1 MAP 5 •• AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN _,,.,,,, @I Gove Associates Inc. �• " • • • • • • •I I I I I Duplex - A building containing two separate living quarters for occupancy by two households. Multiple-Family - An area in which there are three or more dwelling units per residential structure or lot, consisting primarily of apartments. Mobile Homes - Year-round or seasonal mobile homes . Commercial These uses are land areas, with or without structures, where goods are distributed or personal business services are provided, including the retail sale of goods and services to local residents and highway oriented uses. Offices This category would include such uses as professional offices, real estate offices, banks and insurance companies . Public and Semi-Public Land areas and facilities which are available to or used by all of the people within a particular service area, such as schools, libraries and government buildings, are in this category. Also included in this classification are areas and buildings which are used by a limited number of persons with particular interest and nonprofit organizations. They are uses such as churches, clubs and other activities . Recreation and Open Space This category includes land areas with or without structures that cater to the recreation needs of the public. Such land uses include parks, recreation areas and similar uses. Planned Unit Development (P.U.D.) A Planned Unit Development refers to a residential, commercial, industrial land use (or mix of any or all of those three) that encompasses a fairly large area, is designed -41- �• and presented in substantial detail as a single entity and is not necessarily subject to local zoning regulations, but rather is approved and constructed within specified standards and agreements with the local governing body, and in effect contains substantial capacity for design flexibility. Warehousing and Storage This classification applies to land areas which are used for the open storage of materials, such as concrete block, coal, junk cars and other waste materials, or enclosed storage areas, such as store houses, depots or other warehousing. Manufacturing and Utility Plants Manufacturing includes land areas with or without buildings where new or semifinished material is processed, fabricated and/or manufactured. Utilities include both public and private uses for providing general utility services, such as electric power stations, gas regulator stations and other facilities of this nature. Transportation This category is comprised of all dedicated surface rights-of-way, including highways and railroads, which are used for the movement of people and goods and parking areas. Agricultural Land This classification is applied principally to land areas used for crop land, permanent pasture land and land lying fallow but which indicates cultivation at an earlier date. Due to the variations in the agricultural practices of farmers in terms of land cultivation, this classification is flexible for specific parcels. Vacant Land Vacant land is land not used for any purpose heretofore listed in built-up areas or undeveloped portions of the planning area and includes scrub areas and vacant lots within built-up subdivisions. -42- "• �• Analysis of Land Use Patterns The land use categories defined above are essentially similar to those used in the Township's 1981 Future Land Use Plan. The distribution and quantities of land uses defined in that plan were used as the basis for determining the quantities of land uses in the updated plan. That is, new residential, commercial, industrial and public improvement acreages between 1980 and 1989 were added to the 1979 land use inventory to determine current land use quantities. The updated inventory was obtained through building permit data and 1989 aerial photographs of the Township. The comparative 1979 and 1989 tabulations are displayed in Table 7. The distribution of these land uses in 1989 are shown on Map 6. • • • •I I I I I I I I Overall, the Township's land use is devoted primarily to residential development, with substantial amounts of industrial acreage in large tracts and an increasing volume of vehicular-oriented commercial corridor development. There are 75 recorded singlefamily residential subdivisions distributed throughout the Township as well as a substantial number of larger parcels (5 or more acres). Bangor Township contains approximately 180 privately owned parcels of five or more acres, not including blocks of large acreages, particularly along the west bank of the Saginaw River owned by corporate (industrial) entities . The following analyses describes each land use classification within Bangor Township in further detail. Residential Single-Family Residential Within Bangor Township, approximately 2,126 acres or 22 percent of the Township's total area is devoted to single-family use. Single-family development in the Township has occurred in three distinct patterns. These include the small lot subdivisions along the Bayshore and the mouth of the Kawkawlin River, the splitting of metes and bounds acreage into parcels throughout the central portion of the Township, and larger lot subdivisions located in the southwest corner of the Township. Metes and bounds parcel development is prevalent throughout the central portion of the Township, along the major roadways and backing onto the Kawkawlin River. This type of development creates, in many places, a confusion of properties and -43- �········-----•-,,,, ~~ ...... ...... LEGEND II f~:i SINGLE-FAMILY m Wfm MULTI-FAMILY , II MOBILE HOMES • mi 111n INSTlllJTIONAL CONVENIENCE COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSING/STORAGE Ill PUBLIC RECREATION OFFICE RETAIL/SERVICE COMMERCIAL • PUBLIC FACILITY COMMERCIAL RECREATION INDUSTRIAL . ~~ ,., e.,,_ -- ~ _p. art•·-M.v MAP 6 EXISTING LAND USE @ Gove Associates Inc. �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I rights-of-way. Many larger parcels with river frontage have been divided and subdivided into smaller, irregularly shaped parcels with frontage on the water. Several parcels appear to be landlocked. Parcel divisions along the roadways generally contain more acreage than those parcels with river frontage. The original parcel splits on the major roads averaged 1,320 ± feet in depth and contained five to ten acres in area. Many parcels were further segmented. Thus, there are a multitude of parcels of one-third to one acre in area fronting on the roadways. This type of metes and bounds parceling has almost precluded the development of any future improved subdivision development because of the difficulties of combining enough acreage to make platting feasible. There are, however, a few larger parcels of yet undeveloped land between State Road and Patterson Road and in Sections 30 and 31 in the northwest portion of the Township, north of Lauria Road. More intensive development has occurred in the southwest area of the Township. Some older plats, located along Euclid Avenue, have lots averaging 50' x 100' (5,000 square feet) and were developed in a now outdated grid pattern. Over the past ten to fifteen years many of the platted properties along Euclid Avenue have undergone a transition, changing from residential to commercial uses. Between Euclid Avenue and Two-Mile Road, the Township' westerly boundary, there are many subdivisions which are developed around 1,300-foot cul-de-sacs, with no provision for vehicular and pedestrian access between subdivisions. The more recent subdivisions contain lots of 90' x 110' (9,900 square feet) and larger. Many of the newer developments have also been developed with curvalinear street patterns, with connections between adjacent subdivisions, thus allowing for a better internal traffic flow and providing alternative routes for public safety vehicles. The subdivisions in this area of this Township are more fully developed, with many at 100% capacity. The eight "neighborhood" areas of single-family use, based upon census tract data, are described in further detail in the following analysis. Area A, bounded by the Michigan Central Railroad tracks on the north, Euclid Avenue on the east, Kiesel Road on the south and Two Mile Road on the west, encompasses approximately 886 acres with a mixture of single-family, multiple-family, public, commercial and vacant land uses. About 50 percent of this "neighborhood" I I -45- �is platted into small residential lots in 14 single-family subdivisions. This area contains 1,220 housing units, of which 840 (69%) are single-family. Area A is one of the highest average density areas in the Township for single-family housing (one single-family house per 0.35 acres overall). The majority of housing units are on 1/4 to 1/2 acre parcels. Twenty-one percent of all single-family housing in Area A were constructed during the 1950's, 55 percent were built between 1960 and 1979 and 12 percent between 1979 and 1989. Only 12 percent were built prior to 1950. About 75 percent of those lots are currently developed with larger, modern houses with a 1980 median price of $50,978. Using the 40 percent average Township-wide increase in housing prices between 1980-1989, the current median value of a house in Area A would be $71,684. Between 1980 and 1989, 34 (18%) of the 187 singlefamily residences constructed within the Township were built in this Area, primarily within the Allen, Northgate #1, 2, 3 and West Central Park subdivisions, north and south of Wilder Road. These subdivisions contain 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots and have full public services and utilities, including sewer, water and natural gas. Area B is an area of older homes adjacent to the City of Bay City municipal boundary and is defined by the Mid Central Railroad tracks on the north, Wenona Street on the east, North Union Road on the south and Euclid Avenue on the west. This area contains about 462 acres, comprised of vehicular commercial, single-family residential and vacant (undeveloped) lands south of Wilder Road and a more complex mix of single-family, commercial, industrial and undeveloped parcels north of Wilder Road. There are four single-family subdivisions in Area B containing 291 single-family homes with an estimated 1989 median value of $54,982. The overall density for single-family housing in this Area is one unit per 0.30 acres, although about 90 percent of all single-family units are located between Gary Street on the north and North Union Street on the south. Forty-three percent of the single-family residences in this Area were constructed during the 1950's, with only 28 percent constructed during the past 30 years. Most of these units are situated on smaller, standard residential lots of 1/9 acre to 1/2 acre. Since 1980, one new single-family structure has been built in Area B. A connecting spur of the Michigan Central Railroad runs north and south in this Area, in effect separating single-family residences into two neighborhoods. The single-family neighborhood north of Wilder Road is also adjacent to a railroad right-of-way and is surrounded by industrial and commercial land uses. In effect, this neighborhood is defined by a relatively high degree of incompatible land uses. -46- • • • • • • • �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •~ Area C contains a predominantly single-family residential area bordered by Kiesel Road on the north, Euclid Avenue on the east, Midland Road on the south and Two Mile Road on the west. This area contains 12 single-family subdivisions incorporating 577 single-family units, with a mean value of approximately $75,025. These are homes that are predominately located on 1/4 to 1/2 acre parcels, although there are a number of 5, 10 and 20 acre parcels that are also improved with single-family residences. The overall single-family density in Area C, which encompasses 587 acres, is one unit per 0.38 acres. Most of the single-family residences are within the designated subdivisions. There is approximately 100 acres of larger undeveloped, unplatted land within Area C that could be developed as single (or multiple) family residential. Seventy-nine percent of the single-family residential housing in this Area was built between 1950 and 1980, with another 15 units constructed between 19801989. In Area D, which is bounded by Midland Road, Euclid Avenue, Fisher Road and Two Mile Road and encompasses 293 acres, there are 300 single-family units, with an overall (gross) single-family density of one unit per 0.32 acres. There are five singlefamily subdivisions in Area D that contain about 2/3 of all residential units. Many of these, to the west of Euclid Avenue, are on small lots of less than 1/4 acre, while others, along Two Mile Road, are an acre or larger and some parcels along Midland Road are approximately .5 acres in size. The estimated 1989 mean value of these units is $53,513, with most (62%) constructed before 1950. Thirty-seven percent were built between 1950 and 1980 and two new units have been added to the singlefamily inventory in this Area over the past 10 years . Area E is located near the Saginaw Bay shoreline, primarily north of the Kawkawlin River. This is an older area of small platted parcels in two subdivisions. There are approximately 300 single-family housing units in this Area, which covers about 264 acres, with an overall (gross) density of one unit per each 0.44 acres. Almost half of these units were built prior to 1950, while 10, or 23 percent have been constructed within the past 10 years. The mean value of pre-1980 housing in this Area is estimated to be $35,676. Single-family housing built in 1989 has averaged $81,675 in value . The Bayshore area was developed with a water orientation and has lots which front the Bayshore or the Kawkawlin River. Interior lots have access to the larger bodies of water through canals or accessways. Lot sizes at 25' x 80' and 20' x 125' (2,000 and 2,500 square feet, respectively) are small when compared with today's -47- �standards. Two or more of these small lots must be combined to provide adequate area for the construction of a dwelling unit. In the past, seasonal dwellings were developed on the 40 foot lots and subsequently converted to year-round living quarters. The lots fronting the Bayshore appear to lie along the ridge while those interior to the subdivisions are lower in elevation in areas which tend to be wet and swampy. .. • Development of the lots along the Bayshore area is nearly 100 percent complete, with very few waterfront lots available for construction. Development will require special attention, however, because of the majority of this vicinity has been designated as a flood hazard area by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Flood Hazard Study. Area F is the largest census block area in the township, covering approximately 4,750 acres, most of which are platted into lots of one acre or more, including numerous five acre parcels. There are seventy single-family subdivisions in this Area with lots ranging from being small parcels along the Saginaw Bay that must be combined to obtain a large enough site to be buildable to larger one and two acre parcels within the third addition to Lagoon Beach Subdivision. Because of the Kawkawlin River and the alignment of major transportation routes, such as Old Kawkawlin Road, a number of lots in this Area are irregular in shape. Many parcels of five acres or more also have a long and narrow configuration. Most of the land east of Patterson Road is in industrial "holding," that is, only a portion of this Area is actually used for industrial/storage purposes. Excluding these industrial lands, the balance of Area F, which is used primarily for residential activities, covers approximately 2,960 acres and contains 1,740 single-family dwellings, with a gross singlefamily density of one unit per each 0.43 acres. About 47 percent of these units were built prior to 1950, with another 47 percent constructed between 1950 and 1980, and the balance, (six percent) were built since 1980. The estimated mean housing value for 1989 in this area is $43,050. In Area G, which is bordered by Lauria Road and Boy Scout Road on the north, the Kawkawlin River on the south and Two Mile road on the west, there are five singlefamily subdivisions, along with a substantial number of larger parcels ranging from five to 13 acres as well as one to five acre lots. As in Area F, most of the singlefamily housing borders major section and half section roads, with a core interior land mass that is undeveloped. There are approximately 709 acres in Area G, housing 703 single-family units, and an overall single-family density of 0.40 acres per unit. -48- " '• • • •• �• •II • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •I The estimated 1989 value of single-family housing within Area G is $52,878, with 41 percent being built prior to 1950, 53 percent constructed between 1950 and 1980, and six percent. constructed since 1980. Area H, which is essentially that portion of the Township north of Lauria and Boy Scout roads, contains 1,730 acres, much of wh_ich is in State Park ownership. Subtracting State Park property from the total acreage results in 930 acres used for private land uses, including single-family. There are 129 single-family units in this Area, with an overall density of one unit per each 2.0 acres. There are 1O singlefamily subdivisions in Area H, with eight of those located between the MCRR Railroad right-of-way and the Saginaw Bay. As with other plats along the shoreline that were recorded many years ago, these contain lots that are not individually wide enough to develop. Many of the housing units in Area H, however, are located along this waterfront. Inland parcels are long and narrow, with 'ring' development along major section roads and little or no interior development. The estimated mean value of single-family housing in this Area is approximately $46,800, with 32 percent constructed before 1950, 61 percent built between 1950 and 1980 and nine (7%) having been constructed since 1980. Table 7 provides a comparison of land use acreage by category and area over the past ten years (1979 and 1989). The 1979 acreages as taken from the 1979 Land Use Plan, with the figures redistributed from composition by Section to composition by Area and the 1989 tabulations are based upon aerial photographs. This table indicates that Single-Family Residential developments account for 22 percent of the Township's total area, and 43 percent of the Township's developed land, encompassing 2,126 acres or an increase of 61 acres over 1979. Area F, because it is the largest geographic Area in the Township, also has the largest amount of acreage (755 acres) devoted to single-family use. This Area accounts for 36 percent of all single-family acreage in the Township . Multiple-Family Duplex units are included in the analysis of multiple-family residential land use. Bangor Township contains approximately 650 multiple-family units, which accounts for nine percent of the Township's total housing stock. These units are generally adjacent to, or within, single-family residential areas and are compatible with singlefamily activities. Area A contains 300 units in four apartment complexes and eight duplex units. The largest of these is Bangor Downs, a 180 unit complex located off -49- �• • •II TABLE 7 BANGOR TOWNSHIP LAND DISTRIBUTION BY AREA 1979-1'989 Total A II Ill Ill II II • • • • • • • • • • B 1979 1989 % of Acres Acres Change % of Total Area 1989 C 1979 1989 % of Acres Acres Change E 0 % of Total Area 1979 1989 % of 1989 Acres Acres Change % of Total Area 1989 1979 1989 % of Acres Acres Change F % of Total Area 1979 1989 % of 1989 Acres Acres Change % of Total Area 1989 G 1979 Acres 1989 % of Acres Change 733 . 0 6.0 94. 9 755.0 5.0 91 . 6 3.0 -16.7 % of Tota l Area H 1989 1979 1989 % of Acres Acres Change · 3. 5 15.9 0.1 1.0 270.0 1.0 0.0 282.0 1.0 0.0 4.3 0.0 0.0 7.0 113.8 1.1 34.6 267.8 449.8 ·26.7 -32.2 0. 1 2.4 0.0 0.7 0.4 15.9 0.0 18.2 14.5 % of Total Area 1979 1989 % of 1989 Acres Acres Change % of Total Area 1989 1979 Acres % of Tot al Twp. 1989 % of Ar ea % of Acres Change 1979 Twp . Residential Single-Family 275.0 Mult i -Family 21.8 Mobile Home Parks 4.6 284 . 0 21.8 4.6 3.5 0.0 0.0 32.1 2.5 0.5 87.0 3.6 0.0 87.0 3.6 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 18.8 0.7 0.0 29.0 4.9 2.9 -20.3 227.0 0.0 0.0 3.2 0.6 0.3 3.0 58.9 2.8 0.0 0.6 58.9 2.0 9.8 ·80.0 0.0 ·28.6 222.0 16.4 a.a 1.1 0.0 a.o 37.8 2.8 o.o 219.0 16.4 a.a 0.1 12.7 0.4 2.1 0.6 23.6 17.9 3.2 2.2 25.2 1.5 1.6 267.0 6.7 -91.6 -so.a 95.0 6.3 0.0 1.1 a.a 0.0 32.4 2.2 a.a 137.0 0.0 8.8 140.0 0.0 8.8 1.8 0.0 51.3 0.0 0.0 94.0 6.3 a.a 0. 0 3. 2 0.4 4.3 0.3 0.3 a.a 6.4 4.0 6.9 0. 0 0.0 7.8 62.5 0.0 2 .3 1.2 0.0 0.2 0.5 -83.3 6.9 6.5 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.0 3.2 0.2 0.0 39.8 250.0 0.1 1.0 o .o 0.0 261.0 1.0 0.0 4.2 0.0 0.0 15 .1 0.1 0.0 2065 . 0 56.1 108 . 3 2126.0 55. 1 105 .0 2.95 -1.8 -3.2 21.3 0 .6 1.1 22 0 1 14.3 0.0 0.0 324.0 0.2 0.2 0.1 2.3 11. 7 165.5 29.3 13.2 256. 1 17 .6 12.8 54.7 39.9 0.1 1.7 0.3 0 74.7 90 . 0 20. 5 0.8 0 0.6 486.3 527 .9 8.6 5.0 5 0.3 45.9 1.9 11 4 .3 785.0 114 . 3 832 . 0 0.0 6 .0 88 .5 88.5 0.0 8 0 0.0 113 . 7 119.9 5.5 1.1 8.1 0.9 1.2 3.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 578.0 161.2 322.7 80.7 578.0 40.9 322. 7 80.7 0.0 -74.6 0.0 0.0 28.1 4456.0 4328.0 -3.0 Comr.ercial Convenience General Office Amusement 1.1 36.4 1.5 2.9 Industrial 49.2 36.1 -26.6 4. 1 0.0 1.2 0.2 a.a o.o a.a 0.0 1.2 1.2 0.0 0.4 2.6 20.7 1.5 51.1 -93 . 6 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 433.3 480.0 10.9 10.1 0.6 0.6 0.0 0. 0 0.0 9.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.9 6.9 0.0 4.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 20.2 0.0 27.0 24.6 20.2 38.0 27.0 24.6 0.0 100.3 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.2 794.0 33.0 0.5 20 . 0 20.0 0.0 0.0 6.2 0. 0 785.0 0.0 33.0 2.8 12.1 221.0 68.5 273.3 66.a 221.5 0.0 273.3 66.o 0.0 26.3 0.0 26.2 26 . 3 0.0 26.2 0. 0 0.0 0.0 a.a 4.7 0.0 5 .8 1.3 3.7 0.0 3.7 -4.3 54.3 349.0 2.2 0.0 0.9 2. 6 0.0 0.0 2.8 3.6 1.6 9.4 3.2 3.6 1.6 39.9 2 1 Public/Semi-Public Schools Parks Public Semi ·Public 72.5 72.5 0.0 8.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 21.2 27.4 29 . 2 3.1 4.5 4.5 0.0 0.0 a.a a .a 1.0 7.8 1.02 18.6 7.8 1.02 18.6 0.0 a.o a.a 1.3 0.0 0.2 3.2 0.0 14.5 24.8 14.5 24.8 0.0 0.0 4.9 8.5 0.0 1.1 0.0 Rights·of-1./ay Roads Railroads Rivers Utilities Undeveloped or Vacant 92.0 8.1 14.3 285.0 92.0 8.1 14.3 288 . 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0. 1 0.9 0.0 1.6 32.5 38.6 27.6 38.6 27.6 0 .0 0.0 8.4 a a.a 6 0.0 236.0 228.0 -3.4 49.4 52 . 7 s.2 0.4 221.0 52.7 5.2 0.4 233 . 0 0.0 o.o 0.0 5.4 8.9 0.9 a.a 0.1 39.7 58 . 7 74.0 58.7 80 . 0 0.0 8.1 20.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 27.3 33.1 3.0 23.2 46.0 33.1 0.0 23.2 47.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.9 8.5 a.a 19.8 2703 2588 0.0 55.1 48.8 55.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 335.0 -4.0 45.8 534.0 523.0 -50- -2.0 6.0 1. 7 6 3.3 0 3 0.8 0 46.0 44 �of Alaire Drive, west of Euclid Avenue. This complex consists of 41 units on 16.5 acres and is approximately 20 years old, having been built in 1971. Other apartment complexes in this Area include Bay Manor (96 units in 2 buildings) located on the corner of Kiesel and North Euclid, Bramblewood Apartments (49 units) located off of Kiesel road, and an eight unit complex on Two Mile Road about one-half way between Wilder Road and Wheeler road. Area A, in effect, contains almost one-half of the multiple-family housing units within Bangor Township. There are 63 multiple-family units in Area B, including one six unit building and three four unit buildings on North Chilson, two four unit and two six unit apartment buildings on Webb Drive and one four unit complex on Mosher Drive, as well as other four unit apartments distributed within this Area. Area C contains 188 apartment units, the largest being Orchard Manor (77 units in 7 buildings) located east of Morningside Drive off of Midland Road. Other multiplefamily housing in Area C includes a 49 unit co-op on Kiesel, a 24 unit on N. Woodbridge, an 18 unit on N. Union, and a 1o unit on Columbian Street. There are also several four unit complexes in this Area. Area D contains 93 apartment units, most of which are in three and four unit buildings. The largest is Brennan Apartments, consisting of 44 units in seven buildings on Shirwinjo Drive. There is also a 28 unit complex comprised of seven buildings on Gies Street near U.S. 10, as well as other smaller three and four unit structures within this Area. "• • • • • • • Area E contains no multiple-family units and Area F has 60 apartments in complexes of three, four and five or more units. There are two six unit and two five unit apartments as well as a number of three and four unit complexes spread throughout this Area. Area G has one five unit complex and Area H contains one seven unit complex. Most of the multiple-family dwellings within Bangor Township were built during the 1960's and 1970's, with several having been constructed during the 1940's and 1950's. There were no multiple-family units constructed during the 1980's. Most duplex and triplex housing units are older large single-family buildings that have been converted to apartments. Map 6 displays the general distribution of multiple-family housing within the Township, excluding two and three unit structures . -51- �In total, multiple-family housing encompasses just over 56 acres and accounts for only 0.6 percent of the total Township area. The largest amount of acreage devoted to multiple family development is in Area A, west of Euclid and north of Kiesel. This Area accounts for almost 40% of all land which contains multiple-family housing. Mobile Homes Mobile and modular housing, because of its affordability, has become a popular alternative to "site" built housing over the past 20 years. Traditionally, mobile homes have, in most communities, been restricted to mobile home parks, which are regulated by the State of Michigan. The Michigan Supreme Court, within the past 1O years, has in effect lifted that restriction by ruling that mobile homes must be treated equally with site built homes in the application and administration of local ordinances. Consequently, mobile homes can legally locate anywhere within the Township, subject to reasonable restrictions that would require such homes to meet the same general standards that would apply to site built homes. The result is that the character of mobile homes as an alternative housing type could change from a restricted mobile home park setting to being more incorporated into standard residential neighborhood settings. The Township has, through its current zoning ordinance, in effect restricted all new mobile homes that do not meet specific requirements to mobile home parks, while allowing existing mobile homes located outside those parks to be "grandfathered" in under the existing ordinance. There were 541 mobile homes in the Township in 1979. Since that time, several new mobile homes have been located on lots outside of mobile home parks. Six State certified mobile home parks are located in Bangor Township, four in Area F, one in Area A and one in Area E (see Map 6). These parks contain a total of 583 spaces and there are currently no vacancies. In 1979, Area A contained 23 mobile homes, all in Valley Circle Mobile Home Park and each occupied by the owner. In 1989, there were 25 mobile homes in this Area. No mobile homes are located in Area B, Area C, Area D, Area E and Area G. Area F contained 454 mobile homes in 1979, of which only 28 were occupied by renters. The majority of these mobile units were in the five mobile home parks existing at that time. In 1989, there were an estimated 514 mobile homes in Area F, including about 20 that were outside of mobile home parks on individual lots. Area E housed 64 mobile homes, all in Oak Ridge Mobile Home Park in 1979. Presently this Area -52- ' : • • �contains 65 mobile units. The acreage within the Township devoted to mobile home parks decreased from 108.3 acres in 1979 to 105.0 acres in 1989, due to the closure of a 3.3 acre park on State Park Road between Wheeler and Wilder roads. Mobile home parks comprise 1.1 percent of the Township's total acreage. Commercial In 1979, commercial parcels (retail, service, office) covered 261 acres (or 2.7% of the Township's land area). By 1989, commercial properties had developed or were proposed for development on 377 acres (4% of the Township). The majority of these properties are located along South Euclid Avenue/Huron Road and Wilder Road. Both of these thoroughfares are major arteries with "vehicular" highway oriented retail and service businesses that have their own off-street parking. Euclid Avenue is an established commercial corridor with businesses consisting of general merchandise and specialty stores, including food stores, restaurants, department/variety stores, lumber and building material stores, household appliance stores, mobile home and boat sales, furniture stores, and other similar outlets, as well as service-oriented businesses (banks, automotive repair), and recreation-related businesses (bowling alley, skating rink). These include businesses located within the 20 ± acre North Pointe Mall at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road. ~ • • • Wilder Road, running east and west through the Township, and bordering the City of Bay City, is an evolving commercial corridor, with newer convenience service outlets recently constructed on the south side of the street (in Bay City) and the 600,000 square foot Bay City Mall, which is currently being built on the majority of a 74 acre parcel at the corner of State Street and Wilder Road. This regional mall, which will contain 93 stores, including three anchor stores is expected to serve a multi-county area. Consequently, the "spin-off" effects of this development, in terms of additional commercial and possibly multiple-family housing development in the general area should be substantial. As a matter of fact, a new shopping center, the Bangor Plaza, has recently been proposed on the west side of State Street at the intersection of Wilder Road. This facility will contain over 280,000 square feet of retail space on 29.63 acres and is being constructed by the developer of the Bay City Mall as a complementary shopping area. Other commercial activities occur in "spot" locations throughout the Township, many within the general vicinity of the State Park to serve the convenience/recreational needs of Park visitors as well as local residents along the shoreline. These activities are often interspersed among residential land uses along major streets . -53- �In addition to existing improved commercial properties, there are 49 undeveloped parcels that are either zoned commercial or zoned residential and could presently be considered by the Township for use as commercial or industrial property. These parcels total almost 341 acres and are mainly concentrated along Old Kawkawlin Road, Wilder Road and North Euclid Avenue (see Map 7). If these were all developed as commercial properties (excluding multiple-family housing), the total potential commercial acreage within the Township under existing circumstances would be 722 acres, or 8 percent of the Township's total land use. Because of the Euclid Avenue Corridor and the emergence of shopping malls on Wilder Road, the majority of the Township's commercial land uses are concentrated in Areas A, B and F. These three areas accounted for 70 percent of the total commercial activity in 1989. Overall, about 68% of all commercial land uses are general (comparison shopping) stores, mostly within the Euclid/Wilder corridors, while only 13.2 acres, or 3.5 percent are devoted to convenience commercial operations (party stores, small grocery stores, drugstores, branch banking, etc., catering to day-to-day needs). The largest "concentration" of convenience stores is in Area F, which has 7 acres devoted to this use. Office uses occupy very little acreage, (17.6 acres) or 0.8 percent of the Township's area, and consist of medical facilities and professional and real estate offices. About 65 percent of these uses are distributed along both the M-13/Euclid Avenue Corridor in Areas A and D. Some of the offices have been developed in older residential units which were caught in the transition from residential to commercial use. The development of a residence into office use is usually less expensive than leasing new office space or constructing a new building. Uses in the amusement category presently encompass about 90 acres of land. These uses include the amusement facilities located along State Park Road between the railroad and Euclid Avenue, the driving range at the northwest corner of Beaver Road and Euclid Avenue, the Bay Harbor Marina at the end of Wilder Road, and those scattered along the M-13/Euclid Avenue Corridor. Also included is the health club on Euclid Avenue between Kiesel and North Union Roads, Skateworld Roller Rink south of the North Pointe Shopping Center and the Bay Lanes bowling alley. -54- '• • �----------~~~~~~~~~ ,,;.~ ..,~ 'f, ! I . ..,.L ~ ... ~ ~Q-...... ,,, 8_.1- ! 11 I EE If' IJ '?7\m=rl ciTYfJIIIAYCl'TY I (.11 (.11 I MAP7 legend PARCELS PARCELS FOR POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT (CURRENTLY UNDEVELOPED) _,,., . @I Gove Associates Inc. �Industrial Historically, a substantial amount of Township land, particularly those parcels adjacent to the Saginaw River, have been devoted to industrial/warehousing uses. This was a standard use of shoreline areas throughout the country during and after the Industrial Revolution when bodies of water, including rivers, were treated as resources for transportation of both supplies and finished products as well as depositories for raw waste. Most of the industrial related land within the Township is located along the Saginaw River. Of the total 527.3 acres of industrial property in the Township, over 300 acres are concentrated east of Patterson Road Along the River in Area F. Ill • • • • • •I I I. I I The majority of the industrial activity along the river involves processing and storage of chemicals and fuels. Much of the acreage in this vicinity is owned by the Dow Chemical Company and is currently vacant. Approximately 1,024 acres are currently owned by Dow Chemical Company in Sections 3, 10, 14 and 15 adjacent to the Saginaw River. Dow Chemical which is the largest single land holder in the Township, utilizes about 200 acres for actual industrial and manufacturing/ warehousing, while retaining the balance of their property as undeveloped open space. Other corporate holdings along the Saginaw River shoreline include 69 acres owned by Union Oil Company, 85 acres owned by American Oil Company, 70 acres owned by Delta Petroleum Corporation and 31 acres owned by Total Pipeline Company. These holdings are primarily storage tanks for chemicals and oil products that were at one time shipped into and out of the area by freighter. There are also docking facilities for receiving and shipping along this part of the river. This area is consequently well suited for water shipping facilities and for other industrial activities . It would also, as an alternative, provide a potentially desirable setting for planned unit development. The capacity of this area to maintain any additional type of development may be limited however, because of the possibility of environmental contamination. There are several storage tanks along the river, south of Wilder Road that are currently being dismantled and the immediate area is being cleansed of contaminants. Also included under this category is the large Consumers Power office and maintenance operation on Wilder Road and the many small industrial uses such as machine shops, manufacturers, salvage yards, trucking, warehouses and pipeline related uses. Much of the area adjacent to M-13, north of Wilder Road, now has a mixture of both commercial and industrial uses; however the trend appears to be ' -56- �~ toward additional commercial development. The west side of Patterson Road is developing as a mixture of industrial and residential land uses, often with the occupant residing on the same property as the business. This is not necessarily an incompatible use of land, as long as the industrial operation is at a scale and type that does not conflict or interfere with the adjoining residential activity. The total amount of land developed for, or oriented toward, industrial activity (including manufacturing, storage and shipping) is about 528 acres, or 5.5 percent of the Township. This represents an increase of 8.6 percent, or 42 acres, over 1979. A good portion of that development occurred along Patterson Road. Area F contains the largest amount of land devoted to industrial use (480 acres, or 91% of all industrial land in the Township). This is an increase of about 11 percent over the 430 acres of industrial land in the Area in 1979. Other Areas, such as B and H, also experienced increase in industrial land use (1.2 acres in Area Band 9.8 acres in Area H) while others such as Area A, actually saw a decrease in industrial land use (from 49 acres in 1979 to 36 acres in 1989). Public/Semi-Public Uses Public and semi-public uses occupy approximately 1, 138 acres or 11. 7 percent of all Township land uses. Public uses include school buildings and playgrounds, hospitals, Township and State park properties. Semi-public uses include fraternal organizations, churches and institutional uses. These uses serve the residents of the local community as well as a regional clientele. School Related Bangor Township operates its own school system from administrative offices located at the southwest corner of Wheeler Road and Old Kawkawlin Road. The Bangor system maintains thirteen buildings, including 6 school buildings - four elementary schools, one junior high, one high school, all of which are located in the Township. In addition the Bangor South School is used tor adult education programs and the Bangor Edison School building is leased to the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District (see Table 8). These buildings are housed on approximately 114 acres, with Area A containing over 60 percent of the Township's school acreage, primarily the junior and senior high schools. These two facilities located on Kiesel Road encompass 63 acres. The bus garage and maintenance barn are located adjacent to the administrative offices. The School District's student enrollment has decreased -57- ,.• • • • • '• • • • "• • •I •I �• • •1111 • • "• • "• "• • • • •I TABLE 8 TOWNSHIP SCHOOL FACILITIES BANGOR TOWNSHIP, BAY COUNTY, MICHIGAN - 1989/1990 School Facility Location Central Elementary Between State Park and State Road north of Wheeler Road Edison Elementary Acreage 1978/1979 4th Friday Count* 1989/1990 4th Friday Count* 14.00 460 335 North side of Midland Road west of Euclid Avenue 7.80 270 ** Lincoln Elementary Intersection of Lauria and Euclid Avenue 6.16 457 302 North Elementary West side of Revile Road north of Pembroke Road 6.92 234 187 South Elementary West side of State Road north of Wilder Road 5.00 145 *** West Elementary North side of Wilder Road east of Two Mile Road 9.46 401 337 Junior High North side of Kiesel Road between Two Mile Road and Euclid Avenue 23.00 622 615 John Glenn Senior High North side of Kiesel Road between Two Mile Road and Euclid Avenue 40.00 1,414 930 4,002 2,706 Administration Building 2.00 TOTAL *4th Friday student population supplied by School Administration. **Building leased to Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District. ***Building used for Adult Education . SOURCE: Bangor Township School -58- �over the past ten years by 32 percent, and is anticipated to continue to decrease over the next three years. This decline is expected to be reversed, however, with an increasing enrollment of students in the early elementary grades. Should a future increase in enrollment result in the demand for additional space, both the South and Edison school buildings can be reverted back to elementary schools. The Township has a Recreation Commission which is responsible for planning, scheduling and implementing a Township recreation program. The Commission has a cooperative agreement with Bangor Township Schools by which school facilities are made available for the recreation program. All of the School District's facilities are equipped with baseball diamonds and playground equipment. Central, Lincoln and Edison elementary schools, as well as the junior high, also have outdoor basketball courts. The junior and senior high schools also have gymnasiums and other outdoor sports amenities. A jogging track and tennis courts are currently being constructed at the high school for community recreation use. Park Lands At the present time, the Township owns 38 acres east of Patterson Road that is used for organized community athletic recreation, such as soccer and flag football. A community park at one time was planned for a 30 acre parcel owned by the Township at the corner of Lino and Bangor Roads. This acreage was platted as part of Addition No. One to Bay Side Park Subdivision. However, for various reasons, the park was never constructed. There are also approximately 794 acres of state park and game preserve land within the boundaries of Bangor Township. These State owned lands include the Bay City State Park (approximately 235 acres) located along the bayshore between Euclid Avenue and State Park Road and the Tobico Marsh and Interpretive Area located north of Beaver Road. Both the State Park and Interpretive area provide unique recreational opportunities. The Tobico Marsh Area provides a nesting place for a variety of wildlife as well as spawning ponds for fish. The Bay City State Park contains 263 campsites along with a small launch site for catamarans, a swimming beach (approximately 1/4 mile long), dumping station, restrooms and showers, picnic shelter, nature center and hiking trails. The State recently purchased the old D&M Railroad right-of-way running through the park, and approximately 9 acres at the corner of State Park Road and Euclid Avenue. A trail is presently being constructed to connect the campground to the Tobico Marsh Area. Total public park lands account for 8.6 percent of the Township. -59- • • • • • •II • '• • • • • • "• • • �• • • • • • • •,. • • • • • • "• • Public Property The present Township offices and main fire station occupy a 2.0 acre parcel on the north side of Wheeler Road, east of State Park Drive. The County Council on Aging recently relocated in the Township Hall from the Bangor South School. A second fire station is located on a 0.32 acre parcel on the north side of North Union Street, east of Euclid Avenue . Other publicly owned properties include the 13 acre County Drain Commission garage on the south side of Wheeler Road, west of State Park Drive; the old water treatment plant property (10.8 acres) located on State Park Road, north of Lagoon Beach Drive; the 22.2 acre Bay Metropolitan Water Treatment Plant, on the east side of Euclid Avenue, north of Lauria Road; the 25 acre Bay County Wastewater Treatment Plant facility, located on the east side of Patterson Road, north of Wilder Road; the 19 acre retention basin and pumping station located between Old Kawkawlin, Wilder and State Park Roads and the MCRR right-of-way; the 14.5 acre retention basin located at the rear of the hospital property on the north side of the US-1 O bypass into Bay City; a newly constructed retention basin north and east of the Bay City Mall; and the Michigan State Police Post on .74 acres on the west side of Euclid Avenue south of the Michigan Central Railroad tracks. Public property encompasses over 88 acres within the Township, accounting for less than 1 percent of the Township's geographic area. Semi-Public Uses The semi-public land use category includes 120 acres of land generally consisting of relatively small parcels scattered throughout the Community. Much of this acreage is church related (there are 17 churches within the Township, located on parcels ranging from about 0.6 acres to 20 acres in size). Also included in this classification is the 68 bed Bay Medical Center West Campus on the south side of Midland Road, between Euclid Avenue and Two-Mile Road; the 126 bed Bay Shore Nursing Home located east of and adjacent to the hospital; the Bay County Y.W.C.A. on the north side of Midland Road between Euclid Avenue and Two-Mile Road; a small pet cemetery on the east side of Two-Mile Road, north of M-13; a UAW Hall located on the north side of Wilder Road, west of Patterson Road; and the telephone switching office on the east side of Euclid Avenue, north of Wilder Road. Semi-public uses, which have increased by 5.5 percent over the past 1O years, account for 1.2 percent of the Township's total acreage . -60- �Undeveloped Lands This category includes a total of 4,328 acres of land, and a few scattered parcels here are being cultivated for agricultural activities. Since 1979 approximately 263 additional acres of previously vacant land have been developed for various purposes, mostly general commercial, single-family residential, state parks and industrial. About 60 percent of the Township's vacant undeveloped parcels are located in Area F, primarily east of Patterson Road and north of Lauria Road, as well as the section bordered by State, Wheeler, Zimmer and Patterson Roads. As mentioned earlier, there are irregular patterns of platting within this area and the existing 5 and 10 acre parcels on the perimeters of the sections in Area F contribute to larger interior lots that could potentially be developed. Currently, almost 45 percent of the Township is undeveloped, compared to 46 percent 10 years ago. Shoreline The most predominant natural feature associated with Bangor Township is its 5.6 miles of shoreline along the Saginaw Bay, 4.6 miles of Saginaw River shoreline and approximately 3 miles of shoreline on each side of the Kawkawlin River. Within those shoreline areas are four primary classifications of land use: residential, industrial, recreational and undeveloped. Shoreline residential land uses occur within the 14 residential subdivisions along the Saginaw Bay. These are parcels that were platted a long time ago and contain small (narrow) lots (25' x 80' and 20' x 125') that promoted high density residential development over the years. Today, two or three of these lots must be combined to form one buildable lot. Most of the shoreline from the northernmost Township limits to the Bay City State Park is residentially developed, with a limited number of remaining vacant buildable sites. Those shoreline parcels east of State Park Road are also developed as medium/high density residential to a point west of the Sunset Shores Yacht Club and Bay City Yacht Club at the mouth of the Saginaw River. This stretch of shoreline is also substantially developed in residential use, although there are still several building sites left. Certain portions of the Saginaw Bay shoreline are designated as a Natural Vegetation and Wetlands Area. Most of the Shady Shore Subdivision in Area F is a Natural Preservation Area (see Map 5) meaning there are certain species of fish and wildlife in the area that are protected under the Shoreland Protection and Management Act of 1970. This area, as well as most of the shoreline -61- • • • • • • • • ' '• ' ' '• "• • �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •I I I I within the Bay City State Park are also designated as high risk erosion areas under the same Act. Under the Act, dredging, filling, grading, alleviation of natural drainage, and vegetation placement of permanent structures and farming require a permit from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). A permit is also required for a permanent structure in a high soil erosion area and the structure must meet or exceed minimum established setback requirements. The lands adjacent to the Saginaw River are predominantly undeveloped between the MDNR boat ramp at the mouth of the River to the Bay Harbor Marina north of Wilder Road. Most of this undeveloped shoreline area (approximately 1.6 miles) is owned by Dow Chemical Company, with a portion (about 0.3 miles) owned by Union Oil Company. Much of that undeveloped shoreline is wetland. The balance of the shoreline south of the Bay Harbor Marina (approximately 2 miles) is used for bulk storage and shipping. These parcels are owned by various corporations, including Dow Chemical. The Township shoreline has been developed over the years into the variety of uses described above. The intent of development along the Saginaw Bay shoreline along with the state owned property and environmentally sensitive lands in this area ensure that this portion of the Township's shoreline will likely remain as it is today. At the same time there will likely be some properties in which transition will occur from one use to another, such as the re-development of the Wenona Beach Trailer Park site into condominiums and the old Bay City Water Works Building into a residential or commercial use. The Saginaw River Shoreline presents a unique situation because of the wetland near the mouth of the River and the existing storage tanks and shipping facilities south of the Bay Harbor Marina. The ultimate use of this portion of the riverfront will depend upon the economic stability of bulk cargo shipping, the degree of demand for waterfront access by the public and developers and the environmental condition of the area . Synopsis Bangor Township is primarily a residential community. However, its close proximity to Bay City and the relatively undeveloped (and hence less expensive) character of the land west of the city limits were key factors that contributed to the establishment of the linear commercial development of Euclid Avenue. The ability to provide off street parking along with newer buildings lending themselves to modern merchandising techniques, make Euclid Avenue a commercial center not only for Bangor Township, but for the entire Bay City area. Commercial growth is still occurring within the Township, but along a different thoroughfare. Wilder Road, particularly -62- �east of Euclid Avenue, is quickly developing as another major commercial corridor that will service the greater Bay City area. The two commercial malls now being constructed or proposed for. construction, will create a substantial change in surrounding land uses along Wilder Road. While single-family development remains the single largest category of developed land use within the Township, the number of new single-family houses has decreased substantially from the housing activity that occurred in the 1970's. This can partly be attributed to a slower growth rate in the entire Bay City area, as well as a substantial increase (nationally) in the cost of housing. Surprisingly, no multiple-family units have been constructed within the Township during the past 10 years. The increasing number of elderly persons, the high cost of home-ownership and the low rental vacancy rates in the Bay City area may indicate a demand for additional multiplefamily housing. Mobile homes are generally confined to mobile home parks, with relatively more strict requirements set forth in the Township's zoning ordinance for placement of mobile homes outside of mobile home parks. With an existing capacity of 518 mobile home spaces, mobile homes along with multiple-family dwellings have been utilized as alternatives to home-ownership for lower income households. Industrial land uses within the Township are not cohesive or organized. Rather than being confined to improved industrial parks, which are designed specifically for industrial activities, such uses are distributed in a random manner throughout the Township. This incudes scrapyards in various locations that are subject to alternative future development. Most recently, properties bordering the west side of Patterson Road are being developed for industrial uses, often associated with on site residences. Historically, much of the Township's industrial activity was related to storage of chemical and petroleum products along the Saginaw River for water transport. Several of those tanks are in the process of being dismantled. While such use of the shoreline is valid for Great Lakes shipping, it is not necessary to devote so much land for storage or shipping activity as in the past. Changing economic conditions, environmental concerns, and recreational needs warrant a greater use of the shoreline for public access, recreation and environmental preservation activities. -63- • • �• • • • • • •~ • • • • • •I I I I I The overall character of the Township's public and semi-public uses has remained substantially the same (except for additional land added to the State Park) over the past 10 years. The Township School system has experienced a decrease in enrollment and consequently reduced the number of schools in the system from 8 to 6, although the two now used by other agencies are still owned by the school system and can be reverted back to school use when needed. The newest building is about 25 years old, with other buildings having been made more energy efficient. Unless there is a substantial increase in student enrollment over the next 20 years, it is not likely the Township will require an additional school. It might be necessary, however, to replace or upgrade one of the older structures during that period. While the Township owns several large parcels, the ball fields on Patterson Road are the largest developed parcel owned by the Township and the only Township owned park/recreation facility. The Bay City State Park and Tobico Marsh State Game Area comprise the largest recreation/preserve area in the Township. These state lands will likely continue to improve their facilities and attract more visitors, impacting the volume of traffic using Euclid Avenue and State Park Road. This land use will likely precipitate additional convenience commercial enterprises in the northern portions of the Township . The existing lot split configuration in the Township, especially in Area F, is inefficient for full development of the Township. However, it is also conducive to retention of open spaces. The projected growth within the Township over the next 20 years does not require that these larger interior parcels be developed. Their ultimate development will, however, depend upon the Township's adopted goals and objectives which will in time impact the area's future growth rate . Overall, according to Table 7, the development of general commercial land uses, particularly the two malls on Wilder Road, have had the greatest impact on the Township over the past 10 years. The addition of 91 acres of general commercial land use represents a 54.7 percent increase over that land use in 1979. Office and amusement land uses have also increased at a relatively high rate, although the acreages devoted to their use are comparably small. An additional estimated 61 acres of single-family residential use have been added to the Township's land use inventory (a 2.9% increase) since 1979 and this category continues to be the predominant developed use within the Township, encompassing 22 percent of all land and water areas. Industrial land uses have increased over the past ten years largely due to new development along Patterson Road. Undeveloped land, while still -64- �a large portion of the 15+ square miles of the Township, continued to decrease at a low rate as new commercial and residential development takes place. The development characteristics portrayed by these trends displayed in Table 7 point to a relatively slow change within the past 1O years. The pace of these changes in the future will depend upon national and areawide economic conditions as well as the land use policies and implementation efforts developed in this plan and adopted by the Township. -65- • �Road and Railroad Analysis II Existing Conditions The primary roads in Bangor Township are Euclid Avenue (M-13), which is the northsouth commercial core of the Township and Wilder Road, which is a rapidly developing east-west corridor with a growing traffic volume between 1-75 on the west and Bay City to the east. Wilder Road is an extension of M-15 running through Bay City. Euclid Avenue becomes M-247 north of Schumann Road to State Park Drive. M-13 continues in a north/northwest direction to Standish, becoming Huron Road north of Wilder Road. Another major transportation route is the US-1 O Business route which runs in an east-west direction through the southern portion of the Township and provides access to 1-75 and M-13. There are also 14 county primary roads within the Township with a total length of 30.4 miles. • • • • • • • •I I I Road Classifications The network of streets in Bangor Township may be defined in a functional hierarchy, by evaluating the size and use of the road, and the land uses it serves. This includes: Arterial (e.g. M-13 and Wilder Road): Relatively high capacity roads which provide unity throughout a contiguous urban area; medium speed/capacity roads for intracommunity arterial highway system. Should have minor access control and channelized intersection. Approximately 15 miles of arterial roads exist within Bangor Township. These consist of Euclid Avenue, Huron Road, Wilder Road, State Park Drive, Business Loop 1-75 (M-10) and Midland Road. Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road are 5 lane arterials . Collector (e.g. Bangor Road): Relatively low speed/low volume street, typically two lanes, for circulation within and between neighborhoods. The roads serve generally short trips and are meant to collect trips from local streets and distribute them to the arterial network. The Township currently contains over 24 miles of collector streets. -66- �Local Streets (e.g. Richmark Lane): Low speed/low volume roads which provide direct access to abutting land uses. Nonconducive to through traffic. There are approximately 34 miles of local streets in the Township. Daily Traffic Volumes Twenty-four hour traffic counts (using automated counters) have been taken at various locations along county primary and state trunkline roads within the Township in different years. These counts vary from 400 vehicles per 24 hour period on Two Mile Road south of Midland Road (count taken in 1983) to 28,250 vehicles per 24 hour period on Euclid Avenue south of Midland (in 1988). In general, the heaviest traffic volumes are on Euclid Avenue between Wilder Road and Fisher Road, which has an overall average volume of approximately 26,130 vehicles per day (counts taken in 1983 and 1988) and along Wilder Road from east of Two Mile Road to Patterson Road, with an average volume of 19,854 vehicles per day. These counts were taken in 1983, 1984, 1987, and 1989 (see Appendix 8). Traffic counts taken over a seven year period between 1983 and 1989 suggest that the heaviest traffic volumes within the Township are generally carried on north-south roads, with the southern half of the Township retaining the largest volumes. Map 8 depicts these 24 hour traffic counts. The development of the Bay City Mall and the Bangor Plaza will bring a substantial increase in the traffic on Wilder Road, as well as State Road between Wilder Road and Wheeler Road. Travel time to work is a valid indicator of the general direction of travel flow during the week. Overall, in 1980 about 34 percent of employed persons in the Township took from 5 to 15 minutes to travel between work and home, while 42 percent took 16 to 30 minutes, 16 percent took between 31 to 44 minutes and only about 4 percent each took less than 5 minutes or more than 45 minutes. When analyzed, 35 percent to 40 percent of all workers in Areas A, B, C, D and F required 5 to 15 minutes to travel between work and home, compared to 19 to 22 percent in Areas E, G and H whose work trips require that much time. Conversely, those "close-in" areas (A, B, C, F) had a lower percentage of resident employees who took 16-30 minutes to travel to work than Areas E and G, where 58 to 63 percent of the work trips were 16-30 minutes long. In effect, since almost one-half of all residents' work trips take 16 to 30 minutes, it is likely that a high percentage of Township residents work in Bay City and other locations within a 30 minute driving time radius. _.,,,67- �________ ..... -,;..,.. '1,- ~ ! i d> ,..,_ ! 6 h~ ~ \, 0 ()~ ~ ~ TRAFFIC COUNTS (24 HOUR PERIOD) Q,\,_.., ! iii 1 11 11 • • •· ~ • llllllll,~ 'i .l,.L "..!~ II ~Gl'-v..,,_ • & y ! f !) --a ,, t ,. • ~ I S~ • i aff I :J"l ::0 I 0, MT Cffl' ST II Cffl'OIMY~ MAP 8 TRAFFIC COUNTS @I Gove Associates Inc. �Sidewalks, Curbs and Gutters The majority of the Township's streets are essentially paved or seal-coated. Of the approximately 73 miles of streets within the Township, about 25 percent are improved with curb and gutter. These are primarily located within residential subdivisions in the Township and along the major arteries such as Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road. • • • •II • •I •I I I I There are a limited amount of sidewalks within the Township. As with curb and gutter, the majority of the sidewalks are located in residential subdivisions, and most of the sidewalks that do exist are in the older subdivisions adjacent to the Euclid Avenue corridor. Sidewalks in the Township are maintained by property owners. In essence, while about 25 percent of all roads in the Township contain curbs and gutters and/or sidewalks, the majority of collector and local streets do not have curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements . Railroads Until recently the Michigan Central and Detroit and Mackinac Railroads owned approximately 10.4 miles of railroad rights-of-way within the Township. This included 6.2 miles of railroad running through Essexville and north along the Saginaw Bay which has been abandoned by the railroad and the tracks have been removed. This right-of-way is presently being sold to private and state entities (e.g. the Bay City State Park). The balance, about 4.2 miles, is still being utilized on a daily basis by both railroads to provide freight service to Northeast Michigan and Midland. These active rights-of-way traverse through areas of fairly dense activity and intersect major thoroughfares (Euclid Avenue in two locations, Wilder Road, Wheeler Road, and Two Mile Road). The D&M and Central Michigan Railroad share the same trackage and operations. The Wenona Switch Yard located between Wheeler Road and Euclid Avenue, undertake approximately 30 switching operations per day, which require the blocking of either Euclid Avenue or Wheeler Road for short periods of time. These operations occur five days a week. In addition there are presently four 'through' trains per day going south each day during a six-day week and five through trains going north every other day. There is also one trip per day to Midland and back (at night) on the rail line running across Euclid between North Union and Midland Road. This trip occurs five nights per week, with an average train length of 15 to 20 cars. -69- �Alternative Transportation Methods Other than by private vehicle, Bangor Township's only other forms of transit are via the Bay Metro Transit Public Bus System and the Bay Dial-A-Ride (DART) system for senior citizens and handicapped. The Bay Metro Transit System is an areawide public bus system with two routes in Bangor Township. The routes run on Midland Road, North Union Road, Euclid Avenue, Kiesel Road, Wilder Road, Euclid Road, Beaver Road and State Park Road, providing linkages to other routes within and around Bay City. The closest commercial airport is the Tri-City International Airport in Freeland, approximately 15 miles southwest of Bangor Township. Synopsis There is a relatively high volume of traffic using the arterial and collector streets within Bangor Township. The existing arterials can be expected to experience an increase in traffic volume over the next 20 years, especially Wilder Road. If private development and public access along the Saginaw River increase, and if some of the existing single-family areas along the Saginaw Bay are converted to higher intensity condominium development, there will likely be a need for an improved collector road system, capable of carrying a higher capacity of local traffic within those areas. As stated in the 1981 plan, some areas are dependent upon a single access road, which could be an obstacle to quick emergency response. The Tobico/Bayshore area and the Shady Shores Subdivision are examples. Although most of the roads in the Township are paved or sealcoated, there are still several local gravel roads that will eventually need upgrading to a bituminous surface, as development along these roads increases. Should large interior parcels, such as those located in Areas F and H be developed, they will require new access as well as local roads. Additional volumes on arterial roads may eventually impact other existing streets. It may be necessary, for example, to eventually widen Wheeler Road or construct a new arterial or collector to accommodate excess traffic from this arterial, or the Township may have to separate truck traffic by reassigning truck traffic on Wheeler Road to another designated truck route. It should be noted that the Euclid Avenue/ Wilder Road intersection has had the highest accident rate in Bay County over the past three years. -70- • • '• • " ; • •I I I I I I I I �• • •· • • • "" • "• • • •• The existing railroad rights-of-way in Bangor Township in effect divide the Township into two separate areas for emergency response capability. Fire and ambulance equipment cannot always use the most direct routes to an incident because of the railroad's street crossings. Currently the volume of traffic using these tracks is relatively high, although traffic is typically detained for five minutes or less near the Wenona Switching Yard between Euclid Avenue and Wheeler Road. While the amount of railroad activity is expected to decrease over the next twenty years, these crossings are obstacles to efficient traffic flow . In general, as additional commercial, and in some instances residential land uses evolve with the Township, increased traffic volumes will likely require new or expanded transportation routes. • •I -71- �• • " "• • • • • • • • • •I PART II FUTURE LAND USE �• Introduction • "• • • • • • •II I �INTRODUCTION Up to this point, the text has defined and analyzed past and present data and information that comprises Bangor Township and its immediate area. In Part I, the Township's characteristics relative to population, housing, land use, natural resources, and community facilities were described individually and as integral components of the area's total economic, human resource and physical (land use) system. Part II relies on that analysis to formulate a development plan for the next 20 years. This Plan sets forth the various components that will comprise Bangor Township, given the opportunities that are currently available and will likely be available at some future time for residents and elected and appointed officials. • • • • • • If trends over the past 10 years continue, the Township will not grow substantially in terms of quantity (new residents and new businesses). However, Township officials consider controlled growth in population, housing, commercial and industrial activities to be desirable. Consequently, this Plan proposes policies and programs that will in effect attempt to accelerate the Township's growth rate of the past decade, understanding that the impetus for such change is also dependent upon regional and areawide influences, particularly economic growth. At the same time, the Plan realizes the importance of promoting and setting forth the need for revitalization of those elements that now comprise the Township to consistently improve and maintain the area's quality of life. The format for describing _this development plan consists of identifying its individual components - i.e., the individual plans and programs for residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, parks and recreation, community facilities and services, overall land use, natural resources conservation and improvement, and overall sense of community. Each component is described in terms of its goal, objectives and policies, land use pattern, narrative description and implementation program, for easy reference and assessment. -72- �.. .. .. .. . .. ....-. •••••• LEGEND • SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL • PUBLIC - INSTITIJTIONAL MULTIPLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL FTI Wil PUBLIC - RECREATIONAL MOBIL£ HOME PARK r.::J GREENBaT ~~gu ~ INDUSTRY ~ COMMERCIAL - RECREATION/AMUSMENT ii mmm lllillill PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD) ~ ' ' ::<: ... ', ... o Ml:xnJRE - RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL rm • f##] OFFICE Ml:xnJRE - COMMERCIAL/OFFICE INDUSTRIAL/WARB-iOUSING • • B COMMERCIAL - RETAIL/SERVICE INDUSTRIAL PARK Ml:xnJRE - RESIDENTIAL/INDUSTRY PROPOSED ROADWAY UTILITIES RIGHT-OF-WAY :COT'rlllit. ! LA~A lfoAD ' ~ ioY- SCOUT - ~ ~,§ a !I ·ff~ n ' F ' : : ~ -· .. .., """"" OT'r' <S BAY OTY BANGOR TOWNSHIP FUTURE LAND USE MAP 1" I ....... w I = 3000' EB MAP 9 FUTURE LAND USE @ Gove Associates Inc. �l I I I I I I ~ I I I I I I I I I Overall Land Use �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1· I I OVERALL LAND USE Bangor Township has enough vacant developable land within its boundaries to accommodate expected growth over the next 20 years. Approximately 28 percent of the Township's land area (approximately 2,740 acres) will be devoted to singlefamily or duplex residential development. Another 67 acres will be allocated to multiple-family housing in various locations, particularly in the western portion of the Township as well as adjacent to Saginaw Bay. Both single-family and multiple-family housing may also be located in Planned Unit Development areas, which will encompass almost 700 acres in four different locations throughout the Township. In addition, senior citizen housing may be located on State Road adjacent to the Bay City Mall (or in several residential locations in Area A and C). Additional multiplefamily (condominium) development will take place along the Saginaw Bay shoreline . . These will be conversions of existing developed properties (e.g., the Wenona Beach Mobile Home Park). Multiple-family development will also be expanded in those neighborhoods west of Euclid Avenue. Mobile homes will continue to be primarily located in the existing mobile home parks. In total, residential land uses will occur at various densities on approximately 3,000 acres of land, or 60 percent of the Township's total area. Commercial land use will continue along the major thoroughfares (Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road) and will be expanded along Huron Road. Commercial activity along Euclid Avenue will consist primarily of redevelopment and revitalization, while new development will continue to occur along Wilder Road, State Park Drive and Beaver Road. Office development will be concentrated in three areas within the triangle formed by the intersection of Wilder Road and Euclid Avenue and the D&M/Michigan Central Railroad; the area at the rear of the existing commercial development on Euclid Avenue north of Mosher Drive, and surrounding the Bay Medical Center West Campus south of Midland Road as well as along both sides of the I-75/US-10 Business Loop. Mixed commercial/industrial development would be promoted within the area adjacent to the Saginaw River south of an extended Wilder Road. This area is currently used primarily for chemical storage. The commercial portion of this development would be designed as a planned commercial development with emphasis on waterfront activities. Industrial related land use will continue to exist within the Township, increased in total area and be concentrated in three locations along the D&M/Michigan Central Railroad west of Euclid Avenue, in the area bounded by Patterson Road on the west, Wilder Road on the south, the Saginaw River on the east and an extension of - 74_, �Wheeler Road on the north in the southeast quadrant of the Township, and on approximately 30 acres on the northeast corner of Beaver Road and Two Mile Road It is the Township's intent to concentrate these activities as much as possible in these areas. Industrial land uses will include manufacturing and warehousing operations. Most of the existing Dow Chemical properties currently used for manufacturing and storage will remain as industrial/warehousing land use. I Public facilities, including municipal administrative offices, police and fire station, Department of Public Works garage, sewage treatment plant, ball field and school grounds and buildings will encompass approximately the same acreage over the life of the Plan. All facilities, except for the Township Hall, are considered to be adequate to accommodate the Township's needs over the next 20 years. A new Township Hall/Fire Station adjacent to the existing Township Hall will be constructed to replace the existing complex. \' :i .I Open space and recreation will play a major role in forming the quality of life in Bangor Township. Linear greenbelts adjacent to the river as well as state and township parks and natural preservation areas will be located primarily within the northern and eastern portions of the Township, oriented to waterfront activities. These areas will, in some cases, include playground and recreation/entertainment facilities, and in other cases remain essentially undeveloped. They will take advantage of the Township's major resources to provide a full range of passive and active recreation activities for the Township's residents and visitors. Much of the shoreline will actually remain in open space, with some development of boardwalks and a boat launch facility for public access along the Saginaw River. The open area directly north of the Bay Harbor Marina will essentially remain undeveloped, but will be classified as industrial. School playgrounds will provide the major neighborhood recreation resources for residents west of Euclid Avenue. Road improvement and expansion will be required primarily for existing collector streets and thoroughfares. Wheeler Road will be expanded eastward from Patterson and extended northward to loop back into Shady Shores Road. Patterson Road, Wheeler Road and Zimmer Road may require expansion to three or four lanes to accommodate the additional traffic that could be generated from the Planned Unit Development in that area. A new local street would also be constructed between State Road and Bangor Road to open up additional parcels for single-family development and several local streets would be constructed or extended between State Park Drive and State Road to allow for additional development and access to those properties. Two Mile Road would also be widened and expanded to function -75- I -I I I I �(! I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I as a major thoroughfare connecting Business Loop I-75 to Beaver Road and ultimately to 1-75 north of the Township. This would help alleviate through traffic on Euclid Avenue. A total of 2.2 miles of new collector roads and 1.1 miles of new local roads, in addition to local roads included in the new Planned Unit Development would be added to the Township's inventory. Separate walking/biking paths would be constructed within a linear greenbelt on Consumers Power easements connecting the western portion of the Township with the shoreline. The abandoned D&M rightof-way would also be used as a right-of-way to connect recreational areas along the Saginaw River to the State Park and Tobico Marsh, assuming easements can be obtained. This is the proposed land use distribution that the Township will attempt to achieve over the next 20 years. In reality, not all land that is designated for the various types of development scheduled in the Plan will actually be developed. It is expected that at the end of the planning period a substantial amount of vacant land will still exist within the Township. Obviously, the extent to which land is developed depends upon the overall economic, social and physical attractiveness of the Township, county and region to new businesses and residents and to existing businesses looking for expansion. Table 9 depicts the general allocation of future land uses proposed in this Plan. These are intended as "broad" estimates of future land use distribution to provide the reader a general understanding of relative coverage. -76- �f{ I TABLE 9 FUTURE LAND USE ALLOCATIONS Estimated Acres Land Use i: Percent of Total Residential - Single-Family - Multiple-Family - Mobile Home Parks Office Commercial - Retail/Service Recreation Commercial Industrial/Warehouse Industrial/Residential Industrial Park Public Facilities - Schools Parks/Natural Areas Linear Greenbelt Public Semi-Public Streets Planned Unit Development* Mixed Residential/Commercial Mixed Commercial/Office 5,135 60 107 78 582 122 828 160 24 116 806 62 108 122 611 683 18 75 53.0 0.6 1.1 0.8 5.9 1.2 8.6 1.6 0.2 1.2 8.3 0.6 1.1 1.3 6.3 7.0 0.2 0.8 TOTAL 9,697 100.0 * Area includes streets, recreation, residential and/or commercial development. A Planned Unit Development is a type of development on a larger site that requires the total development concept, land use patterns, circulation, landscape and structure design, utilities and other site amenities to be identified prior to approval and development. The Planned Unit Development concept allows flexibility in design, platting, street layout, and other elements relative to standard development controls, such as zoning and subdivision regulations. The result is a more efficiently design development that creatively utilizes the environmental conditions of the site on which it is located. A Planned Unit Development can consist of all residential land use, all commercial land use, or industrial land use, or a combination of land uses. Typically, Planned Unit Development contains open space/recreation areas. SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc. -77- - �I I I I I I I I I I I Incremental Development Patterns As with any community, the continued development of Bangor Township will occur in various phases over time. This development will not likely be consistent, but rather the Township will experience change in "spurts", typically in conjunction with regional, state and national economic fluctuations. To achieve the results (goals) called for in this Plan, the Township will have to develop programs to direct and guide growth in the desired manner. While it is not possible to determine with any certainty where and to what extent development will actually occur within the Township, this Plan attempts to describe, in graphic form, the patterns of development for the Township over the next 20 years. Map 9 depicts the most desirable (preferred) land use pattern for the next 20 years. These depictions are general and, in reality, actual land uses at specific locations may very well differ from what is proposed, although it is the intent of this Plan to have development occur within the parameters of this 20 year recommendation. Overall, changes will consist of new residential developments in the northern and shoreline sections of the Township, with commercial development taking place along Wilder Road and office development expanding along Euclid Avenue and along Business Loop 1-75. Various local streets will be expanded, connected and improved as necessary throughout the 20 year planning period to accommodate additional development. The following briefly describes the progressive changes by land use category: I Year 0-5 I I I I During the first five years, single-family residences will continue as the predominant land use, with new single-family units along collector roads around section lines, in Areas F and G. Single-family units will continue to be constructed as "infill" development in existing subdivisions in Areas A, 8, C and D. One or two new multiple-family rental complexes will be constructed in Areas A or 8, with shoreline condominium development occurring at Wenona Beach. Senior citizen apartment housing will be constructed in Area C, possibly along North Union Road, along Kiesel Road, or near the newly developed Bay City Mall. I I I New commercial development will continue along Wilder Road. This will include the Bay City Mall and Bangor Plaza as well as other automobile oriented strip mall development. Euclid Avenue will remain essentially as it is today, with "turnovers" in -78- �retail and service businesses, and some additional development north of Wilder Road. Limited additional commercial development will also take place along Huron Road along State Park Drive between Lauria Road and Boy Scout Road. Mixed commercial and residential development will also occur along State Park Road and Euclid Avenue between Beaver Road and Lauria Road. Wheeler Road will be extended eastward adjacent to the Consumers Power right-of-way. River Road will be extended east of the Michigan Northern Railroad right-of-way to connect with the existing River Road southwest of Birch Ridge Road. Lapan Road will be extended southward between Lauria Road and Boy Scout Road. Danne Street will be extended north to Lauria Road and Cramer Street will be extended westward to join with Danne Street. 11 Some offices, particularly those associated with medical practice, will be constructed around the Bay Medical Center West facility north of Business Loop 1-75. Mixed industrial and residential activity will continue along the west side of Patterson Road and the Township will initiate development of an industrial park on its property adjacent to the regional wastewater treatment plant. This will include the parcel that is currently used as a soccer field. Within the next five years, the Township will also initiate development of a public boat launch site by the MDNR within the Township. A new Township hall facility is to be constructed near the site of the existing Township hall. Year 5-10 Between the 5th and 10th year, additional linear single-family development will occur in Areas F and G and single-family "infill" will continue west of Euclid Avenue in Areas A, C and D as well as in Area B. Additional multiple-family apartment development will take place in Area A, off of Two Mile Road as well as Area C, adjacent to Kiesel Road. The Township will discuss with Dow Chemical Company the potential for making the land in Section 3 available for Planned Development and for public access to the Coast Guard light house as a historical tourist attraction. Coyer Road will be expanded eastward to connect Bangor Road and State Park Road, and an additional entrance road will be constructed off of Coyer Road to the Bay City Mall. Kiesel Road will be connected to North Union Road west of Darla Drive, a new local road will be constructed east of E. Birch, connecting Boy Scout Road and Hidden Road and a new local road will be constructed between Euclid Road and the aforementioned road. This will open up the northeast portion of Section 6 for -79- �I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I residential development. On the east side of Euclid, Hartley Street will also be connected to Miller Street. Commercial development along Wilder Road will continue with the Township undertaking public access improvements, including landscaping, sidewalks and street lighting. Attempts will be made to provide a planned commercial development concept between State Park Drive and Euclid Avenue. This would be a mixture of office space and retail and service commercial. Additional commercial infill will also take place along both sides of Huron Road. Office development will continue along Business Loop 1-75. The portion of Wilder Road east of Patterson Road will become more warehouse/storage oriented, in a planned development configuration. The Township will negotiate with Consumers Power to determine the feasibility of converting the utility's right-of-way to a linear greenbelt. Year 10-15 By the 15th year, new single-family development will continue around the perimeter of the section lines and major streets in Sections F and G. Infill of single-family subdivisions will continue in Sections A, B, C and D, as well as in portions of Sections F and G. By this time virtually all buildable properties in Section E and along the Saginaw Bay shoreline in Sections F and H should be developed. Further opening up of the Dow Chemical property east of Patterson Road and north of a line representing an extension of Wheeler Road should take place. This area would become a planned residential development, consisting of a mixture of single-family and condominium units. The shoreline portion of this area could possibly include canals for mooring pleasure boats at the rear of residences. Commercial development and redevelopment along the north-south and east-west axis of Euclid and Wilder roads will continue, with further public landscaping, curb-cut and street lighting improvements along both thoroughfares. Additional retail and service commercial activity will be constructed along Huron Road and along M-247 (Euclid Ave.) north of the D&M Railroad right-of-way and on the west side of M-247 south of Wheeler Road, as well as along Wheeler Road between the D&M/Michigan Central right-of-way and Old Kawkawlin Road. If the demand for office space warrants it, additional office development will occur behind the North Pointe Mall north of Gary. The existing complex of storage tanks -80- �along the Saginaw River will remain, with the removal of older, environmentally hazardous tanks over time. This area will be partially converted over time to a mixed use of industrial/warehousing and commercial activities that are compatible with each other. Shipping facilities along the riverfront will be improved and a foreign trade zone and improved trucking access will be established. Waterfront oriented commercial and open space development will occur with a portion of this area. I, I The Township will extend and widen Wilder Road east of Patterson Road to provide a better access to the mixed use area. Wheeler Road will also be improved and extended eastward and connect with Shady Shores Road to provide a collector road access to the proposed Planned Unit Development in this area. A new "shoreline" road will also be constructed connecting the extended Wheeler Road with Shady Shores Road. Shady Shores Road will be widened and improved as a collector street. These new extensions will become part of the Planned Unit Development. Two Mile Road will also be improved to a three or four lane thoroughfare between the 1-75 Business Loop north to Beaver Road. A new local street will be constructed halfway between Zimmer Road and Wheeler Road connecting Bangor Road and Patterson. A new "service" road will be constructed southeasterly of North Point Plaza at the corner of Euclid and Wilder to open that area up for future commercial and office development. The existing bridges on State Park Drive and on Euclid Avenue over the Kawkawlin River will be improved, and East and West River Drive will be connected over the abandoned railroad right-of-way. The Township will initiate improvements to the railroad and utility rights-of-way to provide pedestrian/biking access between the Saginaw River and State Park/Tobico Marsh areas. Township owned property near the Bayside Park Subdivision, adjacent to the Kawkawlin River, will be used for spoils from Kawkawlin River dredging. This would be a temporary storage area and would have appropriate restrictions. Beaver Road will be widened and improved as an east/west entrance into the northern part of the Township from 1-75. Years 15-20 By the end of the planning period (the 20th year), single-family residential development along the major streets and subdivision infill will continue. There will still be a substantial amount of undeveloped land remaining, much of it in wetlands, particularly in Areas F, G and H. Vacant lands will still be available in Areas A, B, C -81- I �and D as well. Mixed residential and some commercial development will continue in the Planned Unit Developments in Section F. I I I I I I I I I Commercial development and redevelopment will occur along Wilder Road and Euclid Avenue, remaining primarily automobile-oriented, with substantial off-street parking facilities. Both Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road will be adequately landscaped, with controlled signage and appropriate street furniture and street lighting. Ferris Drive will be extended to connect State Park Drive and State Road to open up that area for residential development. Schumann Road will be extended eastward to State Park Drive. Ada Drive will be connected to Boman Drive and an eastward extension will be constructed to State Park Drive. A service road will be constructed from Wilder Road, east of the Central Michigan Railroad right-of-way, north to Old Kawkawlin Road to open that area up to commercial development. All office space within the Township will be low density (one and two story buildings). Warehousing and industrial development will occur along the D&M/Michigan Central Railroad tracks between Euclid Avenue and Wheeler Road. The storage tank complex on the Saginaw River will become more oriented to multiple use shipping, with the International Trade Zone designation and storage facility as the focal point of development, and water-oriented commercial development. The foregoing descriptions are intended to reflect and identify the most desirable timing and location of land use development and redevelopment. The following sections will describe each component of the Township's future land use in more detail. I I I I I 'I ' "".82- �I I I I I I I I I I I I Residential Development �I I I I I RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT High quality residential development which will fulfill the needs of the various population segments in the area. Objectives I A. Provide decent housing for persons of all economic levels. I B. Provide a range of housing types while improving housing conditions in the Township. I C. Obtain coordinated and balanced housing development between Bangor Township and surrounding communities as well as within Bangor Township itself. D. Protect the welfare, character and quality of existing neighborhoods. E. Promote water recreation oriented housing development. F. Encourage home ownership in the Township, while providing for adequate multiple-family and duplex rental units. G. Encourage, directly or indirectly, rehabilitation of substandard dwellings and preservation of quality older homes. H. Encourage demolition of severely dilapidated housing and develop, adopt and administer a Township housing code to ensure adequate code enforcement of existing housing. I. Encourage new developments to be built in a manner sensitive to the physical character of the Township, including the infilling of vacant lots in established residential areas through the use of architectural design ordinances and flexible zoning. I I I I I I I I I I I -83- �J. Encourage continued single-family residency in established single-family neighborhoods. K. Promote planned residential development using state-of-the-art design standards. L. Establish creative land platting and development through flexible zoning and land use control measures. Land Use The definition of the residential Future Land Use Plan must be consistent with the goal of obtaining a high quality residential development to fulfill the needs of the various population segments in the Township with its specific objectives. I I I Bangor Township will likely experience a 10.4 percent decrease in population if existing trends continue over the next 20 years. However, if favorable economic conditions and Township policies to promote growth are enacted, a "target" increase of 33.5 percent over the next 20 years will occur (refer to Figure 2 "Population Projections", Part I). Under both scenarios, new housing stock must be made available, and in a variety of forms, to suit household needs and financial requirements. Under the Existing Trends - declining population scenario, the Township will require 500 additional housing units, while under the Target Population scenario, an additional 3,770 units will be required. Both housing unit projections are based upon the declining number of residents per household as identified on page 15. The Future Land Use Plan reflects single-family housing throughout the Township, with most new single-family development occurring in the northern and eastern sections (Areas F and G). Additional single-family residential development is proposed as "infill" in scattered vacant areas which are now predominately residential, in areas A, B, C and D. Single-family major roads existing low divisions will housing in Areas F, G and H will continue to be located primarily along or the perimeter of larger 5 and 1O acre parcels. This will retain the density residential nature of these areas. Smaller multiple lot subalso continue to be platted and developed in Areas F and G. -84- • = • - �ri J I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Planned Unit Development will take place in Section F within property currently owned by Dow Chemical and other corporations. These planned developments will contain a mix of housing types with some commercial activities. New multiple-family housing units are designated for Area A off of Two Mile Road between Wheeler Road and the Consumers Power easement. Expanded multiplefamily apartment development will also occur off of Kiesel Road and North Union Road. Multiple-family apartment complexes will be constructed in Area F, north and east of the Bay City Mall and on the Charbonneau property (east of Mall) off of Bangor Road. A senior housing complex may also be constructed in this general area, or along North Union Road. Multiple-family condominium development will also take place on the old Water Works property, potentially including conversion of the existing Water Works building into condominiums, and on the Wenona Beach trailer park property. The existing multiple-family housing development within the Township will remain essentially intact, with ongoing modifications as necessary. The mobile home parks will continue to exist. However, the design standards for these parks should be upgraded. While no new mobile home parks will be developed in Bangor Township, the demand for additional low/moderate income housing will be met through rental apartments and manufactured (modular) home subdivisions. Modular homes could and should be a component of any new residential construction within the Planned Unit Development areas designated in the Future Land Use Map. Table 10 depicts the proposed additional acreage devoted to residential development for the 10.4 percent growth decline and the 33.5 percent growth projection. Both projections utilize existing residential dwelling density factors in each area as a basis for determining additional acreage needed. -85- �- - TABLE 10 PROJECTED ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL UNITS AND ACREAGE REQUIRED* Area A Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) Projected Trend - Population of 14,361 Add. Units Needed Add. Acreage Needed S.F. M.F. S.F. M.F. 80 0.35 26 0.034 Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) 25 0.30 6 0.06 C Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) 50 0.38 17 0.09 Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) 27 0.32 8 0.06 E Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) 28 0 0 5 Projected Target - Population of 21,411 Add. Acreage Needed Add. Units Needed S.F. M.F. S.F. M.F. 1 603 201 211 0.5 192 42 58 2.5 19 1.5 379 126 144 11. 5 9 0.5 205 62 65.5 3-. 5 12.5 0 210 0 92.5 0 66 0.5 1,150 39 494.5 3.0 0 468 0 187 0 24 0 93 0 186 0.0 168.5 4 3,300 470 1,438.5 27 . 5 28 B 7.5 D I (X) 0) I F Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) G Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) 0.44 154 0.43 62 0.4 0.08 0 0 2.5 H Existing Average Density (Ac./Unit) TOTAL 12 2.0 438 *Rounded to nearest 0.5 acres. SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc. 7 0 0.0 62 - .:1. �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Because Area H has a substantial amount of wetland area, it is unlikely that many additional residential dwellings will be constructed there. Consequently, the units designated for Area H should be reallocated to Area F, giving Area F target singlefamily dwelling units of 90 and 1,243 for target projections of 14,361 and 21,411 respectively. Although the Future Land Use Map and allocations defined in Table 9 indicate 20 year planning period designation of 5,390 acres for residential development, it is evident that amount of acreage for residential development will not actually be achieved. Approximately 2,300 acres of the Township are currently in residential use, leaving about 3,100 acres for future development. In effect, from 2 to 18 times more land will be available for residential development than is actually expected to occur under the two population projection scenarios used in this Plan. Qualitative Description The quality of the Township's housing stock is a prime component of the overall attractiveness of the community - both to individual residents and potential employers. To attain a desirable level of quality, existing housing in various portions of the Township should be upgraded and design and construction standards that promote quality need to be encouraged. Existing housing that is deteriorated or dilapidated, especially those concentrated in certain locations or "pockets" need to be upgraded -to meet housing codes. Such upgrading should be the Township's top priority in addressing the quality of its housing, as no individual or household should lie in a unit that is, or is close to being, uninhabitable. At the same time, the upgrading of these units should not make them unaffordable for those residents that are on limited or fixed incomes. This is a critical factor in meeting the objective of providing decent housing for persons of all economic levels. In addition, a limited number of housing units that are in good condition and affordable for low-income first-time buyers and those displaced because of conversion of rental properties to condominiums or commercial development, should be made available within the Township. The Township's overall housing program should, however, emphasize middle income and higher income housing. Additional housing would include a wide range of multiple-family projects that meet higher yet affordable site plan standards, medium to luxury priced condominium units and single-family housing on single lots, in subdivisions, and in planned unit I -87- �f i I developments. The Township should keep abreast of up-to-date concepts in housing development and analyze each concept to determine its applicability to Bangor Township. Flexibility in design and regulation should be adhered to. For example, local development standards should be adopted for "site" condominium development. Site condominium development essentially allows single-family detached homes to be built on separate condominium "envelopes", or parcels, with streets, sidewalk and open spaces considered as belonging to the condominium association. II Existing mobile home parks should be encouraged to be upgraded and maintained with an emphasis on quality. That includes circular streets, relatively larger mobile home sites, landscaping, open space, on-site recreation and continued maintenance. Such standards can be retained while making the units affordable to low/moderate income households. Finally, senior citizen housing should be made available to accommodate senior citizens from the Bay County area. Such high density apartment-type housing should be close to shopping and medical facilities and senior citizen activity centers. An alternative is to allow what is termed Elderly Cottage Housing Opportunity (ECHO) housing in low density single-family neighborhoods, such as Area F. ECHO housing is a concept whereby a second "modular" temporary dwelling is allowed on the same lot as the principal residence. This second dwelling would house an elderly or handicapped relative who is able to live independently, and yet be easily accessible to the relative in the primary dwelling. The ECHO unit is temporary in that when it becomes vacant it is removed from the premises. The Township zoning ordinance would have to be revised to allow for this type of dwelling. Implementation Policies The actions related to housing in Bangor Township deal basically with the retention of existing housing character and residential densities, the upgrading of substandard units, the preservation of quality older homes, and the supply of housing units for households with different income categories. In any case, actions should respond to the clear identification of the needs of the Township. -88- �I r J fi Bangor Township could implement the following actions in order to obtain reasonable quality residential development which will fulfill the needs of the various population segments in the area. 0 I r I I I I I I I I I I I I I Contact private developers and study the possibility of establishing a public-private partnership to develop multiplefamily projects for low/moderate income households and senior citizens. Although the majority of housing in the United States is provided by the private sector, it is possible for the public sector to influence the market and increase the supply of housing units. The Township must develop an entrepreneurial attitude in originating or taking a lead role in such development, using, for instance, Township or school district owned parcels or other assets to participate in joint ventures with private developers. Often, the Township may have to assume much of the risk involved in these projects; however, this leadership role has the advantage that once the projects have been completed, the Township could also share in their benefits. Furthermore, any successful project is an incentive for additional developments in the area. 0 Give priority processing to those projects that provide housing. 0 Promote ownership of housing units among residents. This action could be implemented through the promotion of programs among landlords aimed at giving incentives to renter households to become owners. Preferences could be given to occupants willing to make improvements to the house and with a long-term period of occupancy. Incentives such as setting aside a portion of the annual rent to be used, after a specified number of years, as a down payment could be effective for renter households. -89- �0 0 Promote the creation of community development corporations and other types of com~unity-based nongovernmental organizations related to neighborhood development. Encourage the maintenance of quality older homes, the rehabilitation of deteriorated housing units, and in some cases the demolition of severely dilapidated housing units. The Township Board and the Building Inspection Department could implement this action by creating special incentives such as communitywide recognition for well maintained older homes, or assist owners in identifying available resources for housing and neighborhood rehabilitation, and organizations such as the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (USC) and the proposed Michigan Neighborhood Builders Alliance, whose main objective is to improve the conditions of neighborhoods by supporting local community development. Financing Program for Housing At the federal level, rehabilitation of existing housing, including multiple-family units can be funded through the Section 312 Rehabilitation Loan Program. These loans are available to low/moderate income homeowners at low interest rates (approximately 3%) and to owners of multiple-family units (5 to 99 units) at higher rates) . At the state level, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) is the public agency that has been created to address the housing needs of low and moderate income citizens. The MSHDA has several housing programs to meet the needs of the community, including loans, grants and different types of subsidies. The following are some of the existing housing programs of the MSHDA: Home Improvement loans, Michigan Energy Bank, Section 8 Rental Assistance and Rental Rehabilitation. Home Improvement Loan Programs are designed to provide below market interest rate loans for home improvements. The MSHDA offers three alternative programs: the Home Improvement Program (HIP), the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP), and the Community Home Improvement Program (CHIP). It is important to -90- II Ill Ill •II �I I I I I I I I I I I stress that these programs are not mutually exclusive, they are all possible simultaneously and open to lenders and communities. In no case can these funds be used for luxury and/or recreational improvements. MSHDA housing projects are funded through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, as well as sale of bonds through the State of Michigan. The Community Block Grant program in Michigan has two major components: one for economic development related projects (managed by the Michigan Department of Commerce) and the other for housing projects (administered by the MSHDA). Eligible applicants for the Housing Grant Programs are small cities, townships and villages of less than 50,000 population. Resources in this program are dedicated to projects related to home improvement programs, rehabilitation of rental units, homesteading of vacant properties, programs for the homeless and public facilities' improvements linked to targeted home improvement programs. I I I I I I I -91- I I �r ~ I I I Commercial Development �[ r r r r f J COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT Continued development of Bangor Township as a commercial/service center of Bay County, while meeting the shopping and employment needs of local citizens. Objectives A. Attract visitors and shoppers from throughout the County and Region. 8. Reinforce the role of Bangor Township as a commercial/service center of Bay County through planned commercial development. C. Improve the "mix" of retail and commercial service businesses to meet the needs of local and areawide residents. D. Complement the commercial businesses in downtown Bay City. E. Increase recreation/tourist-oriented Township. r I I I I I I I I I I I commerce within the Land Use The proposed Land Use Plan should provide the Township with enough commercial space to achieve the general goal and the specific objectives defined in the commercial development plan. The following table identifies the maximum commerical development acreage identified in the Future Land Use Plan. -92- �TABLE 11 PROJECTED COMMERCIAL LAND USE (Acres)* Area Existing Proposed Change A 32 145 +63 8 69 68 -1 C 29 47 +16 D 7 3.4 -3.6 27.7 +10.3 E 1.9 F 155.4 G 18.2 12.4 -18.2 H 46.7 81.2 +34.5 279 +73.6 *Includes recreation/amusement commercial. SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc. These tabulations reflect the optimum allocation of commercial land uses by area and The differences between existing and future commercial land use by area. The differences between existing and future commercial land use distributions are based primarily upon consolidation or elimination of some existing dispersed commercial land uses with the main emphasis upon the Wilder Road/Euclid Avenue corridors. These allocations do not include the proposed mixed commercial/residential development along State Park Drive (15.5 acres) and M-247 (10 acres) or the mixed commercial/industrial development along the Saginaw River (approximately 300 acres) and adjacent to the Michigan Northern rail line east of Euclid Avenue (19 acres). "• • • • • • • • • ' �r r r r r r r r r I I I I I I I I I I The proposed Land Use Plan distributes commercial activities along two major thoroughfares - Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road. Euclid Avenue is, and will continue to be, primarily automobile-oriented strip commercial development. Wilder Road will continue to develop in an automobile-oriented strip commercial (mall) pattern. Additional commercial oriented land uses will develop along Huron Road and on M247 south of Wheeler Road. A pedestrian oriented planned commercial/office complex would be located on the northeast corner of Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road. Commercial land uses will also continue to develop along both sides of State Park Drive between Kawkawlin River and Saginaw Bay, except State Park, and at the southeast and southwest intersection of Beaver Road and M-247 to serve visitors to the State Park and residents in the northern portion of the Township. Local convenience commercial establishments will also be located along Patterson Road where it intersects with Zimmer Road - again to serve local residents and boat. ers/fishermen/swimmers. The property on both sides of State Park Drive between Boy Scout Road and Saginaw Bay is currently developing as a mixture of residential and commercial activities (with the exception of State Park property). This mixture of residential and commercial uses will continue with appropriate restrictions defined within the Township Zoning Ordinance. This type of use will also be allowed on the east side of M-247 between Beaver Road and Lauria Road. The Future Land Use Plan calls for commercial activities to be concentrated within those locations identified on Map 9. Water-oriented commercial development is proposed along the Saginaw River south of the Bay Harbor Marina. Such Development would occur in conjunction with industrial/warehousing activities in this area, in a controlled development pattern. This could include facilities such as restaurants, small specialty shops and outdoor amusement activities, combined with public improvements such as a boardwalk, landscaping and off-street parking. The intent would be three-fold: to open up a portion of this area to water-oriented commercial development, which is a "higher and better" use, to improve industrial, warehousing an shopping facilities in this area, and to allow for, and promote, spectator access to shipping activities. This should be developed on a larger planned unit development scale. Mixed commercial and industrial development would also occur adjacent to the Michigan Central Railroad "spur" line east of Euclid Avenue in Area B. Such uses could include combined commercial/industrial activates such as manufactured home fabrication and sales. -94- �Qualitative Description Bangor Township's commercial development, along with its shoreline, is one of the most obvious physical elements that defines the image of the Township. The east-west and north-south axis of Wilder Road and Euclid Avenue will form the core of the Township's commercial and service activity. However, to maximize that potential, modifications and alterations to the streetscape should be promoted. These could include sidewalks, street lighting, landscaping, street furniture, reduction of curb-cuts/access points and upgrading off-street parking to include curbing and landscaping. Signage along both thoroughfares could be regulated and compatible with an overall theme (e.g. marine/waterfront). The construction of the Bay City Mall and Bangor Plaza along Wilder Road on both sides of State Road should set the standards for future commercial development along Wilder Road. Streetscape improvements (sidewalks, landscaping, street lighting and signage) should all be integrated with new commercial growth along this corridor. A planned retail/commercial development, which would in effect be a mixed use development of office and retail/service commercial development would be constructed on the northeast corner of Wilder Road and Euclid Avenue. While this would be a pedestrian-oriented complex, it would contain off-street parking for employees and customers. Recreation and specialty shop commercial development would also be located within the area adjacent to the Bay Harbor Marina. This would be a thematic touristoriented complex of shops oriented to waterfront development. Additional marina capacity would also be established in this vicinity. Again, this type of development would be pedestrian-oriented, with adequate parking available. Smaller convenience and recreational commercial cores would be located at the corner of State Park Drive and M-247 near the intersection of Zimmer Road and Patterson Road, along both sides of State Park Drive, between Lauria Road, Boy Scout Road and Saginaw Bay. These strip commercial developments would be designed to serve local residents and visitors to the State Park. -95- .. Ill • • • • • • • • • • • • : • '• �,~ r. r· r r r r I r I I I I I I I I Implementation Policies Those actions recommended to achieve the commercial development goals and objectives are aimed basically at reinforcing existing commercial development, attracting investment to the Township, promoting the expansion of local businesses, and improving public facilities related to the commercial development of Bangor Township. Commercial activity plays a key role in the economic development process of the Township. The volume and variety of commercial activity continues to increase with the construction of the Bay City Mall and the Bangor Plaza. The impacts of these developments upon the Township's infrastructure should be significant, with a need to increase street capacity, and provide concurrent streetscape amenities. The following are some of the actions recommended to improve and facilitate the commercial conditions of the Township. 0 Contact private developers in order to promote the market possibilities in the area. This should be done by the Downtown Development Authority Search Committee. Develop a Market Study identifying businesses that could fit into the Township's commercial "niche." 0 Establish a program to control the type, location and timing of new commercial investment into the Township while working on retention of existing business. The following are some of the incentives that could be established: purchase or acquisition of tax delinquent properties to be used by the Township as leverage for new or expanded commercial development (land "writedowns"); entering into a public/private partnership with a qualified developer (such an arrangement can vary from offering Township funds for "start-up" costs to a full partnership in which the Township and developer share assets and liabilities); the establishment of commercial corridor associations for Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road to oversee the general development of these areas and work with the Township's DOA; improvement of I -96- I �public facilities; and the retention and expansion of local development corporations. Some financial assistance for these actions could be obtained from the Community Development Block Grant and Small Business Administration programs. o The DOA and other Township organizations, such as the commercial corridor associations mentioned above, should be involved in the construction of new parking facilities, the promotion of special events to attract people downtown, the rehabilitation of deteriorated facilities, the demolition of dilapidated facilities, the occupancy of vacant structures, and the adequate provision of public services, such as police protection, fire protection, snow removal, etc. o The DOA, corridor associations and property owners should work together within a committee structure to ensure that vacant retail and office spaces are filled accordingly. These organizations should also work with the Township in developing corridor improvements along Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road, as well as Huron Road. The Business Development Committee could serve an important function as a ODA clearinghouse for information on business opportunities in Bangor Township. The committee could handle initial inquiries but would particularly be helpful as a group to which inquiries from prospective new business operators could be directed. Information about such contacts/inquiries would then be given to the appropriate organization for further follow-up. Business people should be encouraged to keep any negative opinions they may have to themselves and to direct inquiries instead to the Business Development Committee. The committee should poll local business operators frequently to elicit information on inquiries or expressions of interest which they may have had from friends, business associates in other towns, or information on potential new business operators who might be contacted as prospective occupants of space. Membership on this committee should consist of realtors, bankers, etc. II '• II �J I I I I I I I I I I I I I I r I r I Financing Programs for Commercial Development While there are many programs related to economic development, the majority of them are oriented to financing projects that support business activity, especially infrastructure (sewer, water, streets, etc.). Many of the programs directly related to economic development are aimed at the promotion of small businesses, due to the recognized importance of these types of businesses for regional (and national) economic development. At the federal level, the Small Business Administration is the agency that provides loans and loan guarantees to help small businesses. The SBA has several different programs, such as: Section 7(a): Regular Small Business Loans. Their objective is to aid small businesses that are unable to obtain financing in the private credit market. Besides the independently owned small businesses, state and local development companies can apply for loans, for projects such as construction, purchase of buildings, equipment and material, and working capital. Section 8(a): Business Development Program, ensures participation of businesses owned and controlled by disadvantaged persons in federal contracting, in their process to become independent. Section 503: Certified Development Company Programs. Their objective is to stimulate the growth and expansion of small businesses by providing them with long-term financing. Activities such as acquisition of land and buildings, construction, expansion, renovation and modernization can be financed by this program; however, some restrictions apply for applicants. At the state level, the principal program directly related to economic development is the Michigan Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which is administered by the Michigan Department of Commerce. The primary criterion for economic development grants is the number of jobs that the project will generate. The program also addresses economic development planning, community redevelopment and economic development related infrastructure. -98- �Two specific programs offered by the CDBG for commercial development are: Commercial/Retail Loan, and Downtown Development and Emergency Community Assistance. At the local level, the Township has financial resources that could be used to promote commercial development. Besides its normal revenue sources, the Township could use, and has in place, Tax Increment Financing. In addition, Public/Private Partnerships and Special Assessment Taxes could be used. Tax Increment Financing programs can be used to redevelop business districts that are experiencing declining property values and create and improve public facilities and buildings for industrial development. These programs, under P.A. 198, the Downtown Development Authority Act, or P.A. 450, the Local Development Finance Authority Act are not tax abatements, as long as they do not lower any tax rates. Basically, the idea is to establish a project area and "freeze" all property valuations (assessments) of the project area at the beginning of the TIF, and all increases in assessments due to property improvements are either pledged for bonds or used directly for making further public improvements in the TIF district. Once the TIF program is completed, future tax revenues are returned to the full tax base of the community. Public/private co-development is another tool to induce commercial growth. One form of co-development is ground leasing. whereby the Township leases land or buildings it owns to a developer or business for a minimum base payment plus a percentage of the income generated by the project or business or some other arrangement. There are several advantages to ground leasing as a means of public/private partnership in commercial development. If the project is successful, the Township can recover all of its costs plus additional revenues. Ground leases can be subordinated - the Township can mortgage its interest in the property as security for a development loan to the business or developer. The smaller capital investment required for leasing a space will give a developer a better return on his or her investment. Leasing also allows the Township control over the way the property is developed or used, and offers flexibility by structuring payments to meet the needs of the project's requirements for cash flow. This type of program may fit into a Town Center development which could include Township administrative offices. Special assessment taxes are another means of financing public improvement which, in turn, can lead to further private development. Special assessment districts require the approval of the majority of the property owners in the proposed district. Since this is, in essence, a self-imposed tax, there is little likelihood of approval of a -99 ... • �[ [ downtown assessment district unless the projects it is intended to fund are regarded by those property owners as necessary. Such a district is beneficial if the improvements lead to increased business, and it is established only for a specified period of time, unless it is approved by the property owners as an ongoing assessment. [ I I I Ii I I I I I I I I I I I I Another way to finance programs and promote small business development at a local level is the creation of a Community Development Corporation (CDC), which is a nonprofit, private and community-based organization. Its main purpose is to involve low income residents in the long-term and comprehensive development of their communities. CDCs participate in programs related to housing rehabilitation, commercial revitalization, infrastructure development, job training, planning, and financial and technical ·assistance for small businesses. Some of the advantages of this type of organization include no bureaucratic constraints, use of local initiative to address local needs, use of private development techniques for public purposes, attraction of private resources and reinvestment in the community. Neighborhoods could also create their own neighborhood development corporation. -100- �I I I I I I ~ I I I I I I I I I I I Industrial Development �I I INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Diversified clean industrial growth in Bangor Township through orderly placement of land uses and strengthened local organization. Objectives A. Encourage noncyclical industries to locate in Bangor Township in accordance with the Land Use Plan and at a rate which is consistent with the ability to provide housing, services, utilities and amenities (example - food processing, ... ). B. Locate industrial uses in areas which have the necessary transportation carrying capacities, while preventing industrial development in environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands and controlling such development adjacent to the Saginaw River. C. Increase the number and diverse small, clean industries in the area (example -machine shops, ... ). D. Promote professional, employment. E. Provide for planning industrial development in park-like settings with minimal or no impact upon surrounding nonindustrial land uses. F. Prevent or minimize polluting effects of industrial developments. G. Utilize the transportation access provided by the Saginaw River to establish a consolidated shipping facility. 'high technology' industrial/service -101- �Land Use The general goal of the industrial development plan is to provide Bangor Township with a diversified clean industrial base through orderly placement of land uses and a restructuring of the industrial base along the Saginaw River. The Future Land Use Plan calls for the consolidation of industrial activities within the Township. The majority of land devoted to this use will actually be for manufacturing and warehousing and storage, particularly along the southeastern section of the Township adjacent to the Saginaw River. Dispersed manufacturing and warehousing activities currently existing along Euclid Avenue would be relocated to the Township's industrial park, which will be developed on Township property on Patterson Road. Other warehousing/storage activities, such as automobile wrecking yards, currently dispersed throughout the Township, would be relocated to warehousing facilities north of Wilder Road (east of Patterson). The Township industrial park would, in addition to containing light industrial operations, also house an industrial/business incubator facility for start-up businesses. Land on both sides of the D&M Railroad switching yards would become more structurally defined as warehousing/shipping and industrial fabrication and manufacturing as would the area along Wilder Road east of Patterson Road. The existing mixture of industrial/warehousing and residential activity on the west side of Patterson Road, except for the triangle formed by the D&M Railroad right-of-way and the intersection of Wheeler and Patterson roads, would be designated for those mixed uses, with increased design standards and regulations defined in the Township zoning ordinance. The triangular areas on Patterson north of the D&M Railroad right-of-way would be an area of mixed commercial/residential use. A strip of property approximately 800 feet long and 200 feet deep along Wheeler Road east of the D&M Railroad would be used only for residential activities. The north side of Wilder Road, east of Patterson Road, would be devoted primarily to warehousing activity mixed with light industrial operations. Dow Chemical and other corporate tank storage facilities would still remain in the area, with removal over time of deteriorated or unused tanks. It should be the Township's policy to reduce the total number of storage tanks in this area over time to allow for transition to other industrial/commercial uses. The portion of this area closest to the Saginaw River would be revamped to house modern warehousing and shipping facilities as part of a designated Foreign Trade Zone and Port of Entry, and to accommodate wateroriented commercial uses that will be compatible with industrial/shipping activities. • •I I I I Table 12 compares existing and proposed manufacturing and warehousing land uses by Area. I -1a2.,. I �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I TABLE 12 INDUSTRIAL LAND USE ALLOCATIONS (Acres) Area Existing Industrial/ Warehousing Proposed Industrial/ Warehousing Change A 36.1 48 + 11.9 B 1.2 0 -1.2 C 0 0 0 D 0.2 0 0 E 0 0 0 F 480 727* +247 G 0.6 0 -20 H 9.8 0 -9.8 *Does not include approximately 344 acres of proposed mixed industrial/warehousing commercial land use along the Saginaw River and east of Euclid Avenue adjacent to the Michigan Central Railroad track, and approximately 183 acres of mixed residential/industrial land use along the west side of Patterson Road. SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc. -103- �Qualitative Description Bangor Township's industrial and warehousing activities will continue to be concentrated within the existing Dow Chemical and other corporate storage complexes along the Saginaw River and the plastic pipe operation along Wilder Road. The majority of this area, especially adjacent to the Saginaw River will continue to be used for chemical storage and shipping activities. Some of the older existing storage tanks, and those immediately adjacent to the river, will be removed, as will the existing deteriorated warehouse structures. These will be replaced with larger warehousing facilities that will be linked to a foreign trade zone office located in the area. Water-oriented commercial facilities, including restaurants, small amusement operations, specialty shops and boardwalk will be developed along a portion of the river shoreline in such a fashion as to allow spectators to view shipping activity designed and developed to ensure minimal conflict and maximum efficiency and safety. Road systems in the shoreline area will be improved with landscaping, to give the site a more functional and "organized" appearance. Manufacturing and warehousing will both occur along the north side of Wilder Road east of Patterson Road. The property currently owned by the Township between Patterson Road and the regional wastewater plant, will be developed into an industrial park. Such a park will include paved streets, curb and gutter, underground utilities, and landscaping. This site, approximately 38 acres, will be split into parcels of various sizes, ranging from 1 to 5 or more acres. It will contain design and performance standards relating to buildings, their placement, ingress and egress of vehicles, etc. One of the operations in the facility could be an industrial or office "incubator" for start-up businesses. The land on the west side of Patterson Road, which is currently a mixture of residential, warehousing, and some manufacturing operations, will continue to develop with that mix of activities. It is evident that there is a demand for combined residential and small warehousing or manufacturing operations on the same or adjacent parcel. This designation is intended to facilitate that demand in a controllable fashion. These will be regulated through zoning standards to minimize negative impacts between such uses. Warehousing/shipping operations will also occur on both sides, but particularly the north side, of the D&M switching yard between Euclid Avenue and Wheeler Road. The facilities here could function as central storage, shipping and receiving operations for the railroad. ..-104- • "' ' • • • • •I I I �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Overall the intent of the future industrial land use program is to remove smaller manufacturing operations, particularly along Euclid Avenue, from dispersed locations and concentrate them within the areas described above with improved design and vehicular access standards. Landscaping or greenbelt barriers should be constructed between industrial and residential/recreational land uses. Implementation Policies The actions proposed to control industrial development within Bangor Township are very similar to those proposed for commercial development, in the sense that they are both intended to attract investment into the Township, and/or expand businesses and industries already located here. · At least two factors should be considered before any action is implemented: first, the need to identify the types of industries that are most conducive to the economic, labor force and physical characteristics of the area; and secondly, an analysis should be conducted to identify the effects (i.e., environmental, social and economic) these industries could have on the Township. This analysis would be incorporated in an industrial market study. The study would include the identification of industries by Standard Industrial Classification (S.I.C.) Code. These would be industries that would best "fit" into the area's existing industrial and employment base. Once those industries were identified, they would be prioritized for a marketing campaign. The marketing campaign would consist of a strategy to attract and retain those priority industries as well as retain existing industries. Some of the actions recommended to achieve the industrial goal are the following: 0 The Township should form a Local Development Finance Authority under P.A. 281 of 1986 to promote and oversee industrial development within the Township. This organization should work closely with the Planning Commission and keep the Commission informed of its activities. The LDFA should identify industries with a potential for success within the area, and then contact prospective companies - especially nonpolluting industries - in order to promote their location in Bangor Township. Any marketing plan to promote the Township must consider the factors that affect the decision of a firm when conducting a business .., l 05- �location search and selecting a site. The necessity of a new plant could be the result of an anticipated capacity shortfall, or any other factor such as too many workers at an existing plant, new production technology that requires a new facility, improved proximity to markets, etc. Although the selection process is different depending on the factor that motivates the new location, there are some common factors that concern companies when making their decision. There are, among others: labor costs, transportation costs and facilities, proximity to raw material sources, proximity to existing company facilities and quality of life in the area. For this reason it is important for the Township to maintain updated information about its socio-economic conditions, and to prepare a brochure that could be sent to prospective companies when required. 0 Create some incentives in order to attract industrial investment into the Township, and retain and expand those industries already located in Bangor Township. 1111 1111 1111 ' The following are some of the incentives that could be established: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. real property tax reduction, industrial revenue bonds, federal loan guarantees, joint ventures, and investment tax credits. The Township, through the LDFA, could establish a tax increment finance program for development of the industrial park. This could be combined with federal and state grant and loan programs to achieve a varied source of funding. 0 Encourage industries to enter into voluntary agreements to give hiring preferences to local residents and to improve training programs. -1 G6"-- •I •I I I �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 0 Research the potential for rev1v1ng the area's free trade zone designation (which it held at one point in time) and attempt to develop an operation and associated facility along the Saginaw River to actually utilize the trade zone designation (Detailed information on Free Trade Zone designation is available at the Township office). Financing Programs for Industrial Development The financing of industrial development in the township will come from two major sources: public and private. Within the public sector, funding is available from state and federal, as well as local sources. Private sector financing primarily consists of banks and other lending institutions and company capital improvements. -107- �I I I I I ~ I I I I I I I I I Parks and Recreation �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I PARKS AND RECREATION The following Goals and Objectives are defined in the Township's 1990 Recreation Plan Update, which was extracted from the 1980 Land Use Plan. The primary goal (A) implicit in all other secondary goals is the desire of the officials and citizens of Bangor Township to develop and maintain an attractive, pleasant, clean, healthful and economically stable community environment. A secondary goal (B) assures the preservation of sufficient open space and the development of recreation facilities to adequately serve the needs of Bangor's present and anticipated population. Objective A. Seek means of expanding recreation programs and facilities designed to serve the needs of all segments of Bangor's population. Policies 1. Foster cooperation with adjacent communities, particularly in the coordination of land use planning efforts and in the provision of area wide recreation services. 2. Seek involvement in all State and Federal programs which can assist the Township in providing improved services and facilities to Bangor's residents. 3. Encourage the development of appropriate recreation facilities within each neighborhood. Objective B. Encourage, wherever possible, the development of public open space on a scale large enough to allow the implementation of a multiple use concept of recreation services. -108- �• Policies 1. Encourage the acquisition of land and a conservation measure to protect specific natural features. 2. Encourage the development of neighborhood open spaces to provide both active and passive recreation opportunities. 3. Encourage a Township wide development pattern that will provide for convenient and ample recreation areas throughout the Bangor community. 4. Encourage the development of recreation centers in the Township to provide for social interaction of various age groups. 5. Cooperate with other governmental jurisdictions to provide a full range of recreation facilities and programs. 6. Encourage cooperation with Federal, State, County and Local agencies in the preservation of open space as a natural resource. 7. Coordinate Bangor's recreation plans _with those of adjoining communities and the County as a whole to help avoid costly duplication and to create a greater variety of recreation opportunities. 8. Coordinate efforts of land subdividers and school officials in developing recreation areas and facilities. 9. Work closely with the County, State and Local recreation authorities in developing inter-regional recreation and open space areas. 10. Provide for the acquisition of park sites prior to the time that development preempts the land. 11. Preserve floodplains for recreation use wherever possible. 12. Encourage joint use of school sites and buildings. -109- • '• �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 13. Encourage subdividers to provide recreational areas in new residential developments. 14. Provide a variety of recreation facilities. 15. Stimulate interest among established groups, such as Parent Teachers Association and business service organizations, to assist the Township in assuring preservation of open space and recreation areas in Bangor. 16. Establish programs designed to implement the Recreation Plan goals, objectives and recommendations. 17. Encourage the utilization of drainage courses and utility easements for recreation purposes. 18. Wherever possible, incorporate drains as part of the community open space. 19. Develop design standards which permit drains to be incorporated as an integral part of a recreation area. 20. Develop design standards which facilitate easy drain maintenance. 21. Wherever feasible, develop pedestrian pathways and bicycle paths following drainage and utility corridors. 22. Make all recreation facilities handicap accessible. Land Use The proposed Land Use Plan provides the Township with elements that are necessary to achieve the goal and the objectives associated with parks and recreation. The overall goal of the parks and recreation plan is to provide the Township with an open space system and with parks and recreation facilities that are accessible, affordable, safe and attractive to all residents. --110- �The existing park and recreation system in the Township will be expanded with the dedication of a number of additional areas. Primarily, this includes developing an additional public access site with a boat launch either on the Bay or Saginaw River. Another open space/recreation site would be developed around the old lighthouse on the Saginaw River. This could be an interpretive area and also include limited picnicking, as well as a boat launch. A boardwalk along the Saginaw River south of the Bay Harbor Marina would be constructed as part of the mixed commercial/ industrial development proposed for this area. • A linear greenbelt system would be established through the Township along the Consumers Power easement running east and west between Two Mile Road and the Saginaw River. In total, there would be about 4 miles of linear greenbelt within the Township. This could be used for both hiking and biking. The Bay City State Park and Tobico Marsh will remain as they are, with continued improvements for visitor access and camping, water-oriented and interpretive facilities. The existing elementary schools will continue to function as neighborhood recreation centers and the high school and junior high school, as community recreation centers, with running track, baseball diamond, gymnasium, exercise area, tennis and basketball courts, etc. Qualitative Description The intent of this Plan is to identify and formalize those areas of the Township that are to be used for recreation and open space preservation. The improvement and use of the Township's natural resources for the enjoyment of the Township's residents and visitors will substantially add to the quality of life in Bangor Township. The majority of open space/recreation activity will be oriented to the Saginaw Bay, utilizing the Bay City State Park and Tobico Marsh as well as an additional public boat launch and the Old Lighthouse area. The Township needs to work in conjunction with the County and State to ensure that land uses surrounding these State owned lands are compatible and that the shoreline is adequately advertised through appropriate signage along 1-75 and other major thoroughfares. The intent is to make the shoreline more accessible and widely known to the general public. The State Park and Tobico Marsh are currently being linked by a hiking trail along the abandoned D&M railroad. This should be well advertised to the general public. -111- • • • �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I The Old Lighthouse area would be opened to the public at the end of the extension of Wheeler Road. It would be the southern terminus of a boardwalk running along the Saginaw River to the Department of Natural Resources boat launch at the end of Shady Shores Road to the north. It would include parking, directional signage, possible tours of the lighthouse itself, and a boat launch with parking. This site would also be a terminus for the Township's east-west linear greenbelt system. The potential for shore (pier) fishing in this vicinity should be studied. Obviously, polices and programs would need to be adopted and administered to minimize abuse and vandalism. There are currently some major obstacles and constraints to opening the lighthouse property to public access, including the substantial amount of wetlands in this area and the close proximity to Dow Chemical. A major component of the Township's park/open space system is the development of a linear parkway /open space area in an east-west direction. This would utilize the Consumers Power utility easement through the Township. While it may not be possible to construct hiking/biking paths along the entire length of this greenbelt, efforts should be made to make those improvements wherever possible. Implementation Policies Open space, parks and recreation facilities are very important for a community, in the sense that they make life in the Township more enjoyable and attractive. The following are some programs that should be implemented by the Township. Equally important, the natural resources of the Township (i.e., shoreline and associated wetlands) are also economic assets in terms of both visitorship and associated commercial spending, and shoreline residential development. 0 Bangor Township should purchase several acres along the Saginaw River and Bay waterfronts to ensure increased public access to these resources and to complement existing State owned waterfront attractions. The property around the old lighthouse and the riverfront between the lighthouse and the existing Department of Natural Resources boat ramp and between the Bay Harbor Marina and the City limits for a boardwalk and development of a Trade Zone facility. I I I -112- �Research should also be undertaken to determine the potential for utilizing the Consumers Power easement for hiking/biking trails within the Township. To ensure those facilities, the Township should establish a recreation capital improvements program, identifying specific projects and their associated costs and revenue sources as well as project phasing. Those capital improvements should be in conjunction with the recreational improvements identified in the future land use element and build upon the Township's Park and Recreation Plan. Funding sources could include the establishment of user fees and various grants from federal and state programs. Those grants include the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund which provides revenue for purchase and improvement of recreation property, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is a federal program for acquisition and improvement of recreation sites and the Michigan Recreation Bond program, which allocates revenue for recreation improvements. The Recreation Bond program, however, is expected to terminate in the near future, as revenues will be completely allocated. The federal Coastal Zone Management Program can also be used for park and recreation, or other public improvements, within 2,000 feet of the Lake Huron/ Saginaw Bay shoreline. All of these grant programs are competitive and the Natural Resources and Land and Water Conservation Fund require a current recreation plan adopted by the Township. o The Township Board could create incentives for the private sector to develop recreation facilities within the Township, including requiring recreational facilities to be included in residential developments as a prerequisite for site plan approval, if it is determined such development would create additional recreation demands that the Township cannot immediately provide. In addition, in 1990 the Township Recreation Commission has established the following projects to be completed in both the short- and long-term. -113- • • • �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I TABLE 13 BANGOR TOWNSHIP RECREATION PLAN SCHEDULED PROJECTS Short-Term Plan 1. John Glenn School, located on Kiesel Road Objective Funding Source 7 Lighted Tennis Courts Jogging Trail Remove 3 Existing Tennis Courts Subsurface Drainage Soccer and Practice Football Field Four Mini Basketball Courts Off Block Parking Lot Dugouts for J.V. and Softball Diamonds 2 Softball Diamonds Estimated Development Cost $154,000 42,000 7,000 16,000 3,200 21,000 70,000 TOTAL $313,200 2. Bangor Central, located on State Park Drive Objective Funding Source Subsurface Drainage in Playground Area Playground Equipment Relocate Ball Diamonds with Backstops Mini Basketball Courts Enlarge Parking Area, including Drainage TOTAL -114- Estimated Development Cost $25,000 15,000 120,000 3,200 31,000 $194,200 �TABLE 13 - CONTINUED 3. West Central School, located on East Wilder Road Objective Funding Source Subsurface Drainage on West Side of School Playground Equipment Walking/Nature Trail (1,800 L.F.) Par Course Fitness Stations (7 Stations & Signs) Relocate 4 Ball Diamonds Mini Basketball Courts Parking Lot Expansion (300'x40') including Drainage Estimated Development Cost $ 3,200 15,000 12,000 6,000 120,000 4,000 20,000 TOTAL $180,000 4. Lincoln School, located on corner of North Euclid and Lauria Roads Objective Funding Source Estimated Development Cost Basketball Court Expansion Relocate Ball Diamond Subsurface Drainage Remove Old Septic Field $ 3,200 12,000 4,000 2,000 TOTAL $ 47,700 5. Edison School, located on East Midland Road Objective Funding Source Remove Play Equipment Relocate Ball Diamond Estimated Development Cost $ 5,000 15,000 TOTAL $ 20,000 SOURCE: Bangor Township Recreation Plan - 1989 -115- • • • �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ,, I The following is the recommended long range program as identified by the Township Recreation Commission. It is an excerpt from the 1990 Recreation Plan. Long Range Plan It is recommended that a total of six separate recreational facilities be developed within the 20 year period. These include four neighborhood parks, one community park and one tot lot. Tot Lot It is proposed that the existing 1/2 acre site on North Union Road and West Lewis Street be developed to service the adjacent subdivisions. Proposed facilities include: 1. 2. 3. 4. Various types of children oriented playground equipment. Small parking area for approximately 10 cars. Landscaping and fencing around the outer perimeter of the parcel. Benches installed throughout the park. Neighborhood Parks It is proposed that four neighborhood parks be developed within the planning period. These neighborhood parks would be similar to one another and would provide recreational opportunities to each service area as shown on the following long-range map. A typical neighborhood park would contain the following types of facilities. Picnic Tables and Grills Pavilion Restrooms Landscaping Fencing Parking Facilities Playground Equipment Basketball Court Baseball Field I I -116- �Open Space Areas Tennis Courts Horseshoes Shuffleboard Jogging Trail Physical Fitness Exercise Stations It is proposed that the eastern service area be split as noted on the longrange planning map if population greatly increases within this area during the planning period. Community Park The long-range recreation plan proposes that a Township owned community park be developed to provide water oriented recreation facilities to all residents of Bangor Township. This park should include 50 to 60 acres situated on the Saginaw Bay.1 Facilities should be provided for a wide range of both active and passive recreational activities, most important are the following: Picnic areas along the waterfront Pavilions for family picnics and reunions Open space areas for volleyball, softball and flag football Park benches scattered throughout the park Trails for hiking, jogging, etc. Restrooms Various types of landscaping Parking facilities Shuffleboard and horseshoes Mini Amphitheater 1 The development of a section of Wenona Beach as a Township Park will generally fill this prescription of the recreation plan, although the site will encompass a substantially smaller area and will not contain areas for softball, flag football, hiking trails, or a mini-theatre. -117- '• • �I I I I I I I I t I There has been some discussion about utilizing the Bangor storm water retention pond area for a possible amphitheater during the summer seasons for outdoor concerts. This ± 60 acre site is approximately 20 feet deep with gradual side slopes which could be utilized for a seating area. The Recreation Commission is currently evaluating this alternative. Financing Programs for Parks and Recreation At the State level, projects related with recreation can be financed using the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (N.R.T.F.), which replaced the Michigan Land Trust Fund in 1985. The overall goal of the NRTF is to financially assist both the purchase of land for recreation uses, or the protection of the land because of its environmental importance or scenic beauty. The community recreation component of the Environmental Bond Issue, passed by the residents of Michigan in 1988, is another potential funding source. In addition, the Coastal Zone Management program, a federally funded program administered in Michigan by the DNA, will finance coastal planning and capital improvement projects. Local funding sources for land purchase and/or site improvements include fraternal organizations, a locally generated recreation trust fund, and general obligation bonds. I I I I I I I 118- �I I I I I I Transportation �I 'l I TRANSPORTATION The provision of safe, efficient, and accessible transportation methods and facilities available to all residents of the community which are compatible with proposed land uses and minimize intermodel conflicts and negative environmental inpacts. f Objectives I A. Maximize the efficient use of existing streets and thoroughfares while providing for a variety of public-transportation modes as desirable alternatives to the automobile. B. Utilize the Saginaw River as a primary mode of commercial shipping while minimizing the impacts of such activities upon the Township's land uses, including recreation facilities. C. Implement street standards for new development which promotes optimum safety, traffic efficiency and design relationships and result in construction and maintenance economies. D. Maintain and improve the Township's existing road system to increase accessibility to developing areas, ensure high quality local, county and state roads, and an integrated efficient network of streets, bikeways and pedestrian walkways. E. Construct additional collector and local streets to improve access to the shoreline and open up additional areas for residential development. I I J I l I I I I I I I I Land Use The transportation plan for Bangor Township is formulated to achieve the goal of providing the Township with safe, efficient and accessible transportation methods and facilities with land uses and minimizing intermodel conflicts and negative environmental impacts. -119- �The major street plan is essentially the transportation element of the Comprehensive Plan, based primarily on the Street and Road Analysis completed earlier in the text. This element is structured to provide general transportation goals for all transportation-related activities in the Township, along with specific objectives, strategies and actions. Because of its obvious importance in the functioning of today's society, a solid transportation analysis and plan must be integrated with the Land Use Plan. The planning of an efficient road network in Bangor Township, and recommendations for solving existing traffic problems, will help ensure a system which is able to accommodate future traffic as the Township changes and grows. Overall, the Township's existing composition of artery, collector and local streets will remain intact, with the major changes associated with extensions of major arterial and local streets into undeveloped areas and the possible upgrading and widening of Wheeler Road to accommodate additional traffic, as future development warrants. Since much of the eastern portion of the Township is still undeveloped, a specific street system does not exist within this area. Curvilinear street systems should be encouraged in future residential development to contribute to design aesthetics and deter excessive speed. Such systems should however, also be designed as to not deter interaction between various developments, but should encourage street systems among various residential developments to be compatible and allow for through traffic. All existing unpaved streets should be paved. Assuming a general increase in traffic volumes for each area of the Township in the near and distant future, a much more in-depth traffic analysis should be undertaken. This is especially critical for areas of the Township which are designated for more commercial development and higher density residential uses, such as Wilder Road, Wheeler Road, Two Mile Road, Beaver Road and Euclid Avenue, and which will carry more traffic. A more detailed study will also be able to include specific transportation planning principles. This involves the development of certain standards for the various types of streets (width, parking, movement, signage, etc.), and the coordination of a local plan with the County and with regional and state planning agencies. In preparing for the future, the Township must provide standards for adequate offstreet parking. As the Township becomes a regional commercial center, industrial and recreation development occur and more activities take place, an increased -120- • "• •I • I I I , �parking demand will be felt by both residents and visitors. Because of the diversity of activities in the Township the demands for parking will fluctuate (i.e., the greatest demand for parking spaces will not always occur during daytime business hours). Specific locations in the Township will have to be identified and improved as vehicular parking lots and new development (or alternatives to existing structures) should meet approved parking requirements as presented in the text of the Zoning Ordinance. The trend of commercial mall development occurring within the Township will help to provide an adequate number of off-street parking sites. The Township does, however, need to regulate the location and sizing of curb cuts, parking lane widths and other elements associated with such development. I I I I J I I I I I Most of the Township does not contain sidewalks and curbs. However, all new residential subdivision developments should be required to include these amenities. Sidewalk maintenance programs funded by both the Township and property owners should be used to ensure safe and functional walkways. Eventually, as residential densities in existing single-family neighborhoods increase, it may be reasonable to construct curbs and sidewalks in those locations. Because a transportation plan is not limited solely to individual vehicular traffic, mention should also be made of public transportation, bicyclists, service/ delivery vehicles and pedestrian walkways. Although these four forms of transportation account for only a small portion of the area's total traffic volume, they are an integral part of any community fabric - especially in a community with major lake and river shorelines. The harmonious functioning of these elements are essential to the Township so that a reasonable and efficient variety of transportation modes are available to residents and visitors. As Township streets are constructed or expand, ample provision should be made to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. Further, the Land Use Plan calls for a bicycle/pedestrian path throughout the Township which is free of motorized vehicles. To serve the residents who prefer (or are dependent upon) public transportation, the Township should work closely with the Bay Metro Transit system and the Council on Aging to maximize the areas serviced by that system. That includes locating multiple-family housing on major streets that can accommodate public transportation service. I I I -121.:. �Qualitative Description The previously completed Street and Road Analysis identified a number of problem areas in the Township. In summary, these include: Problem Areas 1. A need for an improved collector road system, capable of carrying a higher capacity of local traffic with existing singlefamily areas along the Saginaw Bay; 2. The need to upgrade gravel roads to a bituminous service; 3. Need for new local roads in Areas F and H to provide access to currently undeveloped areas; 4. The need to eventually widen Wheeler Road to accommodate increased traffic; 5. Need for improved traffic flow and safety along Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road. Proposed Changes (not identified in order of priority nor limited to these) 1. Widen and upgrade Wilder Road east of Patterson, to the Bay Harbor Marina, construct new access road fronting on Wilder to serve the proposed mixed commercial/industrial development along the Saginaw River. 2. Extend Wheeler Road east of Patterson and run into Shady Shores. This would not be a direct extension, the extended Wheeler Road would be located to the north of the existing Wheeler Road. Widen and improve Shady Shores to accommodate additional traffic. 3. Connect existing local streets to facilitate through traffic and easy access in residential areas. For example, create a road between Coyer Road and Mall property between Bangor Road and State .. 122- "• • �I I I I I Street; extend Ferris Drive between State Park Drive and State Road; and extend Meadow Drive between Lauria and Boy Scout Road. 4. Improve Wheeler Road to a three lane collector to accommodate traffic flow along the route and help alleviate potential congestion on Wilder Road. 5. Construct Two Mile Road to a four lane thoroughfare and connect the northern and southern portions of this road with a bridge across the Kawkawlin River and an overpass over US-10. This will help alleviate through traffic on Euclid Avenue. 6. Redo bridge over Kawkawlin River on State Park Drive and Euclid. 7. Negotiate with Consumers Power Company to utilize a portion of their utility easement within the Township for hiking/biking path. 8. Construct a interpretive boardwalk between the Old Lighthouse and the Bay Harbor Marina. 9. Construct sidewalks along Wilder Road, Euclid Avenue and Wheeler Road and other local streets within the Township, as requested by residents and businesses. t I I J I r I l 10. Woodbridge at railroad track (cross railroad). 11. Connect River Road with River Trail (over abandoned railroad). 12. Connect Kiesel to north Union, west of Darla Drive along storm drain. -123- �Implementation Policies Improvements in transit facilities such as streets, sidewalks, signalization, lighting and parking spaces, are a prerequisite for economic development. Fo_r this reason it is important to implement the following actions: o The Township should improve street conditions by instituting a street and roads capital improvements program. Special assessments, Act 51 revenues, and tax increment financing programs, as well as allocations from the Township's general fund represent various means of conducting street and sidewalk repairs and improvements. o The Township should ensure that new residential streets, especially those incorporated into PUD's and new subdivisions meet reasonable design standards. Curb cuts, especially along Wilder Road and Euclid Avenue should be minimized to allow for safe, efficient traffic flow. o Bangor Township should keep abreast of truck traffic volume on major thoroughfares and study the feasibility of designating truck routes within the Township as the need warrants. o All senior citizen housing developments constructed within the Township should be served by the County's bus system. o A comprehensive biking/hiking route should be laid out within the Township, utilizing separate bike paths and bike lanes in appropriate areas. o The construction of bicycle routes within the Township, connecting the shoreline with residential and commercial use, is an action associated with both transportation and recreation. The development of this system should be identified in a long-range capital improvements program, specifying those increments to be constructed or designated during each year of the program. -124- • • • �I I I I 'I I 'I l l l l Financing Programs for Transportation The U.S. Department of Transportation provides funds that can be used to develop a community's infrastructure and improves its communications network. Funds are available through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA). Two of its programs are the Capital Improvement Grant, which helps finance the purchase, construction, reconstruction and improvement of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation service in both urban and nonurban areas; and Section 5, Capital and Operating Assistance Formula Grants, which has the same purpose as the Capital Improvements Grant program but provides additional aid for payment of operating expenses. Publicly and privately owned operators of mass transportation services are eligible to apply to this program. The Michigan Transportation Economic Development Fund is a piece of legislation that provides revenues to meet the demands that economic development places on highways, roads and streets. This program is available to local government units having roadway responsibility as well as to the Michigan Department of Transportation. There are six categories that qualify for funding: 1) highway projects related to economic development; 2) additions to the state trunkline system; 3) reduction of congestion on primary county roads and major city streets within counties with a population greater than 400,000; 4) road improvements in counties with a population of 400,000 or less to create an all-season road network; 5) construction/reconstruction of roads essential to development of commercial forests; and 6) road and street improvements in cities in counties with a population of 400,000 or less. Categories one, two, four and six would be applicable to roads in Bangor Township, particularly for the extension of Wheeler Road to provide access to the Old Lighthouse if it can be purchased and used as a tourist facility, and for road construction within the proposed industrial park on Patterson Road. -125- �I J I r I I ~ r I Public Facilities, Schools and Services �I l I I I I I I I I I I PUBLIC FACILITIES, SCHOOLS AND SERVICES 1 I I Improve the area's existing public and cultural facilities to accommodate existing needs and provide additional facilities and services to serve present and future population. Objectives A. Provide adequate public facilities (i.e., water, sewer, etc.) to allow vacant areas to develop according to the proposed land use plan. B. Ensure that all public facility improvements provide residents with the highest social and economic benefits with the least amount of negative impacts on the environment (air, water, noise, visual clutter, etc.). C. Maximize the extended use of existing schools and recreation facilities for year-round and evening use. D. Promote the development of, and opportunities for, post-high school education in the Township. E. Provide transportation and recreation opportunities in proximity to centers of student population. F. Encourage use of public school sites for before and after school child care. Land Use I I I I I Public Administration Bangor Township's government, which has been housed in its current facility on Wheeler Road since the 1960's is studying the feasibility of constructing a new Township Hall to accommodate growing needs. Such a new administrative center should be designed to facilitate a -126- �functional coordination among departments and accommodate future projected growth demands over the next 20 to 30 years. A new Township hall is proposed for the corner of Wheeler and State Park Road adjacent to the existing Township hall. Public Safety The Township Fire Department, currently housed in two separate facilities in two locations within the Township, will retain two separate facilities. Fire Station #6, on the corner of North Union Road and Webb Drive, will remain an active station with updating and expansion of facilities, if feasible. Fire Station #7, part of the existing Township Hall complex near the corner of Wheeler and State Park roads, would be expanded and modernized, taking over a portion of the existing Township Hall, administrative complex when a new Township administration center is constructed. This fire station would then house fire fighting operations, including structural fire prevention inspecting, along with building inspections. The balance of the Township Hall vacated by the Township administration could either continue to be used for community meeting/banquet hall activities, or rented out for office space to other governmental and non-profit agencies. The Fire Department would also construct and maintain suitable training facilities, including a fire tower. The Department will also improve its dispatch system by installing state-of-the-art alarm dispatch circuit facilities. Four pumper units should also be retained by the Department. The Township has recently purchased the services of a full-time deputy from the County Sheriff Department. This individual will work out of an office in the Township Hall. This arrangement will continue and be expanded as necessary to provide needed police protection within the Township. Schools Assuming the number of school children in the Bangor Township School system decreases over the next 3 years and then increases proportionally to the projected total population of the area, the school district will contribute an additional 54 to 613 students in the next twenty years depending upon the population projection method used (Method II or V). The existing facilities should be adequate to accommodate the increase. If however over 600 students are to be added, both the South -127- 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 I Elementary and Edison School could be re-activated as elementary schools. John Glenn High School and the Junior High School would, however, likely have to be expanded to accommodate the increased enrollment. Educational administrators and staff should now be looking at different areas in the Township where new development is likely to occur, and the impacts such development may have on existing schools. Central, North and Lincoln Elementary schools would likely realize the greatest impact from new development. At the same time, consideration should be give to design standards for additions and/or new facilities at existing structures and grounds. Library Bangor Township does not currently contain a public library. Even though a significant demand may not exist for such a facility at this time, the Township should consider the potential of constructing a public library, either in conjunction with the school district, or the existing Bay County library system. Social Services Bay County Senior Citizen Office appears to be successful in serving senior citizens in the area, as a wide range of programs and activities are offered to older citizens. A variety and diversity of events (luncheons/ dinners, educational seminars, trips, home meal delivery, counseling, etc.) are scheduled to appeal to a wide range of the seniors in the community. The facility at the Township Hall is used to serve meals to seniors on a daily basis. Volunteerism is becoming a more important element in providing social services to the general public, particularly at a time when federal programs devoted to social programs are decreasing. The Volunteer Action Center would continue to act as a clearinghouse for residents who wish to provide their time and effort in the community. .,.128- �II Medical Services Existing medical services appear adequate to serve the community. This includes the Bay Medical Center West Campus on Midland Road, emergency ambulance service, and various medical offices in the Township, including specialists as well as dental practices. The Bay Medical Center West Campus will form a nucleus around which private medical clinics and individual medical offices will be constructed. Rescue and first responder services, especially those provided by the Township Fire Department, should continually be upgraded and expanded. Emergency service for lake and river rescue operations should be upgraded and expanded as greater public use of shoreline warrants. The Bay Shores Nursing Home located south of the Bay Medical Center West Campus will continue to operate a 126 bed facility. It is highly likely that this nursing home will require expansion over the next 20 years. Water Supply and Distribution Network The Township's municipal water system, which is serviced by three water districts, is essentially considered to be adequate to serve the Township's needs over the 20 year planning period. The distribution system will, however, have to be extended eastward from Patterson Road to serve the new residential and commercial developments in this area as proposed in the Plan. The Bay Metro Water Treatment Plant in Bangor Township pumps and treats water for distribution throughout the entire county, except for the cities of Linwood and Auburn. This facility, which takes water out of the Saginaw Bay, can pump and treat up to 40 million gallons per day, although its intake capacity is only 20 million gallons per day. Because average use is about 10 million gallons per day, this facility should be capable of supporting additional development during the 20 year planning period. However, as need arises, water lines should be upgraded. To increase overall system efficiency, the Township, along with other local units of government, should encourage the Bangor Monitor Metropolitan Water Distict to merge with the Bay County water system. I I I -129- I I I -I I I I I I I I I I �I Sanitary Sewer System I I I I As with municipal water, the Township is well served by sanitary services. Eighty-eight miles of sewer lines and a sewage treatment plant were constructed in the late 1970's and went into operation in 1980. The sewage treatment plant, located on the northeast corner of the Wilder Road/Patterson Road intersection, has a capacity of 10 million gallons per day. Bangor Township has contracted to use 30 to 40 percent of the plant's capacity, and is the largest user of the facility. Frankenlust, Williams, Monitor and Kawkawlin Townships, along with the City of Auburn, are the other users. Since the plant operates on an average of 35 to 40 percent of capacity, it should serve the Township's needs over the next 20 years. The existing sewer collection system, identified on Map 10, covers the majority of the Township and sewers can be easily extended from existing lines to accommodate new development. The only major portion of the Township that is not currently served by sewer is the corporate holdings east of Patterson and north of Wilder roads. As with the water system, new residential and commercial development would require the extension of sewers into this area. Storm Water System I I I I I I I I I Because Bangor Township is located in a low lying coastal area, with a relatively large amount of wet soils, storm water runoff has been a major concern. The Bangor Township storm drain system is adequate to serve most of the existing developed areas south of the Kawkawlin River and west of State Park Drive. However there are areas which need upgrading (e.g., Woodbridge). Each new major development, however, such as commercial development along Wilder Road or residential subdivision/condominium development north of the Kawkawlin River, and east of Patterson, as well as industrial growth along Patterson, will require project specific storm water collection systems and retention basins. These will have to be constructed on a project by project basis, based upon the determined need by a registered engineer. A specific storm water runoff construction ordinance should be developed and passed by the Township to establish standards whereby a developer will be able to determine before initiating a project, whether a storm water collection and retention system will be necessary. The ordinance should also define the proportion of the cost of construction and maintenance -130- �. - - - •• - ••••••• ----- -- • --legend - - INTERCEPTOR SEWER •••••-- COLLECTOR SEWER FORCE MAIN '5' a.. I V'> z -</ Q 1 -----~----tj ---·--------•----~ /1,, -</ ~ I z <S>-</ )- I --' w --' I MAP 10 SEWER SYSTEM MAP @I Gove Associates Inc. �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I the developer should pay, if the proposed system impacts areas outside the immediate site. Solid Waste Disposal In the future the Township may wish to consider public pickup of the solid waste generated by residents and businesses. This is generally funded through property taxes, although various alternatives are available. However, at this time, private hauling of waste appears acceptable for the Township. Residential, commercial and industrial recycling should be encouraged. To facilitate recycling, the Township should study the feasibility of providing a collection facility for recyclable materials to the general public. Qualitative Description The Township's infrastructure must be maintained to ensure existing residents and businesses are adequately served and expanded to meet future demand as well as to promote the Township in attempts to attract new development and investment. At the same time, Bangor Township has limited financial resources to provide such facilities and services. Consequently, each facility and program that is proposed requiring Township funds should be thoroughly reviewed to determine if it can be efficiently utilized for more than one purpose. All of the Township government's real property should be maintained and improved to meet changing demands and functional design requirements. This includes a new Township Hall or administration office, which could provide the input for a new "Town Center" and expansion of Fire Station #7, using part of the existing Township Hall after the Township administration offices have been moved. Maintenance and (in the case of water, storm water and sanitary sewer lines) expansion of existing facilities should be the primary focus of municipal operation over the planning period. Implementation Policies To maintain, expand and, in some cases, upgrade the Township's facilities and services, the following implementation measures are suggested: o Develop a five year capital improvements program, utilizing Township officials and private sector representatives to provide recommendations for specific projects. -132- �o Review and revise, as necessary, the Township's policies and standards for new residential, commercial and industrial development as they pertain to municipal infrastructure. o Work with private developers to ensure that adequate senior citizen housing is available to all eligible residents. If the private sector is not willing or able to construct such housing the Township should work with the County Housing Commission or develop a non-profit housing corporation to build and manage a senior housing facility. o Continue to coordinate with Bangor Township Public Schools to maximize the use of the school district's facilities and programs, for the Township's residents. o Require that all major public works capital improvement projects be reviewed by the Planning Commission for coordination of consistency with this Comprehensive Plan. o Establish a periodic survey of Township residents to obtain feedback on attitudes and ideas and to provide a mechanism for positive public relations. o Establish a committee to study the possibility of establishing a library within the Township. Such a facility should be associated with the Bay County Library System. o Work with state, regional and local officials and organizations on a continuing basis to encourage an improved and acceptable level of water quality in the Saginaw Bay. Financing Programs for Public Facilities, Schools and Services At the state and local levels there are some programs that have been mentioned before that could be used by the Township to finance public facilities and infrastructure related projects. Community Development Block Grant Programs, administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides resources for infrastructure and public facilities improvements and home improvement programs. The Michigan Department of Commerce administers the Michigan Equity Grant -133- 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 program, which will fund up to $100,000 for regional cultural projects, such as libraries, historical projects and tourism facilities. A new library and acquisition/ improvements to the Old Lighthouse may be eligible projects under this program. A state program that can be used to finance local projects is the Michigan Municipal Bond Authority (MMBA). This program was designed to provide Michigan municipalities with low interest bonds by using the state's high bond market rating. The MMBA is authorized to issue bonds to make loans to local communities through the purchase of municipal obligations. This way municipalities do not have to enter this bond market on their own, but combine with other local units to gain access to highly rated low interest bond financing. These resources could be especially useful to finance infrastructure related projects such as water and sewer system improvements. At the local level the Township could finance its infrastructure and public facilities projects using local tax revenues, combined with federal and state loans and grants. General obligation bonds, special assessment bonds and revenue bonds could be issued by the Township to finance these programs. In addition special tax assessments could be used. The Township has a DOA in existence, which has instituted a tax increment finance program of street and sewer improvements, along State Road adjacent to the Bay City Mall. Similar improvements for industrial development, including a new industrial park, could be funded through the establishment of a Local Development Finance Authority, under P.A. 281 of 1986. This act allows for the establishment of the Authority, which is similar to a ODA, while being limited to industrial related public improvements. -134- �~ •• • • •I I I I I I I I I I I I Natural Resources/Energy Conservation �NATURAL RESOURCES/ENERGY CONSERVATION • • •I I I I I I I I I I I I, I I A harmonious relationship between the natural environment and the activities of the Bangor Township community, minimizing negative impacts of one upon the other to the benefit of both . Objective A. Continue to develop recreational and cultural opportunities along the Saginaw Bay and Saginaw River in a manner sensitive to the environment. B. Preserve and protect the wetland in Bangor Township in their natural state as open spaces, natural resources, and habitats. C. Use waterways as a starting/focal point when considering adjacent land uses, redevelopment of existing areas, and new development. D. Regulate, provide, and monitor controls on urban development relative to soil conditions and ground cover. E. Recycle solid waste when possible and promote the conservation of nonrenewable energy resources. Policies 0 Continue to emphasize the shoreline and its linkages to the interior of the Township. 0 Adopt appropriate modifications (i.e., erosion control plan), and institute a flood plain management ordinance to reflect requirements of the Federal Flood Insurance Program, along with a natural resources management program. 0 Maintain wetland areas (marshes, swamps, bogs, etc.) as a naturally occurring habitat for many biotic species through the -135- �subdivision control ordinance and zoning ordinance, as well as property acquisition. Construct interpretive boardwalks through wetlands along the Saginaw River. o Provide for the retention of natural vegetation in all areas of the Township, primarily in areas with new development, and establish screening requirements for all new developments, particularly industrial. o Encourage upgrading the quality of water in the Saginaw Bay and Saginaw River through membership in the Bay County Community Growth Alliance, the East Central Michigan Regional Planning Commission and close contact with state representation and the D.N.R. o Encourage water-oriented activities/recreation in and around waterways, through public acquisition of waterfront properties, especially along the Saginaw River. As an alternative, the Township should require any new development along the waterfront to dedicate shoreline easements in specific locations for public use. o Encourage (and manage) public and private plantings to create and preserve aesthetic and functional landscaping in the Township, while maintaining the functional aspects of plant materials (microclimate). Such plantings should especially occur along major commercial routes (Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road). o Provide land use controls (zoning, site plan review) which permit appropriate flexible design responses to existing soil conditions and problems. o Preserve and protect the waterways in the Township by monitoring existing and proposed development for the type and amount of waste-discharge of any kind into the Saginaw Bay, Saginaw River and Kawkawlin River. o Continue to provide specific open areas in the Township, particularly in Areas F, G, and H (to retain the low density environment of these areas and protect wetlands). -136- "• • • • • • "• ",. I ~ I �• • •I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 0 Provide specific development controls to protect environmentally sensitive areas . 0 Promote solid waste recycling in accordance with the Bay County Solid Waste Plan. Establish a Township recycling facility and program in conjunction with surrounding Townships and the City of Bay City. 0 Encourage conservation of energy consumption in public, office and industrial buildings by adopting energy conservation measures in the Township's building and construction codes. 0 Encourage volunteer interest and involvement in recycling and composting in conjunction with environmental laws. Land Use The Future Land Use element of this Plan identifies those areas of the Township that are to be set aside for open space and recreation. The majority of that land (about 3, 160 acres) or 78 percent of all land devoted to open space and recreation will be preserved in its natural state. Although the future land use map designates most land in the Township as single family residential, much of this property, particularly in Areas F, G, and Hare to be low density in nature. Consequently, these areas will be more accurately left as undeveloped. Qualitative Description The system of open space and recreation land within the Township will be designated to integrate formal active and passive recreation with open space preservation and conservation. Existing parks within the Township will continue to exist and new facilities will be constructed too, containing amenities such as ball diamonds, playground equipment and picnicking facilities. Much of the existing railroad and utility right-of-way will be used as trails. In addition, interpretive signage and limited picnic facilities will be allowed along the Saginaw River. Implementation Policies The interior portions of sections in the northern part of the Township will remain relatively undeveloped, giving the portion of the Township its rural character. -137- �Financing for Natural Resources, Energy Conservation Acquisition of larger parcels for greenbelt and open space preservation should utilize the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund as a primary funding source. Other statewide environmental organizations should also be contacted to determine the potential for obtaining their financial or professional assistance. Private developers required to provide open space within their developments will incur the costs of preserving these areas (i.e., opportunity costs that have been lost by not utilizing the land for its maximum development potential). The Township should set aside a certain portion of its annual budget to make energy conservation improvements to Township facilities as needed. Township officials, in conjunction with other Townships, should submit an application to the MONA, under the Quality of Life Bond or Solid Waste Alternative Program to obtain funds to construct an areawide recycling facility. -138- • • • • • �•• •• •I I I I I I I I I _, I I I I Shoreline Land Uses �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Shoreline Land Uses Because the Saginaw Bay and Saginaw River are such important resources that strongly influence the Township's natural and economic environments, a special section identifying the proposed land uses along the shoreline is presented here. While these uses are presented in various sections of the future development section of this Plan, they are described here to offer a more succinct "picture" of the various activities being proposed for the most important component of the Township 's land use. There are approximately 11 miles of shoreline in the Township, not including the Kawkawlin River shoreline. About 5-3/4 miles are along the Saginaw Bay and another 5.1 miles are Saginaw River shoreline. This extensive amount of waterfront offers substantial opportunity for diverse development. Much of the Saginaw Bay waterfront is already developed and the future land use plan calls for the maintenance and upgrading of those uses over time. Over 11,000 feet of the shoreline north of Euclid Avenue (M-247) is relatively high density single-family residential development. There are few vacant buildable parcels remaining in this area, and they will likely be developed in a similar fashion . While the Tobico Marsh is an important part of this area, the majority of the marsh is not directly on the shoreline. Tobico Marsh will continue to be improved with interpretive trails/boardwalks. Southeast of these residential subdivisions is the Tobico Lagoon. This natural area, which is part of the State Park and through which water from the Bay enters the marsh, will be retained in its natural state, with periodic dredging as needed to sustain the required flow of water. About 5,200 feet of Bay City State Park shoreline south of the Tobico Lagoon will also remain in public use, with swimming, boating and camping facilities. Another 3,800 feet of shoreline between the State Park and the Kawkawlin River will essentially remain intact as single-family residential (Lagoon Beach Subdivision). The only substantial change is the potential conversion of the Old Waterworks building and property on State Park Road to a condominium or planned residential/commercial development. This site encompasses approximately 12 acres. the occupants of this condominium development will have access to Saginaw Bay. The 3,500 feet of shoreline between the Old Waterworks property and the Kawkawlin River will remain in single-family development (Lagoon Beach Subdivision). Additional single-family development (Bayside Park/Donohue Beach Subdivisions) will continue to exist for another 1,900 feet southeast of the mouth of -139- �the Kawkawlin River. Immediately adjacent to the Bayside Park/Donohue Beach Subdivisions is the Wenona Beach Trailer Park. This site covers approximately 40 acres and contains one of the best beaches on the Saginaw Bay. The future land use plan calls for conversion of this area from a mobile home park to a luxury condominium development. I I • • Southeast of the Wenona Beach site is another concentration of single-family residential parcels, for a distance of about 4,500 feet to the mouth of the Saginaw River (Aplin Beach and Shady Shores). A state designated environmentally sensitive area and development adjacent to the shoreline should be limited and correspond to appropriate legislative standards. At the present time the two subdivisions in this area (Aplin Beach and Shady Shores) exist as relatively low density single-family development. Any future development in these two subdivisions should be closely monitored to ensure that environmental standards are adhered to. A new major road will be constructed in this area to link to Patterson Road and the extended Wheeler Road to save planned residential development proposed for the northern portion of the Dow property. At the mouth of the Saginaw River, the single-family development within the Sunset Shores subdivision will continue to expand, as demand for waterfront properties becomes more acute. The Sunset Shores Yacht Club will continue to exist to provide private slips for yachts and motorcraft. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources boat launch immediately adjacent to the Bay City Yacht Club will also continue to serve the boating public. This facility could expand by adding another launching ramp and expanding parking facilities, if needed. South of the Department of Natural Resources boat launch, for a distance of approximately 1,200 feet, is property designated for planned unit development. A new collector road will be constructed in this general area, linking an extended Wheeler Road with Patterson Road. This new road, including the extension of the Wheeler Road, will run approximately 2.2 miles, essentially forming a loop that will increase access to the shoreline. The shoreline along this 1,200 foot of riverfront would be purchased as a public easement and a boardwalk would be constructed here, providing a linkage between the Department of Natural Resources boat ramp south of Bay City Yacht Club and the Old Coast Guard Lighthouse located on Dow property about 2,300 feet south of the Department of Natural Resources boat launch. At the southern edge of the planned unit development, running south of and parallel to, the eastern extension of Wheeler Road, is the Consumers Power utility easement. This easement runs to the Saginaw -140- "" "• • • • �• •I I •I I I] I I I I I I I I I I I River shoreline and will be utilized as a pedestrian/bicycle pathway between the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay. The old lighthouse is approximately 1,000 feet south of the Consumers Power easement. The area around the lighthouse, and including the lighthouse, could be purchased for public access. The lighthouse itself would be used as an historical tourist attraction, with parking and interpretive signage and picnicking facilities. The existing public boat launch could be expanded in this area, with separate parking facilities. Automobile access would be provided through an extended Wheeler Road. However, the predominance of wetlands on this site, and the need for the Dow Chemical Company to protect its operations from public access, provide major obstacles to opening up the lighthouse to the public. About 1,500 feet of shoreline south of the old lighthouse park site would remain in open space. This area is currently owned by Dow and would remain zoned 1-2 General Industrial. South of this Dow property, for a distance of about another 1,500 feet, the shoreline would remain undeveloped. Much of this area is wetland. However, this property may be purchased and used for expansion at some time in the future by Bay Harbor Marina. The Bay Harbor Marina, which encompasses about 20 acres and contains 425 slips, will continue to exist and possibly expand northward as described above, adding another 10 acres or so to its operations. The balance of the Saginaw River shoreline forming the Township's eastern boundary encompasses about 12,000 feet of river frontage, including a mooring area for larger tankers. This area currently houses storage tanks for various fuels and chemicals, as well as several older warehouse buildings. The future land use plan calls for mixed uses along this portion of the shoreline. These would consist of service and retail commercial establishments that would be developed around a nautical/waterfront theme and include restaurants, specialty stores (T-shirts, brass items, craft stores, etc.) and amusement operations. A public boardwalk would be constructed along the shoreline that would allow for easy visitor viewing of shipping (loading and unloading) and pleasure boating activities. The waterfront commercial development would occur in a linear fashion along the waterfront from an area generally bounded by the Bay Harbor Marina on the north to the D&M railroad on the south. Off-street parking, landscaping, walkways, and pedestrian lighting would be integrated into this development. Access roads off of Wilder road would also be constructed, separating truck traffic from automobiles. -141- �The existing storage tanks in this area would be retained or renovated with necessary precautions taken to minimize or prevent hazards to the adjacent commercial activities. Warehousing and limited industrial activities would also be allowed here, with renovated and/or new warehouse/manufacturing buildings, landscaping and access roads. The existing warehouse on Dow Chemical property in Section 14 adjacent to the river could possibly be revamped and expanded as a central facility for a Foreign Trade Zone operation. = The above description outlines the proposed uses for the Township's shoreline. The intent of these designations is to provide maximum public access while protecting the natural environment and continuing and enhancing the use of the shoreline for storage and maritime shipping. The prescribed changes will occur in phases over the 20 year planning period. -142- • �• • •II I ~ ~ ~ I I I I -I J Recommended Site Specific Land Use Changes �• •I I SPECIFIED LAND USE CHANGES The proposed future land uses designated for Bangor Township in this Plan are, for the most part similar to existing land uses, and have been described in Part II. There are, however, a number of areas that will incur changes in land use designations and those will likely be reflected in the Township's revised zoning ordinance. Map 11 is a composite of all of those proposed changes. ,. 'f I ll I J I I I I I I -143- �• , , __ ~ ~ ~ 7/ ~ ~ - ~ --, l- I LF" •N" \ .... t i ~ l . RESIDENTIAL (V) TO RECREATION COMMERCII\L 17 . 2 . RESIDENTIAL (V) TO CONVENIENCE CENTER 18 . MIXED RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL TO COMMERCIAL 3. COMMERCIAL/Rl!!SIDENTIAL TO MIIED RESIDENTIAL/COMMER CIIU. 19 . RESIDENTIAL (V) TO MULTIPLE-FAMILY 4 . PUBLIC UTILITY TO PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT 20. RESIDENTIAL (V) TO COMMERCIAL 5 . RESIDENTIAL TO HIIED RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL 21. INDUSTRIAL TO COMMERCIAL 6 . COMMERCIAL ' 22. OFFICE TO MIXED COMMERCIAL/OFFICE RESIDENTIAL TO CONVENIENCE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL TO COMMERCIAL .,..,_ 1 . VACANT TO INDUSTRIAL 23 . COHHERCIA.L (V) TO INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL 8. RESIDENTIAL TO MIXED RESIDENTIAL/ INDUSTRIAL 24. MULTIPLE-FAMILY 9 . INDUSTRIAL (V) TO PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT 2S . RESIDENTIAL (V) TO MULTIPLE-FAMILY (V) TO INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL 10 . MIXED COKHERCJAL/INDUSTRIAL TO COMMERCIAL 26 , SINGLE-FAMILY/MULTIPLE-FAMILY TO OFFICE 11 . VACANT TO INDUSTRIAL 27 . INDUSTRIAL TO MIXED RESIDENTIAL/ COMHERCIAL/INOUSTRIAl 12 , INDUSTRIAL TO COMMERCIAL 28 . MOBILE ROHE PARJC TO PLAHlfED UNIT DEVELOPMENT ll. INDUSTRIAL TO R!'.SID!:NTIAL 29 . RESIDENTIAL TO MIXED COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL U . OFFICE/COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL TO COMMERCIAL JO. COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL TO COMMERCIAL 15 . R.ESIDENTIAL TO COMMERCIAL 3 1. RESIDENTIAL TO COMMERCIAL 16 . RESIDENTIAL TO MULTIPLJ!:-FA.MILY ~Gli\,""' 8-1,- - - --' ~ «n'•MTCffT ~ I MAP 11 RECOMMENDED LAND USE CHANGES ___ ..., @ Gove Associates Inc. �I I I I I Development Priorities ( ( I I I �•I I I I I I I I I I I I DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES Now that the future proposed Land Use Plan has been described, the implementation of the Plan is facilitated by the establishment of a schedule for phasing the development program over the life of the Plan. Such a schedule should be based on the most immediate needs and demands of the Township, a realistic assessment of the capacity of each phase of the program to be implemented (usually cost is the major factor) and the overall impact of the program on the quality of life in the Township. The phasing program for the Bangor Township Land Use Plan is established according to 'development increments'. The programs are scheduled to be completed in five year increments over the 20 year life of this Plan. That is, Phase I improvement areas are scheduled for development within the first five years, Phase II areas are to be improved during years 6 through 10, Phase Ill areas during the 11th through 15th year and Phase IV from years 16 through 20. These development areas and projects are identified in the following table. These priorities are intended as general guidelines for the Township in establishing scheduling of projects and undertaking detailed analysis and evaluation of those projects. The Township's Capital Improvement Plan and Program should follow this sequence of phasing for area development. The Planning and Zoning Commission should undertake more specific projects that define the recommendations in this Plan in greater detail and in accordance with this schedule. In .effect, this schedule is an important component of the implementation efforts associated with this Plan and should be referred to as a guide for further detailed planning and programming. I I I I - -145- �TABLE 14 SCHEDULED PLANNING DEVELOPMENT Development Component 1. Single-family subdivision and multi-family development (Areas A & F) Infrastructure/Public Improvement Water system extensions, sanitary sewer extensions, storm sewer improvements as needed, as well as roads 2. Commercial development along Wilder Road, Huron Road Improved curb/gutter and curb cuts 3. Construct new Township Improved curb/gutter and curb cuts Hall/Fire Station 4. Industrial Park Construction 5. Purchase former D&M right-of-way as linear greenbelt 6. Development of a boat launch on the Saginaw River Phase Roads, curb, gutter, water distribution system, sanitary and storm sewers (i.e., retention pond if necessary), underground utilities, street lighting, site preparation Initiate negotiations for purchase of limited right-of-way width; construct/ improve base with appropriate material Purchase of property and construction of boat launch and parking area by q 1 ~ ~ 1 ·1 ~ MONA ] 7. Use of Consumers Power easement as linear bikepath Negotiation with Consumers Power I 8. Commercial development/ Sidewalks, landscaping redevelopment along Euclid Avenue/Wilder Road I 1 I -146- �•I I I • -I I I -I I I I I I TABLE 14 - CONTINUED Development Component Infrastructure/Public Improvement Phase 9. Single-Family /Multi-Family Development Continued sewer /water system expansion as necessary II 10. Re-use of Dow Chemical property for Planned Unit Development Negotiations with property owners for re-designation of properties II 11 . Commercial development along Wilder Road, Huron Road Sidewalks, landscaping, pedestrian street lighting II 12. Development of Patterson Road as industrial/ residential Improvement/widening of Patterson Road, curb and gutter II 13. Bikepath linear greenbelt Construction of appropriate trail bed improvement near Consumers Power right-of-way II 14. Purchase and improve portion of Old Waterworks property Landscaping, parking, picnic facilities, playground equipment, restrooms, private development 111 15. Single family /Multi family development Extension of water /sewer lines as needed 111 16. Development/improvement of shipping facilities along the Saginaw River Designation as foreign trade zone, 111 construction of associated offices/ warehouse, road improvements, landscaping I I -147- �TABLE 14 - CONTINUED Development Component Infrastructure/Public Improvement 17. Develop collector road system along east side of Township Extension and improvement of Wilder Road eastward near river shoreline, construction of 'loop' road adjacent to river and connect with Wheeler Road at Patterson, improve water and sewer Ill 18. Improve Two Mile Road Extension and widening of Two Mile Road as a through-road to Beaver Road 111 19. Development of Township sports/recreation complex Construction, in conjunction with organized non-profit sports organization baseball diamonds, soccer fields, outdoor ice skating rink, tennis courts Ill 20. Residential development (Single- & Multi-family) Extension of water /sewer lines as required; construction of water, sewer, storm sewer facilities, utilities, local roads and sidewalks to serve planned unit development east of Patterson Road. Ill 21. Public linear greenbelt Construction of interpretive boardwalk; along Saginaw River, landscaping improvements, lighthouse wetland interpretive area; purchase and improvement recreation oriented parking; lighthouse attraction development, including purchase of property around lighthouse as open space/preservation area SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc. -148- Phase 111 �•II I Implementation I I �I I I I TNING PARTICFANTS QSECONlARV ,_ ... ..."' ...>- ...:z:a: ...< -~ ...Is :z ... > ...- -... < a: ... ...:z-a: :z :z ... -B :a: ...... -:z- ... ...:z~ ... :z- :z :a: :z :z -... < - -"' ~_,_, B< -:a: - ... 0 ::c -... :z :::, 0 :z ...-< ...>- "'a: -...~ -:z:~ :z... ...< :z 0 :z TABLE 15 0 (II (II IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE u :z 0 < 0 ACTION NATURAL RESCXJRCES/ENERGY CONSERVATION Emphasize shoreline linkages to interior areas Institute a Floodplain Management Resources Management program Ordinance Maintain wetland areas; wetlands interpretive construct along with a Natural boardwalks through Provide for retention of natural vegetation; and establish screening reauirements for industrial development Encourage water oriented activities/recreation in and around waterways Encourage and manage public and private Provide flexible landscaping land use controls Monitor existing and proposed development river and bay for waste discharge into Provide for open spaces - Following the recreation/transportation recorrmendations in this Plan, meet with Consuners Power Co. and owners of abandoned D&M Railroad right-of-way to describe the program · and begin negotiations for acquiring easements within the railroad right-of-way Contact Saginaw River shoreline property owners and negotiate for property acquisition Submit Grant application to MDNR for easement acquisitions and improvements and shoreline oropertv acQuisition and imorovements Research existing Floodplain and Natural Resource Management Ordinances as basis for Townshio ordinance Draft management ordinances for adoption by the Township Board Adopt a Township pol icy encouraging maintenance of natural wetlands along the shoreline Identify desired shoreline wetland areas for constructing boardwalks Contact existing sliorel ine wetland property owners to discuss public access via boardwalk Discuss easement purchase or lease agreements If property owners willing to sell - or lease, design boardwalk system Submit to MDNR for acQuisition/construction grants Develop and adopt natural vegetation and screening requirements for for inclusion in Township subdivision control and zoning ordinances Fol lowing this Plan curchase designated waterfront property for public access Design and develop a signage program directing v1s1tors to the shoreline Promote corrmercial/residential/public access along the shoreline in conjunction with this Plan; contact developers Revise zoning ordinance to promote and accoomodate increased public access to the shoreline Adopt a pol icy of greater Township involvement in initiating private shoreline improvements in accordance with this Plan Develop and adopt landscaping policies in conjunction with the county Road C011111ission and other public/semi-public utilities Incorporate landscaping standards in subdivision control ordinances and Planned Unit Development regulations Study various performance standards and slowly incorporate into the Township's Zoning, Subdivision and P.U.D. Ordinances over time Purchase necessary equipment and participate in required training over time to acininister performance standards. llork with the Bay Metro Sewer District to define impact of future industrial, corrmercial and residential development upon the capacity of the treatment olant Identify potential problems of treatment plant operations associated with existing development and work with llastewater District to remediate problems Research and adopt policies and programs, if necessary, to more efficiently dispose of wastewater Incorporate large lot standards within the Township Zoning Ordinance in accordance with this Plan Encourage new residential developments to retain open spaces and natural areas through subdivision controls and Planned Unit Development regulations 0 u w :a: ::c :::, :z :z < 0. w :a: 0 w > w 0 0. 0 w > w - - ...- ...~ al POLICY 0 0. -_, _, ... 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Bz 8"' ...~ ... - _, - ... z < :z 0 ... ... ..."'- ...... ... :z - -... :z:a: :z :z<a: :z :z :a < ::;: :a: _, _, ...:z > ............ ...5>a: :a: a: _, >...- :z:a:...... :z< :z Cl 0 w w a: a: (II :z :z 0. :z > w C ... < 1• • • • �•I I I I 0 SECONlAR'( >- -... a,: 0 I :z 0 :z 0 ...-< ...>- -... -!5 ... ...< :z 0 TABLE 15 - Continued 1/1 1/1 ::E IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE u ... < ... ... >...- :a:w < < ... :..: ... ... >w -... -...i:!l -... 8 "'< < ...< -... -z -... ...:a:w ...< -z -- "'......~ < :a: -......z :a: > ...<...... ...>- -<-' ...B < ...< z w ... 5 - < :a: "' a :a: ... - RESOJRCES/ENERGY CONSERVA Tl ON controls - Contirued for environmentally Promote sol id waste recycling in accordance Bay County Sol id Waste Management Plan Encourage with the energy conservation - Encourage volunteer recycling llork. with the DNR to identify areas that are environmentally sensitive and develop specific development controls within the Township Zoning Ordinance Review County Sol id Waste Management Plan Identify elements of the sol id waste plan that the Township should incorporate Contact appropriate vendors to initiate interest in recycling program Identify details of recycling program Encourage Township subsidy or $25/per household per year ( in accordance with State enabling legislation) to institute curbside recycling Promote recycling/resource recovery education programs within Township Undertake an energy audit for all Township buildings Make necessary irrprovement!> 6S identified by the audit Establish pol icy encourssing all new construction/renovation to be energy efficient Incorporate energy efficient requirements in Township Buildings, zoning and subdivision codes Advertise for/contact individuals and organizations that may have an interest in recycling Hold organization meeting to establish program goals and structure; legally incorporate volunteer recycling organization Submit application for Grant funding a,: 0 :,:: u ::, :z w :z :a: w u w u :z < :z Q :z 0 -' 0. >-z - ...- ...z~ ...~ ...~ ~ ~ :c 1/1 :c 1/1 :z :z -' w > w Q ::, -' u 0 -' ::E Q a,: z < u z 1/1 < 0. 1/1 :z < :c u "':a:w 1/1 1/1 0. 0 -' w > w Q ...- u u < 0 >- "' >- -' :z -...-... ...a ::, u :c u Cl B - ...8 :c 8 u ::z: "' Li w w ::z: 1/1 z a,: ... Q -' (/) < w "' w w z 0 ~ ... "'... • • A D A A • D •D :z ... w :,:: Cl B :,:: "' I- - X 1/1 :c :,:: Cl B B a,: "' :c :c Cl ... I- :z w w w > w -' w :z ... X 1/1 A a,: Cl 0 I1 A A D A D A D A D A D A 1/1 w :z w ::, > w w 1/1 1/1 w Cl 1/1 1/1 -151- :c ::, :z 0. 0 -' w w Q 0 -' w Q 0 -' 1/1 :z 0 ::, a,: a:, Q :z Cl :z 0. :z :z 0 u 3 :z ..... Cl w Cl (/) a,: -' :z 0 a:, 0. :c u :z ::, w 1/1 :z Q (/) 1/1 w 1/1 :z u (/) :z a,: Cl :z - - - "' - - a "' -' "' < :z "':zw Q :z w w u -' a:, 1/1 ...< X < -' < u w 0. 1/1 >- :a: :z :z N < :z u < Cl Cl ::, ..... :,:: :c :a: I- ~ u :z u X i Q • • •• • •• • • • • • • 0 A D :z u :z A D Cl 3 > ::E Q "'w w Ill Ill - !5 -ti i~ ..."' !5 w :z ... w 0 1/1 ...>...... w :: ... :z w - 0 ... 0. - 0. a,: u :: 0. · a::i NATURAL a,: 0 1/1 :z :z 0 0. a,: Provide specific development sensitive areas 0 0. ::, I < a,: 0 0. a,: < 0 Q ACTION a,: -... :a: :z w 0 z -' w -' :a: :z > w 0. w 0 < Q > w Cl :z POLICY t I RNllNGSCXR;E .PFIMARY :c I I I i TMNG (YEAR) PARTICIPANTS :z < c.:, u :c u :a: :a: -- 0 1/1 ::, a:, I- -' -' z ~ (/) < Q ... .... 0 C :E �I I I I I I f I i TUNG PARTICIPANTS RNllNGSOlR::E ltPHMARY (YEAR) QSECONlARY' -...•"' 0 ... ::c -...<~ :z ~ TABLE 15 - Continued 0 1/l 1/l IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE ::i: ~ (.I t:I 0 ACTION RECREATION Purchase acreage along the Saginaw River and Bay for public access Purchase/lease railroad right-of-way for hiking/biking trails Create incentives facilities and utilize Consuners Power for the private sector to develop recreation Adhere to policies identified in the Township's 1990 Recreation Update TRANSPORTATION l!ll>rove and maintain the condition of all streets Ensure new residential Study the feasibility Plan streets meet design standards of, and design, designated truck routes Ensure senior housing development and activity centers are served by Metro and Senior Citizen Bus systems Plan for, and develop, separate bike paths and bike lanes Connect the shoreline with conmercial biking/hiking paths and residential development using Identify appropriate sites according to this Land Use Plan and apply to the MDNR for grant funds within the time schedule identified in the Plan Set aside a soecial fund account for public access property acquisition Contact existing railroad R.0.11. owners and identify purchase price easement for 15 ft. easement Apply for grant from MDNR for acquisition (in phases, if necessary) under Nat. Resources Trust Fund, Lawcon, or Rails-to-Trails Program Contact Consuners Power to obtain permission to use their right-of-way for public trail system Request assistance from Consuners Power to fund i!ll>rovements Establish subdivision control ordinance allowing for higher density development or other incentives in exchange for construction and dedication of recreation facilities by the developer Keep abreast of new state coom.mity dey-l!topment legislation and apply such planning and zoning legislation (growth control techniques) to develocment in the Township Establish meetings between the Planning Coomission and Recreation Coomission to coordinate and i Ill> l emen t recreation i lll>rovements Undertake a COl11)rehens i ve study of the condition of all major and local streets within the Township and work with the County Road Coomission to identify and schedule maintenance, repairs and i!ll>rovements Program expansion of the Township's road system in conjunction with this Plan Work closely with the County Road Conrnission to ensure design standards will meet local needs Incorporate general street design standards within a Township subdivision control ordinance Using this Plan as a guide designate a subconmi ttee of the Planning Conrnission to identify potential truck routes and the feasibility of designating those routes Work with the County Road Coornission to iIll> l ement truck route designation of identified streets Limit new senior/handicapped housing and activity centers to properties easi Ly accessible to existing bus routes Establish a subcoorni ttee of the Planning Coomission to identify existing streets for widening to acconmodate a bike lane. These routes would be part of a comprehensive, coordinated Township biking/hiking system Utilize, in conjunction with this Plan, designated railroad and utility rights-of-way for bike paths Apply for MDOT and MDNR grant funds for construction and i!ll>rovements for bike paths and lanes Same as above 0 ..... w :E c.. ....w 0 (.I w :z < c.. :E c.. 0 c.. • > :z w ::c :z - - ...- ... 1/l w ....0w z ... 1/l 1/l ""w li :E ~ u 0 w w 0 1/l 1/l w 1/l 1/l ...- ... > ...u i: -"'... z~ :z ::c u < 0 Ill 0 :z c.. • 0 "" ~ ..... ::c 0 < .... • _, Cw :z :z :E :z < u w .... :z 8 u u w > ::c "' ....~ ....~ u~ 0~ ....0 ""w::i: 0w ::I u u w :z0 ~ ::c 1/l 1/l ::I • • • • • • • • • • • Q w t:I ...- ... - -... -... a "' "' (.I ... w ::c "" .... w ::c t:I B B ::c "" t:I > w Ill w w ::I :z w > w )( "' ....C "' w :z 1/l t:I :z w w w 0 0 0 A A A D 0 .6. 0 • A D • A A 0 A 0 A A A A A A A D 0 :z w w u :E :z :z :z :E (.I w c.. 0 1/l 1/l w w w 1/l 1/l C ...J < u w "' 3 ::I :E w w 0 :z t:I 0 ID w :z 1/l c.. ::c (.I w ::I :E 0 :z 0 :z :E 0 1/l 1/l :z 1/l :z 0 (.I ....... 1/l :z t:I :z 0 :E :z u - - - ........ 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TIMING PARTICIPANTS sou:ce A.NllNG .PRMARY (YEAR) QSECONlARY C, ...• °'... ...- ...zw a. :..: -' w 0 :c z :::, -... 0 z -... ... - "" -"" 0 z TABLE 15 - Continued 0 (II V) - IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE :I: ~ u C, 0 SCHOOLS AND SERVICES PUBLIC FACILITIES Develop five year Capital Improvements Program Review policies development for infrastructure and standards Ensure senior citizen housing is available Maximize use of School District's related to new residents and programs Establish after school day care program using school Require Planning Conmission illl)rovement Projects Establish Establish annual Conmittee facilities review of major Public Works Capital survey of Township residents to study establishment Work with officials and organizations quality in the Saginaw Bay of a library to encourage 0 -' w a. a. >- :c :c 0 improved water Identify all cap i tal improvement programs and submit list to a l l Town· ship Dept. Heads for review· request Dept. Heads to add to or change List and submit to Township Planning Comnission and Board for 5 year Capital Improvements Program adoption Meet with County Road Conmission, Sewer Authority , Water Districts and Utilities to identify appropriate standards for infrastructure placement, adopt those standards for new development within Twp. Utilize existing Senior Housing Market Study to attract senior housing developers into the Township Work with the Bay County Senior Citizen Center to identify housing needs and creferred senior housing locations Coordinate efforts among the Plng. Coomi ss i on, Recreation Conmission, and School District to ensure the recreation goals and policies identified in this Plan and the Twp. Recreation Plan are achieved Provide for greater "after hour" and weekend public use of School District recreation facilities and programs Contact School Board to discuss potential Distribute questionnaire to School District families to establish extent of need If adequate demand exists, organize volunteer (or paid staff) program Send memorandun to County Road Conmi ss ion, Water Districts, Sewer Authority, and other public entities operating within the Township requ1 ring them to submit descriptions to the Planning Conmission of all public improvement projects occurring within the Township at least 30 days prior to construction Develop short survey questionnaire to distribute to Township households with tax statement each year. Use results to assist in forrwlating annual capital illl)rovements and operating budgets Send separate questionnaire to businesses located within the Township to determine needs and concerns of local businesspeople Include inquiry as to potential demand for a conm.mi ty library in the Township in the above-mentioned questionnaire Contact the Bay County Library District to determine feasibility of establishing a separate library building within Bangor Township Apply for State or Federal Grant for construction Meet with the Bay County Growth Alliance and East Michigan Regional Planning and Development Conmission to identify steps that may be taken to initiate local efforts at improving water quality Form, in conjunction with surrounding conm.inities, a Blue Ribbon Task Force to address water quality problems Adopt and i Ill) l emen t local policies in coordination with surround i ng townships, cities, Bay Co. and Saginaw Co. to illl)rove water quality 0 z w :IC a. 0 -' w > w -z -z ...-z ...zz~ ....~ ...~ ~ ~ • • • • • • • • Vl V) 0 :::, :I: u to all eligible facilities w :IC a. a. -' >- ....:::, ""u0 :c ....z ...< < a, ACTION z 0 a. > w ""<0 POLICY -zz < 0 ""a.0 I ....u w u z ...zw Vl w 0 -' w > w -' < u 0 -' :I: z ~ u u < a. a. 0 z ~ Vl V) :IC (II ....z ""a.w Vl < :c u w "" :IC 0 -' w > w 0 z - - -... "'... ... "" - -... 0 :: ~ < 0 0 u >- en 0 >- z :::, u ..J X u en w ~ :c u C, z u w "' :c > w :c :c w w z V) C, -' :::, w :IC V) V) w V) Vl 0 -' w > w 0 ...- C, Vl u w -' -...< )C < w a. >- z ~ 0 u :::s < ,c ...z 0 a, "" -' ,c < C, 0 z a. .......... ...- --z a -' >- :::, ....""z :IC N u ...... ""0z :IC w z u :::, :IC :IC 0 > w 0 (II z ~ -' i5 ,c - ...- -.... 0 z Vl Vl z :IC 0 :c ,c ....<w .... (II (II Vl < C, z < C, < C, :c u :c u :c u :IC :IC :IC z ----- :::, a, ...."" "".... z -a -C, (II z 0 ....u ...z (II ,c "" - -... w z (II :::, a, C, z 0 ,c 0 0 ~ V) 8u.. :E -' z • • • DDA A A A A A 0 0 0 • • DD D D D A A A A A 0 0 0 • DD D D ob A i I A A A A A A A •• • • • • • • • D • D A D D A • • • • • • A !O A 0 D A A A A A A -153- • • 0 10 0 I- -' D • n w :IC w :IC a. V) A • ......z z w < C, )C 0 A 0 z < z ""0 :c .... :::, ...z ....z ""z :::, :IC A A A A u 0 -' a, u 0 D Vl u ,c A D D D z "" "" uw -' "" < z w ""z w )C X 0 w z :c :c < w :c V) :c C, -"".... - -... .... w C, 0 C, >- ......w z....~ w -...> ...z ...a 8..."" 8 ...""w 8..."" ...""zw zw > ... ...~ ..."" - ww - en en z: --.... ...a 8 "' -' >- ,c "" 0 u z < z ,c ...z ,c 0 0 C �RNllNG somcE .PAIIAR'( 0SBXNWff TIMING PARTICIPANTS • •· I I I I I I I ~ -.... >- ...~ :z: -...g i!l z -... ... CII CII 0 ~ - "'"' -...3 0 TABLE 15 - Continued ::E: u C, -zz z 0 "'<0 ....< m ACTION RESIDENTIAL Contact private developers, study possibility of public/private partnership for low/moderate income senior housing Give priority processing Conduct market analysis of senior family housing for distribution to developers Contact potential developers to discuss investment in senior housing Establish this pol icy within Township Acininistrative Depts. especially zoning and building departments Work with Michigan D.S.S. to promote the housing opportunity program within the Township Contact local lending institutions, real tors and other interested parties to discuss ootential of creatinc:i nonprofit corooration Contact and work with USC to finance new affordable housing units Establish cormunity Development Corporation Under P.A. /' Establish paint-up/fix-up Cafll)8ign Provide for semi-annual Township trash collection Encourage volunteer maintenance service, using donated dollars or Townshio financed suool ies to housing projects Promote home ownership Establish nonprofit Housing Development Create COIIIIMlity Development Encourage Home Maintenance Corporation Corporation ~ :z: u w :::, C ::a: Q. w 0 w > w Q. 0 ....0w Q. Q. ::c ::c Cl) CII ...~ ...~ 3 u > w >- 0 :::, ::E: ~ ~ u 0 C, u w u z ~ C w :a: Q. ....0w > w 0 ....< u ....0 - - - ii: ... ... "' ... "' - -...l!i < .... .... ... 8 "' ... i3 "" "' "' CII w z < Q. en z < :z: u w ::a: D D D CII w Q. 0 w > w 0 en ::E: u 0 ~ < u 0 >- :: ~ >- u ..I Cl a w :::, w z 0 w w ::c Cl :z: C, :z: :z: Cl :z: )C z CII CII C, A A A • • D D • • • A A A A A A A A A A A D z w > w )C w A A A D w "'.... C :z: A • C w :z: w :c u u w :z: 0 w :JI z A A A A A C CII w "' w •• • • w w u )C C w I DDA Search Conrnittee Develop coomercial to contact private commercial market study - I t Establish program to control commercial investment developers the type, location and timing of new Establish conrnittee structure to ensure appropriate filling of vacant retail and office spaces and Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road corridor i""rovements Involve DDA and Euclid Avenue Merchants i""rovements and special events Association in public Organize subconrnittee to address conmercial attraction and retention programs Develop and adopt short- -1.:d long-range commercial attraction programs Utilize DDA and other local revenue to fund a coomerci al market study to identify the best mix of conmercial businesses along Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road Contract with a coomercial market analyst to conduct the study Develop, in coordination with this Plan, a zoning ordinance that will promote commercial development in a controlled growth sequence (commercial "in-fill 11) Using Mkt. Study as guide, contact potential businesses best suited to Bangor Township for expansion in Townshio Develop promotion Ca""8ign to market Bangor Township for retail/service commercial relocation and expansion Organize special events conrnittee from these two organizations and provide funding for promotion/special events program events coordinator Hire part-time promotions/special Establish conrnittee to work with Township to identify and promote public inrirovements alonc:i Euclid Avenue and Wilder Road INDUSTRIAL Form a local Development of 1986 Finance Authority Create incentives to attract new industries existing industries (LDFA) under P.A. 281 and retain and expand Encourage industries to give hiring preferences i""rove training programs Research potential for revising to local residents and the area's free trade zone designation Identify ootential members and reauest Particioation on LDFA Form LDFA under P.A. 281 and identify LDFA District boundaries Develop and adopt LDFA Tax Increment Finance Plan and Program Conduct an industrial base targeting study to identify the types of industries that would be best suited for Bangor Township Hire a part-time coordinator to work closely with the Bay County CGA to attract industry into the Township Establish a program whereby industries will voluntarily agree to give hiring preferences to local residents linkages for job enhancement Establish industrial/educational (institute a cooperative venture pro~ram with Great Lakes com. Col.) Contact the Dept. of Com. to identify the requirements for instituting a free trade zone and the current free trade zones in the area If the potential exists for establishing a free trade zone, pursue the appropriate steps for designation and identify a site along the Saginaw River as a Port of Entry • • • • D D • • • C A A A • • • • • • • • • • 6 A A A A 0 0 • • • • • • • A A A A • • 0 A 0 -154- CII u en CII :z: w C CII Cl CII u Q. en C :z: u :z: u :z: u CII • •• 0 0 • • •• • • ••• ••• •• A I 0 C, 1• A • u >- u CII •• A A A A >- Q. w • 0 0 A A • • C 0 • • A D D • • • • • • • • C, 0 COICERCIAL Establish m w :E CII 0 C, C :E CII :z: M C, >- ... a a "'... "' ... a ..."' ..."' z zw > ... ...~ ..."" - ....ww :z: u (/) Q z :::, w > ,-. tr: CII w Cl) Cl) ~ u ...... ......z :: zw z ~ CII D D D D • • >- C Q. :E ...- ....wz ....z "" ~ & .... ~ !.... ... ;:: ... ... 8 z i w~ ~ ~ .., ... ...m "' ... "'.... z "' ... ! z u z z z ...w !~ "'< ....< -a -zz !.... z z -...... enenz ..,>w~ ..,....... ... - .... enen~ ...z~ z ...z 5 -z .... zw en "" w i ...... ! .., ... i!!i z z z "' ... .... ii z ~ z ~ ~ ~ - w i z""...... - - -u ........ i 0C a :E ... i :iii: z z ~ ... ...z C ... ...z -...zz ...z .... -z -z ...-z z...z~ Q. - < ~ z IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE POLICY >- i 00 • • •• 0 �IMPLEMENTATION •I I I I I I I I The following Implementation Schedule relates recommended programs to participants, project phasing and funding sources. The programs are in conformance with the policies identified in the various sections of Part II of this Plan, while the action associated with each program is a more specific performance or exercise intended to carry out that program. The participants that are rnsponsible for undertaking each action are identified. In those instances where more than one participant is involved, coordination is necessary. The time or phasing of each action is stipulated in years. Funding sources are identified for each action as primary or secondary. Primary sources are those that should supply the majority of the financing for a particular action. Secondary funds are intended to supplement the primary revenue sources. Special assessments refer to either a tax assessment levied against specified properties by the Township for a particular public improvement or by the Downtown Development Authority or the Local Development Finance Authority sponsored activities. Contributions refer to personal or group voluntary contributions as well as fees and dues, etc., levied against merchants or groups. The list of funding sources is by no means exhaustive and should be added to and updated as new sources are found and existing financial programs change. This chart is to be used as a general guide and its utility lies in its ability to unify and coordinate the various recommendations included in this Plan. I I I I I I I I -149- �Appendix A Planning Areas I �0::: 00 !:: ,c( 0 a:: Zo :::E DODII • DR. z z KIESEL ROAD MOS �WHEELER "• • • • • •I •I I - C PLUMMI j \1 ci 0 :x:: a:: <( Cl. ~ ~ (/) J• 0 ::J (.) ::, w JI WILDER ROAD CITY OF BAY CITY ~ u I I I I I -I ROAD ><( m LL. 0 ~ z z . ;:i iJ F T. u �KIESEL ROAD z w 0 z I •I • •~ :J NORTH . ! 0::: 0 I- z 0 :::E 1 Cl a::: < :::c LLJ _J (.!) z LLJ �•I I I I I I I I I I I I . ~ C 0::: 0::: ~ z (/) (!) ~ 0::: 0 c( :::c: z z 0 ~ (!) zw ~ C c( MIDLAND ROAD 0 0::: ~ WHITE FlSCHER ROAD MONITOR TWP. �• • • • • • • • • I I I I I I I I ·BAY CITY STATE PARK ~ a:: < a. BOY ZIMMER ~ C < 0 a::: a::: 0 C, z < CD = �! LAURIA •=-•~- =-=~-~~p .1"1rr ~ ROAD LAURIAROAD \ CRAMER ~ , - 1 -- J BOY - SCOUT r fr;o~ ~ 7§ DUND;~ R ~ RO -- Jt t~ j C •i J ~r •C~( ~.'.'t:l - KE JI_~'\~ ' ' 0 .,: 0 er is:z '"" ,F ,i 0 ."'" er le ~ '~- ~ WHEEL£R ROAD ~ "' WHEELER ~ PLUMMER 0 1d: ~ " "' gj ."' RICHMARl<lf LN . ~ l n ;,; "' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ HUSREN : ] [ "' 3 "' II~ r~ le ~ ·~ "'0 ZANDER RO . --= ' =----=fL _ SHERRY CT.\ \ KUERBITZ OR. = . - Jl '& ."' ~r~ ~ ·-·-··--·-e ,, f ,\ WILDER ROAD CITY OF BAY ctTY Ytfl])i CITY OF BAY CHY CI T 1 vt BAY CITY C i- u >- ~ is /: l3 KIESEL fcb ROAD cRESTWOob ffi rtill n1· l1FUir°11- - - _1. - -- RD. SAGINAW RIVER CI TY <Jr bA'r CITY �• I.•• •• IF=========~~;~;==~;:~===========! BEAVER ROAD BAY CITY s·rATE PARK ~ t_n ~ . a:: JJi_ll_ I I ~;~~~ COTT DR. ··•-••llll!L•A!l!IU~R~IA•! lllil!R!!IO!IIAll!!D•--------~l===========L=A=U:::R::IA===:=R70A~D:=-!:::=:~=======, D~~~ CRAMER 11 .... • •I __JL_ BOY SCOUT z BOY Cl a:0 .J ~ 0 0 l 3: a:: w :r V) 1 SCOUT 0 ::J (.) :::, w ~ HARTLEY I I I I a:: Cl a:: Cl z<( ~ ~ 0 a:: [Il <( a. I~ <( ROAD I V) WHEELER ROAD II �I I I I i t- I I I I I I ~ 0 z< _Q ~ a: < ~ <w ~ :! I I I BEAVER ROAD BAY CITY STATE PARK COTT DR. I I ~•----ill!ILA~Ul!!IR!\IIA!llllllill!R!l!O!ll!IAl!!ID_________ll::======;=::::'7===;~?-l:::::~====1=;:;;=~?i-~= 0 a: CRAMER SCOUT �• C • ~ • .• • • • •I I Appendix B Bangor Township Traffic Counts �BANGOR TOWNSHIP TRAFFIC COUNTS Location Year State Park North of Wheeler 7,568 1989 State Park North of Wilder Old Kawkawlin West of State Park 8,679 6,642 Old Kawkawlin West of Two-Mile 4,048 1989 1989 1989 Bangor North of Wilder 3,051 1989 Wheeler East of State Park Wheeler West of State Park 5,607 3,050 1989 1989 Wilder West of State 22,325 1989 M-247 Euclid North of Beaver Two-Mile North of North Union State Park North of Boy Scout State Park North of Laurie 1,675 7,560 11,582 3,251 1989 1989 1988 1988 Old Kawkawlin East of M-13 Bangor North of Wheeler 6,782 4,143 2,781 1988 1988 1988 Beaver East of Euclid Wheeler East of Bangor 4,334 2,061 Wheeler East of M-13 Wilder East of Patterson M-13 Euclid North of Wilder 2,263 2,962 1988 1988 1988 1988 20,907 1988 M-13 Euclid South of Midland 28,250 M-13 Euclid South of Thomas M-13 Euclid South of Wilder 23,1-05 26,323 1988 1988 1988 M-13 Huron Northwest of M-247 11,470 North Union West of M-13 (Euclid) 7,788 1988 1988 9,090 10,588 1988 1988 1988 North Union East of Two-Mile Boy Scout East of M-247 Wilder East of Two-Mile 8,289 4,717 2,858 19,564 1987 1987 Wilder West of Bangor 20,942 1987 M-247 Euclid North of M-13 M-247 Euclid North of Wheeler M-25 Jenny West of Euclid I I I I Vehicles Per Day Two-Mile North of Midland 1987 �~ ~ BANGOR TOWNSHIP TRAFFIC COUNTS Location Vehicles Per Day Year 19,262 1987 Two-Mile South of Kiesel Two-Mile South of North Union 6,584 1987 4,558 1987 Two-Mile South of Wilder 7,615 1987 State Park South of Wheeler 6,115 1984 Wilder East of Euclid (M-13) 20,521 1984 Wilder West of Euclid (M-13) 15,985 1984 Bangor South of Wilder 1,478 1983 Beaver West of M-24 7 2,407 1983 Wheeler West of Old Kawkawlin 2,496 1983 Wilder at State 24,645 1983 Wilder East of Bangor 15,588 1983 Euclid South of Jenny 26,840 1983 M-13 Euclid South of North Union Two-Mile South of Midland 26,116 1983 441 1983 Wheeler East of Two-Mile 1,507 1982 Two-Mile North of Wheeler 1,762 1982 Wheeler West of Euclid M-247 Euclid South of Boy Scout 1,929 1981 7,200 1980 Wilder West of Patterson II II II I II � 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 Bangor-Charter-Twp_Comprehensive-Plan_1991 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bangor Charter Township Planning Commission, Bangor Charter Township, Bay County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-06 Title A name given to the resource Charter Township of Bangor Comprehensive Plan 1990-2010 Description An account of the resource Charter Township of Bangor Comprehensive Plan developed by Gove Associated Inc. in partnership with the Charter Township of Bangor Planning Commission adopted in June 1991. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gove Associates Inc. (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Charter Township of Bangor (Bay 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/eed8858389f6439d098a9aedd51c0091.mp4 aedcd4bb6b1c7fff9805def69ed23aeb https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/037691b9e513343747466f2f203a8e9c.pdf 3a295e121fc94f6c41eb89202c58e892 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project John Bantjes (00:38:47) (00:30) Background Information • • • • • John was born in Illinois and moved to Indiana when he was very young John was born in 1929 and grew up during the depression His father had been an accountant, but lost his job Both his parents were Dutch immigrants and decided to move back with John’s grandparents in the Netherlands during the depression They moved to the central Netherlands and his father became an adjuster for an insurance company (2:30) War in the Netherlands • John was 11 years old when the war broke out and it lasted for 5 years • The Germans occupied the Netherlands; they were nice at first but became more mean as the war progressed • Over the years the food supply dwindled and the Netherlands seemed to be cut off from the rest of the world • Many people were starving to death and forced to work for the Germans • John had dual citizenship and decided to go back to the US after the war (5:55) Back in the US • John moved to Byron Center, Michigan and was later drafted into the Army in January of 1951 during the Korean War • John was inducted in Detroit and then went to Fort Sheridan in Chicago • He later trained in Camp Carson, Colorado and became part of the South Dakota National Guard (8:45) Operation Totem Pole • John was part of a Regimental Combat Team of about 5,000 men that were sent to Anchorage, Alaska for Operation Totem Pole • Their goal was to train to defend Alaska and the rest of the country in the face of a Russian attack • They continued to train in Alaska from January to July • They were living near an old construction site and simulating tactical warfare (14:20) Working in Alaska �• • • • John was working as a rifleman in a rifle squad in Alaska for 18 months They mostly trained, got lots of exercise, and worked on guard duty There were always alerts going off at odd times and the men would have to guard the perimeter around the Army base John often had time off to go fishing and weekends off to travel around Alaska (19:30) Alaskan Weather • The men camped in 5-man tents with gas stoves; it was not that cold inside • At night it would get to negative 40 degrees and was about 20 degrees during the day • Sometimes John would sleep outside in a very large, down-filled, arctic sleeping bag • There were some moose in Alaska that were very aggressive that would attack their jeeps • They were allowed about one weekend off a month to go around Alaska, but the prices in the small towns were very high (27:10) Discharged • John was in the Army for 23 months and back home just in time for Christmas • They hit a typhoon in the ship on the way home from Alaska and were stuck for a while • There was an outbreak of chicken pox on the shit because some of the men had brought their families with them to Alaska • John was discharged at Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan � 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 Bantjes, John (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bantjes, John Description An account of the resource John Bantjes was born in Illinois in 1929 to Dutch immigrants who decided to move back to the Netherlands during the Depression. John lived through the entirety of World War II in the Netherlands. When the war was over he moved back to the US and was later drafted during the Korean War. John spent his time in the service training for a Russian attack in Alaska. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Debra (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army Korean War, 1950-1953--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 2008-07-22 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BantjesJ 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/b90731e56fd80685c3c8b2325162a716.mp4 9292be4bce895ad3a09df82ec3789a0e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0eed3fd55c2b49a4203cd3a084060cfe.pdf f31677d0f666f1dff231c1464e798214 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Scott Barber (15:43) (0:00) Before the service • Living in Grand Rapids, MI • Enlisted last 3 months of high school • Birthday made him miss the draft by 4 months • Chose to join the Navy because the college benefits, adventure, and opportunities to see the world o Really enjoyed the Navy (1:07) First day of service • Homesick • 18 years old • Went on a train to boot camp at Great Lakes, IL • Was trained as an aircraft mechanic but was chosen to become a Seal after 18 months (1:53) Combat • Saw combat in Iran and Panama, although in Panama it was due to drug issues as opposed to war • Part of the Iran Hostage Crisis rescue (2:24) Most memorable moment • In Iran during Hostage rescue • Realized there was a very likely chance would be killed • Became a man that night; grew up o Barber was in a chopper that went down (2:47) Free time • No comment (3:02) Holidays • Celebrated all holidays because in the Navy for 5 years • Celebrated with his unit o One time he was in Africa during Christmas so participated in the services there; did not resemble Christmas (3:30) Impact on life • Became a better person • More mature and with the realization that there are things in life bigger than one’s self • Made a lot of friends; kind of like college (4:32) After the service • Went to college at Grand Valley, Davenport • The service helped him in his civilian career in many ways o Respected because a veteran • Would enlist in the Navy again and now wishes that he had stayed longer �(5:38) Jobs while in the service • 18 months as a mechanic • Part of the hostage rescue mission o Involved 2 years of planning and testing o 130 units, 12 people per team o In this mission, he was a driver and engine mechanic (6:26) Iran Hostage Crisis • Can talk about it now because the 20 year confidentiality agreement Barber had to sign has expired • Barber’s unit was chosen to go on mission because specialized in the helicopters that would be used in the desert that night o Specially chosen because unit had best record with handling that equipment • Spent 6 months training for the original plan which consisted of flying a C-130 into the middle of town and landing in an enclosed soccer field o Burned up an airplane doing it • Used rocket assisted take-off to see if could get off the ground in 100 yards or 150 yards but didn’t work • Practiced landing and take-offs for several weeks, also trained on small weapons • The first mission (1980) o Landed in the desert at night; it was very dark o Didn’t have intelligence so didn’t what the resistance would be on the ground upon landing o Lots of helicopters broke down because of the sand; a few fell out of the sky because of the sand o Did not make it to the city o Turned around and went back because saw several school buses with the tops cut off with Iranian regulars in them coming to stop their rescue attempt o Did not get the hostages; too much equipment trouble and resistance (9:11) Combat • Saw combat that night of the mission • Iranian regulars armed with axes, hatchets, small arms, RPGs, etc. • Lost 2 men from his unit; several were injured (9:39) Panama • Drug intervention o Destroyed several boats, ships, and airplanes that were used to transport illegal drugs • Story o Patrol Boat (PT Boat), 70 feet long o Had to destroy it o One of Barber’s friends was in charge of the demolition o Attached mines to the bottom of the boat; blew up the boat so badly that when performing a UDA (Upon Damage Assessment) the next day, found only the engines a mile away. �o Mission took place in 1981 or 1982; no casualties; took 7- 8 days to get there but finished mission in one night (11:30) Thailand • Had to spend 6-8 days living in a dumpster with monkeys, drinking out of a sewer because of an issue with martial law (12:12) Basic training at Seal Beach • When Barber was a Seal, only 346 Seals in the entire world o 3 miles swim every morning; put on a helicopter and drop you into the water off the coast of California o Suffered sleep and food deprivation o Training lasted 9 weeks; took Barber two times to get through it (14:07) Training for Iran • 7-8 months but didn’t know it would be their unit until 3-4 weeks before mission (14:40) More on the service • Really enjoyed the Navy • Liked working on planes but was especially honored to be one of the few units chosen to undergo Seal training � 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 Barber, Scott (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barber, Scott Description An account of the resource Scott Barber is a Veteran who served in the United States Navy for five years from the late 1970s until the early 1980s in California, Iran, Thailand, and Panama. Because of skill and good military record, Barber's unit was assigned to the first rescue attempt of the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1980. In this interview, Barber discusses the training involved in preparing for this mission as well as the equipment failures and combat that took place that night. Barber also shares stories of his time in Panama, where his unit was responsible for destroying boats and planes used to transport illegal drugs, and his time in Thailand, where he spent over six days living in a dumpster. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Barber, Ashley (Interviewer) Forest Hills Eastern High School (Ada, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Navy Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives 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 2007-06-07 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BarberS 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/697abab5002241d609d5bcd4db0d69e4.mp4 0e5ee0713d48237fcc8255a0b9be44b5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b81f11db56c164b7903c5ffbc13a9fe4.pdf 4b4b38514940c10fdba2cb98ff378f9b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Albert Barker Total Time – (42:31) Background · He was born in Stanton, Michigan, on February 17, 1925 · He was raised on a farm (00:40) · There were five children in the family o Three boys and two girls § He was the youngest · His family was able to keep the farm during the 1930’s (01:02) · He went to school through the 8th grade (01:27) · After he dropped out of school, he worked for local farmers · He learned about Pearl Harbor from a friend's radio · Before this, he did not pay much attention to the world news (02:31) Enlistment/Training – (02:42) · He was drafted into the Navy in 1943 (03:21) · He went to Great Lakes, Illinois, for boot camp (03:33) · The boot camp was relatively nice o It had a gym, swimming pool, and other facilities · It was not very difficult for him (04:05) o Boot camp was difficult for some · There were boat exercises · They were forced to swim (05:18) o There were some men that could not swim · There was classroom training (05:59) · Boot camp lasted 8 weeks – could never leave the base · After boot camp, soldiers were given a couple of days off before their next location (06:38) · He was then shipped to Pleasanton, California (06:51) o It was a holding station for troops o Was stationed here for a very short time Active Duty – (06:58) · They then shipped him out for the South Pacific (07:00) �· Many of the men got sick on their first voyage · It took 17 days to go from San Francisco, California to Noumea, New Caledonia (07:26) · They traveled alone, not with a convoy – it was some kind of cargo ship (07:46) · There were nearly several thousand on the ship (08:24) · They had left to replace other units · When they get off in New Caledonia, they stayed there for some time at a base (08:46) · From New Caledonia, they were sent by ship to Rendova Island (08:57) · This is where he joined with his PT boat squadron – he was essentially an extra hand (09:21) · Rendova Island had a dry dock that was made of tanks · When they were out on patrol, there was not much Japanese activity (11:29) · They would sometimes catch Japanese moving troops and ammunition o There were two boats on every mission and they would circle around the Japanese – there were two rounds of PT boats o They did not use torpedoes o The Japanese were using small boats as well (12:23) · He was initially assigned to PT 288 where he was assigned to be a loader on a 20 mm gun (13:14) o It was a two man crew – one for firing and one for loading · There were probably 17-18 men on their PT boat o They were really only meant for 7-10 (13:38) o When there were extra men, there were extra guns · They sometimes had to carry dignitaries on board · After leaving Rendova, he traveled to Green Island, Treasure Island, Bougainville Island, etc. – They were part of the Solomon Islands (15:34) · There was an encounter with a single bomber (17:35) · He got malaria at one point – he was given atabrine to take (17:52) o He was sick with malaria for nearly two weeks o He was taken off the boat by being placed on a stretcher § After getting off the mattress there was an imprint of sweat (19:01) o The military took care of those that got sick o He was given a lot of different medicines to cure the malaria · While with the PT boats, they do not hear that much about what else is going on in the war (20:02) · When he was in the Solomon Islands, there was a general routine o Taking care of the deck, doing painting, etc. (21:46) · They would get to leave at 4 in the afternoon – they would only rest when they got back to the base (22:11) · There were 12 boats in the squadron and only two would go out together (22:32) · On the off days you would just hang out and do some hobbies that you enjoyed doing · There was a great amount of entertainment on the island (23:41) �· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · o He was able to see Bob Hope and Jerry Colonna (23:45) o They were able to go and see movies also From Bougainville Island he went to the Philippines (24:45) Periods of time where they did not have a military base, they served next to a PT Tender (25:11) He was always fed very well in the service The PT boat were approximately 79-82 feet in length and with a loaded cargo, they weighed nearly 50 ton (25:58) o The PT boats had 3, 12 cylinder Packard engines (26:11) o Two were always ready and the 3rd was a reserve § They rarely ran all three at one time o PT boats are made of plywood and mahogany (26:28) § The wood had to be continuously cleaned and cared for § He always felt safe in the boat even though it was made of wood When in the Philippines, he feels that there were less Japanese than before (27:33) On their patrols they would sometimes go to Borneo o There was a boat that was damaged during a patrol § After this, two boats were assigned to go back in daylight When on the islands, there was little contact with the natives (28:52) o There was much more contact in the Philippines § He believes that the Philippine people were more intelligent He traded his t-shirt for a knife (30:22) He remembers an engineer killed in action (31:39) o There were two other individuals that were cleaning a rope locker on a boat with gasoline § It ignited and caused a flash fire § He remembers their skin peeling off when someone tried to grab them § They died the next day He was able to leave the Pacific before the end of the war (33:36) He knew he was getting close to leaving when guys ahead of him were beginning to leave He flew a C-47 to where he boarded a large transport ship to go home (34:57) o There was a burial at sea when a soldier had died § The soldier was on a platform underneath the flag The trip was very easy and nice while coming home o He strung up his hammock underneath a lifeboat (35:59) He was coming home in the beginning of 1945 When he arrived, he went to a Naval holding station in San Francisco, California where they were replenished with new clothing, etc. (36:34) He went straight from California to his home for a 30 day leave After leave, he reported to the Fargo building in Boston, Massachusetts (37:05) He remembers spending a day with two girls that had a brother in the service (37:52) �· After Boston, he traveled around – just waiting to get out of the military After the Service – (39:20) · Went to Bainbridge, Maryland where he was discharged - 1946 (39:29) o He went and bought a nice suit and went home in that instead of his uniform · Once he was home, he hung out for a while before he decided to go to work (40:04) · He went to Federal-Mogul in Greenville, Michigan and was hired in to the plating department o He worked there for 33 years (40:24) · Looking back at his time in the service, he believes it was the greatest thing that any young man could face (42:18) o You are forced to get along with others � 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 Barker, Albert (Interview outline and video), 2012 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barker, Albert Description An account of the resource Albert Barker was born in 1925 in Stanton, Michigan. Albert grew up on a farm and was doing farm work when he was drafted into the Navy in 1943 and was then sent to Great Lakes, Illinois where he spent eight weeks in basic training. After his training, Albert was sent to the South Pacific where he met up with his PT squadron in New Caledonia. After being in New Caledonia, he was sent to Rendova Island where he patrolled waters against the Japanese. After Rendova, he was sent through the Solomon Islands until he was eventually sent to the Philippines. Albert was sent home from the Philippines and was discharged in Bainbridge, Maryland in 1946. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Kentwood Historic Preservation Commission (Kentwood, Mich.) WKTV WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) 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 2012-07-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BarkerA1388V 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/72c261b24a37c0005986006015fe6ec1.mp4 1af3ded37d7ea77289eeb8f34b2ed6bb https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/797451a4b4a88dc37b327e982b3fffca.pdf 5abdc7466ef963c58df75c37f2548450 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Robert Barker (00:33:19) Pre-Enlistment • Lived in Six Lakes, Michigan • Grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1926 (00:27) • Father was a barber, and mother was a beautician (00:33) • Moved around a lot as a child (00:45) • Father died when he was seven years old (00:55) • Mom had family in Lakeview, Michigan and they moved back there after the father’s death (01:09) • Went to school in Lakeview (01:20) • Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan • Was here when Pearl Harbor occurred (01:33) • He did not think the war would last long enough for him to enter in to it, so he didn’t think much about the war (01:50) Enlistment • He got drafted at age 17 (02:05) • Got a job at General Motors in Grand Rapids, and worked there for 32 years after the war (02:34) • Had a few months in between the end of high school and before he got drafted, he enjoyed his youth (02:49) • Got drafted in 1944(03:09) Training • Went to Fort McClellan, Alabama for training (03:17) • Seventeen weeks of basic training (03:25) • Went to Texas with the 13th Armored Division, and was assigned to an armored infantry unit. (03:30) • Straight infantry training trained in every weapon one can think of, basic marches and procedures, etc. (03:40) • Drill sergeants were okay, pretty nice even • One was ready to retire after he trained Barker’s regiment (04:00) • 20 mile hike at the end of the training o It’s hot in Alabama, he wasn’t used to the weather yet (04:21) • Still regular infantry training in basic (04:53) • Had weekend passes to go off the bases o Ice cream, beers, small town, free bus rides to and from the base (05:07) • Only trained in good weather in Texas o Not so great for real time experience (06:00) • Regular training in the 13th Armored division (06:37) �Was just training, not very hard Rifleman, trained with everything, mortars, flamethrowers, etc. (07:33) 6 in a half track Backpacks had a lot of weight (07:55) Was in the panhandle of Texas Nice weather Had a lot of fun along with his training (08:26) The officer who was training his unit didn’t have combat experience or at least he doesn’t remember the officers in charge of his training having combat experience (08:51) Deployment • Sent everyone over 18 overseas o He wasn’t over 18 so he stayed (09:18) • He was 19 when he was deployed • Winter of 1944 (09:50) • Snowing in France when he arrived (10:25) • Ocean trip was bad for some people, sea sickness mostly (10:33) • Used to being in and on water because he lived on a lake in Michigan (10:52) • Can’t think of the name or type of the ship he was on during his transportation (11:08) • Traveled in a large convoy, nice weather during the transport as well (11:34) • Thought he was being attacked during the voyage, but wasn’t and got over fine (12:09) • Arrived in the November-December time period, doesn’t remember exact date (12:22) • Still with the 13th Armored Division (12:45) • Shipped to some barns in the country side for some period of time before they saw any action (12:59) Battle • Sent into battle, they were not told what they were going to be doing or where they were going, just told to pack up and head out. (13:15) • Doesn’t remember the location but they were basically the “clean up crew” (13:37) • Dealt with a lot of Prisoners of War (13:47) • Was sent to Germany • Very difficult to cross over the Rhine (14:00) • The P.O.W.s were mostly younger and older men, “had a funny smell to them” • The German soldiers were pretty nice (14:40) • His division was in charge of escorting the P.O.W.s to the camps behind the Allied lines (15:00) • Traveled around a lot (15:25) • The French people were nice and friendly • They seemed very behind in the times concerning technology o Plowing with wooden sledges is an example • • • • • • • • �• The Germans seemed more industrialized o Idea of Germans taking the French people’s technology (16:00) Did not have a lot to do with the German populace, they did not like the Americans that much (16:27) • There always seemed to be some type of gunfire on the Allied armies at some point in the day o Lost a friend at one point to the gunfire (17:00) • Comments on the cement towers the Germans built to keep the Allied tanks out o It was a “sight to see” (17:27) • Other divisions had already gone through the areas before his division got there (17:38) • Never faced a big fight because his division came in at the end of the battles (18:08) • Had to dig in at one point due to German artillery firing (18:32) • Camped in empty houses were the local population evacuated • Camped in a training ground that the Germans used to train their officers • Slept in a bathtub (19:00) • Helped themselves to ”loot” in houses • When he returned he had to let the higher up officials look through his “loot” and take what they wanted (19:50) • Mostly passed through destroyed towns, didn’t stay anywhere long (20:54) • Went through the Alps (21:25) • Not much damage was done to the towns he went through in the Alps and southern Germany (22:25) • Went into Austria for a bit (23:15) • War was still going on when he was in Berchtesgaden • Did a lot of traveling around mostly looking for people to arrest or escort back to camp (23:40) End of the War • Doesn’t remember when he heard the war was over (23:55) • People happy to see the Allies in towns after the surrender (24:28) • A lot of people were out and about when there was no fighting going on around the area (24:50) • Scheduled to go to CBI (China Burma India) after the European war was over (25:26) • Went back home before transferred, got out of the army (25:48) • The 13th Armored Division was disbanded, changed over to the 5th division, then changed again into the 3rd army (25:55) • All of them going back home were sent to a camp before going back home (27:07) • Camps were named after cigarette brands (27:30) Going Home • Doesn’t remember much about the trip home o He did run into an inactive mine on the boat though (27:39) • �• • • Got a state dinner when he arrived back in the US Went home straight after (28:16) Re-enlisted into the basic army so he could be home for Christmas (28:42) • 1946 actually got out of the army he thinks (29:00) Post War Life • He got married in 1946 and was out of the army for a while before that (29:23) • Made a lot of good friends during his service • A lot of good exercise and good times (30:03) • He was with the same people he trained with during the war o He was with people from allover the country (30:40) • Paraded through Cincinnati, while in the basic army o Doesn’t remember what it was for (31:48) • Doesn’t remember where he was based in during his last year in the army o Somewhere in Cincinnati or Nashville (32:30) � 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 Barker, Robert M. (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barker, Robert M. Description An account of the resource Robert Barker was born in 1926 and was drafted into the army early in 1944. He trained in Alabama and Texas with the 13th Armored Division and was shipped to Europe late in the year. He served as an armored infantryman, with his unit serving mostly in "clean-up" roles during the advance into Germany in 1945. His unit was in Austria when the war ended, and captured a large number of prisoners. His division was disbanded in 1945 and he switched into the 5th Infantry Division. He remained in the army until mustering out in 1946. 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 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 2008-01-24 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BarkerR 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/5f3fe735b6a82bb05b5e103302ef9512.pdf f6c46909e786e577f6a1d1cdf3b75dfa PDF Text Text � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/efc7a0f674d27b86a21467ed4ae33dce.pdf dfe152563af5a40cf9f1d1e4ea118a31 PDF Text Text [Page 1] Albany October 31. ’55 My Dear Sir, I am much obliged to you for your letter of the 26th, suggesting a plan for the settlement of the slavery difficulties between the North & the South. God knows, I wish for a final settlement as much as any man. Your suggestions seem reasonable & feasible. And, for one, I am ready to co-operate in this, or any such plan, that wise & moderate men may suggest & adopt, which may seem to promise repose to the country & safety to the Union. But I suppose, in spite of every thing, ultraists, & rule-or-ruin men, will agitate to the end of the chapter. And it has seemed to me that the best kind of Union for the country would be --- as it has been --- a truly national Whig party, resolved, & pledged to have no slavery issues where it sho[uld] be possible to avoid them, and to differ upon them, when unavoidable, as wise men, & in the forbearing & compromising temper & spirit of the Constitution ~ With great respect, Very truly yours D.D. Barnard � 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 Civil War and Slavery Collection Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Slavery--United States African Americans United States--Politics and government--19th century Description An account of the resource A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemmen, Harvey E. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</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 1804-1897 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 image/jpg; application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image; Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1804-1897 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-44_NS1-15487 Title A name given to the resource Nathan Sargent from Daniel Dewey Barnard, October 31, 1855 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1855-10-31 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barnard, Daniel D. (Daniel Dewey), 1797-1861 Description An account of the resource Letter in support of Sargent's plan to reach a settlement on slavery. Barnard sees the best chance of maintaining the Union to be a national Whig party. Subject The topic of the resource Sargent, Nathan, 1794-1875 Whig Party (U.S.) United States--Politics and government--19th century United States--Officials and employees Customs administration Washington (D.C.) Pennsylvania Language A language of the resource eng 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> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent papers, (RHC-44)</a> 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/7108a84d19728028bc87bb7fb2c7c1a1.jpg ff8446d1f8608a4be28ed2f9ed77bcd3 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 Mathias J. Alten Collection Subject The topic of the resource Grand Rapids (Mich.) Artists--Michigan Painters Photographs Description An account of the resource Digitized photographs, artworks, and diary transcript from the papers of West Michigan painter, Mathias J. Alten (1871-1938) represent one of the most important collections in the holdings of both the University Library's Special Collections and the University Art Gallery. Alten, a German native who came to Grand Rapids as a youth, is a celebrated American regionalist often referred to as the Dean of Michigan Painters. The photographs and papers document his family life and career and support the collection of Alten paintings owned by the University. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alten, M. (Mathias), 1871-1938 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/456">Mathias J. Alten papers (RHC-28)</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 Image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-28 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1893 - 1929 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. Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/456">Mathias J. Alten papers, RHC-28</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-28_MAlten_00045_by_Barnes_GRP Title A name given to the resource Sketch of Mathias Alten by Ray Barnes Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barnes, Ray (Illustrator) Description An account of the resource Sketch of Mathias Alten by Ray Barnes, published in the Grand Rapids Press. One illustration used in article, ""G.R. artist began his notable career near inspiring German miracle spring."" Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives Subject The topic of the resource Alten, M. (Mathias), 1871-1938 Grand Rapids (Mich.) Artists--Michigan Painters Photographs 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 Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ab5368eae9e94b8ee9d602e4f30e05d3.pdf 6a18a26e573206349ae0af28ffc3cac2 PDF Text Text I I BARODA TOWNSHIP GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1993 Prepared by Baroda Township Planning Commission · and Steiding Associates Cassopolis, Michigan �II I I I I II II I I I I I I I I I '- BARODA TOWNSHIP GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 'P~4 '8a,,uuu 7 ~ ' P ~ ~ a,,ed, S~;'I~ ~-11t~ November 1993 �'I 1. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I TABLE OF CONTENTS I. IL INTRODUCTION . 1 EXISTING CONDITIONS. 2 A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. 2 3 I. III. IV. V. Location Natural Features and Soils . Social and Economic Characteristics Housing Characteristics Existing Land Use Highways and Streets Water and Sewer County Drains Police and Fire 8 11 13 15 16 16 16 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 20 A. B. 20 21 Citizen Survey Statement of Goals GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN .26 A. B. 26 27 Basis for Planning Future Land Use IMPLEMENTATION A. B. C. D. E. F. General Plannin~ Commission Township Board . Public Participation Planning Tools Utilities 32 32 32 32 33 "33 35 �------~-- "-I I I I I I I I I I FIGURES AND TABLES 1. Climatic Data. 4 2. Population and Growth Rates 8 3. Baroda Township 1990 Age Cohorts 10 4. Education Attainment, Persons 25 and Over 10 5. 1989 Incomes and Poverty Status 11 6. Baroda Township Housing Stock 11 7. Median Housing Unit Value - 1990 12 8. Housing Units Fuel and Equipment Characteristics 13 CHARTS 1. Baroda Township Population Growth and Projections 9 MAPS 1. Location Map 2 2. Soil Limitation for Development 5 3. Agricultural Suitability T 4. Existing Land Use 14 I 5. Functional Classification of Highways 17 6. County Drains 18 I I I I I 7. Generalized Development Potential 29 8. General Development Plan . 31 �I. INTRODUCTION I I I I I I I I This General Development Plan contains the collective opinions of Baroda Township's governmental officials based on extensive input from the residents and property owners. The Township Board and Planning Commission have determined that plans must be made to direct and accommodate future growth and development, while protecting existing residents and uses. New residential, commercial, agricultural, recreational and industrial development will occur in the County and Township with resulting increases in demand for community services. Communities not having an effective plan or not engaged in a serious planning effort could be easily overwhelmed by unprecedented problems deriving from new development and/or changing conditions. As a result, costly errors can be made and land can be developed in such a manner that it would result in an inharmonious land use pattern. Water supply and sanitary sewerage disposal problems could occur, schools and community facilities could become overtaxed or be improperly located and smooth traffic flow interrupted. The General Development Plan, if properly implemented, can aid Baroda Township in avoiding such situations by acquainting local residents with present and potential trouble spots and offering remedial proposals or actions where necessary. The Zoning Ordinance, developed in association with this Plan, will assist in its implementation. This ordinance will establish community regulations over the type, density and arrangement of land uses, buildings and support facilities. Implementation of the Plan and achievement of the goals of organized growth will only result from a dedicated citizenry and governmental leadership. I '~ 1 �-II II I -II II II I I ' ' ' II. EXISTING CONDITIONS A. LOCATION Baroda Township is located in Berrien County, Michigan. Berrien County is located in the southwestern corner of Michiian on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the border with Indiana. Baroda Township is small, being only half of a survey Township. It is located an average of five miles east of Lake Michigan with Lake Charter Township located in the intervening area. Lincoln Charter Township is located to the North, Oronoko Township to the east and Weesaw Township to the south. Despite its relatively central location in the county the Township has no major highways traversing it. Cleveland Road runs south from St. Joseph through the Township to Galien while Shawnee Road runs east/west through the Township from Berrien Springs to Bridgeman. The Township is traversed by Hickory Creek flowing roughly south to north. The Village of Baroda located roughly in the center of the Township straddles the creek. The Village and immediate environs constitutes the primary developed area in the Township. Map 1 LOCATION MAP 1-94 ·--·--·--·---·--· 2 �'II II I I II II I I I I II '- B. NATURAL FEATURES AND SOILS General The development of Baroda Township must be conducted in full cognizance of the basic physical conditions of the area. Phys1ographic history, wetlands, climate, soils conditions, and other features all have varying effects on the enhancement or constraint of development and other activities. Evaluation of these conditions can help determine the most productive areas for agriculture, and help properly place the growth necessary to accommodate the future population. Physiographic History Three basic historic periods have contributed to the physiographic features of the Township of today. The first consisted of a period we know least about and laid down the material that is now consolidated rock. Of sedimentary origin, the rocks that dominate this zone are shales, sandstones, and limestones. The next period of influence was the movement of glaciers over the area. For a period of about one million years glacial ice sheets advanced and retreated over the land and laid down glacial drift in thicknesses of 150 to 350 feet over Baroda Township. This has completely obliterated the underlying bedrock and its features. The most recent movement of ice over the Township was that of the Laurentian Ice Shield during the Wisconsin glacial period about 18,000 years before present. The glacial features of Baroda Township include every type of formation found in the surrounding area. Lake plain, moraine, outwash plain, water deposited plain, and recent deposition are all surficial features that provide a variety of conditions, and consequently a variety of use suitabilities. The third action influencing the physical features of today is the surficial weathering caused by precipitation and other present-day climatic actions. This weathering has blended the glacial topography boundaries in the Township and formed soils and other recent depositional features. Climate Berrien County has a moderate, continental climate characterized by cool summers and mild winters. There are, of course, occasional short-term winter cold spells and summer heat waves. The moderating influence of Lake Michigan upon Baroda Township is strong through the year. Because of the prevailing westerly winds, spring and early summer temperatures may be somewhat cooler than experienced in central and eastern Michigan. Fall and winter temperatures, conversely, tend to be milder. These characteristics are what makes up Michigan's fruit belt, of which Baroda Township is a part. There are, of course, areas where micro-climate situations do occur, resulting in frost pockets in late spring and early fall. 3 �'II Precipitation is well distributed throughout the year with the crop season, May-October, receiving approximately 60 percent of the year's precipitation. June, with about 4.2 inches of precipitation, is the wettest month, while February's 1.94 inch average makes it the driest month. I Figure 1 CLIMATIC DATA Average temperature: 49 .4 degrees F Highest temperature recorded: 103 degrees F (June 1953) Lowest temperature recorded: -21 degrees F (January 1943) Average yearly precipitation: 36.88 inches Annual Mean Snowfall: 60 inches Rainfall Maximum, 25 year, 25 hours rainfall: 4.5 inches I I II II I I Soils The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a modern soil survey for Berrien County in 1980. This soil survey identifies limitations and hazards inherent in the soil, improvements needed to mitigate or overcome the limitations, and the potential environmental impact of selected land uses. Baroda Township has a very diverse group of soils types, most of which have drainage related problems. Map 2 shows Soil Limitations for Development related to soils in the Township. As can be seen from the map, major development limitations primarily include flooding, ponding and wetness. Looking at these problems in some detail certain patterns develop. Cohoctah sandy loam and Cohoctah-Abscota sandy loam are alluvial soils found along the floodplains associated with Hickory Creek and Lemon Creek. These soils are subject to flooding and are poorly drained to moderately well drained. A large area of the Township is a broad flat plain with a series of soils subject to ponding and very serious wetness problems (ground water levels within one foot of the surface). The Houghton Muck, Edwards Muck and Palms Muck of course have serious ponding problems and other related problems inherent in muck soils. Other soils subject to ponding include the Pella silt loam, Poy silt loam, Gilford sandy loam and Sebewa loam. These areas are found throughout the Township, but are concentrated in the western twothirds of the Township south of the Village. There is an extensive county drain system designed to help · alleviate the problem, but serious development limitations still exist in these areas. Another very large area of the Township contains a group of soils with a very high water table. The water table is within one to three feet of the surface in these areas. The soils in this group include Blont loam, Kibbie Loam, Monitor loam, Brady sandy loam and Thetford loamy sand. These soils also present very significant development problems. Again, these soil types are located throughout the Township but are concentrated in the northern half. 4 �' Map 2 I BARODA I TOWNSHIP I I SOIL LIMITATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT I I I I ', ' \ • • Flooding Ponding •0000 0000 .C , 0000 , OOOQ ~ Wetness Steepness Mixed Slight Baroda Township Planning Commission and Steiding Associates, Cassopolis, MI 1993 "' MIL. ES 5 �'"I -I I I I The Ockley loam and Riddles-Oshtemo Complex along with other minor soil series present a mixed list of development limitations, mainly related to slope, drainage and stability. The lower slope areas present moderate development limitations while the steeper slopes present more serious limitations. These areas are generally located along the eastern third of the Township south of Lemon Creek Road, and are intermixed with areas which have severe development limitations due to excessively steep slopes. The shallow sloped Oshtemo sandy loam, Riddles-Oshtemo complex, Oakville fine sand and Spinks loamy find sand, have few or slight limitations to development. These areas are scattered throughout the Township, but tend to run in an interrupted ridge along the Hickory Creek floodplain. Based on soil limitations, only a small portion of the Township is well suited for development. Those areas suitable for on-site sewage disposal using a conventional septic tank and drainage field are even more limited. Map 3 identifies those areas of prime agricultural soils as identified and defined by the State of Michigan. The prime agricultural soils include all of the following soils which have slopes of 6% or less. Oshtemo sandy loam Ockleyloam Riddles loam Brady sandy loam Tustin loamy fine sand Rimer loamy fine sand Coupee silt loam Martinsville fine sandy loam Metea loamy sand Selfridge loamy sand There is a second large group of soils which are considered prime if they are properly drained. In Baroda Township extensive drainage systems have been developed and some of these areas are the best and most productive in the Township. The soils in this group include: · Crosier silt loam Rensselaer silt loam Gilford sandy loam Monitor loam Sebewa loam Lenawee silty clay loam Belleville loamy fine sand Kibbieloam Pella silt loam Blount loam Pewamo silt loam Whitaker loam Poy silt loam Shoals silt loam 6 �' ' -I -I Map 3 ~ BARODA TOWNSHIP AGRICULTURAL SUITABILITY \ RD. Prime with Drainage Enrolled in 11111111111 I ' ' ' P.A. 116 RD. ./I' / . I I I I ~ Baroda Township Planning Com111issio11 and Steiding Associates, Cassopolis , Ml 1993 \ 1.,, I• .:;:. . " I lie :o .. , s- '" MILES ,,"' 7 �-, II • • • •II -I ' ' ' Many of the muck areas in Baroda Townshi{' have been drained and are used extensively for unique or specialty crops. The soils in this group are not considered prime agricultural soils but are important locally. They include the Houghton muck and Edwards muck. In reviewing the Development Limitations map and Agricultural Suitability it is quickly observed that those soils with the fewest develorment limitations are also the best natural agricultural areas. This presents some potentia conflict, but careful planning can assist in integrating these uses. Intensive development should be limited to those areas with slight or moderate limitations. Low density development can occur in those area~ of mixed capabilities, and some of the very steep slope areas with proper engineering precautions. Extensive development (e.g. single family subdivisions) may occur on the Brady sandy loam if proper engineering precautions are taken and municipal or central sewage disposal is available . C. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS Possibly the most important factors to the future of the community is its past and present population. Understanding the social and economic characteristics of the community is most important in determining the needs and opportunities for future growth or changes. An analyses of the trends and characteristics helps a municipality make the necessary provisions to accommodate future growth in an orderly manner. When considering the population of Baroda Township it is important to understand whether the Village population is included or excluded in the total. For the purpose of this section all figures include Village totals unless specifically stated otherwise. Two factors result in this approach. The U.S. Census of Population does not provide a breakdown for most categories, and this Plan is directed to consideration of the total community. Finally, annexations can have a significant impact on figures. Baroda Township has experienced steady growth over the past forty years. The growth rate was rather consistent and significant over the thirty year period between 1950 and 1980. Between 1980 and 1990 the Township expanded only 2.4% or 65 people. This growth, although small was significant when compared to the overall Berrien County decline of 5.8% during the same period. Figure 2 presents population growth for the Township, Village and County over the past 40 years. Figure2 POPULATION & GROWTH RATES Baroda Township Baroda Village Combine TwpNill. Berrien County Number % Change Number % Change Number % Change Number % Change 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1214 1989 14.4 1663 19.7 2039 22.6 1.7 2074 334 488 504 627 657 46.1 3.3 24.4 3.2 1548 1877 21.3 2167 15.4 2666 23.0 2731 2.4 115,702 149,865 163,940 171,276 161,378 29.5 9.4 4.5 -5 .8 8 �-~ Chart 1 BARODA TOWNSHIP POPULATION GROWIH & PROJECTIONS Ill • • • • • -I ' ' 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 L-~~~da~V~i:lla:g:e----Baro 1950 1960 1970 1980 &eidi[8_/188odatEc5 PLANNERS :::::.---- ------- r\\g'n - - - ----· Low 1990 2000 2010 2020 9 �Ill II "II II II II II II II I "' ' The population is very homogeneous with 99.4% white in 1990. This compares to 99.2% white in 1980. Of the non-white population 0.2% was black and 0.4% other. This compares to 82.3% white, 15.4% black and 2.3% other for Berrien County in 1990. The median age in 1990 was 33.2. This is slightly younger than the 33.6 median for the County. The Township population was 50.4% female and 49.6% male. This is an extremely even split when compared to the County figures of 52.1 female and 47.9% male. The ten year age cohorts present a somewhat unusual picture of age distribution. The normal distribution is a pyramid. The deviation from this norm for the 10 to 20 and 20 to 30 age groups is unexplained except as it may relate to the lower birth rates of the late sixties and seventies. The average family and household size closely parallels that for the County. There were 3.02 persons per family and 2.62 persons per household in the Township in 1990; compared to 3.01 persons per family and 2.60 persons per household in the County. In 1990 there were 799 families and 1043 households in Baroda Township. Figure 3 BARODA TOWNSHIP 1990AGECOHORTS Cohort 0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+ % 16.3 12.2 15.3 16.9 12.9 10.4 7.9 5.2 2.7 The education level of persons 25 and over in the Township is considerably more homogeneous than that of the County. Figure 4 presents a comparison of Township and County figures. The 79.4% high school graduation rate is significantly higher than the County figure of 74.7%, while the 13.1% with bachelors degrees is significantly lower than the County. The percentage of veterans in Baroda Township is also significantly higher (11.3%) than the County (8.1 % ) Figure 4 EDUCATION ATTAINMENT, PERSONS25 & OVER Baroda Township High School Graduate Bachelors Degree 79.5% 13.1 % Berrien County 74.7% 16.7% 10 �II II II II II II II II II II I II II Ill Ill 1989 income figures present an interesting mixed picture when compared to the County. Figure 5 presents both Township and County per capita, family and household incomes. Figure 5 1989 INCOMES & POVERTY STATUS Per Capita Family Household % Below Poverty Baroda Townshw 1979 198 $6931 $12577 19312 34183 17428 31042 9.0% 6.2% Berrien County 1979 1989 $6723 $12636 19166 32219 16247 27245 13.5% 14.7% The per capita income at $12,577 was $59 less than the Berrien County average; however, average family income was 5.7% higher and household income was 12.2% higher than the County. The percentage of people below poverty level was less than half the County figure. This is consistent with a more homogeneous middle class population. The significant difference between household and family incomes is the result of fewer households with children below the poverty level. In summary, the social and economic data portrays a stable hardworking citizenry. This bodes well for the long term future of Baroda Township. This is further evident when 1979 and 1989 figures are compared. The percapita income for the Township increased only 81.5% while that for the County increased 88.0%. Meanwhile the number of persons living below the poverty level declined by 31.1 % while Countywide the figure increase 8.9%. The reason for such a decline is not readily apparent. The number of persons over 65 below at the poverty level declined but only in about the same ratio as the total. D. HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS Baroda Township including the Village had 1,110 housing units in 1990. Of this total 17.2% were constructed between 1980 and 1990 while 20.0% were constructed before 1940. This represents a significantly newer housing stock than the County as a whole. In the County 24.5% was built before 1940 and only 10.0% was built between 1980 and 1990. It would appear a significant portion of the newer units were mobile homes added · in the Village. The housing stock in the Township incresed 8.2% between 1980 and 1990. This is significantly higher than the 1.1 % increase for the County. Comparing 1980 and 1990 housing stock figures can be misleading. In 1980 there was a category of units called yearround. The number of units in both the occupied/vacant and type of structure subcategories total to the year-round total not to the total number of housing units. This unreconcilable difference makes it difficult to establish any meaningful conclusions for changes indicated between 1980 and 1990 figures. The 51.3% increase in mobile homes for the period is significant and not affected by the problem just discussed. Much of this change is the result of a new mobile home park in the Village of Baroda. 11 �'II I I II II II II I I II II A total of 93.8% of all housing units were single family units in 1990. This included 68.6% conventional single-family and 25.5% mobile home units. Clearly the preferred housing arrangement is a single family unit re~ardless of price. This is typical of preferences for most of rural Michigan. It is not anticipated this propensity will change in the foreseeable future. Figure 6 BARODA TOWNSHIP HOUSING STOCK 1980 Housing Units Year-round Owner Occupied Renter Occupied Vacant I-Unit Detached 1- Unit Attached 2 to 4 Unit 5+ Units Mobile Home 1,026 982 783 150 49 693 18 54 11 187 1990 % Change 1,110 8.2% -0- -0- 895 148 67 762 24 40 1 283 14.3% -1.3% 36.7% 10.0% 33.3% -25.9% -051.3% Figure 7 compares housing values and rents for Berrien County and Baroda Township. The average value of owner occupied property was 15.5% higher for the Township. This is particularly significant when considering 25.5% of all units were mobile homes in the Township while only 6.9% were mobile homes in the County. Similarly, the average Township monthly rental was 11.25% higher than the County. These figures reflect the newness and better maintained housing stock in the Township. Figure 7 Baroda Township & Berrien County Median Housing Unit Value - 1990 County Owner Occupied Value Monthly Rent $52,800 $294 Township $61,000 $327 The occupancy and size of units is interesting particularly in light of the average values discussed above. Township owner occupied units averaged 5.9 rooms. This was slightly smaller than the 6.1 rooms for the County. The occupancy rate at 2.59 persons per unit was below the 2.67 rate for the County. Figures for rental unit size and occupancy are reversed. Rental units had an average 5.1 rooms for the Township compared to the County's 4.4, and occupancy rates of 2.77 and 2.43. This would indicate a higher percentage of families in Township rental units than countywide. 12 �Ill II Figure 8 BARODA TOWNSHIP HOUSING UNITS FUEL AND EQUIPMENT CHARACTERISTICS II I I Public Water Public Sewer Lacking complete plumbing Lacking complete kitchen Utility Gas Bottled or LP Gas Electric Heat Fuel Oil II II II I II I II II ' ' 1980 1990 43.8% 20.2% 0.5% 1.2% 38.6% 1.0% 16.0% 36.6% 54.2% 39.6% 0.2% 0.6% 48.6% 4.7% 14.0% 26.8% Figure 8 presents a comparison of fuel and equipment characteristics between 1980 and 1990 for the Township's housing stock. In summary, the number of units served by public water and sewer increased significantly during the decade, while the number of units without complete plumbing and kitchen has declined to insignificant. The change in heating fuels reflects conversion of units to more economical options with utility and bottled gas increasing while electric and fuel oil declined. In summary, Baroda Township's housing stock is well maintained and has improved over the past decade. The housing stock increased by 8.2% and there was a replacement of 9.0% of the units during the decade. The improvement and upgrading of equipment, services and fuel is positive improvement of existing units. Finally, the average value of units is high, and protection and enhancement of these values should be a priority in the planning process. E. EXISTING LAND USE Baroda Township is an agricultural/rural residential area adjacent to an urban and urbanizing area. Development is centered around the Village of Baroda and the lake areas. The majority of all development is in the northern half of the Township. A township wide land use survey was conducted in the spring of 1993. This information is portrayed on Map 4, and can be described as follows. Residential Residential development in the Township is primarily single family homes on large lots or small one to five acre plots along the existing roads. There are only a few small plated subdivisions in the Township. They are located adjacent to and near the Village, off Cleveland Road and around Singer Lake. As previously noted growth has been limited, but steady over the past several decades. The rural residential development historically occurred adjacent to the Village and along Marrs, Hinchman, Cleveland, Lemon Creek and Ruggles roads. More recently development has concentrated on Singer and Hess lakes, and in the hilly areas in the east central portion of the Township. Recently development has been occurring along the Stevensville- Baroda Road. Most residential development is 13 �I I I I I I I, I I I Map 4 ! ,/ BARODA TOWNSHIP EXISTING LAND USE D D D Residential Commercial Industrial Recreation Cemetary Agriculture Baroda Township Planning Commission and Steiding Associates, Cassopolis, Ml 1993 �concentrated in the northern half of the Township. The most notable exception to this general development pattern is the large mobile home park on the corner of Shawnee and Cleveland. Commercial All commercial development is located on the primary roads in the northern part of the Township. Most is located adjacent to or near the Village. The commercial uses represented are of a rural or neighborhood nature. The Village is still the primary commercial center, resulting in a vitality and appearance not necessarily found in communities of its size anymore. Industrial The Township contains only one true industrial use, a plating company on Shawnee Road. The County Road Commission facility is classified industrial due to the nature and intensity of use. There are several small industries in the Village providing a very healthy local jobs base. Agriculture An estimated 75% to 80% of the Township is devoted to a variety of agricultural uses. The low areas and flatter upland area is used for a wide variety of row and specialty crops. This use ranges from corn to rhubarb. The slopes and rolling areas are devoted to a variety of fruits and grapes. There is little livestock farming in the Township. With no large feedlots or range operations observed. There is almost no wooded or forested areas. A 1978 land cover survey found only 7.9% of the Township forested. This was the lowest percentage of any municipality in Berrien County. Other identified uses in the Township are recreation, cemeteries and two small lakes. Less than one percent of the Township was classified as wetland in the 1978 study. This in an area which without drainage may be some of the wettest areas in the region. F. HIGHWAYSANDSTREETS Highways are generally classified in two ways. First, is their designation for funding purposes and second, is their functional classification. The funding classification is roughly based on their function . There are a total of 49.68 miles of public roads and streets in Baroda Township. There are no interstate or state highways in the Township; therefore, all roads are maintained by the Berrien County Road Commission with County and Township funding sources. There are 25 .77 miles of primary roads, 22.94 miles of local roads and 0.97 miles of subdivision streets. The primary roads are Cleveland, Hills, Stevensville-Baroda, Lincoln, Hinchman, Lemon Creek, Shawnee and Snow. 15 �J ~ I I I • • - Toe Michigan Department of Transportation has classified all roads in the State using a functional classification system which is based on defining the role or function a particular road serves in the overall highway network. Map 5 shows this functional classification system as it applies to the Township. Again, within this classification system there are no interstate or arterial highways in the Township. This system designates major co1lectors, minor co1lectors and local roads in the Township. It is anticipated this classification system will become more important in the future due to funding changes at the federal and state level. Presently all but approximately 1.75 miles of the 49.7 miles of road in the Township are paved. The unpaved roads are Keehn Road and the southern three quarters of a mile of Spitzke Road. Most of the primary roads are in good repair and the most heavily traveled portion of Cleveland Road m the Township is currently being repaved. As with a number of communities many of the local roads are in need of maintenance. G. WATER&SEWER The Village of Baroda has both municipal water and sewage disposal. Water service is provided in the west/central portion of the township by the Lake Township water system. Based on interpretation of the 1990 Census figures it is estimated approximately one-third of the housing units in the Township including the mobile home park are served by municipal or central water. Toe rest of the Township relies on individual wells. Sufficient quantities of groundwater are readily available to provide required individual and agricultural needs if the water quality is maintained. This may be difficult, however, based on present trends. A central sewage disposal system is provided in the mobile home park and the village is serviced by a municipal system. There is no municipal sewer service in the Township and present development levels would not appear to present a pressing need for such service . The Village has a lagoon system which may present some potential for expansion in the future ; however,it has limited excess capacity and expansion may be difficult. Again, proper development controls may limit the need for municipal systems. This will depend on the design and construction of individual systems that overcome the severe limitations of most of the natural soils in the area for on-site sewage disposal. H. COUNTY DRAINS Baroda Township has possibly more miles of county drains per acre than any other township in Southwestern Michigan. Map 6 shows the county drain system in the Township. There are approximately 42 miles of County Drains in the Township. Baroda Township assesses a special drain district tax to maintain this extensive network. Toe system is very necessary to draining what would otherwise be a very extensive wetland and ponded land. I. POLICE & FIRE Baroda Township ~as twenty-fo~r hour po~ice/rotectio~ wi~h two full t~e and seve~ part time officers. This departmen~ 1s a. com~me To~sh1pN1llage opera~1?~· The citizen survey indicated exceptional sat1sfact1on wtth the pohce department. Fac1ht1es and 16 �I I I II -I -I •~ "• ' Map 5 RD. LINCO :,: ,.. 0 ,,...,,,,,....,,,,.. 0 "'z { _.. l ! 7/ / o tJ HINCHMAN BARODA TOWNSHIP / RO. MARRS ,, ,/ /~RANC I / I X "'"':,: z I I I / I I 0 \ I - •J-.,_,,_w,,,J' ..,,..,,,•• .,/ ,' I I I FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF HIGHWAYS LEMON Shut,, _Drain ( Major Collector -"\ ·------ · ,.. ;= ,,,../ I0 ~ - - -✓ - - Minor Collector . "':0 .' ':',,..t/ ~~, ✓/ ·· - · -· I / S.!KA:;.L.::.,;Al,.......-+---;---R_O.--j Local / ,, :0 w 0 ,. z Baroda Township Planning Commission and Steiding Associates, Cassopolis, MI 0 0 z 1993 \ \ i,,, \a l i~ l' !? "' i ,) ,/ "'0 RD, ( i ,) 0 / i· i i l. 1/Z wu,.u BROWNTOWN 17 �II II Map 6 BARODA II II I • • • • • • •~ JI TOWNSHIP "'""':x: z COUN1Y I I I I I DRAINS I I .,f_ .._ .. _ _ "\ _,J.. ··, . ,_.,, ·· :,:, LEMON RO. p S::SS/.. RO. RO. ·' •-$'~ " -- ~ I q_S/ I / I SKAL A I ~/ Baroda Township Planning Commission and Steiding Assosiates, Cassopolis, MI 1993 t parling & Gonder r ' ---1111 Sparling & ··· i) . :, 0 ·----1 Nixon Schutze Ill MIL.ts l...~ 18 �equipment are very adequate for the need. Offices are located in the joint Baroda TownshipNillage Hall. This unique combining of offices and facilities provides excellent office and meeting space for the needs of the Township and Village elected officials, and very nice meeting and office space for the police department. I -I • • • " The Baroda Fire Department is an all volunteer force with a full range of equipment designed for the needs of the fire district. The department must have equipment and training in firefighting both with and without hydrants. Again, the Department has a very adequate fire station providing excellent equipment storage, meeting and training space. Ambulance service is provided by contract with Medic 1 based in the Lake Township Fire Station located east of Bridgeman on Shawnee Road. All emergency services are at or above normally accepted levels for such services. Manpower, facilities, equipment and training all meet or exceed requirements. 19 �~ -I A. CITIZEN SURVEY I I The Baroda Township planning effort has involved an extensive process designed to maximize public input into the process and more specifically the establishment of goals and objectives. The process involved use of a public opinion survey and public meetings. The Baroda "Township Future Development Questionnaire" was mailed to all property owners in the Township and made available to other residents. A public meeting was also scheduled and held on Saturday April 24, 1993. -I • • • - III. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Approximately 650 survey forms were distributed and 262 were returned for a 40.3 % response rate. The tabulated responses and percentages are included as Appendix A in this document. The survey was designed to solicit input on specific planning and zoning issues. The results were used in formulating issues, and topics for discussion at the public meeting and other public forums . Clearly the survey respondents were not in favor of a lot of overall or residential growth in the Township. People were opposed to encoura~ement of subdivisions 55 % to 38% . They were opposed to cluster or condominium subdivisions 44% to 20%. Additional mobile homes in the Township were very unpopular with 69% opposed to additional mobile home parks; 50% opposed to mobile homes in agricultural areas and 64% opposed to mobile home subdivisions. For all of these questions 24+% had no opinion or did not answer. That makes the response 91 % opposed to more mobile home parks, 67% opposed to mobile homes in agricultural areas and 85% opposed to mobile home subdivisions for those with an opinion. The Township residents were very evenly split on large lot residential development (ten acres or more). The split was 45% yes, 42% no and 13% no opinion. By a margin of 60% to 40% of the 77 % with an opinion they felt such development should be zoned residential. Finally, by a margin of 55 % to 45% of those with an opinion it was indicated all residential development should be prohibited in prime agricultural areas. In summary, the survey results were consistent and pointed in suggesting large scale residential development was not desirable in the Township and the individual scattered residential development approach should be regulated and restricted. The survey further indicated residents felt new homes should be required to have a minimum 1000 sq. ft. (46 %). By 66% to 28% respondents feel commercial development should be encouraged; and by 57% to 36% they feel industrial development should be encouraged. By almost two to one it was indicated businesses should not be licensed by the Township, and that commercial development should be restricted to established commercial zones. By more than two to one of those responding the use of portable signs should be limited in time of use . By a ratio of almost four to one it is recommended that industrial development be screened by earth and plantings from residential areas; but by a ratio of two to one people do not think there is a need for standardized fencing requirements in the commercial or residential areas. 20 �-I I I I I I I I I • '• By over 50% and 77% of those with an opinion the survey indicated more home occupations should be permitted; and by a similar figure they should not be licensed. Township residents registered their strongest opinions in the survey that prime farm land should be preserved. This opinion was registered with a ratio of ten to one and 92% of those responding. By a ratio of two to one and 67% of those responding it was suggested that all farm land should be preserved. Along this same line on a question asking about maintenance of high grass and brush on the large residential lots, people were opposed to regulation and many cited in the comments section the need to create wildlife habitat. The survey respondents were very pleased with community services. Based on the survey indicated each was adequate and appropriate by very large margins for fire, police, ambulance and recycling services. By a margin of two to one for those with an opinion they felt the present county drain system was adequate. It is assumed the larger group with no opinion on this question was the result of many people not knowing that the system exists or what it does. The survey indicated people were generally pleased with the present zoning ordinance enforcement in the Township but that there was a need for better enforcement of junked car and burned building clean up. The survey results were consistent with what was later expressed at the public meeting and with the thought and comments of Township officials. Based on the survey the public meeting was used as a futuring session attemptin~ to get clarification on opinions and input on what should be done to solve specific social or economic issues. Discussion was stimulated on how to provide low cost starter housing for young couples if more mobile homes are not desirable in the Township; what additional types of home occupations should be allowed; and should there be two agricultural zones. The results of these discussions and subsequent meetings through final public hearing on the plan have been input into goals and objectives listed below. B. STATEMENTOFGOALS GOAL; Urban Growth - Take suitable measures to control the overall growth rate in Baroda Township. OBJECTIVE; To preserve the rural nature of the Township. OBJECTIVE: Recognize the natural limitations and capabilities of the area for development as part of the planning process. OBJECTIVE: To limit high density residential development to those areas capable of supporting it. 21 �"• • • • • • • • • ~ • • GOAL Residential Growth - Maintain a high quality of limited residential development in the Township which will fulfill the needs of the various population segments. OBJECTIVE: Allow future single-family residential development within the Township. OBJECTIVE: Allow individual single family mobile homes when economic and social needs dictate. 0 BJECTIVE: Discourage through traffic on local streets . OBJECTIVE: Discourage encroachment of commercial and industrial uses in residential areas . OBJECTIVE: Establish higher density residential development in areas having adequate public services and streets. OBJECTIVE: Encourage the establishment of recreational and cultural uses where necessary to serve the public need and convenience. OBJECTIVE: Based on changing economic and social needs allow for more diversified home occupations and use of residential property. GOAL Agricultural Preservation - Maintain and preserve agricultural lands to the extend possible. OBJECTIVE: Restrict growth and development in those areas identified as prime agricultural areas in the Land Use Plan. OBJECTIVE: Maintain the single agricultural zone approach allowing other State and Federal legislation to assist in preserving the prime areas. GOAL Commercial Growth - Encourage development of adequate commercial facilities for Township residents on the neighborhood community wide level without unreasonably intensifying traffic problems and residential land use disruptions. OBJECTIVE: Control large scale commercial development through land use designations and zoning. OBJECTIVE: Limit commercial growth to major highways and properly zoned areas. OBJECTIVE; Control commercial areas on major thoroughfares to prevent interference with residential uses on adjacent streets . 22 �JI • • • • • • • • •II OBJECTIVE: GOAL Encourage commercial developments to share entrances and exits in order to reduce the number of curb cuts and the resulting traffic problems . Industrial Development - Encourage industrial growth in the Township but regulate its location and intensity. OBJECTIVE: Locate industrial uses in areas which have the necessary transportation facilities and utilities. OBJECTIVE: Encourage enforcement of state laws with regard to air and water pollution. OBJECTIVE: Utilize light industrial or industrial-commercial uses as a buffer between heavier industrial uses and lesser intensity uses. OBJECTIVE: Locate heavier industrial uses in areas which are isolated from residential uses . GOAL Overall Land Use Compatibility - Promote orderly development of Baroda Township through the encouragement of adjacent compatible land uses . OBJECTIVE: Encourage future development of those areas as designed in the Land Use Plan . OBJECTIVE: Restrict the development of incompatible land uses through the implementation of zoning, subdivision control and other ordinances. OBJECTIVE: Encourage existing uses to conform with the designated intensity of land use. OBJECTIVE: Develop zoning regulation that will provide maximum flexibility for individual use while maintaining overall compatibility. GOAL Provision of Community Services - Provide all essential services and amenities to Township residents. OBJECTIVE: Maintain the present quality and service levels of fire, police and ambulance. OBJECTIVE: Provide sewer and water facilities to developed portions of the Township requiring such service. 23 �-I I • • • • • • • OBJECTIVE: GOAL: Enforce zoning and building codes in the Township. Transportation - Maintain and improve existing transportation facilities and systems to insure provision of adequate and. appropriate services to Township residents. OBJECTIVE: Encourage upgrading of roadways in the Township. OBJECTIVE: Encourage maintenance of existing county public transportation serving the township . OBJECTIVE: Cooperate with adjacent municipalities and other with regard to area-wide transportation problems with the emphasis on improving major thoroughfares . GOAL Recreation - Provide a diversity of recreational and open space facilities for the enjoyment of Township residents in accordance with local needs - with emphasis upon conservation of unique natural resources . OBJECTIVE: Provide neighborhood recreational facilities through the designation of such lands in the Plan and related land acquisitions where such lands are not currently in public usage. OBJECTIVE: Restrict development except as recreational land and open space areas in the undeveloped areas lying with wetland and floodways. OBJECTIVE: Promote the concept of multiple use of a facility through cooperation efforts for public facilities. OBJECTIVE: Encourage maintenance of natural areas for wild life and scenic enjoyment. GOAL: Public Participation - Encourage and promote active public participation in the community development process. OBJECTIVE: GOAL Solicit maximum citizen participation in the local decision making process. Plan Review - Provide for periodic review and updating of the Township General Development Plan. 24 �-I I I OBJECTIVE: Provide for periodic review and updating of goals and objectives in a rapidly changing society. OBJECTIVE: Insure maximum public input in the updating and changing process. -I -I • • • 25 �" "• • • • • • • • • • - IV.GENERALDEVELOPMENTPLAN The General Development Plan is a long-range plan designed to enable orderly and desirable growth in Baroda Township. The Plan recommends appropriate remedial or preparatory actions necessary to accommodate future Township needs. To achieve these recommendations coordination is provided to assist local efforts and to pace implementation programs in accordance with the projected growth and expansion of the community . The General Development Plan is devised after a thorough analysis of the factors affecting future development; consequently, the Plan is a competent document capable of guiding decisions to fulfill community needs. Unforeseen circumstances may arise creating new situations which may seriously affect or alter the development pattern envisioned at this time. In this event, the Plan must be updated and/or revised to reflect such changes. Never should the Plan be viewed as stationary, but as an on - going program, flexible enough to adapt to influential new circumstances. One of the most important aspects of the General Development Plan and of major concern to all Baroda Township residents is the Plan's function as the legal prerequisite to zoning and subdivision controls. Such controls are tools of policy, which are used to work towards the goals and objections developed earlier. With the support of private groups, the Township Board, the Township Planning Commission, other agencies, and the local citizenry, the zoning ordinances shall be one of the major vehicles used for implementing the General Development program . It should be pointed out that the failure to include some of the existing land uses on the General Development Plan map does not mean that those specific uses should be eliminated . One can assume, from the lack of such representation, that expansion and continued development of the specific use is not to be encouraged . A. BASIS FOR PLANNING The Basis for Planning contains the rationale underlying the General Development Plan . As a prelude to individual discussions of land use, community facilities and roads, the following criteria provide a broad outline of what the Plan hopes to achieve. The goals and objectives presented earlier in this report were utilized as a basis for the following format. Each individual element is measured against these objectives to test its effectiveness in furthering Township planning goals. Through an awareness of these objectives, many problems facing Baroda Township can be resolved with minimum inconvenience and expense. The Basis for Plannin~ supplements the overall goals and objectives established in the Goals and Objectives Section of this Plan. 1. The overriding and generalized objective of the Plan is the coordination of the diversified physical elements and the protection of the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the public. 26 �2. More particular objectives relate to physical resources, environmental enhancement and the provision of community identity. a. b. c. Physical Resources 1) Balancing land uses against current and anticipated needs. 2) Utilizing proper development procedures to insure compatibility of use with. 3) Provision of maximum return in comfort, convenience and services at a minimum of tax expenditure. Enhancement of Living Conditions 1) Provision of such amenities as greenery and open space. 2) Safeguard against housing blights and deterioration of property values. 3) Appropriate distribution of facilities and services. 4) Improvement of community appearance. Community Identity 1) Designation of developmental focal points. 2) Emphasis upon order and cohesion in the developmental pattern . 3) Maintenance of the suburban -rural environment. B. FUTURE LAND USE General II '• The natural conditions in Baroda Township are generally not the most condusive to intensive development. The areas geologic and physiologic history have resulted in much of the area having a rather unique hydrologic interface which places special limitations on the lands natural carrying capacity. An overall approach to offset these natural limitations is to allow, promote and encourage higher than normal densities for development in those limited areas most suited for development while discouraging any intensive development in those areas having severe development limitations. Within this framework Baroda Township can be roughly divided into four distinctive areas. These are portrayed on Map 7 "Generalized Development Potential" . The General Development Plan is presented on Map 8 . 27 �" "• • • • ~ • • • • • Area 1 has many of the same wet soils and areas subject to ponding as areas 2 and 4; however, there are interspersed areas better suited for development. This area has had some extensive development in the past and may contain as much as half of the current housing and population in the Township. It is the area in which water service is available and possibly has the easiest potential to be serviced by municipal sewers. This area, therefore, is the area in which development should be encouraged. Area 2 is an area with severe limitations to developments. Much of the area is subject to ponding with most of the remaining area being subject to very wet soils. Much of the land in this area has been enrolled in P.A. 116 the 11 Farmland and Open Space Pre•3ervation Act11 • The Township has approved preservation of these areas for agricultural use. Development should not be encouraged in this area. Development which does occur in this area should be closely reviewed and controlled to insure it is capable of overcoming and/or handling development problems which may occur. Provision of municipal services if necessary in this area could be difficult and very costly. Area 3 is an area of very mixed potential. There is a wide diversity of soils and terrain. It is a good agricultural area, particularly for orchards and vineyards. It, also, offers excellent opportunities for some very aesthetically pleasing and desirable low density development. It is an area that with proper development controls and care can be developed to reasonable densities without requiring unnecessary increases in municipal services . Area 4 is an area with very significant development limitations. Soil problems in this area are primarily wetness rather than ponding. But, the areas relative isolation or distance from existing services would make it more expensive to serve than area 1 in the near future . Therefore, extensive or intensive development should be discouraged. Much of this area is enrolled in P.A. 116 and it is the best farming area in the Township . Industrial Development Presently there is a solid industrial base in the Village of Baroda. There is a very diverse group of industries in terms of both products and size. In general there are no large areas suited for industrial deve1opment throughout the Township. The limited area most suited for future industrial development is located adjacent to the existing industrial development in the Village. Commercial Development Future commercial development should be an expansion and extension of eXJstmg commercial development. It should occur on the primary highways particularly at intersections in the immediate vicinity of the Village. Residential Development The highest densi~ residential development in the T?wnsh~p (~ediu!Il Density) should occur in the immediate area of Shawnee and Cleveland m con1unctlon with other high 28 �•II "• I • • • • • RD. L INCO :r 0 0 r 0 "'z 1r ,/ / AREA I I I = MARRS I Map 7 ,' BARODA TOWNSIDP / RD. / / I / I I I ,H .'!!93-- o [) HIN CHMAN - ·· ""' "' :r z ::0 0 RD. L EM ON GENERALIZED DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL RUSSEL)L SHAWNEE AREA ·-· 2 , SIE MON i l.. ::0 0 SNOW / ;: z 0 g ,' .J I I i i / i .i Baroda Township Planning Commission and Steiding Associates, Cassopolis , MI I 1993 .~ o "' WILES ::0 :l) p ::0 0 !=' , BROWNTOW N 29 �" -I density uses. Low density residential development should be concentrated in or near Area 1. Consideration must be given to the provision of municipal services in all cases of development exceeding two units per acre since at some point this type development will probably require such services to alleviate pollution problems. The most recent trend is for rural residential development on two to five acre parcels (some larger). This rural estate type of development is most appropriate on areas with soils suited for on site sewage disposal since provision of municipal services could be very expensive on a per unit basis. Therefore this type of development should be concentrated in Area 4. I Agricultural Development II • • • • • • • The retention of agricultural land in Baroda Township bas been stressed throughout this Plan . It has recognized those areas which should receive priority for continued agricultural use. As agricultural operations continue to evolve and become larger it wi11 become more important that other uses,especially residential growth, be discouraged from further location in the best agricultural areas. The expectations and real world are often in conflict. Todays intensive farming practices do mvolve noise, lights, spraying, dust and odors . Open Space and Recreation Development At present the Township has an exce11ent park facility at Hess Lake and there is a public access at Singer Lake. These facilities along with ones in the Village should serve local needs for the foreseeable future . There is a significant floodplain or floodway associated with Hickory Creek . Protection and preservation of this environmentally important and sensitive area should be a priority . Community Facilities Plan Present police and fire facilities are very adequate for the foreseeable future ; as are the general offices. The close working relationship between the Township and Village has resulted in the ability to provide some exceptionally fine services and facilities for communities of this size. The evaluation of roads and streets did not identify any new roads or major upgrades of existing roads which require priority. Maintenance of the existing system particularly those roads designated as local roads will be more difficult in the foreseeable future due to state and federal funds shifts. As previously indicated park and recreation facilities should be adequate based on projected growth. The primary concerns in the future will be at the expansion of municipal water and the provision of municipal sewers. 30 �.. "• • • • Map 8 ~ 0 r r r -< 0 "'z - :!: 0 0 MARRS \ ·- 0 :,J BARODA TOWNSHIP GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN r J:' L EM ON • • • • " • • • '- RO. LINCO :,:, . 0 ~ ~~ .lJ!..'!'!2.RD. 'I RUSSEUL Industrial Commercial Rural Residential Low Density Residential Medium Density Residential Mobile Home Park Prime Agricultural General Agricultural Open Space I I I I RO. SHAWNE - .. .,I I D D -··-·•-·, ·. \ I ,~ 1,,, - ,. 0 f !! i~ !I? ·s .. )·" :,J 0 . ii° ,c Baroda Township Planning Commission and Steiding Associates, Cassopolis, MI 1993 a 1/2 MILES . BROWNTOWN -- --~ - - - �~ ,. "• • • • • • • • " II" " " " L V. IMPLEMENTATION A. GENERAL Previous portions of this General Development Plan analyzed the various facets comprising Baroda township . From a study of existing conditions and projection of future requirements, it has been possible to formulate both specific and general recommendations intended to satisfy needs on a Township basis. The Plan cannot foresee a11 future developments and eventualities. It does, however, provide direction to the future growth of Baroda Township . There is always the possibility that through indifference or negligence the benefits of the planning program will not be achieved. A General Development Plan has value to the community only to the extent that it is effectively carried out. In a rural community such as Baroda Township, where it is not practical to have a permanent planning staff as a continuing function, the responsibility for the effectuation reverts to the citizens in general but more specifically to township officials. The degree to which these individuals and organizations assume this obligation will be a definite factor in the success or failure of the General Development Plan and the planning program in general. B. PLANNING COMMISSION The Baroda Township Planning Commission has perhaps the greatest responsibility in the effectuation of the General Development Plan. It is this group which should further analyze the recommendations of the General Development Plan and channel them for action. It will likely be necessary in some instances for the Commission to survey public opinion and conduct public hearings to be assured that their recommendations will be in accord with the wishes of the citizens as well as in the best interest of the Township . The response to the public opinion survey bodes well for the Township. It has a very active and interested population . This strength should be a major asset in the implementation process. An attitude of confidence and cooperation exists between the Commission and the Township Board. While the fu~ction? of _the Planning C<?mmission are large}y _of an advisory nature, the proper relat1onsh1p With the Board will allow the Comm1ss1on to relieve some of the duties and responsibilities of this governmental body. C. TOWNSHIP BOARD The Township board bas _a vital role in the effe~tu?tion of the General _Development P~an and a continuing plannmg program. By M1ch1gan _law, the function . of a Pla~nmg Commission is largely advisory and m?ny of the planm!1g. proposals requue the ~ltimate action of the board for final effectuation. Therefore, 1t 1s necessary that an attitude of mutual respect and cooperation be developed . The final decision of any action requiring the passage of an ordinance, rests with the Board . 32 �"" • • • • • • • •II ,. • ,.' The Township Board and the Planning Commission should be cognizant of matters of mutu~I interest and concern. This will be particularly true in the early stages of the Planmng Program so that the board will also be confronted with situations requiring the advice and recommendations of the Planning Commission . D. PUBLICPARTICIPATION It is obvious that the citizens have the responsibility to themselves as well as future generations to demonstrate interest in the planning program and assume an active role in its effectuation. However, individuals are generally reluctant to provide their support or criticism. For this reason, it has often been necessary for the Planning Commission to stimulate their interest through promotional activity, for it is this promotional activity, perhaps more than any other single aspect, that will assure a successful planning program . The normal channels of promotion are public meetings and hearings, news releases and actual contact with responsible individuals. Promotion is an educational process and is important since the realization of planning objectives based on sound principles can be accomplished and supported only if they are thoroughly understood. In many communities, the criticism of planning programs has often been voiced by those who are unfamiliar with the background and basis for specific projects and objectives. In Baroda Township where the members of the Planning Commission and the Board are largely part-time officials and have only a limited amount of time to devote to the planning program, it is necessary that the detailed projects requiring intensive study be evaluated by interested groups of communities of citizens. However, awareness of the Community's problems and a desire to rectify these problems must first be stimulated by the Planning Commission . E. PLANNING TOOLS Planning objectives, no matter how well they are formulated, may never achieve realization if legal controls are not provided. Development Plans must be accompanied by jurisdictional guides if future growth is to occur in a manner compatible with the aims and goals of the General Development Plan. · Once this plan has been adopted b_y the Baro~a Township Planning Commission and Board, there will be several means of 1mplementat1on: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Zoning Subdivision control ordinance Other ordinances Programs for public works Community support Agricultural conservation Zoning Ordinance The zoning ordinance 1s a powerful vehicle m facilitating the transition of a ]and use 33 �• •I II • • • • • -II '.. - 1111 ' concept to reality. By incorporating a zoning ordinance which corresponds with the land use plan and enforcing it without variance (exception), Baroda Township's leaders and citizens will find that their community can be protected from undesirable development or the _combining of incompatible land uses. Such an ordinance can protect the highly valued agncultural lands of Baroda Township from unnecessary encroachment and maintain utilities and amenities. The zoning ordinance does not only provide for the location of new developments, but specifies the manner which development must occur (i.e., industrial park development). The land use plan for a community is important as a document which indicated the present state of the community, and comprehensively charts a future course, while the zoning ordinance insures the orderly growth sought after in the plan . Subdivision Control Ordinance Although the Michigan State Subdivision Control Act of 1967, Public Act 288, spells out the specifications for subdivision design and procedures for plat approval, it is necessary for a Township to adopt a subdivision control ordinance to specify further those requirements needed by a particular community and to establish the framework for suitable township review of any preliminary or final plat. The subdivision ordinance can exert control over lot sizes, street right-of-ways, circulation patterns, easements, storm drainage specifications and provision for utilities. In conjunction with the zoning ordinance, the subdivision control ordinance can become a useful means of insuring orderly growth in tune with the public health, safety and welfare . Of all the implementation tools available to the Township, the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance are the most important. Their long-term effect will be the realization of the Plan objectives and goals . Agricultural Conservation It was determined by the township residents that the township should remain agricultural in nature. Prime agricultural lands should be preserved. Those areas not within the growth areas are considered to be agricultural and undevelopable and should remain so. This plan has limited growth to a point where preservation of productive agricultural lands may be accomplished . There are ~evera_l methods ~hich can h~lp to _pr~serve th~ a1sricultural nature of the township, tax mcentives, an Agncultural_Zonmg D1stnct, the M1ch1gan Open Space Preservation Act, and transfer of development nghts. Tax Incentives Government has recently realized the importance of farming and the need to preserve productive farm land. This realization has brought about the use of numerous tax incentives which enable the agriculture peoJ?le to preserve needed land: P.A. 116 has been used extensively by local farmers with an estimated 3875 acres enrolled rn the program. Agricultural Zone It should be remembered in zoning matters that the Agricultural Zone is just that. The zone designed to accommodate and promote agriculture. 34 �~ -I F. UTILITIES It is recommended that Baroda Township pursue a development plan and program designed to avoid the need for development or major expansion of sewer and water systems. The northwest portion of the Township can be serviced by expansion of existing services sufficient to service the density of development appropriate to the Township. It is recommended the Township consider a preliminary sewer feasibility study to review options and alternatives which may be available if necessary. I I I I I I I I ~ '~ 35 � 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 Baroda-Twp_General-Development-Plan_1993 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Baroda Township Planning Commission, Baroda Township, Berrien County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1993-11 Title A name given to the resource Baroda Township General Development Plan Description An account of the resource Baroda Township General Development Plan prepared by the Baroda Township Planning Commission and Steiding Associates in November 1993. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Steiding Associates (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Master plan reports Baroda Township (Mich.) Berrien 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/91175a19c0388acdfaa932feaf4c9a9a.m4v a834349fc8d6b3e928c635b620ea46b6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3af2e9166bc11b6d831ad802a063dca9.pdf 9f601cf7cc9277cd8a2c54451fbfa91e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Robert Barrett World War II 1 hour 52 seconds (00:00:20) Early Life -Born in Ohio in 1925 -Lived in Zanesville, Ohio until he was eight years old -Moved to Columbus, Ohio -Lived with his mother and grandmother -Went to high school in Columbus -Moved to Muskegon, Michigan -Father worked as a farmer -Left the family when Robert was six or seven years old -Moved to Columbus because his father left -Went to Muskegon High School in Muskegon, Michigan -Dropped out in the 11th grade to join the Navy -He was an only child -Mother owned and operated a restaurant in Columbus -He helped her at the restaurant -Despite the Great Depression things went well for them (00:03:53) Enlisting in the Navy -Went to Reeds Lake Naval Recruiting Station in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Enlisted there -Given a brief physical examination -Only seventeen years old -Enlisted on a Wednesday -Told to get two cavities filled then report back the following Monday -On that Monday his mother and stepfather brought him to Grand Rapids -Took a bus from Grand Rapids to Detroit and was sworn into the Navy -There were twenty, or twenty five, men in his group being sworn in -Placed in a hotel for the night (00:06:23) Basic Training -Sent by bus to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -First part of basic training was processing -Hand to hand over their civilian clothes and be issued their uniforms -Some men were issued ill fitting uniforms -Issued white uniform, blue uniform, t-shirts, underwear, socks, shoes, and hats -Issued a bag with toiletries -Toothbrush, toothpaste, and shaving supplies -Assigned to a barracks and a bunk -Place was nice and clean -He got assigned to an upper bunk �-Liked it because it was less confined than a lower bunk -Did well with basic training -Taken to a Navy dentist to have other cavities filled -A large amount of men in his barracks had to have their teeth pulled -He got reassigned to another training company and got moved to another barracks -Had picnic tables in their barracks for writing letters or playing cards -Went to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner at established times -At night they had to use steel wool to get scuff marks off the barracks's floor -Lights out at 9 PM -Began training in June 1943 -Ordered not to talk after lights out -If you kept talking you had to go on a march at midnight -Commanding officer was a Chief Petty Officer -Pushed his training company to always win competitions and do well -The men liked him -He led marches because he was short -Kept the taller men with a longer stride in step -Received swimming training -Went into a building with a gas mask and the room was filled with mustard gas -They were ordered to remove their gas masks and the doors were opened -The gas didn't bother him too much, his eyes just watered for the rest of the day -Received orders in the middle of the day to change their uniforms -Had to do it quickly and orderly (00:19:36) Gunnery School -After basic training got a seven day leave -Reported back to Great Lakes Naval Station for further assignment -He was assigned to the Gunnery School in Gulfport, Mississippi -Received thirty days of gunnery training -Fired pistols and rifles -Had to learn how to take them apart, clean them, and put them back together -Learned how to operate and fire the 20mm anti-aircraft guns -Shot at targets towed by planes -Went to the shooting range for target practice with small arms (00:22:20) Duty in the Gulf of Mexico -Went to New Orleans for assignment -He was assigned to be an armed guard on a Merchant Marine vessel -SS Alcibiadie -A tanker placed into commercial service by War Shipping Administration -One of forty five Americans on the ship -Ship had limited guns -Operated off the coast of Mexico -Transporting oil between Florida and Texas (00:23:39) Duty in the Pacific Theatre (as the SS Alcibiadie) -Reassigned to duty in the South Pacific -Sailed to Cuba -Reached Guantanamo Bay on Christmas Eve 1943 �-Remembers sitting on the deck listening to people on shore singing carols -On Christmas Day 1943 they sailed for the Panama Canal -Sailed to Brisbane, Australia -Spent a few days there -Sailed up to New Guinea -Operated around Finschhafen and Buna -Went out to refuel ships in the Pacific Ocean (00:26:25) Duty in the Pacific Theatre (as the USS Andrew Doria) -Returned to Brisbane -Ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy on August 18, 1944 -Commissioned as the USS Andrew Doria on August 23, 1944 -Fitted with more 20mm guns as well as 3in guns -Naval personnel assumed control of the ship -Sailed north to New Guinea -Operated around there again -Operated north of New Guinea refueling ships -Received orders to return to Brisbane for R&R -At the last minute received orders to pick up oil and transport it -Got orders to sail to Coolangatta, Australia -Quartered in small cabins -Got surprised with the nicest dinner they'd had in a while -Allowed to go on leave into the city -There were dances in the town -Allowed to sleep in and get breakfast when they wanted -Had no duties at the time -Continued with refueling missions -Had a lot of calls for General Quarters -Going to battle stations as quickly as possible due to enemy aircraft (00:33:47) Philippines Campaign -Received orders to sail to Leyte in the Philippines -Looked forward to it, but knew there was a good chance he could get shot -Arrived at Leyte at night -It was dark and eery -Patrolled the waters for any signs of enemy ships -Went to shore with the ship's captain to get the ship's orders -Had to go through the harbor trying to find the Andrew Doria -Refueled ships in the harbor -Formed a convoy and sailed to Lingayen Gulf in Luzon -Zig-zagged to avoid Japanese submarines -Went to General Quarters every night because Japanese planes showed up -Way for the Japanese to harass the convoy and deprive sailors of sleep -His battle station was one of the 3in guns on the aft (near the rear) of the ship -One night saw the ship behind them get hit by a kamikaze -Knew they were probably going to see some action -Japanese planes stayed outside of the kill zone for as long as they could �-At night they came at the convoy -The ships opened fire on them -Soldiers in landing ships jumped overboard -They feared the kamikazes would hit them -Nearby PT-Boats came by and rescued them -Eventually reached Lingayen Gulf -There were eighty or ninety ships in the convoy -Part of the 7th Fleet -They were anchored next to the USS Tennessee -Watched as the Tennessee bombarded the shore -Troops on the shore used flares to direct naval fire -Gave you an idea of where the Japanese troops were -Had a Piper Cub recon plane to spot Japanese planes -On January 12, 1945 the convoy was attacked by enemy aircraft -Had to change course -At 8 PM they changed course again and the convoy was attacked again -Andrew Doria shot down five out of the six planes that attacked them -Isn't sure if he is directly responsible for shooting any down -No way of knowing for sure -Sky was black with flak -The most combat he saw was in Lingayen Gulf (00:50:29) Refueling Operations after the Philippines -After Lingayen Gulf they continued with refueling operations -Newer, faster tankers would go to the U.S. to get fuel -The Andrew Doria rendezvoused with the tankers and got fuel from them -Then sailed out to the Pacific to refuel other ships (00:51:28) Morale, Contact with Home, & Friends -Morale was good on the ship -He was the longest serving sailor on the Andrew Doria -Had been on from October 1943 to March 1946 -Eventually got used to the idea that he probably was never going to go home -Got letters from home -Difficult to get letters though because they moved around so much -A lot of his friends were in the Navy -Ran into one of his friends in basic training -Whenever a ship pulled alongside them they would ask where the other men were from -Never found anyone that was also from Muskegon (00:54:30) Talons Out Honor Flight -Selected to go to Washington D.C. for a memorial service for veterans -Reference to the Talons Out Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in May 2015 -Brought his daughter with him (00:56:16) End of the War -He was on the ship in the Pacific when they received word about the atomic bombs -On VJ Day a sailor came out of the radio shack shouting that Japan surrendered �-He wasn't sure if the report was true -On August 16, 1945 the crew was told it was true; the war was over -With the war over security measures changed -No more light discipline at night -No longer worried about Japanese submarines or planes (00:58:10) Coming Home & End of Service -Received orders to sail back to the United States -Got delayed because barnacles clogged water intake valves -Stopped at the Johnston Atoll to refuel -Sailed through the Panama Canal and pulled into port at Mobile, Alabama -Had their guns removed -Sailed the ship up the Mobile River and men got sent home -Ship was decommissioned in late February 1946 and he was discharged in March 1946 -Went to a bus station in Mobile, Alabama and went home � 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_BarrettR1876V Title A name given to the resource Barrett, Robert William (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-09-01 Description An account of the resource Robert Barrett was born in Ohio in 1925. In 1943 he enlisted in the Navy and received basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois. He went to Gunnery School in Gulfport, Mississippi and received training with pistols, rifles, and larger ship guns like the 20mm cannon. He was assigned to the SS Alcibiadie, a Merchant Marine vessel, as one of forty five Americans on the gunnery detail. They operated in the Gulf of Mexico transporting fuel and in the Pacific Ocean around Australia and New Guinea refueling ship. In August 1944 the ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy and became the USS Andrew Doria. They continued with refueling operations then took part in the Battle of Lingayen Gulf in January 1945. Refueling operations continued until the end of the war. In early 1946 they returned to the U.S. and the USS Andrew Doria was decommissioned in Mobile, Alabama in late February. Robert was discharged in March 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barrett, Robert William Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Deb (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/56ae77fb48fb096052b44415e4154cb0.mp4 3d53218ff2832fc65b0ffed0429ec2dd https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e0a6b1fb8cf3b206c1532d00fc669d0a.pdf f2822048b93ca4eb298909ffb90d5b5a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran History Project Emerson Barrone (00:49:36) Introduction (00:00) Childhood and Pre-War (00:10) • • • • • • • • Born November 5, 1922 in Hubbardston, MI Remembers playing with the neighbor children Attended same school in Hubbardston for all years of schooling. Father was a farmer and a roofer. He was a roofer until World War II, and then became a farmer. (06:08) Was an only child. Graduated High School in 1940 (09:00) Was driving his car between Hubbardston and Detroit when he heard about Pearl Harbor. (09:51) After High School, stayed with uncle in Detroit and worked first at Ford, and then at Stinson Aircraft. Was a welder there for about a year and a half. Also worked at Ford in Ypsilanti, MI. (10:50) Enlistment, Training and Active Duty (12:30) • • • • • • • • • • • • • Went into the Army on February 6, 1943. (12:30) Was Drafted. Got a postcard in the mail notifying him he was drafted (13:50) Went to Fort Custer for three weeks, and was then shipped out to Fort Leonard Wood. Stayed there for one full year to be a medic and ambulance driver. (15:00) December, 1943 he was shipped to England. Was transported on a French ship that was converted to a troop transport. Was followed by submarines on the trip over. (16:15) Landed at Liverpool, England. Lived in a Quonset hut while there. (17:58) Landed in Normandy on D-Day plus one. Landed at Utah beach with an ambulance that they had to take inland. (20:30) Went on into France and remembers a man with a parachute hanging on the belfry of a church. The people there did not really like them Went on then to Carentan. (24:10) Job was to wait for the call to go into a battle and bring men back, but never went into a battle. Was in the Battle of the Bulge. Was on the edge of the battle, but never went in. (25:20) Came pretty close to the German lines on several occasions. He was waiting to go into Berlin when he heard that the War was over (28:00) �• • • The ship that he was on crossed the Atlantic on its own, not in a convoy. The worst experience he had was his friend was riding a 2 ½ ton truck, and the truck hit a mine, and he was nearly taken in half. He lived for 24 hours. (45:55) Was shot at a couple times, but nobody ever got shot (47:10) Post-War (29:50) • • • • • • • • • Returned home on December 2, 1945 (30:00) Had 80 points Landed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shipped from there to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. (30:35) Got married in 1954. Got laid off from Real Motor Company in Lansing a couple days before he got married. Started in Saint Johns, MI working for Federal Mogul as a Quality Control person, and then was transferred to Mooresville, IN. Wife worked for various companies in Indiana and Michigan. Had one child, a boy, born on December 4, 1955. Became a mason in 1956. (40:20) � 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 Barrone, Emerson (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barrone, Emerson Description An account of the resource Emerson Barrone was a medic and ambulance driver in World War II. He was drafted in 1942 into the Army and spent time training in Missouri. He was then shipped of to England at the end of 1943. He landed on Utah Beach one day after D-Day. His job was to drive ambulances, and he was on the fringes of several major battles, including the Battle of the Bulge, but he never got into the fighting. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carol (Interviewer) 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 2007-05-24 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context BarroneE 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/4acba53c5db118728d6829f32e64a1c8.m4v 69e88ba128dc8e2432e302c28749a18e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/18ed1462094e5642503ba7f92b8ba386.pdf 1836f094cb74cc08378e0a42e781174f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Veteran: Robert Barrowcliff Interviewer: James Smither Transcribed by Gabrielle Angel Interview length: 1:01:00 00:00:04 I: We are talking today with Robert Barrowcliff from Castle Rock, Washington, and the interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project. Now, begin with some basics on yourself, like where and when were you born? V: I was born 1947 in Silverton, Oregon. I: And did you grow up there? V: I grew up in the state of Oregon. I went through all of those schools, grade schools. I: What was your family doing for a living while you were a kid? V: My dad was a Union Oil driver for delivery of gasoline and oil throughout the Santiam Valley. I: Okay, where did you go to high school? V: Where did I? Stayton, Stayton High. I: Now, what part of the state is that in? V: It‟s just east of Salem, about eighteen miles. I: Kind of western Oregon. V: It‟s up in what‟s called the Santiam Valley, which is famous for logging. I: Okay, and what year did you finish high school? V: 1965. I: What did you do after you got out of high school? V: I went to Oregon State for a couple of terms, decided that wasn‟t for me, so I ended up going to Smacada [?] College, and I graduated in electrical engineering. I: So, that was more of a technical school or a trade school kind of thing? V: Yeah. It was a two-year technical school. I: Okay, so do you finish that in ‟67? ‟68? �V: That would have been ‟68. I: Yeah, yeah, okay so you had time to go to Oregon State. Okay. While you‟re in college, are you aware that Vietnam is going on? That Uncle Sam might want you? V: No, I was, we were working construction in the summer time, and when I was going to college, I was working full time, so I didn‟t have much time. The year that I failed to register back to college, I immediately got my draft notice. 00:02:12 I: Alright, so Uncle Sam was keeping track of you. V: Yes, they knew when I wasn‟t going to be in school. I: So, when was that that you had to-? V: That was in the summer of 1968. I: And when did you report for duty? V: I reported for duty I think on election day, 1968. It was November 2 or 3. I: Okay, now, where do you go for Basic Training? V: I went up to Fort Lewis and they gave me an option, being that it was November, Fort Lewis had not great weather, but I was used to that. I could stay at Fort Lewis or I could go to Fort Polk, Alabama. I chose Fort Polk. So, they flew me down to Alabama and that‟s where I did my basic training. I: Alright, can you describe a little bit what that was like? When you arrive at Polk, what kind of reception do you get there? V: The reception was fine. It was the real strict military life. You had the drill sergeants escorting you around. But I didn‟t have too many problems. In there some place we were tested for aptitude. I knew that I was going to get drafted, so prior to being drafted, I was taking some flight lessons. I learned to fly in what must have been the early part of „68. I: Just fly like a little propeller airplane kind of thing? V: Fixed-wing plane. I: Fixed plane, yeah. V: So, I had some aptitude towards their tests. And apparently, I came out of the test alright because they told me that I didn‟t have to go to ATT, ATII: AIT. V: AIT. I went from there to the basic flight school. 00:04:11 �I: But you did go through the basic training at Fort Polk first. That‟s the one everybody gets. V: Yes, I think that was eight weeks. I: What are you spending your time doing during that eight weeks? V: Exercise and running. [Laughs] That was it, just basic training. We did some escape and evasion maneuvers, some crawling under concertina wire through the dirt. I: You said, I guess, with the kind of work you were doing, you were probably in pretty good shape at that point? V: Yeah. I was in pretty good shape. I: I figured you might be because of what you were getting into. Were there other guys that you were training with that were having more trouble? V: I can remember that one day we had to run a mile. This was without packs. It was combat boots and whatnot. And, we were supposed to do it in six minutes. I think I did mine in six minutes and ten or fifteen seconds, and I was the second person. That‟s where I learned a life long lesson: don‟t come in first, and don‟t come in last. [Both laugh] You want to be in the middle somewhere, because the drill sergeant made a point that since everyone was so slow, he said to the first guy, “Show them how to do it.” And he had to run another mile. I: Were there guys that had trouble with the discipline part? V: No, I don‟t think so. I: Okay. So, basically just went along with it the best they could. V: Yeah, nobody had any… I: Well, I ask because sometimes people talk about misfits or people who made all kinds of trouble, that didn‟t know their left foot from their right, but if you didn‟t see it, you didn‟t see it. 00:06:03 V: Well, I don‟t remember it. It didn‟t stick in my mind as very important at the time. I: So, you do this for, you know, eight weeks. At what point do you find out what your options are? V: I think that we made applications at some time during that basic training, we took aptitude tests of some kind, we took tests, and some time during the end I‟m sure I was told that I was going to flight school in Mineral Wells, Texas. I: So, is that your next stop now? V: Yeah. And that was helicopter flight school, it wasn‟t fixed-wing. Where that, how that got determined, I‟m not sure. �I: Well, the Army needed a lot of helicopter pilots, not as many fixed-wing flight planes, more than likely. V: Right. I: For the Army, would that just be observation planes? Transports, maybe? V: They had some corporate jets to fly, but I think the attitude was that if you knew how to fly a fixed-wing, we want to teach you how to fly, we don‟t want you to bring your knowledge in, so I knew a little bit about fixed-wing, so they put me in rotary-wing. Those who knew rotary-wing they put in fixed-wing. I: Okay, they‟re for the Army, then. Alright, so it was rotary-wing for you. Where in Texas is Mineral Wells? V: West of Fort Worth, maybe 50-75mi. I: And what does the training program actually consist of? V: We started off with a helicopter that was a TH-55, so that was a trainer. And that‟s what we went to. We had an instructor that just took us out, and we started to learn how to fly. I: Did they give you any classroom stuff first? V: Oh, yeah, we had lots of classroom. Lots of classroom. Every day we had classroom. And, I‟m going to guess that each day we had one hour of flight time. At the end of a week or so… That was an eight-week course. 00:08:14 I: Do you stay with the trainer or do they move you up? V: No, we stayed with the trainer at that place. Then we went to, at some point, after we got out of the basic helicopter, the TH-55, we started flying Hueys. Again, we were with a trainer. Each instructor had two or three students. And you would fly in the Huey, all the students would be in the helicopter, a couple in the back seat watching, and then we would just rotate. I: Describe for an outside audience the difference between the trainer and the Huey. V: The trainer, the TH-55, it‟s like a little mosquito. Little tail boom, and a little bubble up-front room, just room enough for two people. The UH-1, there are several models. There‟s a pilot and a co-pilot and in the backseat, you could put maybe five people, in the back seat. They were made, that was the primary helicopter in Vietnam, the UH-1. I: And was it more powerful? V: Yeah, because you could carry a lot more. I: Was it hard to fly from the trainer, or did it flow pretty naturally from one to the next? �V: It flows pretty naturally. There‟s a lot more to it. They‟re turbine engines compared to a reciprocating engine. You learned hand-eye coordination in basic training for a helicopter. 00:09:58 I: Now, as you were going through the different stages with these different kind of helicopters, were there people in the class dropping out or were you all staying with the program? V: We were all staying with the program. I: Okay. When you‟re learning to fly the Huey, are they teaching you the things you might actually do with it if you were in the field? V: Yep. We had simulated landings that we would go out and land in formation. We never did carry troops or anything like that, but we did a lot of LZ landings. I: And did you work on maybe some hoverings so you could lower things? V: Yeah, we did a lot of that. You do a lot of hovering. You learn to do a lot of things a basic helicopter does. One of the hardest things you learn is how to get it off of the ground and keep it in the direction you want it to be in. It wants to spin around the rotor, so that‟s the control problem. I: With the Huey, how long do you think you spent working with that? V: Well, the TH-55, when I first learned to fly, I think I flew it like six hours, and after six hours I was soloed. That was an exciting experience. Nobody had any problems. Everybody soloed just fine; we never had any crashes. Nobody ever bent anything. In the Huey, you don‟t solo in a Huey. There‟s always two people. That‟s different from the TH-55, where sometimes you‟re the only one in it. I can‟t remember how many hours I spent in the Huey. Fifteen or twenty, maybe? 00:12:03 I: From there, did they graduate you to something else? V: From there, out of the class – I can‟t tell you how many were in our class- from there they made a selection, where I think there were three of us that went on to Chinook school. I: Describe for the outside audience what a Chinook is. V: A Chinook is a tandem rotor, two rotors, two engines, and it is a troop or cargo carrying helicopter. We could carry 30,000 lbs. I put big trucks inside the Chinook. I‟ve carried water buffalo. I‟ve carried swing loads; I‟ve carried a lot of those. In the military, what they end up doing is carrying ammo or cannons. I: They are hanging below the helicopter instead of being inside of it. V: You can do both. Sometimes the load were internal loads. We also had what we called bus runs, which is just what it says, moving people from one town to another town just because the military is moving around, people go on R&R, so it could be a bus stop. �I: Was flying the Chinook noticeably harder to fly than flying the Huey? V: There‟s more to it, because in the Huey you almost always had internal loads, so you either put things inside. Now, the Huey is capable of external loads, but very rarely. It was mainly a troop movement device. The Chinook is made for cargo. I: So, the big thing with the Chinook is not because it has two engines and rotors to deal with, as it is that the load may be down there someplace. 00:14:00 V: The load‟s swinging around. The load dictates how fast you can go, your elevation, etc. You don‟t know how much that load weighs until you pick it up, how much power it‟s going to take. So, you have to calculate if you‟re going to a higher elevation, and you‟ve got all the powering in it just to get it off the ground here, and you‟re going to a higher elevation. You‟re not going to have enough power to get it there unless you burn off fuel, so you have to make some judgements I: So, you‟re adding to the load calculations and doing a lot of things while you fly. V: Right. I: Now, did you do all of that at Mineral Wells, or did they move you from base to base? V: No, that was in Fort Rucker, Alabama, the Chinook training. I: Alright. V: That was, I think that was eight weeks also. I: Do you have a sense of roughly when you finished at Fort Rucker? V: Roughly thirty days before I went to Vietnam. I: When do you go to Vietnam? V: I was in Vietnam in, I think, January of 1970. I: So, a year of helicopte bases. It takes a while. There‟s a series of training stages, and you spent, basically, most of 1969, then. V: Much of it, yeah. I: Pretty much the whole year, you‟re kind of in training in one place, and then you get moved to another. Now, when you were in all of these different helicopter training schools, what was daily life like? V: Once we got to Chinook school, we were enlisted until we went through basic flight training. Then they made us E5s automatically. Once we got through that school, the Hueys, I think we were officers, warrant officers. 00:16:07 �I: Now, explain what a warrant officer is. V: A warrant officer is a non-commissioned officer. In my opinion, it‟s the ideal officer because you‟re not attached to a cannon or an infantry troop. You‟re a pilot, in that sense, and that‟s your responsibility. You didn‟t have responsibilities for other groups of troops. I: You‟re not, in this case, commanding peopleV: Correct. I: You just have a particular job. On the other hand, you‟re at a level where you don‟t have to do a lot of the routine duties an enlisted man would do. V: Yes. I: In general, the military uses these people for specialized skills or talents. I guess helicopter pilot is one of those. V: If you‟re a commissioned officer, you had to be either infantry, or artillery, or some other such thing, so you had to go through a whole schooling for that, where the warrant officers did not. We were flight. I: So, you didn‟t have to do any kind of specialized, “How to be a warrant officer” school. You just did your specialized training and did that instead. V: Correct. There was none. I: Alright. Now, would they let you go into an officer‟s club? V: Yes. I: So, you did get that-. V: We were officers, had the full privilege of the officers. We were the lowest rank of all of the officers, but we had no problem. I: Now, before you go to Vietnam, did they give you any kind of preparation for it? V: No. I: Okay. So, as you go along, there‟s nobody telling you that this is what it‟s like in Vietnam or here‟s what to expect? V: All the training was, flew into landings, the training was to simulate the kind of landing that you would do in Vietnam. 00:18:00 I: But they aren‟t teaching you about the country or the culture or anything about Vietnam? V: No. �I: Now, you‟ve finished a lot of the sort of training towards the end of 69. Did you get to go home for Christmas? V: Yeah, we had thirty days after the Chinook training at home. Then, I left. I: Did you think or worry at all about the prospect of going to Vietnam, or did you take it in stride? V: Well, I was married when we were in Mineral Wells, we were in basic, and I couldn‟t live with my wife there. Once we got to Alabama, Fort Rucker, I could live off-base with my wife. So, you have those apprehensions. It was hard to leave. My wife and I drove to Boise, I got on a plane, waved goodbye, and didn‟t know if I was coming back or not. I: What was your start off point in the States? Where did you leave from? V: We few out of Boise, flew into San Francisco or LA, I forget which. I: San Francisco was the most common place to send people out of. Was there a big depot in your report too and then did they assign you? V: No, I don‟t know recall any of it, just that I had a flight number. So, we were just civilians, essentially. We got on and ended up in Vietnam. I: So, you were not on a flight that was all military personnel? They chartered a lot of commercial jets to steward people over, so you might have been on a regular flight with stewardesses and stuff. V: That may have been where we were all headed for, but we weren‟t in uniform. I: Okay. It could have actually been a civilian plane at that point. V: It must have been. It must have been a civilian-chartered plane. We were all dressed in civilian clothes and just dropped off in-. I: Did you go to Saigon? V: Saigon. 00:20:15 I: So, you went into the big airport there. Alright. Once you landed in Vietnam, what‟s your first impression of Vietnam? V: When you‟re just landing, you‟re looking out for gunfire and people wandering around with guns. It was calmer than I expected. There really wasn‟t anything happening I: Did you land during the day or did you land at night? V: I think we landed during the day. I: Okay, so when you get off the plane, what happens? �V: When I get off the plane, I, we got on another plane and I knew that we had to got to Hue. We were assigned somewhere along the way, I knew we had to fly into Hue. I: Did you have orders for a particular unit at that point or was this just to go to-? V: I must have, yes. I: Alright. So, when you go up to Hue, did you go up to Camp Eagle out at Phu Bai? V: We were picked up at the airport, I‟m sure, at Phu Bai by our company executive officer. I remember him very well. I: A Company, what battalion was it that you were in? V: A Company, 159th Assault Support Helicopter Company. I: Now you are with the unit. What was the function of that unit? V: That unit, we had, I‟m going to guess, a dozen Chinooks, and that‟s all we had for aircraft. That‟s all the company was, was either support canal or crew. There were some cooks and some supply people, but predominantly it was just to support the Chinooks. 00:22:09 I: How many people would be on the ground? V: In that company? I: Yeah, as opposed to ones who fly. V: Maybe 150? You know, we had trucks. We had some trucks, we had a motor pool division, we had a supply division, we had a mess hall. I: What was the standard crew for a Chinook? V: Five. I: What were they? V: Pilot, co-pilot, crew chief, and usually two door-gunners. I: So, a Chinook, while it is a transport, still has door-gunners on it. V: Yes. I: You associate those with the Hueys, and you had them too. Okay. Now, the, what base were you operating out of? V: We had our own base, A Company Pachyderms had their own base, Flight Line. I: So, was it on a larger base? Were you at Phu Bai? V: No, no. We were at Phu Bai, and we were a stand-alone from Phu Bai. Each of the companies, there were three Chinook companies. �I: So, you had your own spaces with your own helipads or whatever. So, within this larger base, this is your chunk of it. V: No, it wasn‟t a larger base. I: Were you outside the wire of the main base at Phu Bai? V: We had our own perimeter. Now, I suppose the Phu Bai Airbase was probably part of that perimeter. We could take a vehicle and go over to the airbase, but we were separate from Camp Eagle. I: But not isolated so you could be surrounded by angry NVA. V: Correct. I: So, this really was your world for the time you were there. 00:24:00 V: We had our own perimeter that we were exposed [?], and we maintained that perimeter. I: Now, as a pilot, did you have to do bunker duty, or were you exempt from that? V: No, you still had to do, you had to monitor. Everyone had the responsibility to monitor for a night or so. Or you had to do patrols and walk through to make sure all the enlisted people, make sure that there was nothing strange going on. But, for the most part, that was very, very little. I: Now, were you attached to a specific larger unit, or would you help anybody? Were you attached to the 101st Airborne, or did you work with anybody? V: No, when we got our orders, we would just get our orders to pick up something from here and take it over there. It had no reference to who it was. I: Okay. V: Most of I Corps was the 101st, but I‟ve flown in stuff to the Canadians and their Marines. We did some work for the Marines, the Navy. I: Did you ever do things for the South Vietnamese? V: I‟m sure we did. And when you‟re in a helicopter dropping a load, you don‟t always know who‟s underneath it. You‟re given a location, and that‟s where you drop it. Somebody throws out, that‟s where it goes, whatever it is you‟re carrying. I: Now, you‟re coming in. Do you start piloting right away, or do you have an orientation period first? What happens when you first get to the unit? V: You had an orientation where you would fly with somebody who has been there a while. You fly as co-pilot, until, I don‟t think there‟s a set time. I think you do it for long enough that someone gives you the okay, the CO says, “Put him on his own.” I don‟t remember how long that was. Wasn‟t too long, maybe a few weeks. �00:26:11 I: So, you‟re arriving there in early 1970. Were you busy right away? Were there a lot of flights to make? V: The first thing I remember was when we got to the airbase, this thing that we had to do was bury Bangalore torpedoes. So, that was kind of unusual, and it has nothing to do with flight. You‟re out there messing around with a bunch of explosives, making graphs of where this stuff was buried. I: So, are you just burying them for storage or are you -? V: No, we are burying them for protection. This is inside the wire, but it was places nobody was supposed to be. No walking. But if the enemy came through there, which was not uncommon, theoretically somebody could set off these explosives. I: So, you would detonate them, you wouldn‟t just step on them and set them off. V: Correct. V: They‟re not a landmine exactly in the conventional sense, I guess an IED in a way. V: Yeah, they‟re an IED. And where those wires went and who had responsibility for them, I don‟t know. We were new in country and we were out there burying these things, and the wires went off to somewhere. This was the executive officer, he was the one who picked ups up, that‟s probably why I remember him as much as anything. I: Alright, when you start flying, did the missions seem pretty routine to you when you began? Were you getting shot at or not? V: No, we weren‟t shot at. Chinooks are fairly valuable, so they don‟t put them in too bad of spots. Mainly we were flying up and down the Highway 1, I guess it was, corridor, supplying major bases with one thing or another. We would also fly out to the fire support bases because we were the ones that supplied and we were the only ones that could supply big cargos of ammo. 00:28:27 V:We carried the 105 howitzers out. I: Artillery, artillery pieces, large supplies. V: Water. I: Food, water. V: Food, water, I‟d even carry money, I‟d carry money out for MPC, I think they‟d call it. I know that because the door came open one time. I: So, you had a ton of fine money just flying everywhere? V: It was through the air, it was everywhere. �I: So, you start doing this, now, in the early months of 1970, January, February, March, in there. Did you have to deal with weather issues? Were there areas you couldn‟t fly? V: We put in Fire Base Ripcord. We were the first ones to actually put troops and cannons on Fire Base Ripcord. That was in the early part of the year. I can‟t tell you whether I was the pilot or the co-pilot at that time, but I know we put int in, and it wasn‟t in there very long, and we had to take it back out because we couldn‟t re-supply it because of the weather. The weather was a problem and I assume that they thought it was too vulnerable. 00:29:48 I: Because there were three attempts to establish a fire base on that particular hilltop. The first effort was the 12th of March, or something like that. They land and they go off pretty much in the same day. And they try again April 1st, and the men walk off and leave. It‟s not until about ten days later that they were able to actually establish it. Now, were you flying all of those or did you? You think you flew the first one, March maybe? V; No, I don‟t know which one I would have flown. I think we were carrying the cannons in. I: Yep. V: So, I don‟t know which one of those. I: It either could have been the March one or April 1st. But you remember going out there to this place to put it in and going back to pick the stuff back up again. V: We often carry a cannon, a 105, with another sling-load of ammo underneath it. So, you set the ammo down, move over, and set the cannon down. I: So, you did that for Ripcord. Were you doing that to establish other fire bases? V: Yeah, that was mainly what we did, all up and down the mountains there. There weren‟t any fire bases in the valley; they were all on the mountains. There was a dozen or more in my corps to resupply. I: Were there particular tricks or problems that you had to be aware of and watch out for? You were up in the mountains so… V: Yeah, very cognizant of the wind, of course, and the clouds and the weather, you know. Sometimes we were carrying, we went into, we were removing people who had been shot. Medevacs. If we were the closest to a base, Hueys were usually used for med evacs. If we were the closest ones or the only ones who could get in there because the clouds lifted, we carried people out. I: At what point during all of this do you get the sense that you were in the middle of a war? As soon as you got into the base, or was it later? 00:32:06 �V: Well, early in one of my orientation flights, I was with, I can‟t tell you who I was with. We were flying at a very high altitude, five or six thousand feet, which rarely did we do, and across the headphones came a beep. And my pilot at that time said, “If you hear two beeps, you‟ll never hear the third beep, because that‟s an incoming enemy missile or something.” That got my attention. I never did hear the second beep, but we were flying up over the DMZ at that time, but at a high altitude. So, that, probably, is what made me think this is real. I: Alright, Ripcord gets established as a fire base in 1970. There are other bases in the area you were operating around. Was there a point… Eventually, Ripcord would become sort of under siege, bombarded a lot. Before that period, before July of 1970, were there other difficult situations that you found yourself in? V: [Nods] I: Can you talk about that? V: There was a firebase out west of Ripcord, a much lower elevation, probably half way to the valley, I can‟t remember it, but it was under siege. A lot of mortars were going into that, and they needed water, bad, and I don‟t know whether I volunteered or if that was just the assignment, to take a blivet of water in. We knew that if we were going to spend any time over that hovering, we were going to take a mortar round. We had to come in and drop the blivet of water as fast as we could safely and get out of there before the mortar started. We dropped it. I later heard it rolled off the mountain, but they still got some of the water. We never saw any mortar fire, so we were out of there before anything happened. 00:34:24 I: Now, you say a blivet of water. Was this just a plastic thing that contains a bag, or? V: A big, big, black tube full of water. I‟m guessing 500-600 gallons. I: Was it sort of flexible like innertube material? V: Yeah, you could have dropped it. I was the pilot and my command to the crew chief was get it on the ground and let‟s get out of here. Everybody knew that we were in a hurry, and we probably dropped it a few feet off the ground, instead of setting it on the ground. It bounced or rolled, I didn‟t actually see what happened to it. We were getting out of there. I: And before the Ripcord business in July when your helicopter is hit, were you ever hit with enemy fire? V: I‟m not sure any of the pachyderms were hit, no. Some of the other companies were destroyed. One of them took a cannon, some company of the US took a cannon in the wrong place and the artillery went through the back door. It was sitting out there in the jungle. I: But your own particular group had not taken losses? 00:35:59 �V: No. We were pretty, we did a pick up from a fire fight at night on another base. I want to say Rakkasan. There was a fire fight all night and people were throwing hand grenades back and forth. I was the co-pilot that day, and the pilot chose to hover up the hill because it was in the clouds. But there were people on there that were seriously wounded. So, we hovered up the hill within 20-30 yds of the hill the whole way. Anybody who had been down there, they could have taken us down in a heartbeat. I: Because a helicopter like that doesn‟t have any sort of armor or protection, does it? V: No. I: Did they give you some kind of body armor or anything like that? V: The seats had little windows of body armor, but that was it. We were not protected. I: You really couldn‟t have a whole lot of weight added on, anyways. V: No, not really, no. I: So, you‟reV: Your helicopter‟s vulnerable. For small arms fire, it would have to be hit in the right spot. Much of the body is just fiberglass. You definitely know what you‟re shooting at. I: Now, as we move on in the year 1970, around the first of July. Now, Ripcord Firebase, on one hilltop, is starting to get bombarded on a regular basis with enemy fire and sometimes rockets. Anti-aircraft machine guns were getting set up. It was getting more and more difficult to go in there. So, was it different flying into Ripcord at that point than it normally was for you? 00:38:00 V: Well, normally the helipad, actually, there were two helipads, one helipad. When we carried in ammo, we normally dumped it at the ammo dump, which was on the south side of the hill. We never landed, that was the helipad on the west side, but there were times that they were taking enough fire that we were directed around to the back side. There wasn‟t a pad there, but that‟s where we dropped ammunition, not cannons, because we weren‟t visible to anyone to the south or southwest side. We drop it where the smoke was, we didn‟t have an option. When we were coming in, we‟d tell them we were coming in, and they‟d pop smoke, and that‟s where we‟d drop, no matter what. We didn‟t have an option; we didn‟t know what was going on. I: Now, I had heard that some of the time, you‟d actually drop ammunition close to the actual artillery positions themselves. Do they have sort ofV: I mean, that may be. I have dropped ammo on the northeast side, but they have to hump it up over the top. That‟s what I assume happened. I: Yeah, because sometimes, some of the artillerists talk about having to carry the ammunition and so forth to their positions and so forth. Of course, it was a 155 battery there as well as a 105 battery there, and they were in different places and positions, too. �For you, as the days go by in July, were you noticing that the fire was getting worse, or was it always just the same for you? 00:39:57 V: No, it was, you could tell it was usually getting worse when they‟d drop smoke at an unusual place. There was never, you communicated with somebody, but it was usually just, “We‟ll pop smoke.” It wasn‟t to tell you that anything bad‟s happening, and of course, we can‟t see. We don‟t know anything about it. When you‟re dropping it along the wrong side, you know, you got a pretty good idea that there was something happening. I: Now we are getting to the point where the 18th of July, things are getting a little bit more dramatic. What happens that day? V: Well, that‟s the day that we were bringing in ammunition. We were just called and somebody popped smoke at the regular place on the south side. We just flew in there. That‟s when things got bad. I: What happened? V: We‟re hovering and this happened in not minutes but probably seconds. We are hovering over the load trying to get lower, and I‟m talking to my crew chief. He‟s telling me left or right. And then, all of a sudden, somebody comes on, I‟m flying, somebody comes through the cab. The copilot was a maintenance captain. He wasn‟t an experienced, he wasn‟t a traditional combat pilot. Somebody comes up through the seats, the pilot and the co-pilot, and is hollering something. You can‟t hear, you‟re right underneath the transmission. So, I look back, and when I look forward, it‟s completely smoked. I had no idea what was going on. I didn‟t lower the collective, it just happened instantly. I couldn‟t move the, my thought process at the time was, “I think I would rather have take off up over the hill and take my chances in the trees.” But, by that time, we had lost power, and the rotors hit the side of the hill. Then we were done. I: How‟d you get out of there? 00:42:45 V: My copilot, we were laying on our right side, my copilot couldn‟t get out of his seat because he didn‟t release his seatbelt, so I released his seatbelt. I had popped my door when we were going down. I can remember the little lever, you just pull that lever and it pops out. He must have pulled his door too, because when we were on our side, when we released his seatbelt, I released mine and then I released his, we both went out the door along the dirt. I: Was the helicopter on its side? V: On its side, on its right side. I: Was there space underneath the helicopter? �V: Yes, there was space underneath the helicopter, because we got out and crawled out and up on the hill. The aircraft wasn‟t moving by then. The rotors had stopped. The cyclic had been beating my legs black and blue. We got up on the hill and we started taking inventory of people. There was somebody missing. Apparently, two people missing. One person was trapped underneath the fuel cell. Our crew chief had jumped out, and the helicopter, the right fuel cell was on top of him. So, me and some other individual, I hope to find out who that was, went back underneath. 00:44:17 V: I remember taking my pistol off because I didn‟t want to get hung up. We went back underneath the aircraft, and he was awake, conscious, but he was pinned. We couldn‟t get him out. I took his helmet off and was talking to him, telling him everything was going to be fine. I noticed that the dirt was splattering around us. My thought was, well it was that M-60 on there that was either firing, either the ammunition was firing or something was happening and I told whoever was with us that we had to get out of there. So, we crawled out, and before we got to the top of the hill, I heard Michael scream. The fuel had poured over the top of him. So, at that point, I remember asking someone on the hill, “Do you have a cat or something we can push the aircraft up, push the aircraft up and get him out from underneath it?” There was nothing there. It all happened so fast that we couldn‟t have done anything anyway. Once we got to the top of the hill, we were escorted down into some conex containers, buried. I spent some time in the conex containers, listening to the fireworks. I: Now that things were starting to get brought in, were you on top of the ammunition, with the ammunition at this point? V: Yeah. I: That all starts to go. The ammunition at the 105 position starts to close. You have a whole chain reaction of explosions. 00:46:02 V: When we were crawling underneath the aircraft, we were crawling in between ammunition crates, whatever they were, because the aircraft wasn‟t flat. It was sort of laying on top of stuff, so we were working our way around. It wasn‟t a maze, but… I: And then that goes, okay. That‟s sort of the beginning of the end ultimately for Ripcord. They will end up abandoning it a few days later, in part because of the damage done during that explosion. So, what happens to you afterwards, after the explosions and so forth? Did they get you off of the firebase that day, or did you have to stay there? �V: No, we were there. Again, I don‟t know the timeframe. A couple of hours, I think, because no aircraft could come in. Eventually, things were going off and everything was shaking. Lots of noise. I don‟t know how many of us were in that conex. I remember when they took us down to that conex that whoever was in charge of the hill was there. I told him I‟m sorry, you know. I don‟t recall him saying anything. We sat in that conex container until some Hueys came in with fire extinguishers, airport fire extinguishers. They were bringing them in, and then we got on, a couple of us at least. I can‟t tell you who it was. I don‟t remember who it was. At that point, we were probably not thinking real straight. They flew us from there on a Huey, to, I don‟t remember where. We went back to our base, I guess. I: Did they just put you back flying another Chinook at that point? 00:48:01 V: Essentially. I think I probably had a couple of days off. I: Were you involved when they do the final evacuation off of Ripcord? They probably aren‟t using a lot of Chinooks for that at that point. Did you fly in that? V: No. That was the last time I was in Ripcord. I: Okay. Now, after that, how much more time do you have in Vietnam? V: Well, probably, again, this goes back… I spent a full year there, so it depends on exactly when I got there. I‟m assuming it was the end of January. We still flew plenty of missions. I think I did take an R&R after that. I: And where‟d you go? V: I went to Japan. I: What was that like? V: I‟ve seen enough of it. [Laughs] I: Another Asian country at that point? V: No, that never bothered me. It just wasn‟t home. You don‟t know anybody. No Americans, even though we stayed on a naval base, I believe. Me and one other guy from the company went. There‟s not much to do and nobody to talk to. I: Now, what was daily life like for you in Vietnam? V: Every evening, you‟d spend in the Officers Club. I don‟t think I got drunk too much. We had plenty of to drink. We‟d have good meals. Every once in a while, at the Officers Club, they‟d do their own meal. We had a NCO club that once in a while you were in charge of the liquor count. How much liquor there was, inventory. �00:50:11 I: Would you ever go off base? V: Well, we went off base a couple of times, but not very often. There wasn‟t really too much to do off base. We had a Bob Hope show, but we were flying people in and out, so we didn‟t get to see those kinds of things. I: Now did they have Vietnamese working on the base? V: Yes. I: What kind of things did they do? V: We had a barber. We had gals that would clean the lavatories. We had some bar girls. I guess that‟s about it. I: Did you have much of an impression of them, one way or another? V: Well, I noticed the French influence. They were very pretty people, dark complexion. I never had any problem with them. I: So, you didn‟t have a chance to get to know them? V: No, no. I: Did you deal much at all with the South Vietnamese military? V: Only from the air. Once in a while, you had, I transported troops around every once in a while. You had to be… There were rumors where if we transported them, someone would leave a hand grenade with the pin pulled sitting on the floor. They‟d get off and then you‟d move… Whether that was true or not, it certainly left an impression, but I don‟t know what we could do about it. 00:52:11 V: was a lot of things like that you couldn‟t do anything about other than cross your fingers. I: Okay. Now, at Ripcord, so the later part of 1970, did things quiet down, or were you busy flying all the time? V: We were busy flying all the time. We not only resupplied, we flew, I‟ve taken big aircraft hangar doors and move them from one base to another. Or, you‟d fly the bus run, where you‟d pick up people at point A and fly them to Da Nang. We had cases where we transported aircraft there to Saigon. We‟d trade things. We had, I remember the big red one moved, and we were moving furniture and stuff. In my aircraft, we had a whole bunch of leather captain‟s chairs, leather lounge chairs that we were moving someplace. We just happened to stop at our base and lost two or three of those chairs when we landed. The rest of them made their journey to where ever they were going. There was a bunch of that messing around. �I: When you flew down to Da Nang or Saigon or any place like that, would you ever stay over there? Would you just fly back again? V: Da Nang was common to fly down and back, it wasn‟t very far, but when we took an aircraft down to Saigon, we‟d spend a night down there. It was a two-day affair. I: When you do that, do stay on base or did you go into town? V: No, we never went into town. 00:54:00 I: Did you have any feel how the larger war was going? Were we winning, losing, treading water? V: [Shakes head no] I: Didn‟t think about it? V: Didn‟t think about it. We didn‟t have any radios, we didn‟t get any newspapers. We had no contact with the outside world. We just, the only contact was, “Bob, here‟s your aircraft, take this and go from Point A to Point B.” I: Would you get letters from home? Things like that? V: Yeah. We would get letters. We could get mail. You could get mail and send mail. But the letters, they weren‟t… I: That was family stuff. V: They weren‟t daily. No phone conversations. I: Now as you started to get short, did your attitude change? Did your missions change? Did you just do the same thing until you left? V: I think pretty much the same thing until I left. Probably up to the last week, where I probably didn‟t volunteer. Well, there weren‟t volunteers; you were assigned for this flight. You didn‟t really have much choice of which ones you were doing. I: When you get to the end of your year, are you going to be able to get out of the Army at that point, or are they going to make you go to another base in the States for a while? What will happen? V: Well, when I came back, I had, I think, I must have had thirty days to report to Fort Rucker. I flew home. I flew into Seattle. My wife met me there, and we stayed in Oregon for thirty days and then drove to Fort Rucker with all of our belongings, or at least all we could fit in the Volkswagen. 00:56:02 I: How long did you stay at Fort Rucker? �V: Well, I stayed in Fort Rucker until we were discharged. We got an early discharge. I was a flight instructor, Chinook flight instructor, then I transferred over to Cairns Army Air Base as a test pilot. We were testing engines and other things for the Chinook, which was very enjoyable, but it was lots of boredom and moments of stark terror. I: So, you‟re trying something new and you didn‟t know what would happen next? V: We were testing engines, primarily engines, so you would do all of the, test the limits of the performance of the engine. Run it at the highest RPM, the most power for the longest time. We flew from Cairns Army Airstrip, which is just south of Rucker, and we‟d fly down and fly around the islands of Apalachicola around and around and around and around, then we would come back. I: Now, at this point, was the Army making any effort to encourage you to stay, or were they downsizing and happy to send you away? V: They were, at some point along the way, I had actually started the paperwork to go to the Texas Naval Airbase as a, the astronaut program. It was the beginning of the people going into the astronaut program, I guess. Before that paperwork all got through, I was offered a way out. I had a pretty good idea that I was going to end up back in Vietnam fairly quickly, so I chose to get out. 00:58:12 I: Yep. So, now, at that point, once you go out of the Army, what do you do next? V: When I got out of the Army, we came back to Oregon and I started looking for a job. Where I was looking was in the Boise area, and I started talking to some aircraft companies. What they wanted me to do was crop dust at night, so I decided there wasn‟t much of a future there. I end up no longer flying. I still had a fixed-wing license, so I still did some private pilot‟s flying, but not to any extent. I ended up actually working at a lumber mill. I: Did you make a career out of that business? V: No, I moved around. We‟ve owned a couple of businesses since then in eastern Oregon. We moved to central Oregon from eastern, then back to Portland. I‟ve had a number of professions. 00:59:27 I: When you look back at the time you spent in the service, both in Vietnam and outside, were there other things that stood out in your memory that you haven‟t brought into the story yet? V: No, I had questions about why we were doing smoke on the firebase where it was. My understanding was that they knew there was a problem. Talking to one of the crew members, he saw the people that were firing at us. He was new on the base and he didn‟t know whether he was supposed to fire or not. He probably didn‟t even know what he was looking at until too late. I: So, you still wonder why it was you were sent into Ripcord on that day under those conditions? �V: I want to know why we weren‟t sent around to the back side. I: That might have been a little bit safer. V: The event would never have happened. Whether things would have turned out better for the people on the base, I can‟t answer that. We lost some lives that day. If that was the trade off, I don‟t know. I: That memory is just going to stay with you. V: Absolutely. I think about that often. I: Well, you‟ve actually helped and contributed a big part to the larger stories. I thank you for taking the time to tell a story today. V: You‟re welcome. � 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_BarrowcliffR2162V Title A name given to the resource Barrowcliff, Robert (Interview transcript and video), 2017 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-10-02 Description An account of the resource Robert Barrowcliff was born in Silverton, Oregon, in 1947. He grew up in Oregon, finished high school, and then got an electrical engineering degree from a two-year school and learned took flying lessons. Once he was out of school, he was drafted into the Army and trained as a helicopter pilot. He went to Vietnam in early 1970 and was assigned to A Company, 159 Assault Helicopter Support Battalion, based at Phu Bai. From there, he flew Chinook helicopters that transported men and supplies across the northern part of South Vietnam. He flew many missions in support of the 101st Airborne Division, notably to Fire Support Base Ripcord, where his Chinook crashed on July 18, 1970, setting off a series of explosions that ultimately led to the evacuation of the base. After this incident, he continued to fly helicopters during his year in Vietnam. After returning from Vietnam, he had thirty days to report to Fort Rucker with his wife, where he served as a flight instructor. He was then transferred to Karen's Army Air Base, where he was a test pilot for new engines. He left the military in March of 1971. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barrowcliff, Robert 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 Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text 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/a4de4b1d2275424d1c96461403654842.jpg 750750b3f943f327b63cc9f672790020 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PZ7.F69 Be 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 DC-01_Bindings0229 Title A name given to the resource Betty of Old Mackinaw Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barry, Etheldred B. (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of Betty of Old Mackinaw, by Frances Margaret Fox, published by L. C. Page & Company (Cosy Corner Series), 1901. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1901 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/c622ec55afea46d4d515f5afe8a52a0b.jpg a63508675606ceaefa24a0c0db7abafc 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PS3511.O95 B75 1905 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 DC-01_Bindings0230 Title A name given to the resource Brother Billy Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Barry, Etheldred B. (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of Brother Billy, by Frances Margaret Fox, published by L. C. Page & Company (Cosy Corner Series), 1905. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives