815 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/899407a49d0ddae44e4938a8ddff5d0b.jpg 7a6c74734d44650aadc620266f86192b 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. PS1042 .C6 1902 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_Bindings0159 Title A name given to the resource The Conqueror Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schank, Will (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of The Conqueror, by Gertrude Atherton, published by Macmillan Company, 1902. 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 1902 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/fd89cca37672fac484a3244d4951936c.mp4 adda53e3ba64c542a9c46f56d020f162 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1d16b4081ba183845704ef32589a2fee.pdf bd4d0395fd171beada96a1ed506a1f06 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project David Schaper World War II 40 minutes 24 seconds (00:00:02) Early Life -Born in Wright City, Missouri on August 2, 1921 -Graduated from high school -Went to Central Western College for two semesters -Transferred to Sanford-Brown Business College in St. Louis, Missouri (00:00:38) Start of the War and Enlisting in the Army Air Force -He was going to technical school in St. Louis when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor -Heard about it on the radio and in the newspaper -Knew that he was old enough to be drafted -Wanted to choose the branch that he would go into -He was working on airplane technology -Took the Army Air Force test and passed it -Thought it'd be better to be an airman rather than in the infantry -Eventually received his letter to report for service -He was working at a Curtiss-Wright factory, helping to develop the AT-6 -Reported for service, but was told that he was too important to the war effort -Granted a six month deferrment -Received another letter and got deferred for another six months -Received a third letter and insisted that he would be allowed to serve -While he was home he followed the news coming out of Europe and Asia -Had friends that were flying with the 8th Air Force and had flown with the Flying Tigers (00:05:43) Basic Training -Reported to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis -One good friend was there as a sergeant and gave him a pass to go to St. Louis -Sent to Amarillo Army Air Field, Texas for basic training -Saw a lot of men doing calisthenics -Got processed and issued Air Force clothing -Days started at 4 AM -Reported for roll call and then had breakfast -After breakfast received orders for the day -Some days went on marches, or on bivouacs, or for calisthenics -Basic training lasted six weeks (00:07:48) Gunnery Training -At the end of basic training he was reviewed by a flight surgeon -Was hoping that he would get to be a cadet and go on to become a pilot -He qualified to be a pilot, but there was a need for gunners -Sent to Laredo Army Airfield, Texas for gunnery training -Enjoyed gunner training �-Went on the gun range and learned how to shoot the .50 caliber machine gu -Learned how to maintain the .50 caliber machine gun -Did skeet shooting for accuracy practice (00:09:40) Joining a Crew -Sent to Lincoln, Nebraska where new bomber crews were being formed -There were one thousand airmen there waiting to be assigned to a crew -They were forming ten man crews for the B-24 Liberator bomber -Your name was called off in alphabetical order -Once he was assigned to a crew the pilot had the information about where to go next -In the case of his crew the next destination was Davis-Monthan Army Air Field -Granted ten days of leave before reporting to Davis-Monthan -After their leave the crew regrouped at Davis-Monthan Army Air Field near Tuscon, Arizona -Once there the crew got to meet each other and get to know each other better -Began flying training missions with the crew -Learned to depend on the pilot, co-pilot, and navigator -Fired at ground targets -Learned how to fly at night -Had an excellent crew -There was mutual respect between the officers and the enlisted men (00:13:45) Deployment to the European Theatre -Sent to Topeka Army Air Field, Kansas by train to get their B-24 bomber -Given a three day leave and got to see Kansas City -Their bomber was a brand new, shining plane -Had all new guns and electronics -He was nervous, but excited to fly missions in it -Had their picture taken and they flew up to Massachusetts -He was part of Crew #54 -From Massachusetts they flew to Newfoundland, then to the Azores, then to North Africa -From North Africa flew up to Cerignola Airfield, Italy -Note: Based on unit, it was probably Torretto Airfield, not Cerignola -There were between twenty and thirty bombers at the airfield when they arrived -They were part of the 766th Bombardment Squadron 461st Bombardment Group -The officers were sent to the officers' quarters and enlisted men sent to their quarters -Slept in a barn that was used as a temporary barracks and the chapel -It was better than sleeping in tents -Met with some of the other crews -Played cards together (00:19:35) Flying Missions -Next morning learned that he was going to fly a mission -Crew was split up for that mission because various crews needed replacements -It was similar to their training missions, but now it was real -Their objective was Linz, Austria -Took off and formed up and flew to Linz -The bomb run began and they started taking flak �-Saw bombers getting hit, one P-51 Mustang got hit by flak -One bomber had to fall out of formation and they didn't know what happened to the crew -Their bombardier was on board that bomber -After returning from that mission they went through a debriefing -Learned three weeks later what had happened to their bombardier -Had survived the crash in Yugoslavia, but was killed by the Ustase -Four of the crew were rescued by Yugoslavian partisans -Flew a mission to Vienna, Austria and one of their gas tanks got hit by flak -Transferred the gas from that tank to another intact tank -Could see tracers going past the bomber -If one tracer hit the bomber it would have ignited the gasoline -Landed at an airfield on an island off the coast of Yugoslavia -Had to abandon the bomber, but the crew got picked up by a C-47 the next day -On one mission he looked back to see if the bombs were hitting their target -A bullet came through the plexiglass right where his head had been -Final mission was in the Po Valley -Dropping supplies to Allied prisoners of war in Austria -Could see displaced persons travelling on the roads (00:33:22) End of the War -At Torretto Field when Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 -Celebrated the war being over with bourbon -Returned to South Carolina and was given thirty days of leave to go home and await orders -His original orders were to go to Tampa, Florida -Orders were changed to Pratt Army Airfield, Kansas -At Pratt he started training with the B-29 Superfortress -Preparing for the invasion of Japan -Trained with the B-29 in July 1945 -He got married on July 12, 1945 -Was able to get a job off the base to earn a little extra money -Reported for duty one morning and learned that the atomic bombs had been dropped -Shortly thereafter training was cancelled -Felt great that the war was over (00:36:11) End of Service -Received orders to go to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa to be discharged -Had enough "points" -Needed eighty five points to be discharged -Points awarded based on rank, length of service, dependents, and combat seen -Took a train to St. Louis with his wife, got an apartment, and got a job as a machinist (00:36:30) Reflections on Service -Taught him responsibility -Taught him how to work with other people �-Learned how to survive (00:38:02) Life after the War -Went into the grocery business after the war -Had enjoyed tool and die work, but there weren't many jobs after the war -Went back to work for Curtiss-Wright, but the work was limited � 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_SchaperD1798V Title A name given to the resource Schaper, David (Interview outline and video), 2005 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-10-22 Description An account of the resource David Schaper was born in Wright City, Missouri on August 2, 1921. Prior to enlisting in the Army Air Force he worked for Curtiss-Wright on the AT-6, even after enlisting he was granted a twelve month deferrment due to his work on the AT-6. He was eventually called up for service and was sent to Texas for basic training and gunnery training. He was assigned to a B-24 Liberator bomber crew in Lincoln, Nebraska. They trained together before being deployed to the European Theatre. They were Crew #54 of the 766th Bombardment Squadron of the 461st Bombardment Group stationed at Torretto Air Field, Italy. They flew bombing missions into Austria, as well as supply missions into the Po Valley. In the summer of 1945 he was sent back to the United States and began training with the B-29 Superfortress at Pratt Army Air Field, Kansas in July. After Japan surrendered he was sent to Sioux City Army Air Bse, Iowa where he was discharged. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schaper, David 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 Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c3a940f3f50504a4c7743da1d5614dbe.mp4 3ea0465da59b59593345ec4caf37b142 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3ba0d4875c802e1fbe6efacac727b745.pdf 2c30b00bc251a2aed0ae2fe94fe59c3e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Wilfred “Bill” Schaper Date of Interview: 04-23-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 1] FRANK BORING: We'll start off with a question, you can elaborate as much as you want. What you were you doing before you even heard about AVG? BILL SCHAPER: I was staff sergeant in the Army. Hamilton Field. I came home from my uncle and aunt's in Oakland and we had a room at the end of the barracks. Walker was there. Walker said you want to go to China? I said are you crazy? I feared he'd been drunk again or had been drinking. Well, he said, tomorrow morning you can sign up. And the next morning well, we signed up. That was in probably about May '41. FRANK BORING: What was your position in the military? BILL SCHAPER: I was staff sergeant 77th Pursuit Squadron, Hamilton Field? Came over from Oakland visiting my aunt and uncle when I got into the barracks my friend, Walker said you want to go to China? I said you've been drinking? No, I'm telling you the truth. I said what do I do? He said, come on with me in the morning to sign up. That's it. FRANK BORING: What had you heard about China? BILL SCHAPER: Nothing. Had no idea, not an inkling before that. �BILL SCHAPER: I had just come home from Oakland visiting my aunt and uncle when I checked into the barracks we had a room at the end. Walker asked me if I wanted to go to China. I said you've been drinking again. He said, no, I mean it. He'd been interviewed, I guess. And then he said come with me in the morning and you'll sign up. So I signed up and I never heard again for a couple of weeks whatever happened. In the meantime I was refused transfer to another group that would offer a better promotion by Mr. Aker, General Aker, and I had made up my mind to leave. There was no way you could get off of there in 1941. You were locked into the service. FRANK BORING: Hold off car going thru. Start right from the beginning. What were you doing before you heard about the AVG? BILL SCHAPER: Staff Sgt. U.S. Air Corp, Hamilton Field. I had just come back from Oakland visiting my aunt and uncle. And Walker my roommate at Hamilton Field asked me if I wanted to go to China? I said you been drinking again, no he said I mean follow me home we'll sign up tomorrow morning. That was it. FRANK BORING: A siren now. What were you doing before you ever heard about the AVG. BILL SCHAPER: I was a staff sergeant in the U. S. Air Corp at Hamilton Field, 77th Pursuit Squadron. I had gone over to visit my aunt and uncle in Oakland and when I got back Sunday night Walker was in our room and he asked me if I wanted to go to China? I said you've been drinking again? I could tell by the beer cans under the bunk. He said, no, I mean it come on over we'll sign up tomorrow morning. So we did. I think it was on a Monday morning. FRANK BORING: What was your experience? Why did you decide to go to China? BILL SCHAPER: I was refused a promotion to a group that split off to mark March Field and I was a little unhappy with my rank probably, if I remember. And when this opportunity came I decided to leave. �FRANK BORING: What did you know about China? BILL SCHAPER: Not a thing. Did not have no idea where I was going, when we were going to leave or nothing. Absolutely cold turkey. FRANK BORING: Was it just the two of you that talked about this? Or where there other guys that were? BILL SCHAPER: I think from Hamilton Field there or I never recalled but there must have been 8 or 9 or 10 of us. FRANK BORING: What was your first contact with representatives from CAMCO? BILL SCHAPER: I don't remember. FRANK BORING: Tell us how you got out of the military and into the AVG. BILL SCHAPER: Nobody ever asked me that before. I don't remember. I know we got notice that we were going to leave San Francisco on July the 1st and this was about the middle of June. [?] had a new Chevy at the time and I had to get that Chevy back to Chicago and turn around and come back in 5 or 6 days I think maybe a week. I got my Chevy back to Chicago, gave it to my parents and drove lease car to Fresno and then hitchhiked from Fresno to San Francisco. FRANK BORING: Once you got to San Francisco what did you find there in terms of AVG group that was there? BILL SCHAPER: I don't even remember the name of the hotel. It was all new to me. I was 29 or 30 years old - I was no kid. We left the P-36's and we got the P-40's I was a [?] chief and I think I knew more about that P-40 than anybody other than people in our group. I recall that one time we had a flight of new pilots come in from flight school and we took them down to Coalinga, down a dirt field because they were ground looping all the time on the concrete. Pilots could �probably tell you more about that than I. We had a couple of accidents down there after we came back from Coalinga I think this China deal came up. At the time we had no idea there was going to be a war in China. In fact we went over cold turkey. FRANK BORING: What was your experience with the P-40 when it first came in and what was your duties… what was your… what were you supposed to do with the airplane? BILL SCHAPER: I was crew chief, hanger chief, maintenance. Complete maintenance, from one end to the other. FRANK BORING: Could you explain in more detail what that involved? BILL SCHAPER: The biggest thing was swapping engines and propellers I guess. I thought the P-40 was a pretty good airplane. FRANK BORING: Let's start from there. I thought the P-40 was a pretty good airplane and they explain to us why you thought it was a pretty good airplane from your perspective don't even worry about the pilots or any of that. From your perspective. BILL SCHAPER: I can't evaluate that. FRANK BORING: Just say whatever you felt about the P-40. Was it an improvement on the P-36? BILL SCHAPER: It was a definite improvement on the P-36. Except it did have ground looping tendencies I guess. FRANK BORING: Let's hear you say again you said earlier that you thought the P-40 was a pretty good airplane. BILL SCHAPER: I guess the P-40 was an improvement over the P-36 that's all I can tell you. �FRANK BORING: Let's start again. Frank will ask the question. What did you think about the P-40 and you can say it had this ground looping problems and builds the airplane and then go into what you thought of it and the ground looping thing. BILL SCHAPER: You see as a mechanic, you don't have any… you don't [?] why it flies even, you don't care just make it fly. I thought the P-40 was a pretty good airplane over the P-36. It had the ground looping qualities that didn't exist in the P-36, I guess. I could tell you that when we got over to China, to Burma, we had Navy person that never knew a liquid cool engine from a tractor. FRANK BORING: Well, tell us more about your experience that you used in China. What is it that made you want CAMCO to have you? I mean why did they want you to go to China, why did they except you? BILL SCHAPER: I guess we were pretty well screened in Hamilton Field because we were the last of the group to be picked up after they brought everybody from back east. But what they were short of they picked up at Hamilton Field. And I was one of them. FRANK BORING: Why did they pick you? BILL SCHAPER: Qualification I guess. That's why Aker would let me go with the other group. FRANK BORING: Can you explain about that… why wouldn't Aker let you go? BILL SCHAPER: Aker's letter to me at the time said "unqualified replacements available" for our squadron. General Aker. General Ira Aker. Commanding General of the 8th Air Force World War II. FRANK BORING: You'll have to say that whole thing. When you say General Ira Aker - that's what we need. We need that whole title in there and then say why he didn't want you to go. Let's start from that point. �BILL SCHAPER: When they picked up replacements for the group they were putting together to go to China General Aker wouldn't release me for another group that went to March Field because a qualified replacement was unavailable. FRANK BORING: And you were qualified? BILL SCHAPER: Oh, yeah, as general mechanic, I was an electrician, a prop man, motor man, everything. FRANK BORING: Let's go to San Francisco now. You met up with some of the guys there at the hotel before you got on the ship. Or do you remember... BILL SCHAPER: Yeah, we had quite a group there before we got on the Jaegersfontein. We went right from there to a bus to the Jaegersfontein. FRANK BORING: Why don't you tell us something about that period? The meeting of all these guys. BILL SCHAPER: I don't remember. FRANK BORING: How about the ship itself. Do you remember getting on the ship? BILL SCHAPER: Oh, yeah, being from Hamilton Field I was familiar with San Francisco. These other guys had come, I mean our other crew personnel had been down in Los Angeles at the Jonathan Club living high on the hog. I went right to San Francisco, San Francisco shipped out. I don't think we were there 3 or 4 days. FRANK BORING: Tell us about the trip over on the ship. BILL SCHAPER: A helluva long ride that's all. It was one week, oh, you probably heard this, from San Francisco to Honolulu. Thirty days to �Singapore. Everything was dried up. We stayed in Singapore overnight, I think, and then shipped out to Toungoo, to Rangoon. FRANK BORING: What did you find when you arrived in Rangoon? BILL SCHAPER: We went put on a lorry and put on a train immediately. I know they searched us for arms. They tried to take all our arms away. I didn't have one. But nobody would relinquish what they had. They just kept them. Because the British authority at the time there was no arms in the British colony. FRANK BORING: Once you arrived in Rangoon you got on a train to go to Toungoo? What did you find when you arrived in Toungoo? BILL SCHAPER: It was raining. Probably rain. We checked in the barracks and the next morning we were told why we were there. FRANK BORING: What did they tell you? BILL SCHAPER: We were going to protect the Burma Road against the Japanese. I think that was the first indication that I had that there was a war going on. FRANK BORING: What were your duties? BILL SCHAPER: When I arrived in Toungoo? I think we had a general meeting and we were told why we were there. Other than that, before that we had no idea. I had no idea. FRANK BORING: Why were you there? BILL SCHAPER: To protect the Burma Road I guess. FRANK BORING: To get it on tape we've got to have you say when we were in Rangoon they had a general meeting and told us. Let's start again with you saying after you arrived in Toungoo. �BILL SCHAPER: We arrived in Toungoo we had a general meeting either a day or two days later and we were told why we were there. Before that I had no idea. Why we were there? FRANK BORING: That's what we are looking for. In spite the fact that you didn't get off at Toungoo again. BILL SCHAPER: When I arrived in Toungoo the following morning or the second morning after we had a general meeting and we were told why we were in Burma. To protect the Burma Road from the bombing Japanese airplanes, I guess. FRANK BORING: That's what we are looking for. BILL SCHAPER: Why don't you write the script? FRANK BORING: What were your duties, your daily duties there? BILL SCHAPER: My duty, I went over as a crew chief. I found out anyway and those of us who worked the P-40 that there were quite a few inexperienced personnel familiar with the P-40. So after I was crew chief for about a month I was appointed to go into the hanger and do the heavier work. I worked for, what the hell was his name, Pruitt? Pruitt and Harry Fox both Navy personnel who'd never seen a P-40 before. FRANK BORING: So what were your duties like? BILL SCHAPER: I did the most heavy maintenance. FRANK BORING: Which is? BILL SCHAPER: Engine change, propeller change, wing tips, repair damage. I didn't do any sheet metal work though. �FRANK BORING: At this time some of the pilots had never flown P-40, they were all BILL SCHAPER: Navy FRANK BORING: Checking out in the P-40. What kind of experience did you have with the airplanes coming in? I mean the ones that were damaged. What kind of work did you have to do on them? BILL SCHAPER: I did the repair work. FRANK BORING: Repair work is not enough. We need to know the details of what you actually did. If you have an example. For example, maybe Rossi messed up a propeller or something - you can tell a little story about that. BILL SCHAPER: I don't remember. I changed so many goddamn props. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Schaper_Bill_1991-04-23_v01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schaper, Wilfred E. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-04-23 Title A name given to the resource Bill Schaper interview (video and transcript, 1 of 4), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Bill Schaper by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Bill Schaper was Crew Chief for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) 1st Squadron "Adam and Eves." He joined the AVG in 1941 after serving in the US Army as a Staff Sergeant in the 77th Pursuit Squadron. It was his responsibility to maintain the aircrafts. In this tape, Schaper discusses his life as a staff sergeant in the United States Air Corps prior to joining the American Volunteer Group, in addition to their journey overseas from San Francisco to Rangoon aboard the Jaegersfontein. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f0ab5ff6d9599090f85d9dda7ac05379.mp4 0b3fddf268f0272b6f159d884209fc22 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/df28ba97e8b8ecc1a0f0b611a31b69b5.pdf f1583845af30336a2ae646629ed6b542 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Wilfred “Bill” Schaper Date of Interview: 04-23-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 2] FRANK BORING: You came from California and never heard of China. What was your experience, what do you recall about arriving in this foreign country. How did it affect you? BILL SCHAPER: After landing in Rangoon everything was totally strange. We got on that train up to Toungoo and I guess bussed to the airport. First thing I sat down on was a bed that was a hard as the floor. Personally I enjoyed it myself. Because it was different. One thing I can recall we had a house boy and he used to bring us coffee in the morning and one morning the cup of coffee had a scorpion in the bottom. So we fired him. FRANK BORING: What was your daily routine like? BILL SCHAPER: Work. Just routine work. I did the most maintenance from daylight to dark every day. FRANK BORING: How about the working conditions, were they… BILL SCHAPER: The working conditions were quite primitive. I can recall we had spark plugs at that time that were not ceramic like you have now. They were plug wrapped in [?] glass plastic and they would absorb the moisture. Every time in the morning we would go out and warm up an airplane, it would be missing 2, 3, 4 cylinders. We �pulled the plugs out. I took them over to the cook shack put them in the oven, dry them out and brought them back. We were so short of equipment, supplies. Tools we had none, very few. I'm talking about hand tools. FRANK BORING: That is just the kind of thing we are looking for. That was perfect. That gives us a sense of pain. Keep going. Also… BILL SCHAPER: We were so short of supplies and batteries the same way. I can't think of anything else. FRANK BORING: Did you get frustrated and feed up with that kind of problems? BILL SCHAPER: Oh, yeah and then you wait for tomorrow. You are so short of equipment, supplies, tools you just wait until the equipment arrives My own experience we replaced parts of the Allison engine a crew chief would never attempt on the field just to keep them running. FRANK BORING: Like what? Give us an example. BILL SCHAPER: Taking the back of the engine off. Changing the drive gears. FRANK BORING: Anything else? I mean the thing about the oven putting the spark plugs in was great. What about batteries, gasoline. BILL SCHAPER: Gasoline was all hand pumped. I never worried about the gasoline, the armament, or radios those were always somebody else's job. FRANK BORING: Ok. Did you ever get the feeling that you were not worth it? The money you were getting paid. BILL SCHAPER: What do you mean? That was a lot of money-- $350 a month. FRANK BORING: Why don't you talk about that? The relationship of what you were getting in the military and… �BILL SCHAPER: Well, that was one of the reasons we left. The increase. I was making $90 bucks and flight pay at Hamilton Field and when they offered us $350 back there that [?] it right there. We left. I think a lot of guys [?]. FRANK BORING: When you were there, though, you were paid $350, but no equipment, hardly any tools, jerry-rigging stuff. What was your feeling at that time? Was it worth the pay? BILL SCHAPER: We didn't have any idea what we were getting into. Just cold turkey, you know. FRANK BORING: Give us an impression. An airplane would get damaged in training, what would happen? They would bring it into the hanger? You would start working on it, what was the procedure? Let's take an example of an airplane that gets banged up in training. BILL SCHAPER: Training accidents, yeah. Oh, we scavenged parts from one to keep others flying until we got the replacement parts. What they call it cannibalize them I guess. FRANK BORING: Was there any particular, any one airplane that you can recall from the training period that was particular difficult. BILL SCHAPER: They are all the same. P-40 is a P-40. FRANK BORING: How about giving us a sense, you mentioned earlier that you were experienced on the P-40 but most of the guys you were working with weren't. Did you have to train them? Or how did they eventually get around to being able to? BILL SCHAPER: I feel I would hurt somebody's feelings if I give my own opinion. FRANK BORING: Oh, no I was… �BILL SCHAPER: Oh, yeah, in fact Charlie Bond wrote me a note in the book. We just corresponded for the first time this past spring. Last fall, this spring. Incidences he had would [?] bad maintenance. FRANK BORING: Well, we are not trying to make anybody look bad, but we are really trying to get a sense of we know that a lot of pilots that went there were never trained on a P-40. We know some of the mechanics weren't, but this is part of history. It's not your making [?] of them - they weren't trained on it. BILL SCHAPER: We were in a training school really, actually, the hard way though on the job I guess you'd call it. FRANK BORING: That's what I'm looking for. BILL SCHAPER: It was on the job the training, is what it was. FRANK BORING: What's the crew chief? How many had actually trained with before? BILL SCHAPER: I don't know. FRANK BORING: But it was a handful? BILL SCHAPER: Maybe 40% of them? Maybe less than that, I think the only one that had it was Mitchell Field, Mitchell and Selfridge at Detroit. I learned that after I got there. FRANK BORING: In terms of the training period, it went on ‘til Pearl Harbor? Do you recall? BILL SCHAPER: Pearl Harbor? Damn right I do. FRANK BORING: Tell us about the day. �BILL SCHAPER: It was on a Monday morning. I was checking out a P-40 and McClure ran up to me waving his arms. Shut it down, shut it down. I said “what's your problem?” - I thought maybe it had caught on fire. He said “they bombed Pearl Harbor.” I said “where the hell is Pearl Harbor?” The Navy knew, but I didn't know. FRANK BORING: What was your impression about you got a chance to talk to some of the guys and learn more about what was happening. What was your personal impression of what was going on? What do you recall? Once the guys starting talking about it and people were discussing what was happening what was your impression? BILL SCHAPER: I was told I think that we had a Japanese air base within a 100 miles across the hills there somewhere. It never bothered me. FRANK BORING: Where were you when the Flying Tigers first had their encounters? December the 20th, when they actually encountered airplanes over Kunming? BILL SCHAPER: I was in Kunming. I was on the field. FRANK BORING: Ok, then let's start off with you were in Rangoon. When did you move the Kunming? Do you remember? BILL SCHAPER: It would be in the fall of '41. Probably October, November. FRANK BORING: Do you remember arriving in Kunming? BILL SCHAPER: No. We flew in on a DC-3, I think. We had tools and equipment. FRANK BORING: Was the conditions there better than…? BILL SCHAPER: Yeah, much better, well… FRANK BORING: Could you describe them? �BILL SCHAPER: We lived at the hostel near the air field. We had 2 guys to the room and I think I recall we had rec room. It is so far back, man. FRANK BORING: Let's look at the work space. Where did you operate out of? For fixing the airplanes? BILL SCHAPER: Right on the field. I got a good picture of that I think. Did you ever see the Chinese that used to wash parts for us? FRANK BORING: Could you tell us about that? BILL SCHAPER: Well, we had… we picked up some Chinese helpers. I think they came from the States. We also used natives for minor duties, cleaning, stuff like that. FRANK BORING: Could you give us a description of? Did you know Pak On Lee? BILL SCHAPER: Yeah. FRANK BORING: Could you tell us about him? BILL SCHAPER: Not there I met him back at Ojai. He worked for CAMCO didn't he? FRANK BORING: Well, we are going to interview him too. BILL SCHAPER: Well, he's up in Washington isn't he? FRANK BORING: Can you try to give us an impression or describe to us what it was like inside the hanger or whatever it was. Did you say you had Chinese washing parts, you had... I mean I need to picture being there. Can you describe working on a P-40 and who was working on it and what they were doing, and the Chinese? BILL SCHAPER: It was all outdoors. I mean we did everything outside. That I recall. �FRANK BORING: Well, we are in Kunming now and the guys are still training in their airplanes, Pearl Harbor. BILL SCHAPER: No, I think most of the training was done in Toungoo. Except their tactical. See, I have nothing to do plan. The pilots could tell you more about that. FRANK BORING: We're looking for I guess when a pilot came down and landed his plane. BILL SCHAPER: The crew chief took over. After a pilot came down and landed, the crew chief took over. If there was a major problem then he would push it back into the main hanger. That's where we came in. FRANK BORING: And what happened? BILL SCHAPER: It was Overly, myself, Carter I don't remember - 4 or 5 other guys. FRANK BORING: Traditionally what would happen? The airplane has now landed, crew chief takes over, they bring it over to the hanger. Now what happens? BILL SCHAPER: Fix it that's all. That's it, just work. When you take your car to a garage what do you get? FRANK BORING: I guess what I'm looking for more specifically though is, let's say that you come back from battle, it’s got bullet holes in it or something like that. BILL SCHAPER: Not in Kunming, that's later after Rangoon. If you're talking about the period of time from maybe Oct. thru Dec. As I recall the first time we had combat was in Kunming wasn't it? FRANK BORING: Dec. 20th BILL SCHAPER: When Cokey Hoffman got it. �FRANK BORING: Well, let's go beyond that then. Where were you after that? Where were you after Kunming? BILL SCHAPER: I know I was ferried down to Rangoon and back up to Kunming, different areas - Chungking, Kweilin, as I recall. FRANK BORING: Were you on the airfield when there were battles going on? BILL SCHAPER: Frequently. FRANK BORING: Can you describe to us what that was like? BILL SCHAPER: Run and hide, that's all. Most of our action was away from the field. The only time I can recall the [?] being bombed bad was either Rangoon or Kweilin. FRANK BORING: Let's talk about… you had mentioned that when an airplane arrived after battle, there was crew chief took over and then it was brought in to hanger or the outside area. Let's take an example. Try to remember an example of airplane that got shot up and just describe to us... BILL SCHAPER: Well, suppose the… if the engine thru a rod or begin to be totally incapacitated they brought in the hanger for an engine change ... if we had one. That's where I took over. FRANK BORING: What other kinds of examples do you have, change engines sometimes, what other kinds of things happened? BILL SCHAPER: I can tell you of an incidence, I don't know where the hell it was but it was out of Kunming we had couple of airplanes, one was in a rice paddy somewhere up in the bushes and it was colder than hell and I think it was Carter, myself we took a jeep to salvage the parts that we could carry out. And it was raining and cold. And we try to get a fire started and we had a bunch of Chinese auxiliary people �around us. So I reached… we got a little fire going… and I reached in the back and got an oxygen bottle and turned the oxygen on and the coolies couldn't figure out what the hell was coming out of the bottle but pretty soon we had a pretty good blaze going. FRANK BORING: You get a chance to salvage anything out of that airplane? BILL SCHAPER: Whatever we could carry off, probably a radio, mag needles, carburetor? Whatever was salvageable…generator… FRANK BORING: Let's go to Rangoon - the fall of Rangoon. What do you recall about the last days of fall of Rangoon? BILL SCHAPER: Want to get my diary? FRANK BORING: You have diary? BILL SCHAPER: Yeah, I kept one. I could use it for notes. FRANK BORING: Yeah, we'd like to look at that later, but do you recall off the top of your head? BILL SCHAPER: No, no it’s just a lot of hard work that's all. I can recall disbursing the airplanes. We'd go down a dirt road there would be a pole here and a pole here and you have to taxi like zig zag to take it off the field.? And those of us in the Air Force? Air Corp we never taxied an airplane before in our life. That was a pilot's job but over there everybody did it. When you talk about the nose of a Cadillac as long that P-40 nose is about 14 feet, I think. I mean you couldn't see over the top. FRANK BORING: From what I understand it was a very chaotic time. The fall of Rangoon. They let out the lunatics, the zoos… BILL SCHAPER: Yeah, you're right. We were out at the field at Rangoon when they burned the docks and I remember the kooks running up and down �the highway. You see we were out of town. What the hell was the name of that and we were told by the guy that own the big department store [?] go in, take whatever you want, go get it and carry it out, and we did. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Schaper_Bill_1991-04-23_v02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schaper, Wilfred E. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-04-23 Title A name given to the resource Bill Schaper interview (video and transcript, 2 of 4), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Bill Schaper by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Bill Schaper was Crew Chief for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) 1st Squadron "Adam and Eves." He joined the AVG in 1941 after serving in the US Army as a Staff Sergeant in the 77th Pursuit Squadron. It was his responsibility to maintain the aircrafts. In this tape, Schaper discusses describes his first impressions of Rangoon and Toungoo, in addition to the effect the news of Pearl Harbor had on the AVG. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9868e509d3643277ab54c065fae44541.mp4 bb3329d557c30d63191fe8f44b5c1dbe https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8c2ad6cd67faa949bb15e0d406728d9e.pdf c77c0193381afb9f21cf2039596a6827 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Wilfred “Bill” Schaper Date of Interview: 04-23-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 3] BILL SCHAPER: When Chennault asked me to take the convoy to Kunming whatever we could salvage out of Rangoon. I had a British driver with me and they gave us that, you saw that map I had, that was it. We were told to go a certain direction to avoid being ambushed. I don't know how long it took, it must have taken a week to get up there. That's the movies I got there, I took some pictures. Switch backs. FRANK BORING: Describe to us the roads and the conditions. Why don't you talk about the plane, okay? BILL SCHAPER: What, the Stinson 105? FRANK BORING: Yeah. BILL SCHAPER: I took that plane up. FRANK BORING: We don't know what plane that is. BILL SCHAPER: When we left Rangoon I had a Stinson 105 on the back of my truck. And we got it up to Kunming and after Kunming I ditched it in the woods. Figure that we'd get it flying. But in the meantime I got transferred to Kweilin or moved around and I lost it there. �Somebody else took it over. I heard later that from the Allison representative that they had it flying and they were using it locally. FRANK BORING: Could you describe again how you got the plane in the truck because we didn't have the tape on then with the bolts falling out in the back. BILL SCHAPER: The Stinson 105 belonged to the premiere of Burma, name of Usaw. And I figured well, everybody is salvaging sewing machines, guns, ammunition, bolts of cloth, I'd take the airplane and could make a buck. I put the airplane… the airplane fit on the back of the International. I had with a board sticking out the back to hold the tail skin and I towed a jeep. I don't remember how long it took to get up there but a week or ten days probably. FRANK BORING: What were the conditions of the Burma Road? Can you describe for us what the Burma Road was like? BILL SCHAPER: Lock could tell you more about that, Bob Locke. But going up the Burma Road to get to the north end of Burma over the mountains was a lot of switch backs, I know because I was towing a jeep I had to forward and back at least 6 times to get around a curve. I mean they were tight. Nothing like you got here, these are easy. One time McClure came late to camp one night and I said where the hell you been, Mac? I lost a generator, well how you'd get the generator fixed. This is a true story now, he said well, there was a bunch of Limey's camped out for tea down at the river and the trucks were parked up on the road so I took one off their truck and put it on mine. McClure, you'll meet McClure over the 4th of July probably. When Rangoon was being bombed those of us out at the airfield all had a jeep and a tommy gun. We were invited by the guy that own a big department store that receipt I have there and he said take whatever you want. He gave some of the pilots the keys to the �wine cellar and the liquor store. Oh, I know I had about 4 cases of dry sack. I got that as far as Chungking I think. Yeah. FRANK BORING: Can you described somewhat the [?] at that time? I mean you're going down the streets with a jeep and a tommy gun? BILL SCHAPER: I know one thing - we have a jeep race around there until 2 in the morning sometimes. Did anybody else tell you that, too? No? You ever been to Rangoon? FRANK BORING: No, I've never been to Rangoon. BILL SCHAPER: Well, it’s a big pagoda gold plated on the middle of town. We'd go down there and run around. That's about it. That was a circus before we got blown out there. FRANK BORING: From Rangoon where did you go next? BILL SCHAPER: I took the convoy from Rangoon to Chungking. FRANK BORING: When did you finally arrive in Chungking? BILL SCHAPER: There was a guy up there he was our Provost Marshall. What the hell was his name? Those of us that had come up with the convoy had a bunch of what we called loot. And he was confiscating everything we could [?]. We had, I had this plane, but about 3 days before we got to Kunming we decided to put everything on a truck and then hid the truck. We were scavengers, first class. Wouldn't you know that damn truck burned up? FRANK BORING: Who was this Provost Marshall? BILL SCHAPER: I... give me the rooster I could look at it. What the hell was his name? McCarty, no it was an Irish name. He was one of Chennault's staff with John Williams. �FRANK BORING: Greenlaw? BILL SCHAPER: No, it was Greenlaw, Williams, Chennault, I don't know. Oh, he got into so many goddamn fights up there you couldn't believe it. He was a pain in the ass. I never knew him personally, but those other guys had personal contact with him. FRANK BORING: Did you have any contacts with Harvey or Olga? BILL SCHAPER: No. You'd have to talk to Boyington, but he's dead. He was shacked up with her I think. So I've been told. FRANK BORING: Tell us about Bob Locke and maybe about his leopard kitten. BILL SCHAPER: Oh, he could tell you more about that. FRANK BORING: Oh, yeah, he has. BILL SCHAPER: He went over as a prop man. Bob Locke went over as a prop man and he was shuttling supplies back and forth and he picked up this leopard. I was quite surprised when he came up with that. FRANK BORING: Did you have any contact with the leopard at all? BILL SCHAPER: No. We got some pictures of him somewhere. FRANK BORING: Let's go to Chungking now. What were your duties there basically the same as before. BILL SCHAPER: Yeah. Maintenance. We got there it was pretty well blown up. I don't know how long we stayed here. A week maybe. FRANK BORING: Then from there where did you go? �BILL SCHAPER: Back to Kunming I think. From Chungking to Kunming stayed there a while and went to Kweilin. That's when I think after Kweilin is when the Air Force came in. That was the end. FRANK BORING: Did you witness first hand any of the bombing of the Chinese cities? BILL SCHAPER: Kunming, yeah. We get into Kunming. FRANK BORING: That would be good if you could tell us anything about the city damage, description of the bombing. BILL SCHAPER: In Kunming I can recall an incidence or two where they would pick up bodies and throw them in the back of a flatbed like cord wood and take them out and bury them. FRANK BORING: What kind of effect did that have on you? BILL SCHAPER: Don't bother me. FRANK BORING: Did you, I mean, what effect did it have, knowledge that the Chinese were pretty much defenseless at this time. The Japanese just bombing them. Did you have any did you feel anything about the Japanese? BILL SCHAPER: No. Probably pissed off, but other than that, I mean, what the hell at that time you… FRANK BORING: The first time AVG went into combat was in December of 1941. Do you recall that first day when they came back after shooting down the airplanes, the bombers in Kunming? BILL SCHAPER: Yeah, that was. I guess you call it a day of joy. I guess it renewed a confidence in a lot of people. After that first shoot up. �FRANK BORING: Do you remember when the planes first came in I mean there was some anticipation because you knew they were going up into battle. BILL SCHAPER: I don't recall. FRANK BORING: OK. Do you remember a man they called Herman the German. BILL SCHAPER: Very well! Gerhard Neumann was a very good friend of mine. He came to work with me in Kunming in the heavy maintenance because he was a graduate engineer of the best schools in Germany. He had a garage in Kunming. And he told me the history. He had his mother, his wife and a Pekinese dog. Come to think of it I don't know where the hell they lived in Kunming. But he and I became very well acquainted. FRANK BORING: How did he come to the AVG? BILL SCHAPER: He was an aeronautical engineer from Germany who immigrated, his parents, his dad died in a concentration camp they went Israel, Israel they immigrated to China. His wife, the Pekinese dog and his mother and Gerhard. I got a lot of pictures… quite a few pictures him and the dog and his mother. In fact he would appreciate a copy if they’re still good. FRANK BORING: What was the effect of having, I mean you are all Americans there. What was the effect of having a German come in and start working. BILL SCHAPER: We were not at war with Germany yet. This? Pearl Harbor. He was the hardest working guy I ever worked for. Worked with. FRANK BORING: What were you saying about [?] Individuals in the AVG that you became good friends with? �BILL SCHAPER: Gerhard Neumann was one. Johnny Carter, I don't know what the hell happened to him. Overly. FRANK BORING: You were talking about that expression that Gerhard used about divorce… We were up in Chungking I think, he said Bill, he introduced me to Chinese cooking by the way. We're telling about Gerhard Neumann, he spoke fluent Chinese, he said Bill, I want to tell you something, he had a problem with his I didn't know what the reason was, he got a Chinese divorce, he said I'm the only German Jew with a Chinese divorce. Things that you remember, you know. BILL SCHAPER: FRANK BORING: Yeah. BILL SCHAPER: I got quite a few picture of him in that can there. FRANK BORING: Come back to Sandell. Did you get to know him? BILL SCHAPER: No, we was quite aloof. He was my C.O. FRANK BORING: Talk about that and use his name. BILL SCHAPER: We talk about Sandell. We never had any personal contacts because he was my C.O. and the last time I saw him was in Rangoon when he climbed in that P-40 and never came back. FRANK BORING: How did you feel, when a guy gets into an airplane like that and you basically put it together… was there some kind of a feeling? BILL SCHAPER: None. Remorse? FRANK BORING: Not so much remorse but just responsibility. BILL SCHAPER: No. I put enough planes together that I got compliments from most of the pilots, but he had that, I'm only going my heresy, but he had �the problem with the problem he had in Rangoon he had once before and survived. Not being a pilot I don't know, you know. FRANK BORING: How did you feel about the pilots? How did they feel about you? Did you get along with them all? BILL SCHAPER: I got along with everybody. Yeah. FRANK BORING: Did you associated with pilots or did you… BILL SCHAPER: Oh, yeah, we mingled all together. We had basketball, baseball games between us. And Pete Atkinson who got killed over there was a good personal friend of mine. He was my engineering officer and he was quite a basketball player. I had a little bit… we put a team together. I think, no, he wasn't with us. Up in Chungking it was. It was an Olympic team against a bunch of crews, us dummies you know. They wiped our ass pretty good. FRANK BORING: Can you describe for us the difference between life in the military and life in the AVG? BILL SCHAPER: The difference between in the military and after we got to Toungoo, rank didn't mean anything. We were all equal. It was quite a surprise for me and some people I think might have taken advantage of it. But, myself, we just common laborers, common people, you know? We were all civilians in fact. FRANK BORING: What about discipline, showing up to work on time and all that kind of stuff? BILL SCHAPER: I never had a problem with discipline, myself. There were a few incidences where we had some guys that couldn't handle it--booze. And I think when Chennault got wind of that he sent them home -a couple of them. That was in Toungoo, that was quite a surprise. I was with the second group that came over, the largest group on the �Jaegersfontein. We had 2 or 3 groups come over later. Second and third group. But some of those guys were kooky. FRANK BORING: You did make some friends while you were there. Was there anybody that got shot down or died that had a particular effect on you? BILL SCHAPER: Pete Atkinson. FRANK BORING: Can you tell us a little bit about that? BILL SCHAPER: Well, it was on a Sunday morning I think it was. I was working that morning when Pete took off and he buzzed Toungoo area and he split the airplane in half. He went out at the bottom. I think, that's what I've been told. It was confirmed because I went over and picked him up. I picked up the remains of the airplane. It is so many years back you forget you known. FRANK BORING: Are there any particular incidents that stick out from that particular period of time? Anything that incidents, or people. What do you remember the most? BILL SCHAPER: In Toungoo? FRANK BORING: Anytime in AVG. BILL SCHAPER: A lot of hard work. What I remember the most was just work dawn to dark every day. FRANK BORING: Do you consider that a good period of your life? BILL SCHAPER: Enjoyed it, yeah. Do you think those kids in Arabia had fun, shit they don't know nothing. They were only gone what 6 months. FRANK BORING: How long were you actually out there? �BILL SCHAPER: I was the last to leave whenever we left. I volunteered for the next 2 weeks then myself and a couple of others we got a ride to on a DC3 to Calcutta. That was an experience. You could get a house boy there for 1 rupee a day which was 26 cents I think. We stayed in Calcutta a week. I was debating whether to go work CNAC. I had offers to go to work for CNAC at the time. All kinds of Letters and some of the fellows like Rossi and those went. But I elected to go home. I didn't want to go back into the military. So I hitchhiked by air transport across India to Karachi then I caught the… we had a ticket on the Mariposa. We had to pay our own way back. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Schaper_Bill_1991-04-23_v03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schaper, Wilfred E. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-04-23 Title A name given to the resource Bill Schaper interview (video and transcript, 3 of 4), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Bill Schaper by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Bill Schaper was Crew Chief for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) 1st Squadron "Adam and Eves." He joined the AVG in 1941 after serving in the US Army as a Staff Sergeant in the 77th Pursuit Squadron. It was his responsibility to maintain the aircrafts. In this tape, Schaper discusses describes the conditions of the Burma Road and his experience witnessing the bombing of Kunming, in addition to the differences between life in the military and the AVG. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/98826c8a8d753d406d2f9bfbbe2de721.mp4 7f84a0ec9dd4a6ed95dd0b9958feda01 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/21d1103bceb8e53cd3ba12fa583eb562.pdf 5108283b6193b57fbb4c265808ef532b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Wilfred “Bill” Schaper Date of Interview: 04-23-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 4] FRANK BORING: Tell us about the last days of the AVG before they asked you about the 2 weeks. What was morale like, what were you thinking about at that time? BILL SCHAPER: I never had a problem with morale, not myself. I get along with them all. When they asked for volunteers to stay another two weeks I volunteered. Chennault said he see that we got back, but you were on your own at that time. FRANK BORING: What was your impression of Chennault? BILL SCHAPER: I had no personal contact with him. Except to listen to him talk once in a while. You had to admire the old man, he was gutsy. FRANK BORING: Do you feel in any way that you were promised passage back and you didn't get that. BILL SCHAPER: That didn't bother me. FRANK BORING: Let me ask you what did you do after you got to India? You said you were… BILL SCHAPER: We caught a DC3 out of Kunming. It was an air transport it might have been CNAC I don't remember and got to Calcutta, I think I �stayed in Calcutta a week That film that I have I sent it was raw film at the time not processed I found out thru Kodak that I could send that to Bombay and pick it up in Bombay when I got to Bombay which was 2 weeks down the road. That's what I did. And when I got to Karachi, I got on board the Mariposa, went to Bombay, I went to the Kodak and the film was ready. We went to Cape Town, I think we were in Cape Town, one day, two days and then a week later in New York. FRANK BORING: How did it feel to be home? BILL SCHAPER: Let me tell you. When you see the Statute of Liberty for the first time it brings tears to your eyes after a year, year and a half. Later on I could recall that watching these people with no patriotism at all. They had no idea what a war was. I'm talking about civilians over here. It burned my ass believe me. FRANK BORING: How did people react to you being in the AVG when you got back? BILL SCHAPER: They gave us a hero’s welcome, we didn't have ticker tape parade. I got back, I was greeted in New York by Bob Neal he was already signed to fly with American Overseas which later became American Airlines. He offered me a job as a flight engineer on the boats between New York and England. I said no I'll take my chances and I went to work for Allison. Opportunity was a good word for Pratt & Whitney, right? Lockheed, but being from Chicago I went to Indianapolis and about that time we got married 1942. FRANK BORING: How did you react to the newspapers? BILL SCHAPER: They were always on your back. Guest appearances here and there, selling war bonds, you know. After about 2 weeks of that I went to work. �FRANK BORING: To wrap everything up I sort of like you to look back a bit. What do you feel you personally accomplished during that period of time? BILL SCHAPER: I saved a few bucks. Nothing, it was just a job as far as I was concerned. I don't go gun ho over heroics and all that. FRANK BORING: Let me ask you in a difference context, now that you are at this point in your life and you been to the [?] reunions and you've read the books whatnots and maybe even seen the John Wayne movie whatever. Where do you think personally AVG fits into all this? BILL SCHAPER: I've been told the AVG fits a piece of history - that's all. FRANK BORING: How do you personally react to that? BILL SCHAPER: I don't have any reaction for it either one way or the other. It just happened that's all. No difference than these kids in Saudi Arabia. It was an experience and you live through it. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Schaper_Bill_1991-04-23_v04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schaper, Wilfred E. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-04-23 Title A name given to the resource Bill Schaper interview (video and transcript, 4 of 4), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Bill Schaper by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Bill Schaper was Crew Chief for the American Volunteer Group (AVG) 1st Squadron "Adam and Eves." He joined the AVG in 1941 after serving in the US Army as a Staff Sergeant in the 77th Pursuit Squadron. It was his responsibility to maintain the aircrafts. In this tape, Schaper discusses discusses the last days of the AVG and his experience returning to the United States along with the hero's welcome they received. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/abefb29e9d5b91174179feab212c3594.pdf a45937265b97578b36d70fa413d65060 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 Liber chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle) [folium 6] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_006Schedel1493 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schedel, Hartmann, 1440-1514 Description An account of the resource One leaf of Liber chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle) by Hartmann Schedel. Printed in Nuremberg by Anton Koberger for Sebald Schreyer and Sebastian Kammermeister in 1493. Illustrated by Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff with woodcuts and red rubricated initials. [GW M40784; ISTC is00307000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Nuremberg: Anton Koberger Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Woodcuts 1490-1500 Schedel, Hartmann, 1440-1514 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1493 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Wolgemut, Michael (illustrator); Pleydenwurff, Wilhelm (illustrator) Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6a3744bfcd90d7ebfb3226e788d823d1.pdf cba328ecf2901c7100b068f6f767a53d 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 Liber chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle) [folium 7] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_007Schedel1497 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schedel, Hartmann, 1440-1514 Description An account of the resource One leaf of Liber chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle) by Hartmann Schedel. Printed in Augsburg by Johann Schönsperger on February 1, 1497. Illustrated. [GW M40786; ISTC is00308000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Augsburg: Johann Schönsperger Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Woodcuts 1490-1500 Schedel, Hartmann, 1440-1514 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 1497 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/0582b341003eac3019f559adf907d850.mp4 ee93dfa83ebfc7062e425869606c9e94 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3b7950d37fa170f0b24bcabf8996b1da.pdf f47b0c4960dc97bc9b8409cdba229bd6 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee: Lawrence Scheidel Length of Interview: 01:01:43 Background                      He was born in 1923, June 7th, in Loretto, Michigan. His dad worked for Ford, helping to make the Model T cars. His family would eventually move to Alpine Township, where he would grow up. The depression caused a big change in his parents’ life, and what he remembers is sporadic work. During the depression he was fairly destitute. It was a very rural countryside and he always had a cow. He went to a Catholic school about ¼ miles from where he lived. He started school up in Grant when he was 8 years old. He doesn’t know why he started so late. His family then moved back to Grand Rapids where he would go to the Catholic school. It was actually “Public school 11” but it was taught by a nun. She was one tough nun, but she was a good educator. He was the oldest kid in most of the school. In fact, they jumped him past the second grade, which was a bad idea because he ended up failing the third grade. He made it up to tenth grade and he had made it two weeks into the year and he decided he didn’t like school. So he quit school and got a job. He left in 1942 or ’43. Getting a job was a hassle too. By the time he quit school the war had already started. He remembers hearing about Pearl Harbor as well. It was Sunday and he was visiting friends off in the Greenville Area. They pulled up in the yard and his friends had a radio, listening to what was going on. He was 16 at the time and he was devastated. He was kind of enthusiastic about becoming a soldier. He picked up an army book somewhere, from WWI and learned about what a soldier did. He certainly did not shy away from the thought. Summers he worked up in Grant weeding onions. When he turned 18 he went down to sign up. His folks would take up on a Sunday night and pick him up next Saturday. He would always enthusiastically asking about whether he got his draft notice yet. It didn’t come for the next couple of weeks so he went down to the draft board to check it out. His draft notice had been deferred because he was “needed” on the farm. He said that that was crap and he was trying to get of that darn farm. His mother went down there and had given them a story to give him more time at home. When he went down to the train station and boarded the train, his mother cried a lot and real hard. �  He was actually drafted, for 3 years of service. He would also sign up for another 3 years after his first 3 were up. He would be sent to Miami “Hellhole of the World” Beach for his training. Training (9:00)               He would be sent to Miami by train. The trip took about 2 days. He doesn’t really remember much about that trip. He never been on a long train trip before either. In fact, he had never been out of Michigan. The farthest away he had been was Detroit for his physical. While he was at Detroit, he got a choice to join the Navy or the Air Corps. He doesn’t like water so he joined the Air Corps. When he was signing in, he said “I do” and they handed him a broom there and then and said “All right, start sweeping” Miami Beach was not an Air Corps base, but a basic training camp. He remembers going out there and learning a little bit of everything. One time, he had to go to the rifle range, 7 or 8 miles away and he shot on the range and got a medal, like “sharpshooter” or something like that. The only time he’s every shot a gun before is when he was shooting as squirrels. It was very hot there and he started there in July. While he was there, they taught him how to use a gas mask. They did a lot of marching. They also did a lot of reconnaissance training. They would go to a theater and darken it to help them learn out to spot things. There was not a lot of emphasis on discipline, but they told you up from what they wanted you to do. He wasn’t much of a guy to break rules, so he stuck to what he was told to do. One thing that bugged him is that a drill sergeant would say his name wrong. His name has a German pronunciation to it. Finally he came up with a way to say it and it kind of stuck. He had basic training for 3 months. After he graduated from basic, they put him on a train and he had no idea of where he was going. Three days later, he got off in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sioux Falls (13:55)       He was freezing. Florida was so hot and every day at noon it would pour for about 20 minutes. The rain would settle the dust and an hour later the dust would be flying again. He then learned that he was to attend radio school. From there he found out that he was to be a radio operator gunner on a B-17. Radio school would last around 9 months to a year. He graduated from radio school. He learned Morse Code, and would have to achieve 13 words a minute. He remembers being with a couple of guys from Grand Rapids. One of them was very gullible. �            They had a female instructor and they were explaining AC/DC currents. And through a series of unfortunate events, his friend ended up shocking himself. He would not receive any gunnery training at this point. He did meet his wife there at radio school. He had a band and he played the guitar. They decided to do a show for Easter and they needed a place to practice. A buddy of his, not in the band, suggested a room that his wife rents from a gal in Sioux Falls. So they went over there and got in the room. It was kind of cramped. The lady of the house told them they could practice in the living room instead. So they did. Her daughter would come home from school. She was a good looker and he looked. To make a long story short they got married. The radio school acted a lot like a day job. There was a certain time he had to be up and when he was off duty, he was allowed to go off base and do things too. He used to hitchhike up to Flandreau, which was 50 miles away. There was an Indian reservation up there; it was a nice little town. His buddy had a girlfriend there. One time he stayed a little too late. Now it was not hard getting a ride up there. When you were in uniform, nobody passed you. Coming home, however, was not the same. There was almost no traffic. He had a freezing night that night and ended up getting back to base. There was only one time when he did not get back to base on time. He had been staying at his wife’s house and when the MP came by, they lied for him. He was there 2 or 3 days. When he finally got back to base, they caught him. The guy really chewed him up. He would be punished with KP for a week and he was restricted to base for a week. The man who gave him the punishment was an understanding man. He knew who was up to real trouble and who wasn’t. He also understood that when the “love bug” hits, there really isn’t anything you can do. After radio school was done, he was moved to March Field, California. March Field, Gunnery School (21:30)     It would be here that he would train to be a gunner on a B-17. He was put in a pressure tester, and he had a list of questions to answer. He ended up having some problems in his left ear. He was sent to the doctor, who informed him that he couldn’t fly due to a scarred eardrum. He didn’t know what to do then. But he wasn’t there very long and he was sent to Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas, Nevada (22:40)     People who are put in this place are put there because they don’t really know what they are going to do with you. It was a real casual place. He was there for about 3 months. Every morning you had to get up and sweep the area for cigarette butts and pick those up. �       He remembers one occasion he was out of uniform. A lieutenant saw him and gave him hell for not being in uniform. The lieutenant’s uniform was drenched in sweat. He asked the lieutenant to speak freely, and he was granted it. He told the lieutenant that if HE was the lieutenant, he would not be giving hell to someone who was out of uniform, if he looked as bad as he did. That was a dumb thing to do. He had to report to the 1st sergeant. He had to take a bucket of soapy water and wash all the windows in the orderly room and when he got back, he was told to go back and do it again. It was the worst experience ever. He would also dabble in hypnotism while he was there. He would go to a local USO show where he would hypnotize two guys. They were both set into a chair and told their arms were getting lighter. When their arms were raised, he told them that they would be unable to put them back down. And they couldn’t. You could see the pain in their eyes as they were trying. He would then be reassigned to the MP’s and went to Riverside, California. He was there to be assigned, but he work there at a prison detail. He was not there very long and was transferred to San Francisco. San Francisco (29:00)             When he got there he was assigned to the 4th Air Force headquarters. Their barracks what a local hotel. He thought it was big, though it was only 5 or 7 stories high. He did a lot of duty there in the main lobby, at the main gate, so to speak. He never would walk the streets or anything like that. He was once assigned with a guy who had malaria. He was having an attack. They got a call from a local bar down the road a bit needing help with a soldier who was getting a little out of hand. His partner could not do it and he was just a little guy, but he un-holstered his gun and left it in the desk, so guns would not be involved and headed out to help. He got there and found the guy with a half-a-beer left. He told the sergeant to finish up his beer and get going. The bartender wanted him out then, but since the guy paid for the drink, Scheidel was going to let him finish it. The guy drank his beer without any problems and went back to the barracks nicely. When they got back to the gates, the guy asked if he was going to write him up and he said no, there was no reason to. The next day he was summoned to the provost marshal's office. He asked Scheidel why he didn’t write the man up. He said that the guys running the streets like to aggravate people. He was a little guy, and since the man did not do anything wrong, he figured he would just let it be. The officer thought that it was admirable of him to do that, and thought that was the way guys should be. He would work in an office building and a telephone building. Very rarely did he pull guard duty there. He was also in San Francisco when the sailors tore up the town, VJ day. There was not a single window in the whole city that was not broken and all the booze was gone. �                  There were sailors on top of cars, kissing women and celebrating. He just watched. He got married in June of 1945. He wanted her to join him in Frisco, but she said no. He wrote her a letter saying that he was going to come home and get the ring that he had given her earlier. When he got to her place, her mom said she was up to her Grandmother’s for the summer. So he took a bus up there to see her. When he saw her, his feelings immediately changed. Sparks flew! Turns out her grandma did not want her going with a soldier and tried to put her with a local football player. He was going to head back to Michigan. She decided that she wanted to go with him. So in the morning, she told her Grandmother and grandma went irate. She kicked them out of the house without breakfast. His wife did not speak to her grandma and then her grandma died. That was kind of an experience. His wife had just turned sixteen, and she was not able to get married. Her mom had written her a letter, giving him permission to take her across state lines and she moved with him to San Francisco. She would get a job in there and they would set a date. His mother did not condone the marriage and refused to send him any records of his baptism so they could get married in the church. Instead, they went down to the Justice of Peace in Oakland, California. He and his wife have been married 65 years now. (38:00) He could have moved off base, but he didn’t because his job was second shift. But they did have an apartment. He really loved living in San Francisco. There was a lot of architecture and there was always something going on. The only thing he did not like about Frisco was that it was so rainy during the winter time. During VJ day, people were breaking windows mainly to take booze, but he supposes that if there was something someone liked, they may have taken it. He doesn’t remember there being police or MP’s to try and stop them, but he was sure there were. Honestly, there were just too many of them to actually stop them. They were a drunken mob. The celebration lasted all day and into the night. It probably took as long as it would for the guys to pass out. By that time, he still had time to serve, and was transferred back to Riverside or March Field, he can’t remember exactly. He did guard duty there mostly. It would also be where he would sign up for another 3 years of duty. He wasn’t there very long and would then be transferred to Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City (41:30)     That would be 300 miles from his wife’s home in Sioux Falls. Rapid City was a casual base. There was 129 people there and was used for emergency landings mostly. He would be on duty for the main gate and would work the small guard house there. He was there for about 9 months. �         Sergeant Shell, was a three striped sergeant was an MP and a prisoner. He was maintaining the guard house. He and the sergeant would investigate money stolen from the cash box in the mess hall. Shell was gone and it turns out he was a prisoner who chose to spend his time in the army instead of prison. They figured that he was the one who did it. They checked with the local cab company and it turns out a man fitting his description took a cab to Sturgis, a city about 70 miles from there. So they got a staff car and a couple of soldiers and they went and got him. Scheidel was actually the one to pick him up. Found him at a bus station, reading a sign. Shell ended up going back to prison to serve some time. He would then have orders to ship to Roswell, New Mexico He took his wife to her home in Sioux Falls and he and another man went down there. He would be there until 1947. The army was looking to get rid of some guys, especially those with dependents. Since he had a wife, they gave him extra and that’s when he got out. Roswell, New Mexico (46:25)               When he was in Roswell, he was doing the same thing as the other places. It was very hot down there. He did a lot of duty on the guard house. He can’t remember working at the front gate. There was one time when a friend of his wanted to take his car to see his girlfriend. At first he said no, but then he changed his mind. His friend did not come back. He would report his car stolen, but his friend would eventually come back. He took his car to go skating later and on his way, the cops suddenly pulled him over. Apparently, the vehicle was stolen. He had all the papers, but it didn’t help him. He was brought to the local police department until they got everything all figured out. The MP in charge of the town guys would finally come down to the police station and get everything straightened out. One other time, there was a black guy in the guard house and he got released. He tried to treat those guys decent. They had to go into town one time to pick up a deserter at a bar. This black guy happens to be at the bar. In fact, all the guys in the bar were black at the time. He tried to bring the guy back to base, and suddenly he was facing four or five men saying that was not going to happen. Luckily there was a guy there with him to keep things under control. The guy ended up coming with him nicely. There were not that many black and Hispanic soldiers, and they had their own barracks. Most of them worked in the Motor Pool. Post Duty (51:55)  Once he was discharged from the service, it was a disaster. �              His first house was a little trailer parked on his dad’s place. His wife was pregnant with his first kid. He was trying to take the tires off the trailer and had it jacked up, when the trailer tipped and hit a tree, with his wife inside. She was ok. They did not stay there long and ended up buying a little place up in Sparta, a little 10 acre plot. His mother worked at the local bank and convinced them to loan them the $1200 to pay for the land and shack on it. The lived in that from ’49-’54, when he built his other house. He did not do much for work, he was kind of lazy. His wife worked as a waitress and put food on the table for them. Eventually, he would find a job at a jukebox place. He worked there for about a year and then worked for a jukebox company in GR for a year. Eventually he would work at a bigger company that would put radio on hospital beds. You put a nickel in it and it would play the radio for an hour. Unfortunately, if you moved the hospital beds, it would crack the case. The guy offered him a job to change the cases of those radios in FL. He would work from January to June. He would end up fixing up his car for him so he could take it to FL. His wife would go down there with him. The reason he was able to milk it so long, because there was a lawsuit against him. He planned on leaving, but managed to get a letter of recommendation, saying that he did a good job. He would also do extra work trying to get the radio stations in to some hospital rooms. His boss was a “no good.” His wife loved the time she spent there. The army definitely furthered his education in electronics and radio school really helped. When he was job hunting, he started a job at Metal Craft Buffing. He quit by 10. He would not stay at a job that he didn’t like. He ended up working 34 years at Lear Siegler. � 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 ScheidelL Title A name given to the resource Scheidel, Lawrence (Interview outline and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scheidel, Lawrence Description An account of the resource Lawrence Scheidel grew up in Michigan and enlisted in the Army Air Corps during the Second World War. He went to basic training in Miami Beach, and then to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for radio school. He was then shifted to different bases in the western United States and became an MP serving on different air bases. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Air Corps 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 2010-09-07 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/508c1c26eb47331a334479783a9314cd.pdf 5e31a6812febbc07bb86ecad3f29e2f3 PDF Text Text COM PREHE NSI VE PLANNING PROGRAM KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION PLAN ELEMENTS • 1970 • 1990 ,, l> --r - 0 COMMUNITY FACILITIES -I m (/) • ■ SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, INC. A DIVISION OF CLYDE E. WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES, INC. INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA �f Oil THE LIBRARY OF ·.. ,!.~p i~.J & Zanini;:, C:e ·vr, I TITLE: COJvl.MUNITY FACILITIES PLAN, KALAMA.ZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN AUTHOR: SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, INC., A DIVISION OF CLYDE E. WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES, INC. SUBJECT: PUBLIC FACILITIES HEALTH, WELFARE AND CULTURAL FACILITIES SCHOOLS, PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES PUBLIC UTILITIES DATE: MAY, 1970 PLANNING AGENCY: KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION SOURCE OF COPIES: KALAMAZOO :r-1ETROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION HUD PROJECT NO.: MICH. P-124 SERIES NUMBER: 2 of 3 NUMBER OF P P. .GES : 74 ABSTRACT: This report studies the criteria and standards for public buildings and lands. Consideration is given to locational relationships, access distances, site needs and capacities. Based upon the land use studies, preliminary community facility requirements are determined. Community facilities in the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage are treated differently than the remainder of the county because these two cities have their own plans. Economic activity, population, land use and transportation patterns are the major factors used in the analysis of effects upon community facilities. Through a series of meetings, determinations were made concerning the locational pattern of community facilities. A study of existing facilities was completed and an analysis of facility needs was made. Other factors influencing the needs include drainage, utility patterns, land use and transportation plans. The plan includes administrative, fire, police, cultural, health and welfare, park, school and other facilities as well as utilities. A description of the steps and procedures for meeting the community facility needs during the planning period is presented. 1• �KALAMAZOO COUNTY COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN MAY, 1970 Prepared For: The Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission Kalamazoo County, Michigan Prepared By: Schellie Associates, Inc. A Division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana With The Participation of: The Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Department The preparation of this report was financially aided through a Federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the Urban Planning Assistance Program authorized by Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as a~ended. �I FOREWORD The preparation of the Comprehensive Plan for Kalamazoo County I was undertaken in two phases. The first phase, completed in 1966, produced a series of Planning Studies Reports concerned with inventory, analysis and projections of existing conditions in the County to serve as a foundation for the plan for the future. subjects reported upon in the first phase were: The Population, Economics, Community Facilities, Existing Land Use, Physical Resources and Organization for Planning. The second phase of the planning program is concerned with the preparation of the Comprehensive Plan and plan implementation. It i~ being presented as a series of reports dealing with each of the basic elements of the Comprehensive Plan - Land Use, Community Facilities and Transportation - plus a report on Plan Imple~entation and finally, a Comprehensive Plan Report summarizing the entire planning program. Because of the many interrelationships between the three basic plan elements, they were prepared concurrently. This report on the Community Facilities Plan is the second of the plan elements to be completed in this series. The Land Use Plan report has heen submitted and the Transportation Plan report will be issued shortly. MAY, 1970 �COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN TABLE OF CONTENTS THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN Page No. Subject II FOREWORD INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND . GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES GOALS. . . OBJECTIVES . . . . . . . . POLICIES . . . . . . . . PUBLIC BUILDING POLICIES . . . . SCHOOL POLICIES . . . . . . . . . PARK AND RECREATION POLICIES . . PUBLIC UTILITY POLICIES ... SUMMARY. . . . . . . . . . SCHOOL, PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES . . UTILITIES. . . .......... . 1 1 1 3 3 3 5 5 5 6 6 8 8 8 THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN - GENERAL GENERAL DESCRIPTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . METHODOLOGY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REFINEMENT OF COM~-1UNITY FACILITIES REQUIREMENTS BASED ON LAND USE STUDIES. . . ANALYSIS OF EFFECT OF CHANGES ON COM1'1UNITY FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DETERMINATION OF LOCATIONAL PATTERNS . . . . . . . LOCATIONAL GUIDELINES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 11 11 13 13 14 PUBLIC FACILITIES PLAN MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS . GENERAL. . . . . . . . . . . . RECOMMENDATIONS . . Townships . . . . . Cities . . . . . . Villages . . . . Police Facilities . . GENERAL . . . . . . . . . STANDARDS. . . . . Personnel Service Radii. Location . . Site Size . . . . i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 16 16 16 18 18 18 18 19 19 19 • 19 . 19 �TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED Page No. Subject . . RECOMMENDATIONS . . Brady Township. Comstock Township . . Cooper Township Kalamazoo Township . . City of Kalamazoo . . City of Parchment. Oshtemo Township. Pavilion Township. Portage Township - City of Portage. Richland Township . . . . . . Ross Township . . . Schoolcraft Township . . . . . . Texas Township . . . . FIRE PROTECTION FACILITIES GENERAL. . . . . . . . . THE AIA RATING SYSTEM . . . . . . STANDARDS. . . AIA Standards . . . . . . Station Sites . . . . . . Fire Station Site Location. RECOMMENDATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charleston, Comstock, Richland and Ross Townships . . . .. . Climax Township. . . ...... . Wakeshma Township. . •.. Pavilion. . . . . . . ... Brady, Schoolcraft and Prairie Ronde Townships Texas Township . . Alamo Township. Oshtemo Township. Cooper Township. Kalamazoo Township. City of Kalamazoo City of Portage . . . . . . • HEALTH AND WELFARE FACILITIES . . GENERAL . . . . . . RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . Existing Facilities . . Potential Site . . . . CULTURAL FACILITIES LIBRARY FACILITIES . . General . . . . . . . Planning Objectives Standards . . . . . RECOMMENDATIONS . . . Kalamazoo Township Area. Remainder of County . . . OTHER CUL~URAL FACILITIES . . . . . General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii .. . . . 19 20 20 20 20 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 22 22 22 22 23 25 25 25 25 26 26 28 28 28 29 29 30 30 30 30 30 31 31 31 33 33 33 34 34 34 34 34 35 35 37 39 39 �TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED Subject Page No. RECOMMENDATIONS. 39 SCHOOL, PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES INTRODUCTION . . . • . METHODS USED . . . . . . . . • . COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION. . •.... SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES . • .. GENERAL. . . . . . • . . . . . . . POLICIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • STANDARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . THE 1975 AND 1990 SCHOOL FACILITIES PLAN . . . . . ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS - URBAN AREA . . . . . ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS - RURAL AREA . . • . . . . . . . JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL - URBAN AREA . . SERVICE AREAS OF OTHER JR. AND/OR SR. HIGH SCHOOLS IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY. . . . . . . • . . . . PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES . . . . GENERAL. . . . . . POLICIES. . . . . . . . .. STANDARDS. . . . . . . . . . . THE 1975 AND 1990 PARK AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES PLAN . . . NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS . . COMMUNITY AND TOWNSHIP PARKS . MAJOR PARKS - COUNTY PARKS . Alamo Township . . . . . . Charleston Township. Comstock Township . . Kalamazoo Township . . Schoolcraft Township . Texas Township . . . 40 41 41 44 44 45 45 45 45 49 51 53 54 54 54 55 55 55 59 60 60 60 60 61 61 61 THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN - UTILITIES INTRODUCTION. GENERAL. . WATER . . GENERAL. . POLICIES STANDARDS. . DRAINAGE. GENERAL. . POLICIES . . STANDARDS . . SEWAGE DISPOSAL. GENERAL. . POLICIES . . STANDARDS. . ELECTRICITY, GAS AND TELEPHONE SERVICE . iii 63 63 64 64 66 66 66 66 67 67 67 67 67 69 69 �TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED Page No. Subject STEPS AND PROCEDURES TO MEET COMMUNITY FACILITIES NEEDS . INTRODUCTION . . . . CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM• OTHER PROGRAMS . ACTION PROGRAM . . . 69 69 69 70 71 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure No. 1 Subject Page No. Park Service Areas & Site Relationships...................... 57 Map No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A-1 A-2 Community Facilities Plan - 1990 ...•. Public Facilities Plan - 1990 . . . . . . . . Fire Protection Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . Health and Welfare Facilities . . . . . . . . Library Service Areas and Other Cultural Facilities . . . . . . . . . . 1975 and 1990 Generalized School, Park and Recreation, Conservation . Facilities Plan . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . Domestic Water Service Areas Plan ... . Domestic Sewer Service Areas Plan ... . Community Facilities Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . Water Distribution Systems . . . . . . . . . . . Primary Sewerage Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 17 27 42 65 68 Inside Back Cover A-1 A-2 Adequacy and Needs of Community Facilities, Kalamazoo County, Mich.. Deficiency Point System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . School Facilities Standards . . . . . . . . . . . Outdoor Recreation Area Standards . . . . . 24 46 56 32 36 Table No. 1 2 3 4 9 iv ,r �THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN �THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN TNTRODUCTION The Community Facilities Plan for Kalamazoo County proposes the kind, amount and approximate location of the facilities and services, usually provided as a governmental function, that will be required to meet the established needs of the County in 1975 and 1990. This plan has been closely correlated to the proposals contained in the Land Use and Transportation Plans as a means of providing the facilities and services as efficiently as possible. Because of . the broad range of facilities included in the Plan, this report has been divided into sections headed as follows and appearing in the order indicated: I PUBLIC FACILITIES - Administrative and Protective HEALTH, WELFARE AND CULTURAL FACILITIES SCHOOL, PARK AND RECREA.TION FACILITIES UTILITIES A final brief section on Steps and Procedures to meet Community Facilities Needs is also included. 'I I I I I I I I I Kalamazoo County as a whole in this report, and, as in the case of the Land Use Plan, the community needs were projected to 1975 when the County is expected to have a population of nearly 234,000 persons (as compared to 200,000 in 1970), and to 1990 for an estimated population of about 319,000 persons. As with the other elements of the Comprehensive Planning Program, the proposals contained in the Community Facilities Plan represent determinations based on present day develonment trends and concepts of service standards. With the passage of time, it ~ay be desirable to make such adjustments as are indicated by changes in develop~ent patterns and acceptable levels of service. This Plan is keyed to the Urban Area and Rural Area sections of the County as established and described in the Land Use Plan report. BACKGROUND In addition to the existing community facilities in the County, the primary determinants upon which this Plan is based are the proposals contained in the Land Use Plan and the Transnortation Plan, the former showing the lands subject to development, by type of use during the planning period to 1990, indicating where community facilities will be required and the latter, the major traffic carriers which often define boundaries of residential neighborhoods and serve as access routes. - 1 - �In terms of meeting future requirements for community facilities throughout the County, the County Planning Comrnission Committee on Community Facilities formulated a series of goals to guide the development of the Plan. 'I I I I I 'I I I I I I I - 2 ,cf �GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES -I I 'I GOALS The many services provided to the County by its public and private community facilities are essential to its existence and livability. Significantly, many of these services are public and the efficiencies of their locations and scales affect the amount and effectiveness of public expenditures. It is therefore proposed that the Community Facilities Plan be directed to: • THE ATTAINMENT OF A COMPLETE RANGE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES IN THE COUNTY. • THE ATTAINMENT OF A FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL FACILITIES, OTHER co~~~UNITY FACILITIES, AND THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERN OF THE COUNTY. • THE ATTAINr,1ENT OF A COMPLETE RANGE OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. • THE ATTAINM.ENT OF THE BEST RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECREATION AREAS, OTHER COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERN OF THE COUNTY. • THE ATTAINMENT OF EFFICIENT LOCATIONS FOR OTHER COMMUNITY FACILITIES, AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF COMPATIBLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENT. • THE ATTAINMENT OF ADEQUATE LEVELS OF UTILITY SERVICE AND EFFICIENT SYSTEMS OF UTILITY INSTALLATIONS SCALED TO THE DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COUNTY'S DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERN. OBJECTIVES The translation of goals into more specific guidelines for plan formulation lead to the establishment of the planning objectives, for community facilities, as follows: • Municipal Administrative Facilities 1975 - New facilities in the villages of Vicksburg, Richland and Schoolcraft. New facilities for the townships of Climax, Richland and Schoolcraft. Provide additions as area growth requires for City of Kalamazoo, Parchment and Portage. - 3 - �• Police Protection Facilities 1975 - New facilities in the cities of Galesburg, Parchment and the townships of Comstock and Oshtemo. 1990 - New facilities in the City of Kalamazoo and the villages of Augusta and Schoolcraft, and Cooper, Pavilion, Richland, Schoolcraft and Texas townships. Provide additions and replacements as population growth warrants them. • Fire Protection Facilities 1975 - New facilities in the cities of Galesburg and Portage. 1990 - New facilities in the townships of Brady, Climax, Richland, Schoolcraft, and Texas. Provide replacements as population growth in the area requires. • Library Facilities Establishment of a county-wide library system with the City of Kalamazoo's central library as the main library and the development of branches in the Urban and Rural areas of the County. • School Facilities 1975 - New school facilities on the locations indicated in the plan. Additions to existing school facilities as needed. 1990 - New school facilities in the locations indicated in the plan. Additions to existing school facilities as needed. • Park and Recreation Facilities 1975 - Development of park and recreation facilities as needed. Acquisition of park and recreation sites. 1990 - Development of park and recreation sites obtained prior to 1990. Acquisition of additional sites needed as indicated on the plan. - 4 - �• Public Utilities Development of utilities to meet the needs as increases in population density warrant. POLICIES PUBLIC BUILDINGS POLICIES Public buildings are those constructed by a public agency for such purposes as providing places for public assembly, operating services of benefit to the public, and for the administration of public affairs. Such buildings include, but are not limited to, schools, libraries, administrative, courts, fire stations, police stations, and civic center buildings. • Facilities directly related to residential areas should be designed so as to complement the area within which they are located. • Public building sites should be adequate for the proposed use. • Adjoining public buildings should be located so as to complement each other, both in design and function. • Areas set aside for parking by the public should be functionally separate from areas required for servicing, employee parking, vehicle storage and the like. Parking areas should be located and designed for joint use wherever possible, particularly where peak parking loads occur at different times. • Public buildings should be so located that they may advantageously use natural and man-made features in accentuating the buildings. (Examples: parks, knolls, rivers.) SCHOOL POLICIES Requirements for school locations should take into consideration a number of factors: the type and size of school, the distribution of the age group served to the total population, the safety of walking students, suitability of site and adequacy of site size. Other factors, such as site cost and school district or incorporated area boundaries, may also be present but should not be allowed to outweigh the primary locational factors. • Schools should be best located to serve the existing and potential needs of students irrespective of existing school district boundaries, incorporated area boundaries, or other political or district boundaries. - 5 - �• Schools should be functionally separate from non-related non-residential areas. • Schools should be provided with means of safe access, either by reason of location or by instituted safety measures. • All school locations should be coordinated within the county and with adjoining counties, where applicable. PARK AND RECREATION POLICIES The most common types of open space are park and recreation areas. The areas should be organized to serve all age groups with a complete range of facilities. • All recreation facilities of a local nature should be planned, to the greatest extent possible, in conjunction with existing and planned school facilities so that they may complement each other in function. • Neighborhood park and recreation facilities should be as centrally located as possible within their service area. The size and function of neighborhood park and recreation facilities will vary according to the population served. • Comm.u nity parks should be large enough to provide an atmosphere of open space. Suitahle provisions for walking, sitting, family group activities such as picnicking, and enjoyment of attractive natural or landscaped areas should be made in such parks. • Maior or other parks may fulfill a community park need provided that sufficient acreage is available to meet both local and area-wide requirements . • Major parks should be on or convenient to arterials and public transportation routes, in order that the volune of traffic generated can be adequately handled without intruding upon residential neighborhoods. • Schools and parks should be located adjacent to one another where possible as exemplified bv the School-Par~ concept. - PUBLIC UTILITY POLICIES The provision of all utilities is a sign of urban development . They are all essential services for any urban use and should be provided in the proper scale and location to meet future needs. - 6 - ' �I • In urban areas where full or adequate utilities are now lacking, plans and a priority system for improving or addin0 to the present utility system should be wade and carried out by the appropriate public or private agency. Where local or private action is necessary to achieve and carry out such plans, such action should be encouraged by the appropriate public agency. • In newly developing areas, developers and/or public and private utility agencies or companies shall be encouraged to provide as complete a utility system as possible commensurate with the type of development. • Where pollution conditions now exist due to lack of proper or adequate utilities, all possible steps should be taken to correct such conditions. • All utility buildings and structures such as telephone exchange buildings, transformer stations, sewage disposal plants, pumping stations, water towers, and reservoirs should be located adjoining non-residential uses wherever possible, or constructed in an attractive and compatihle manner using natural screening. • All electrical utility distribution lines should be installed underground whenever possible. Electric transmission lines will be above ground. • Developers should make arrangements for all distribution lines for telephone, electric, television and other similar services distributed by wire or cable to be placed underground entirely through residentially subdivided areas. Electric distribution lines shall be defined in accordance with the Rules and Regulations promulgated by the Michiqar1 Public Service Commission. Such conduits or cables should be placed within private easements provided to such service companies by the developer or within dedicated public ways. All such facilities placed in dedicated public ways should be planned so as not to conflict with other underground utilities. • All such facilities should be constructed in accordance with standards of construction approved by the Michiaan Public Service Commission. Private easements for underground utilities shall be shown on preliminary plats. - 7 - �SUMMARY PUBLIC FACILITIES The need for additional public facilities as well as the need to modernize, expand and replace many of the small an~ out-dated . facilities will become a major item of concern during the planning period. As indicated in all previous studies, the growth of Kalamazoo County will be dynamic during the next 20 years, thus pressing both public and private agencies into a higher level of service than is presently available. Table 1 s~mmarizes the primary needs in the county during this upcoming period. A total of six administrative facilities are recognized as being needed by 1975 as well as the need for enlargement of two administrative facilities as growth trends warrant. Police Protection Facilities, an important service to urban areas, indicate a need for 5 stations by 1975, 8 stations by 1990 and expansion as required as the Kalamazoo and Portage Stations. New fire facilities by 1975 will number 2, with 9 programed by 1990. Again, future growth requirements may present the need for 4 additional facilities. Library facilities indicate a need for 4 branch libraries in the immediate Kalamazoo Urban Area with 8 new facilities at various out-county locations. The Health and Welfare facilities are all destined to undergo future expansions. Two new facilities are indicated within the City of Kalamazoo. SCHOOL, PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES This Community Facilities Plan studies the existing and proposed facilities from the standpoint of community and neighborhood units. In addition, the plan delineates the needs of the wore rural townships. Analysis of this data reveals that the 13 community units will require 10 new elementary schools by 1975 and 6 additional elementary schools by 1990. Junior and senior high school needs will be met with 4 new facilities by 1975 and 4 additional schools by 1990 . .The remaining portions of Kalamazoo County excluding the City of Kalamazoo and Portage, will be handled with 7 elementary schools by 1975 and 2 additional by 1990. The Junior-Senior _High School will be adequate with the renovation and . additions to the existing site. Park sites ' like school . . facilities, are best examined by the Community Unit needs. A total of 36 parks with an excess of 200 acres is proposed as park areas. In addition 5 major park facilities ~100 to 300 acres) and several park expansions are recommended for the remaining areas of the county. · UTILITIES The Utilities Plan for Kalamazoo County recognizes the needs for sa~itary systems, wat~r supplies and adequate drainage facilities. Whil 7 the_plan recognizes these needs and the need for more detailed studies, it does delineate, in general, the areas where these facilities.should be_made available. Each of the urban areas, ~he community and neighborhood units, and the cities and villaqes in the County are recommended to provide sanitary sewers and water supply systems. · - 8 - �--- TABLE 1 ADEQUACY & NEEDS OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN ADMINISTRATION Townships Villages I \.0 I & Type of Improvement Alamo Township Brady Township Vicksburg Village Charleston Township Galesburg City Climax Township Climax Village Comstock Township Parchment City Cooper Township Kalamazoo Township Kalamazoo City Oshtemo Township Pavilion Township Portage Township and Portage City Prairie Ronde Twp. Richland Township Richland Village Ross Township Augusta Village Schoolcraft Twp. Schoolcraft Village Texas Township Wakeshma Township E Year - E N E 1975 N 1975 E N E E POLICE Type of ImYear provement E N 1975 - E N E -G N N E E G - A N N A G A A E N N E N N N E E N 1975 1975 1975 1990 E - 1990 1975 1990 G E 1975 1975 N - E N N 1975 1975 N - N E - 1990 COMBINED 1990 1990 1990 1990 FIRE LIBRARIES Type of Type of ImImYear proveproveYear ment ment E ( 4) ( 4) N 1990 2 E N G ( 4) (1) N 1975 E 1990 ( 4) N E E 2E & 2N - & G N G E 1990 (4) 2E & N · 4E G N ("3) G ~R/5E/5N G 4 - Nl 2E (4) 2E & lR 1990 N G 1975 G 2N t3E/2N/2N 1990 ( 4) (2) 1990 (4) N E G G lE & lN N E 1990 (4) N 1990 R 1990 G N N (4) E HEALTH & WELFAB Type of ImYear provement E 7A 2N G LEGEND: TIT~- _of Improvement E A = = Time of ImErovement Existing to remain Addition to Existing (1) SERVED BY GALESBERG & = = New Facility 1975 or before G = As Growth Warrents Replace Existing 1990 or before I Facility I = Immediate AUGUSTA DEPTS. (2) SERVED BY SCHOOLCRAFT (3) SERVED BY KALAMAZOO CITY (4) SEE MAP FOR BOUNDARY LIMITS N R �-I I I I THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN GENERAL �I I I I I I II THE COMMUNITY FACILTTIES PL.74N* - GENERAL GENERAL DESCRIPTION Kalamazoo County as a whole is considered in this report, as in the Land Use Plan report, and community needs are projected for the years 1975 and 1990. Community facilities considered in the first part of the report are the following: administration, police and fire protection, library and other cultural uses, and for health and welfare services. Plans for school, park, recreation, and conservation facilities and utilities are included in the latter part of the report. METHODOLOGY Prior to the development of the preliminary Community Facilities Plan, criteria and standards were studied, reviewed with appropriate agencies and finalized. Although separate criteria and standards were developed for the various types of community facilities, certain basic foundations were central throughout. 1. A comparison of Suggested Planning Standards with population projections for each service area was made. 2. A determination of the needs with regard to acres of land use required for each kind of community facility was necessary. 3. School enrollment projections were made to determine future needs. II II II II Upon this basis the preliminary Community Facility Plan was prepared and reviewed by the appropriate agencies. Upon completion of their review and the finalization of the Land Use Plan a final Community Facilities Plan was prepared. REFINEMENT OF COMMUNITY FACILITY REQUIRF.MENTS BASED ON LAND USE STUDIES Upon completion of the land use studies, the preliminary community facilities plan was reviewed and revised as necessary. The iteros that were considered in this review are listed below: * 1. Criteria and standards for public uses, buildings and land were reevaluated. 2. The preliminary community facility requirements were refined based upon the land use ptudies. The needs for 1990 are not described in the text when the 1975 proposals will be adequate to 1990. - 11 - �.MAP #1 ALU!eAH COUNTY ~ ~ ' ' I L ~ LM 8z z :, .. 0 ... 3 ~ 0 ... Q . I r KV LEGEND KALAMAZOO COLMY, t.lCHIGAN COMMUNITY FACILITIES 1990 EXISTING PLAN FEDERAL BUILDING ~ COUNTY BUILDING ~ ~ MUNICIPAL BUILDING ~ ~ TOWNSHIP BUILDING ~ ~ MUNICIPAL FIRE STATION l::. l::. TOWNSHIP FIRE STATlON COUNTY POLICE MUNICIPAL POLICE TOWNSHIP POLICE MILITARY POUCE fh••• .. ••11•• .. f\l.o._ :::-::;.~•HI LIBRARY : : fl .. ;::~:,:.:'•::::.• .... 1., •••,, _..,..,_u,11,•• ,, ... ,._ OTHER CULTURAL FACILITIES 4HlootA.e,,.., • .__...,,.. 4i.,,t•••'-NI •• , ............... t:,, ... . . . . _..,., OPEN SPACE AND PARK METROPOLITAN COUNTY 12 • • * .. ~ COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY JR. AND/OR SR. HIGH SCHOOL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOOD PARK COMMUNITY OR TOWNSHIP PARK MAJOR PARK 0 0 * •• GOLF COURSE * CAMP * ACCESS SITE ® CONSERVATION AREA • MEDICAL FACILITIES Q Q Pn"rff KALAMAZOO ~ ~ ~· lity 1 a.TmrnE1.U.!JL1\1ES SCNllLII AHOCIATU, PLANNING • • • • '- '- • () (J • * • () (J •* * 1~~!111 .~,,!•A•fag~D~~~.JtrllAMS I AHOC,, IMC ., IMIINt COMMISSION ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ~ , ' �3. An analysis was made of the effect of estimated changes in economic activity, population, land use and transportation patterns on the nature, type and distribution of construction of community · facilities. 4. A locational pattern of facilities and service areas was determined. 5. The revised Community Facilities Plan was prepared. 6. The steps and procedures required to meet the needs for community facilities was determined. Specific data was developed on land use needs for each of the various types of community facilities. This information was then applied to the existing facilities to determine their adequacy as well as being applied to the population projections to determine the need for new facilities. The following factors entered into these considerations: II I I • •I I I I I 1. The type of government in regard to implementation was considered. 2. The population projections were applied to the planning standards for each type of facility. 3. A comparison of the existing facilities with the planning standards was made. 4. Consideration was given to the time period, either 1975 or 1990, when the facility would be needed. This involved not only new structures, but additions to existing facilities as well. ANALYSIS OF EFFECT OF CHANGES ON CO:M.MUNITY FACILITIES There are various factors which have an effect on the location of community facilities. The major ones being land use, economics and transportation. As changes occur in these, there is a recipricol effect on community facilities. As an example, when an area develops there is a demand for schools, fire and police protection, public · utilities, library facilities, and medical services. In this report, the above factors that will have an effect on various facilities are described within the section of the report concerned with the specific use. DETERMINATION OF LOCATIONAL PATTERNS The following guides were used in the determination of the location of new facilities. - 13 - �LOCATIONAL GUIDELINES Municipal Administrative Facilities (1) Located to provide service convenient to the residents and the municipality. (2) Whenever possible, include the administ:ative ?ffice building with or adjacent to other public service buildings. Police· Pr·otection Facilities (1) To set forth standards of: (a) (b) (c) (d) Personnel requirements, Area to be served, Site characteristics which can be used to evaluate the adequacy of present police facilities, and Project future facility needs (2) Make recommendations concerning police facility needs. (3) Determine the most favorable locations for new facilities. Fire Protection Facilities (1) Establish locational standards for fire protection service. (2) Set forth optimum site area standards. (3) Prevent duplication of services and provides service to all areas. (4) Coordinate new fire facilities with overall planning. Health and Welfare Facilities (1) Coordinates a comprehensive study to determine needs for new facilities. (2) To determine location for new facilities. (3) Set forth standards for new sites. Library Facilities (1) Establish standards for new library facilities in terms of physical characteristics such as site area and service radius. (2) Recommend the approximate locations for new facilities whi<?h are like~y to be need~d within the planning period, _selecting_the locations which are most likely to provide convenient and adequate service. - 14 - �Other Cultural Facilities II II II II II II II II II II • • • (1) To insure that the design of these facilities is co~patible with the area in which they are located. (2) To encourage grouping of such buildings so that joint use may be made of parking and service areas. 'School· ·a·n d Educational Facilities (1) To provide adequate educational faciiities at approoriatE. locations for all communities and areas. (2) To insure that the site is adequate to meet the needs of the facility. Parks and Recreational Areas (1) To provide a system of parks, recreation: areas and facilities to serve all age groups and all areas. (2) To provide sufficient space for active and passive recreation. (3) To encourage the development of recreation areas that are related to the density and total population of the area to be served. Utilities - Water (1) To provide a safe and adequate water supply for all community needs. (2) To encourage developers to install a svstem concurrent with development. (3) To safeguard the area's water supply against pollution. Utilities - Drainage (1) To safeguard the area's soils against erosion. Utilities - Sewage Disposal (1) To provide safe and adequate sewage collection and treatment for urban areas. (2) To provide trunk lines in advance or at the time of development in accordance with the plan. Utilities - Other (1) To encourage the underground installation of utility lines wherever possible . (2) To insure that all new develop~ents have adequate services. - 15 - �PUBLIC FACILITIES PLAN MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS GENERAL The city, village, or town hall is the equivalent of the headquarters building of a modern business or industrial corporation. Although modern communications and transportation make it no longer necessary to assemble the functions of government in one central building, centralization is commonly done for reasons of efficiency. Since administrative buildings are planned and developed to satisfy the specific needs of a community, they are unique with each municipality. No adequate standards exist by which to project administrative building needs, but general rules with respect to location and grouping of such facilities should be applied in the planning process. Because the administrative building is essentially an office building, its locational characteristics and requirements are similar to an office building. A location within or adjacent to the downtown area is preferred for the conveience of employees and visitors alike. In the cases of medium and large cities, office structures should be situated adjoining, but not among, retail areas, forming sub-districts on the fringes of the retail areas where the traffic they both generate will not conflict. Off-street parking is as necessary for municipal offices as it is for commercial offices. Grouping municipal and other governmental buildings into civic centers is a matter of preference. The primary advantage of a civic center is its asthetic appeal. It also permits superior communications among the uses. A typical fault in execution is a location isolated from other activities. An intrinsic fault is that municipal uses are not always compatible or efficiently grouped. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the results of the existing community facilities study, the following recommendations can be made for planning future administrative facilities. Townships Each of the townships except Schoolcraft, Climax and Richland had an administrative building. Cooper, Oshtemo, Comstock and Texas townships have new administrative buildings which will provide adequate service throughout the planning period. The existing administrative facilities of the following townships are located on sites with sufficient area and are in satisfactory condition to be renovated and continue in service throughout the planning period: - 16 - �MAP AL.L.EeAN COUNTY ~ ~ #2 ~ ' II II ♦ HEALTH, WELFARE & CULTURAL FACILITIES KALAMAZOO COLNTY, MICHIGAN ADMINISTRATIVE & PROTECTIVE FACILITIES U,Q1fil PUBLIC FACILITIES LEGEND EXISTING TORE PLAN _ TUtALFAaJTES LIBRARIES FOR 1990 OTHER HEAlTH & WELFARE FACIUTl:S -MEDICAL OTlfi NSTITUTION EXISTING TO REMAl'J • AOMNSTl!ATIVE -FEDERAL ~ •• COUNTY @ MUNICIPAL TOWNSHIP FIRE PROTECTION - MUNICIPAL TOWNSHP ~rOl,t,llY MUNICIPAL ._:::::.~;.:~• •:~:•:~~:~:~-o,. , , ... . . . . . . . 11 . . . . ,.... _ TOWNSltP MILITARY ............ , . . ., ••• • , . .,11H11o, ....... ,,., ., ................ i,, ........ .... ~ ~ ~ <) A • 0 *** - PROPOSED I AOOfTION TOEXISTt-lG ~ ~ le ~ $ Pre"r.4 liiy , SCMllLll AIIOCIATI$, INC,. A Di•IIIH ef CLYOf f . WILLIAMS & ASSOC,. IMC ., fN~ KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN 17 COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION �Alamo Brady Charleston Kalamazoo Pavillion Prairie Ronde Ross Wakeshma The townships of Schoolcraft, Climax and Richland have currently no administrative building, and the facilities of Comstock Township are located on a site with inadequate area for expansion. It is recommended that a new administrative building be provided for each. The proposed buildings might be combination facilities for administration, police, and fire protection functions. Cities Each of the cities of Kalamazoo County already has an administrative building. The City of Kalamazoo is now renovating their existing building. The administration building of the City of Portage also contains the police department. Although the facilities are adequate now, an expansion may be needed by 1990. Parchment's administrative building, combined with the city's fire protection facility, is expected to be expanded and, when completed, should be adequate through the planning period. Having an administration building and fire protection facility on a small site, the City of Galesburg is planning a new facility which will include administration fire and police functions. Villages All of the villages have administrative buildings in need of expansion except Richland, which has administrative facilities in the township hall. Climax may be able to add to and renovate its facilities to adequately meet its projected increased needs. It is recommended that the villages of Augusta, Richland, Schoolcraft, a~d Vicks~urg build new administrative facilities on large~½ to l~-acre, s1 tes. POLICE FACILITIES GENERAL Police protection is a fundamental municipal service which is commonly provided by municipalities of all sizes. The service encompasses crime prevention and detection, obviously necessary police functions, and the enforcement of municipal regulatory measures. Perhaps, the most significant example of the latter in terms of the time and effort expended, is the regulation of 1 traffic. Without these services a modern community could not function. - 18 - �The complexion of police operations has changed during the past fifty years. Centralization of operations has been made possible through advances in transportation and communication. Another aspect favoring centralization is the advance in police work technology. The modern main police station contains a communications center, photo lab, and considerable equipment as well as the traditional staff, interrogation, and detention facilities. STANDARDS Personnel Although i t is not the purpose of a plan to determine the number of personnel which should be employed by any municipality, a Knowledge of the relationship between police force and population growth will indicate the extent of facilities which are likely to be needed in the future. A ratio of between 1.75 and 2.0 police officers per 1000 population is a widely used standard. Service Radii Police stations will generally se:i::-ve an area between in radius in urbanized areas. 2½ to 3 miles Location New stations should be centrally located and should be placed on an arterial street, preferably near the intersection of two such routes. Site Size Sites for new police stations should be at least one-half acre in size. A one-acre site is recommended to accommodate the structure, provide sufficient off-street par~ing, and allow for landscaping of the grounds. The structure will normally include a garage for the storage and maintenance of vehicles, although the vehicle maintenance function may well be accommodated elsewhere separate from the station. In any event, at least limited vehicle facilities should be provided at the station. RECOMMENDATIONS II II It is proposed that facilities for administration, detention of those arrested, police training, ~ommunications, and a photo-crime laboratory be consolidated in a n~w building which would be a city-county police facility. Training of police could be standardized, and a central communication network to all city, township, and county cruisers could be installed. The individual cities, villages, and townships would maintain their respective police staffs and a local police $tation with garages for the cruisers as described below. The development of such a facility would require the cooperation of ~ach and every unit of government within Kalamazoo County. · - 19 - �Police services for all townships except Kalamazoo and Ross are currently provided by the Sheriff's Department outside city and village limits. Present trends in population, economy, and land development indicate that this service will continue to be adequate during the planning period for Alamo, Climax, Charleston, ·P rairie Ronde, and Wakeshma Townships. The following police facility needs are projected for the remaining townships: Brady Township It is recommended that a full-time police staff of four by 1975 and five by 1990, with two cruisers, a communication system, and a small police headquarters building be located in Vicksburg. I I Comstock Township A new police facility should be built to serve Galesburg within a few years. Such facility might be combined with fire protection facilities and should be built on a site of one acre minimum area. A staff of four police officers should be employed by 1990. By 1975, one additional cruiser should be in service, and by 1990 a total of three cruisers should be provided and possibly a communication system. I I By 1975, a new police facility should be built in the western part of Comstock Township to serve the urbanization anticipated there. At least ten law enforcement personnel will be needed by 1975 based upon only½ of the suggested standards. Two or three cruisers will be needed to adequately patrol the urbanizing areas of Comstock Township. Cooper Township Based on the service radius standard, at least one police officer, a cruiser, and a small police facility will be needed by 1990 to serve the projected population incrase at that time. Kalamazoo Township The County Sheriff's Department has its headquarters in the County Building in the City of Kalamazoo. The cities of Kalamazoo and Parchment each have their own police facilities. Police service for the areas outside of the cities' boundaries is furnished by the township police. The township has a centrally located facility with access to all areas of the township. Projecting personnel and vehicular needs for the township, by 1975 an additional five enforcement officers and one or two.additional cr~isers will be needed, and by 1990, a total of approximately 30 police personnel and 8 cruisers will be needed. The present police facility with its recent expansion should be adequate to the year 1990. - 20 - I �City of Kalamazoo. The police-court building erected in 1961 by the City of Kalamazoo is in good condition and located so that it can serve almost all of the city without exceeding the recommended service radius standard. An expansion of the existing facility should be adequate to serve the police needs through 1990. If the city should happen to annex the remaining portion of Kalamazoo Township, the projected needs for the township discussed above should be included in the city facilities. City of Parchment. The City of Parchment should have a separate police facility on a½ to 1-acre site to provide more space than is now available in the city hall office. At least one additional cruiser and a communication system should be provided. Oshtemo Township Because of the projected westward expansion of the Kalamazoo urban area, Oshtemo Township will need a police facility with a communication system and garage, 5 or 6 police personnel, and a cruiser by 1975. Pavilion Township At least one police officer, a cruiser, and a small police facility should be provided by 1990 in the central portion of this township to furnish service for the population expansion projected to come from Kalamazoo. Portage Township - City of Portage A new facility is urgently needed in the City of Portage with facilities for administration, detention, training, communications, and interrogation. The new facility should also have a photo laboratory and a garage. To serve the population projected for 1975, the city should have 70 police officers and 14 cruisers. By 1990, the city should have 95 police officers and 20 fully equipped police cruisers. Richland Township I Police facilities similar to those described for Pavilion Township should be located in or near the Village of Richland to serve the village and the area of the township. Also a post should be located within or near the future urbanizing area. Ross Township The existing township police facilities should be adequate through out the planning period. It is recommended that a new ½-acre site and new police facility to serve the Village of Augusta be considered. - 21 - �Schoolcraft Township A small police facility, at least one police officer, and a cruiser should be provided by 1990 in the area north of Barton Lake to serve the township area. The Village of Schoolcraft should have two full-time police officers by 1990, based on the population projected at that date. A new facility should be constructed or obtained by that data also. The new facility might be combined with a fire prevention facility. I _ Texas Township To serve the expected population increase in the township caused by expansion of the Kalamazoo area, a small police facility, an enforcement officer, and a cruiser will be needed by 1990. FIRE PROTECTION FACILITIES GENERAL Few governmental services are as vital to public safety as is the fire department. Not only is adequate fire protection sometimes a matter of life or death for the individual, but a necessity for the protection of his property and the physical plant from which he derives his livelihood. There is a strong tie between fire protection and the tax base of a community. Fire protection is a very important factor to businesses and industries evaluating new locations. Experience has also shown that enterprises frequently move from a community following a major fire. I I • In an urban situation, fire protection is more complex than in purely agricultural areas. The most obvious differences are increased hazards and the potentiality that a fire will spread to adjoining properties. Other problems associated with urban fire protection include an increased probability of simultaneous fires, a greater variety of fire types because of different urban activities, and rapid access to all parts of the cormnunity. These considerations require that urban-type (non-farm) development be served by trained fire fighting specialists supplied with adequate equipment situated at appropriate locations--and that the municipal water system be sufficient to provide an adequate volume and pressure. A planning commission is involved with fire protection in many ways. Most directly, it is responsible for long-range planning of locations and areas of fire protection facilities in the community's comprehensive plan. In this role, i t coordinates the physical development planning efforts of the fire department and other appropriate agencies. In addit~on, because fire protection involves fire prevention as well as fire suppression, the planning commission's I - 22 - �II II responsibilities in zoning (building height, yard requirements, etc.) and subdivision control (access, etc.) and its interests in such regulations as the building and housing codes also have a substantial influence on the overall picture. It is obvious, too, that thoroughfare planning is involved in the location of new fire stations. THE AIA RATING SYSTEM The adequacy of fire protection ip usually gauged by fire insurance ratings. The rating system in use throughout the United States has been established by the American Insurance Association ( forn erly the National Board of Fire Underwriters); it consists of 10 categories into which municipalities are graded on the basis of deficiency points. 1 MUNICIPAL FIRE INSURANCE CLASSIFICATION (*) Class Deficiency Points First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Under 500 501-1,000 1,001-1,500 1,501-2,000 2,001-2,500 2,501-3,000 3,001-3,500 3,501-4,000 5 ,001-4 ,500 Over 4,500 * Source: Standard Schedule for Grading Cities and Town of the United States ••• National Board of Fire Underwriters, 1956. Deficiency points are determined by examining a municipality's total fire protection service, water supply system, building regulations, and structural conditions. As the table following indicates, the heaviest weights are placed on the fire department itself and on the water supply system. - 23 - �TABLE 2 DEFICIENCY POINT SYSTEM* Factor Evaluated Possible Def. Points Water Supply Fire Department Structural Conditions Fire Alarm System Fire Prevention Building Department Police Department Total 1,700 1,500 700 550 300 200 50 5,000 % of Total Poin•ts 34 30 14 11 6 4 1 100* The effect of a good rating on fire insurance rates is significant. The following table indicates the extent to which rates rise with an increase in municipal classification. The example used is a policy written for one year for a one to four-family home. RELATIVE FIRE INSURANCE COSTS (RESIDENTIAL)** Insurance AIA Class Construction Cost Factor Frame Brick 1.00 1.00 Superior Class Rating Benefits Non-Residential Properties 5 to 6 Frame Brick 1.13 1.13 Superior Class Rating Benefits Non-Residential Properties 7 Frame Brick 1. 42 1.13 8 Frame Brick 1. 57 1. 42 9 Frame Brick 2.55 1.98 No Community Water Supply (Hydrants) 10 Frame Brick 2. 83 2.27 No Community Water Supply (Hydrants) ** jii Comment 1 to 4 * I I I I" I I Op. Cit. Based on a schedule used by a Midwestern insurance firm. - 24 - I. I I I '- �Note that fire insurance costs increase substantially with less desirable municipal ratings, but that the most drastic increase occurs in areas without community water systems. Thus, the owner . of a frame house in a Class 9 area must pay 2½ times the amount paid by a home owner in a Class 1-4 area for the same amount of insurance protection. The cost of adequate fire protection service is often less than the cost of higher fire insurance costs. STANDARDS AIA Standards The American Insurance Association recommends that: A.I.A. FIRE COMPANY TRAVEL DISTANCE STANDARDS Type Development High Value Districts Internal Characteristics All Points (1) High Hazard Areas (2) Low Hazard Areas (3) Residential Districts All Points High Hazard Areas ( 4) Medium Hazard Areas ( 5) Low Hazard Areas ( 6) First-Due Company (Miles) 1 3/4 1 1/2 LadderCompany (Miles) 1 1/4 1 2 2 3 1 1 1/2 4 1 1/4 2 4 (1) Normal or average hazard; (2) fire flow (water) potential demand of 9,000 gallons per minute or more; (3) fire flow potential demand of less than 4,500 gpm; (4) unusual life hazard areas; (5) areas with buildings of 3 stories or more, or closely-built areas where fire flow exceeds 2,000 gpm; (6) areas where average building separation exceeds 100 feet. In regard to location, these standards can be met in most built-up areas by locating stations approximately 2 to 3 miles apart, provided that such stations are properly manned and equipped. Station Sites It is recommended .that sites for new stations be between½ and l acre in size. Where a station is designed to accommodate more than one company, a 1-acre site is recommended. Fire Station Site Location A fire station site should: Be central to its service area if the fire danger is uniform - 25 - �throughout the district, or oriented toward the area of greatest danger if the fire potential is uneven. If the creation of a district on both sides of a river or railroad tracks is unavoidable, the station should be located on the side where the greatest fire danger exists. Be located away from land uses which may obstruct fire equipment passage (e.g. away from generators of large pedestrian or vehicular traffic). Be situated close to a major traffic artery or, preferably, near the intersection of two such arteries. I Be located away from (i.e., not immediately adjacent) places of assembly such as churches, schools, auditoriums, hospitals, sanitariums, etc. Be situated to provide minimum disturbance to adjoining or nearby residential areas. RECOMMENDATIONS One of the standards for site selection for fire protection facilities requires facility locations which are central to the areas of greatest potential danger. Applying this standard, it is apparent that fire protection facilities should be located in or near the residential areas, namely, in or near the cities and villages (see Map 3). In order to avoid overlapping and unserviced areas, the facilities in the villages and cities should also serve the surrounding rural township areas, which means that frequently a facility will serve more than one township. Site selection recommendations are, therefore, considered in terms of the needs of areas served rather than strictly on a governmental unit basis. Charleston, Comstock, Richland and Ross Townships The area comprised of these four townships includes the villages of Augusta and Richland, and the City of Galesburg, and the residential areas around Gull Lake. The facilities now in Galesburg also serve Charleston Township and part of Comstock Township. The three fire engines now in service should continue to be adequate. Since the existing facility is in poor condition, it is recommended that a new site½ to 1 acre in area be acquired near the junction of State Route 96 and business route U.S. 94 and a new facility constructed on it. Being so located near two such major traffic arteries, the surrounding areas as well as Galesburg will be readily accessible. The remainder of Comstock Township west of Galesburg has two facilities near Kalamazoo, with one fire engine at one, and two engines and a chemical truck at the other. Two other sites have been purchased by the township for fire protection facilities and should be developed as such by 1990. Each new facility should be a two-bay fire station and have at least one new truck. All of the sites are well located with respect to - 26 - I �II #3 r, . . ,. ... J J ij: .. !. ... .. wx : ~ ; N ; i ST JOSEPH COUNTY KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 0 FIRE PROTECTION FACILITIES t\h flRE FACILITIES & Manned Station • Volunteer Station O PROPOSED FACILITY LOCATION Th ,•••••••I•• el LEGEND LEGEND EXISTING FIRE FACILITIES PROPOSED FIRE FACILITIES 2 MILE SERVICE AREA CODE re on gr es s ion a I Township A L - C - 1-I d e n t if i cat i o n L T y pe of Facility •lu ..... i., . . . . . , . , , • • . • • , . . . . .. . . , , . . . . . . 101 el •• • Heulot A<1o!l,H,o,e,o ool •· Pr , por ,d KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 27 IY SCHElllE A SSOCIATES INC PLANNING A 01--tn1on of CLYDE E WILllAMS ANO ASSOCIATES INC., COMMISSION �population distribution needs, and with the addition of the proposed facilities, the area of the township should be adequately served to 1990. The fire station in the Village of Augusta serves Ross Township and part of Charleston Township as well as Augusta. This fire protection facility is in good condition and should be adequate through 1990. It is recommended that a new fire engine be acquired by 1990 to replace or supplement the existing engine. A second facility in Ross Township is located at the southern tip of Gull Lake near the heart of the lake and township development. The facility contains two engines and is in good condition. Although the current facility should serve the majority of residents in the area, as the Gull Lake area develops, it is recommended that a new facility with a new fire engine be located on "C" Avenue east of 40th Street to serve the residents on the northeastern shore of Gull Lake. The Village of Richland and the residential area of Gull Lake in Richland Township are served by the fire facility now located½ mile south of the Village of Richland. The facility is in good condition and, being equipped with two pumper trucks and one chemical truck, should be continued in use through 1990. With the projected residential expansion from Kalamazoo into the southwestern part of the township, i t is recommended that by 1990 a new facility be developed on State Road 43 to serve the area. Climax Township All of the township and the Village of Climax are served by fire protection facilities located in the Village of Climax. Although the present facilities are capable of serving the whole township, it is recommended that the existing pumper be housed in a new, more central location, and a new engine be purchased for the existing fire station by 1990. I Wakeshma Township Existing facilities located in the center of the township should adequately serve the entire area of the township through 1990r provided that necessary maintenance is performed. Pavilion Township Three existing fire protection facilities serve the area around Longt Lake_dand tfhLe resLt kof thed tthownshiph. The facility serving the eas ern si e o ong a e an e sout western area of the township is in good condition and located to adequately serve these areas. The.eastern part of the township ~s served by a facility in Scotts. It is recommended that a new pumping truck be acquired for the facility at Scotts to supplement the protection now available with the existing chemical tr1;1ck . . The facility in Scotts, however, is adequate and should continue in use. The facility located on the western side of Long Lake at Deep Point is in poor condition and is recommended to be abandoned. A new facility should be built - 28 - . I II �before 1990 on a½ to 1-acre tract at P Avenue and 25th Street. The new facility should have two parking bays, and an additional new engine should be acquired. This new location will better be able to serve the anticipated development along the western side of Long Lake. Brady, Schoolcraft and Prairie Ronde Townships These three townships form an area which can best be served with fire protection facilities by utilizing those facilities located in the villages to serve the surrounding rural township areas as well as the villages. The current system functions in this manner and should be continued. The present facilities in the Village of Schoolcraft serve Prairie Ronde Township as well as part of Schoolcraft Township. Facilities in Vicksburg serve the Village of Vicksburg, the eastern part of Schoolcraft Township and Brady Township. It is recommended that the existing facility in the Village of Schoolcraft be replaced with a new facility by 1990, because of the poor condition of the existing structure. Two of the present fire engines should be retained for the new facility. Since the facilities in Vicksburg help serve the eastern portion of Schoolcraft Township, two fire engines from the Village of Schoolcraft should adequately serve the remainder of the township. One of the three fire engines presently in the Village of Schoolcraft could, there fore, serve more advantageously by being stationed in a new facility centrally located in Prairie Ronde Township. This will lessen the necessary travel time to serve Prairie Ronde and still provide adequate fire protection for Schoolcraft's projected population increase. A fire station with at least one fire engine should be provided for this area in the north central part of Schoolcraft Township or the south central portion of Portage between Austin and Gourdneck Lakes by 1990 because of the projected population increases and economic development of the lake area. Two fire protection facilities are currently located at Vicksburg. They are both in good condition and will adequately serve Vicksburg and the surrounding area through 1990. It is recommended that another fire facility be constructed by 1990 to serve the area in Brady Township away from Vicksburg. The new facility should have at least one fire engine and can be served by volunteers. A recommended location is at 31st Street and X Avenue. Texas Township Because of four factors, namely, the lake areas, the community college, the proximity of Interstate 94 and U.S. 131, and the expansion from the City of Kalamazoo, the projected population by 1990 will warrant the addition of a new fire engine to the existing equipment before 1990. - 29 - �Alamo Township The existing facilities in this township should be adequate through 1990 if they are properly maintained. Oshtemo Township This township is now served by two fire protection facilities. With growth trends extending west from Kalamazoo into the township, one additional fire protection facility on West Street is recommended. Cooper Township Cooper Township now has two fire facilities which are well located and equipped, and should be satisfactory for use through 1990. In addition to these two facilities, a third facility should be developed by 1990 on Douglas Avenue at West F Avenue, or halfway between D Avenue and Barney Road on Douglas Avenue, to serve the projected population increase in the southwest corner of the township. Each of the fire stations should be operated by at least two full-time firemen as well as the volunteer personnel. Kalamazoo Township Kalamazoo Township has fire protection facilities in each of the two cities in the township as well as in the township areas outside the cities. Coordination of the various facilities is important to provide protection for all areas without needless overlapping of services. I The four existing fire facilities in the township outside the city limits are located to adequately serve the unincorporated areas of the township. The faciltties and equipment should be sufficient through 1975 with proper maintenance. By 1990, existing equipment should be replaced with newer improved models. Each station should have two full-time firemen. I The present fire protection facility in the City of Parchment should adequately serve the city through 1990. One of the two existing fire engines should be traded for a new truck by 1990. City of Kalamazoo The City of Kalamazoo has traditionally had a sufficient number of fire stations to serve its needs; however, several exiting sites have little or no room for expansion. In addition to the main station, eight other fire stations and a training station serve the City. Only the training station is located on a site of adequate size. All other fire facility sites are .25 acres or less, and only four of the nine stations are in good condition and of masonry construction. More than twelve major fire engines and other fire equipment serve the city; and a full time staff of approximately 140 firemen plus training personnel are employed. - 30 - I I I I I �Almost all areas of development in the City of Kalamazoo have a fire station located within a reasonable service distance. It is recommended that the four stations which are not in good condition be replaced by a new facility on at least a½ acre site-preferably 1 acre. The stations to be replaced include 3, 5, 6 and 8. Consideration should also be given to additional fire stations located west on Stadium Drive, N.E. on Route 43, N.W. on Ravine Road, W. on Parkview, and S.E. on Miller Road or Cork Street. A program should be developed for the updating and replacement of old equipment and the purchase of new and modern equipment as necessary. I City of Portage The City of Portage now has three fire stations, and all are in good condition. Only the three areas within al½ mile radius of these stations are adequately served (based on suggested N.B.F.U. Fire Company Travel Distance Standards for High Value DistrictLow Hazard Areas and for Residential District-Medium Hazard Areas). There are, therefore, at least four areas in the city which do not have fire protection facilities within al½ mile radius. As the presently undeveloped areas within the city become developed and population by 1990, the City of Portage should plan to increase its fire fighting capability. The industrial and commercial area in the northeast parts of the city should have better protection, and a new facility should be built at Kilgore Road and Meredith Drive to serve this area first. By 1975, the facility should be completed, and although it could be primarily manned by volunteers, three full-time firemen should be employed. Two more facilities should be built by 1990 to serve the projected needs in the western and southwestern areas of the city. One fire station should be built at Cooley Drive and Romence Road to serve the northwest and west central area, and another facility should be built at Oakland Drive and Chopin Avenue to serve the west, southwest, and south central areas. Each facility should have space for at least two fire engines, and should be manned by at least three full-time employees. HEALTH AND WELFARE FACILITIES GENERAL Although it is necessary to provide health and welfare facilities to treat those needing such care, a plan which will prevent people from reaching the point of n~edjng physical or mental therapy or some other rehabilitative action is also urgently needed. A comprehensive study should be made by health and welfare specialists to determine the needs for health and welfare facilities, programs and activities throughout Kalamazoo County. Such a study is beyond I - 31 - �MAP # 4 BARRY COUNTY ALLEGAN COUNTY ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ... . ~ ~ T ~ ~ SEPH COUNTY KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN LEGEND HEALTH&WELFARE FACILITIES • Medical Facilities • Other Institutions HEALTH & WELFARE FACILITIES ft•••~• Oo ,o•!ao1 •• H ... •!•• ••4 ~ Associated Areas LOCATION CODE rCongressional Township AL - C - 1-1 dent if i cation LType of Facility \JO•• ........... ,,· , , •• ..... .,,.4 ~. , . ..... 101 .,,..,.._,,., ,.,,,1 1,u --••••4u CO M PllED FRO M SCHElllE ASSOCIATES F AClllTlfS SURVEY KALAMAZOO Pr • po,,d ly METROPOL I TAN 1.? CO U NTY SCHELLIE -'SSOCIATES INC PLANNING A 01vu,on of ClYOE E WILLIAMS ANO ASSOCl.t.TES INC ., COMMISSION INDH! I I I I I I I I �the scope of this report, but the results of the inventory (see Map 4) made of existing community facilities for the 1965 Comprehensive Planning Program indicate steps to improve the existing facilities which can be recommended in this report. RECOMMENDATIONS Existing Facilities (See Map 4) The Kalamazoo State Hospital (KA-H-5) may need improvements before 1990. The Kalamazoo County Juvenile Horne (KA-W-1) will need to expand the building program on the existing site (7.5 acres) before 1990. Bronson Methodist Hospital (KA-H-4) is a semi-public facility and should continue to expand on its present site (9.4 acres) to 1990. It is currently planning and constructing new buildings and additional floors to the old. Franklin Community Hospital (SC-H-1) is a semi-public facility located at Vicksburg on a twenty acre site is replacing its original 20 bed facility with a new 50 bed facility. Borgess Hospital (KA-H-1), which also includes the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Clinic and St. Agnes Maternity and Foundling Horne, should be improved and expanded by 1990. The Kalamazoo State Hospital Farm (KA.-H-6), which is located on a 400 acre tract, provides non-intensive care for approximately 125 patients who perform farm work in connection with their rehabilitation. The acreage could accommodate more patients, but the number may decrease due to new and different methods of treatment. Consideration should be given to refurbishing existing facilities. The Southwestern Michigan Tuberculosis Sanitarium located on 7 acres has now been phased out by the State of Michigan because of the decline in the number of patients being treated at the facility. An experimental facility, the Halfway House, provides a transitional period of activity between the Boy's Training School in Lansing, Michigan, and release to society. Consideration should be given to increasing the size of the facility and the number of boys that can be accommodated if the program proves successful. Potential Site A recommended site for a new hospital is on a 40-acre tract adjacent to and west of the Blanche Hull-Milham Park. A pleasant environment and an unobstructed view to the east would be provided by the park. The site would also be near the expected 1990 population center. Accessibility would be convenient from any direction with Interstate 94 nearby. - 33 - �CULTURAL FACILITIES Cultural facilities may be defined as public, semi-public or private institutions which, by their existence in a community can provide cultural enrichment to the citizens who reside there. The major cultural facilities for Kalamazoo County were inventoried and the description of each was given in the Community Facilities Inventory report by Schellie associates in 1965. This Cultural Facilities Section is divided into two parts: Library Facilities and Other Facilities. LIBRARY FACILITIES General Michigan State legislation allows any unit of government or any school district to create libraries, and it requires all counties to create library boards to provide service to all unserved areas. The result has been that Kalamazoo County has no consolidated library system, but existing library facilities are operated under the jurisdiction of boards of education, municipal library boards, and legislative bodies. Without consolidation and a central system, a library facility is more limited in the service it can provide and is of less benefit to its users. This section of the report proposes consolidation of the library facilities in Kalamazoo County into one system with one main facility to provide central controls of a series of branch facilities. The general service areas for each branch were determined based upon the population projection for 1990, the relationship between different areas, the proximity of villages and urbanizing areas, the barriers posed by highways and the Kalamazoo River, and the suitability of existing facilities. Planning Objectives The Community Facilities Plan is intended to: A. Establish standards for new library facilities in terms of physical characteristics such as site area and service radius. B. Recommend the approximate locations for new facilities whi~h are like~y to be needed within the planning period,_selecting_the locations which are most likely to provide convenient and adequate service. Standards The following standards were used to select branch locations and to determine the recol'.lITlended size: 1 1 American Library Association. - 34 - I I I I I I I I I I �I A. Distance between branches - minimum 3 miles. B. Site acreage - minimum 1 acre. C. Population of area served (1990) - 12,500 to 25,000. D. Relatively high intensity of pedestrian traffic--in or near commercial centers. E. Minimum number of volumes - 20,000 F. Adequate parking facilities - 1 to 2 ratio of parking area to building area. G. Continued use of existing facilities not recommended if condition and space are inadequate. H. Accessibility - sufficient streets and thoroughfares to service area. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that a Kalamazoo County Library System be established with the City of Kalamazoo's central library as the main library. Branch libraries will serve the service areas described below. Areas with a population too small to justify maintenance of a branch should be served by a facility which would provide a place to return books and a bookmobile stop. The delineation of service areas is not intended to imply that people living within a certain area must only use the branch located within the area. The chief purpose of delineating the areas is to determine the general geographic areas in need of a library facility based on the specifien. standards. Each service area is identified by number (see Map 5 which should be compared with the numbers identifying the proposed library facilities on the 1990 Community Facilities Plan. Kalamazoo Township Area: The central library of the City of Kalamazoo is a relatively new facility containing approximately 100,000 volumes and serving several branches. Its construction will allow the addition of extra floors as needed, and it should provide space for the Kalamazoo County Library Board. A goal of 250,000 volumes should be set for 1990. This library should be the central coordinating point for all library activity in the County. Four new one-story branch libraries are planned for the City of Kalamazoo and will adequately serve the City and Township of Kalamazoo. They are the following: - 35 - �MAP ~ #5 I ~I I I ... I I 1J J I I ALLEGAN COUNTY I: S! I: :: I: ~ I: t? i ~ i ~ ~. ~ ~ ~ I I . ST JOSEPH COUNTY KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 0 ... LIBRARY SERVICE AREAS • LEGEND EXISTING LIBRARIES (Retained) PROPOSED - LIBRARIES (Urban Kalamazoo) PROP SED BRANCH LIBRARIES AND OTHER CULTURAL FACILITIES lh , ,our•+'•• LEGEND CULTURAL FACILITIES • Libraries O Other LOCATION CODE on gr es sion a I Township A L- C - 1-Iden t if i cation LType of Facility re el •••• •••• ... , 11 0 ... Jellr •'• • ~ ••••• • • • , , ,,,.1 G,u, 1••••••0•••""''"' •! AulO!ouot,et••• •••hr,101•rS0<1ou101 llo1l~t ad U•I>•• •f th llhl••t A<I •lltH.•1 ••ulol p,_pored &y KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 36 SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES INC PLANNING A 01~,1,on of CLYDE E WILLIAMS AND ASSOCIATES l,.,,C ., COMMISSION lt"'0'LS . I �I Eastwood on a 19,000 square foot site will contain 30,900 volumes. This facility will eventually replace the older East Branch Library and the existing library in Parchment. Milwood, on a 24,000 square foot site will contain 54,300 volumes. Oakwood, on a 24,000 square foot site will contain 47,400 volumes. Westwood, on a 32,000 square foot sit~ will contain 57,600 volumes. Remainder of County: In addition to those facilities considered for the City and Township of Kalamazoo, eight distinct service areas have been established in order to provide convenient branch service to the rest of the county. Facilities for these areas have been proposed on a service basis of one facility per 10,000 to 25,000 projected 1990 population. Each of the descriptions following relate to the service areas as depicted on Map 5. Service Area (1): The 1990 population for the area is projected to be about 14,000. The recommended site is at the proposed commercial center, because of the heavy pedestrian traffic that will be generated there, and should have an area of approximately 21,000 square feet. Parking spaces for 20 cars should be provided on 6,000 square feet and the building should occupy 11,000 square feet. The library should contain 42,000 volumes. Service Area (2): The approximate population of this area is projected as 20,000 for 1990. The site selected, at or near the intersection of 37th Street north and State Route 89 just south of Gull Lake, is centralized and yet close to several of the urbanizing villages. This site should have a total of approximately 30,000 square feet--9,000 for 30 cars, and 21,000 for the building site, or 17,500 for buildings. The library should contain about 60,000 volumes. Service Area (3): A site on the east side of South 9th Street, between Interstate 94 and the Community College, is recommended to serve this area. Located adjacent to the campus, a facility in this location would not compete with the on-campus library, but would compliment it by being available for use by both area residents and students. The 1990 projected population for the area is 12,000. An area of 18,000 square feet is recommended for the site, with 6,000 square feet allocated to parking space for 25 cars, and 10,500 square feet for the building. The library should contain about 35,000 volumes. - 37 - �Service Area (4): No new facility is recommended to serve the proJected population of 18,000 in this area in 1990. It is recommended instead that the existing facilities in Galesburg and in the western part of Comstock Township be expanded. The library in Galesburg, with 8,500 volumes, should continue its expansion program on a small scale, acquiring additional lan~ adjacent to the existing site. The existing Comstock Township library should become the major branch library facility for Area 4 by acquiring adjacent land to form a site of 27,000 square feet total area. Parking space for 30 cars on 9,000 square feet should be provided, and the building should have 15,000 square feet of area. This library should contain about 54,000 volumes by 1990. Service Area (5): The approximate 1990 population for this area is proJected as 27,000. A commercial center is recommended as the site for a new library to serve this area. The facility should contain 75,000 volumes in a building occupying 22,500 square feet of a total site area of 35,000 square feet. If the parking needs are fulfilled by the commercial center parking area, the space required for the facility will be reduced to that needed for the building only. Service Area (6): The population of this area in 1990 is projected to be 32,500. The selected site for a new branch library, at South Portage Road and East Centre Avenue, is near the center of the area being served and in a commercial area which should generate pedestrian traffic. The facility should contain 100,000 volumes in a building of 26,500 square feet area. Parking space for 50 cars should be provided on 15,000 square feet, and the total area of the site should be 45,000 square feet. ~ I I I I I ~ I Service Area (7): Service Area (7) has a projected 1990 population of 9,000. The site recommended is located at the community of Scotts and is central to the area to be served for convenient accessibility for all residents of the area. This branch facility should be on a site with a total of 14,500 square feet. Parking for 15 cars should occupy 4,500 square feet, and the building should have 8,300 square feet to contain 25,000 to 30,000 volumes. Service Area (8): This facility is recommended to be located in the commercial center of the Village of Vicksburg. The site should have a total of approximately 21,000 square feet to provide 6,000 square feet of parking space for 20 cars and 11,600 square feet for the building. This branch should contain at least 40,000 volumes. Other County Library Facilities: The existing facilities in Schoolcraft, Portage, Augusta and Climax are not intended to be major branch libraries, but it is recommended that they remain in service to supplement the county system by serving as small branches and bookmobile stops to take orders for and dispurse books from the main li~rary in Kalamazoo. Book distributing agencies, such as bookmobile stops, classroom sets, deposit stations, or a combination of these, may also be utilized to complement the county system and can be added to and coordinated with the county system as the need arises. - 38 - 1 I I �OTHER CULTURAL FACILITIES General Most of the cultural facilities now in service are located in or near the Kalamazoo Township area. Descriptions of those facilities are given in the Community Facilities Inventory report, and no purpose would be served by repeating those descriptions in · this report. All existing cultural facilities should be continued in use throughout 1990. The most apparent need for cultural facilities during the planning period is in the areas outside Kalamazoo Township. The following recommendations are made primarily to serve the people living outside Kalamazoo Township. I RECOMMENDATIONS A. In order to accommodate groups for meetings, seminars, discussions, debates, etc., the branch libraries should be utilized, provided that they are architecturally designed to accommodate small meeting groups. B. It is recommended that new schools be designed with a small or intermediary sized auditorium with adjacent facilities for arts and crafts. Emphasis should be given to night use of such facilities for art, crafts, music and theater education, vocational training classes, adult education courses, and use of the auditorium for theater performances, musicals, lectures, and movies. c. Special consideration should be given to closed-circuit T . V. educational courses for all elementary and high school facilities in the area as part of the cultural program as well as the educational program. The selected point for such an operation is the top story of the main library in the City of Kalamazoo after the recommended additional floors have been added. - 39 - �THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN SCHOOL, PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES INTRODUCTION In the past, the appropriate agencies in Kalamazoo County have met the demands for new schools and classroom space, parks and recreation areas. Most of the existing schools and parks are located in the Urban Area with limited development occurring in the Rural Area. Recreation facilities such as golf courses, water access sites, camps and conservation areas do exist in the Rural Area, as evidenced by two major parks, Coldbrook in Charleston Township and Prairie View in Schoolcraft Township. The complex nature of todays form of government and the skills re ·· quired by our highly technical commercial--industrial economy make universal education increasingly important. At the same time; the complexity of our society creates mental stress and tension which re auires more opportunity for recreation and relaxation in order for the individual to remain efficient in his everyday functions. New facilities and expansion of existing facilities for education and recreation, therefore, continue to be needed. It is the purpose of this section to set forth the projected needs for additional education and recreation facilities and to set forth a plan for meeting these needs for Kalamazoo County (excluding the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, for which similar studies were prepared independently, serving as information sources for this study). Wherever used in this section, the word irPlan" refers to Map 6, 1975 and 1990 Generalized School, Park and Recreation, Conservation Facili-· ties Plan :· appearing on the next page. References to n communities and !:neighborhoods are references to the geographical divisions of the Urban Area illustrated on the Plan. It should be noted that the symbols used on the Plan to indicate proposed locations for school and park facilities usually cover a much larger area than the facility would actually occupy. The Plan is not intended to designate th e precise location for a narticular facility but rath e r to illus trate the facility needs of a neighborhood or community. Within the Cities of Kalamazoo and Portage only the Schools and Parks proposed in their respective plans are shown. 11 11 1 ' As in the previous two sections of this report, projections are _made for the years 1975 and 1990. Due to the various methods of population pro~ect~ons and part~cularly_because of the method for popuia~ion proJections by traffic zone in the KATS* area. it becomes mandatorv that school enrollment and park need projecti~ns be made separate!~ ~KATS ·- Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study. - 40 - I I · �for the Urban Area, the villages, and for the Rural Areas. Existing school district boundaries were disregarded in the preparation of the plan as they are so organized, presently, as to make planning for facilities in ~elation to population growth areas most difficult. METHODS USED I (a) The Urban Area. For planning purposes the Urban Area, minus the villages of Augusta, Climax, Richland and Schoolcraft, and consisting of the cities of Kalamazoo, Parchment and Portage and the surrounding areas in which residential development is anticipated by 1990, was divided into 13 areas referred to as communities which would best be served by schools and parks as a unit. Each community was then subdivided into neighborhoods with boundaries of streets or other cultural divisions. The neighborhoods were selected so that a park or school located near the c~nter could be easily reached by children walking from home. Statistical zones from the KATS* area which could be related to the various neighborhoods were used to determine the projected population to be served by schools and parks. School enrollments were then based upon percentages**of the projected population, derived from existing school enrollments. (b) The Rural Area. To determine the school enrollment and park needs for the rural areas, the change in population for each township per decade was averaged for the last three decades. The same method was used to determine school and park needs in the villages of Augusta, Climax, Richland and Schoolcraft. For the townships which are partially urbanized, a combination of the methods applied to the Urban Area and the Rural l\rea was used. For that portion of the township which is urbanized, the "Urban Area" method was used. In that portion of the township which was rural, the "Rural Area" method was used. (c) The acreages for schools and parks were based on the "Suggested Planning Standards for Community Facilities" prepared with the assistance of local school and park officials in cooperation with the Committee on Community Facilities of the Kalamaz-oo Metropolitan County Planning Commission COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION Following is a brief description of the 13 communities within the Urban Area (See Map 6). Each community is basically the service area for a high school •I * KATS Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study ** 15.6% of the projected population for elementary school enrollment. Ten percent of the projected population for junior-senior high school enrollment . - 41 - �MAP llAft"V COUNTY I I I #6 M 0 5 .... ~ LEGE KALAMAZOO CCUfTY. MCHIGAN ti EXISTING TO REMAIN D COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY JR. A'ND/OR SR. HIGH SCHOOL 1975 & 1990 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEIGH60RHOOD PARK GENERALIZED SCHOOL, PARK & RECREATION, CONSERVATION, FACILITIES PLAN COMMUNITY OR T WNSHIP PARK MAJOR PARK GOLF cquRSE CAMP ACCESS CONSERVATION SITE AREA -0 • • *'-• ◊ () () 0 1975 ADDITION 1975 TO EXISTING PROPOSED 1990 PROPOSED I i• PARKS AND OPEN SPACE 1990 URBAN AREA 1990 URBAN AREA 60UNDARY COMMUNITY AREA BOUNDARY & ___ ,._,._,._ .... _...... NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARY IN THE CITIES OF KALAMAZOO AND PORTAGE ONLY THE PROPOSED SCHOOLS AND PARKS ARE SHOWN P, • .-,.4 II-, , SCNILLII AISOCIATIS, INC., A Di•hlH •f ClYDI 1 . WIUIAMS & ASSOC,. IMC., IH""'5, KALAMAZOO M E T R_0 P O L I T A N 42 COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION �Community #1 Is adjacent to the City of Kalamazoo and includes a large portion of the northwestern area of Kalamazoo Township. It is partly bounded on the south by State Route 43 west of the city and on the north by Business P.oute 131. Since t'1is community has one of the highest densities of development in the urbanizing area, it is divided into eight relatively small neighborhoods. Community #2 Is adjacent to, and north of the City of Kalamazoo. It is bounded by Business Route 131 to the southwest and by the Kalamazoo River on the east. Community #3 Includes all of the developing area north and northeast of the cities of Parchment and Kalamazoo between the Kalamazoo River to the west and Gull Road to the east and southeast. Community #4 Is bounded on the north by Gull Road, the west by Nazareth Road, the south by East Main Street and on the east by the Comstock Township line. Community #5 Is. a rather high density community of small size located entirely in Kalamazoo Township east of the City of Kalamazoo and west of :1azareth Road. Community #6 I I Includes the area south of East Main Street, east of Nazareth Road and north of the Kalamazoo River. Community #7 Includes the City of Galesburg and almost all mile of its perimeter which is expected to be urban area. The west edge of Community #7 is boundary of Community #6 forming a continuous of the land part of the adjacent to <levelopment within one developing the eastern pattern. Community #8 Consists of the area east of the City of ICalamazoo between the Kalamazoo River and Business Route 94 west of Morrow Lake. Community #9 Extends southward from I-94 and Business Route 94 to Bishop Road. I I - 43 - �Community #10 Covers the narrow strip of land in the development area east of Portage extending south from Bishop Road to the Vicksburg urbanizing area. It also includes a neighborhood south of Portage and adjacent to Prairie View Park in Schoolcraft Township. Although the whole community is projected to be a contiguous developed area by 1990, the existing development is around Long Lake. Community #11 Includes all of the City of Vicksburg and almost all of the area within a one-mile radius of its perimeter. Community #12 Is composed of all the development area west of Portage and south of Interstate 94. The community extends about 3 miles to the south of Interstate 94 and extends 5 1/2 miles west from Portage around Eagle, Crooked and Pretty Lakes. All of Texas Township is included in the calculations to determine projected school enrollment and park needs for this community. Community #13 Is that portion of the development area west of the City of Kalamazoo between West Main Street and Interstate 94. SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES GENERAL Due to the constantly changing nature of our society, the creation of new jobs and abolition of old jobs, automation in industry and business, and the trend towards growing populations in the urban cities, it is impossible to precisely predict the educational needs of the future. One thing, however, is certain, and that is the fact that more years of education for greater numbers of people will be required in the future. Until those future needs become apparent, the function of planning must be to determine the present needs for educational facilities and the contemporary trends in education, and from these factors project future educational facility needs. In Kalamazoo County, most of the elementary schools include grades kindergarten through six. This trend was continued in planning for future elementary school facilities. Junior-Senior IIigh School needs are planned to accommodate grades 7 through 12 which provides flexibility for different combination of groupings of grades in the middle school or high school systems. - 44 - I I I I I I �POLICIES The plan for schools is expected to provide the facilities required to meet the educational goals established for Kalamazoo County. To assist in meeting those goals it is recommended that: • Elementary schools in urban and urbanizing areas should be located to serve a neighborhood and high schools located to serve a community, as previously defined. • All schools should be centrally located to the areas served. • Elementary schools should be situated along collector streets which serve neighborhood streets. High schools, which are traffic generators, should be located on or near arterial streets. • Multiple uses of sites for combinations of a school and a park should be encouraged. Such combined facilities can adequately serve their purpose while requiring less land for both purposes than would be needed for equal facilities on separate sites. • Whenever possible, school buildings should be made available to function as cor.ununity-recreation-social centers. STANDARDS As previously noted, the standards relating to appropriate school service were developed with the assistance of the Commission Committee on Community Facilities and local school authorities. The results of that study, which included a review of the standards suggested by the National Council on School House Construction, other publications from the field of education and primary research by the consultant, are given in Table 3 . It should be noted that they are meant to be suggestions--rather than absolute requirements . II II II II II THE 1.975 AND 1990 SCHOOL FACILITIES PLAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS - URBAN AREA Community #1 There are five existing elementary schools in this community. Although these existing schools may accommodate the need in the high density neighborhoods of the community it is doubtful that they would be of practical use to the three north and west neighborhoods which will be developing. 1975 projections indicate that there will be a 23.4 acre deficit. This would mean that two new schools will be needed . Since - 45 - �TABLE 3 SCHOOL FACILITIES STANDARDS School TYJ2e Minimum Size ( pu;eils) Ideal Size (p~£ils) Maximum Size (pupils) Service* Radius (miles) 230 280 550 750 750 900 700 750 750 1,000 1,250 1,500 900 950 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 .5 •5 1.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 5 5 15 15 25 25 1.0 2.0 15 + 1 per 100 Pupils 25 + 1 per 100 Pupils Site Area ( acres) Individual Facilities Elementary (K-6) Elementary (K-8) Junior High ( 7-8) Junior High (7-9) Senior High (10-12) Senior High ( 9-12) + + + + + + 1 1 1 1 1 1 per per per per per per 100 100 100 100 100 100 Pupils Pupils Pupils Pupils Pupils Pupils Combined Facilities J:::. m Elementary-Jr. High Jr. -Sr . . High Combinations of Above Park-School Combinations Elementary & Park (Neighborhood Park) utilizes school playground 10 + 1 per 100 Pupils utilizes school playground and playfield 20 + 1 per 100 Pupils Jr.-Sr. High & Park (Community Park) utilizes school playfield 18 + 1 per 100 Pupils Sr. High & Park (Community Park) utilizes school playfield 35 + 1 per 100 Pupils Elementary-Jr. High & Park (Neighborhood ParkPlayfield) * These service radii are based upon service to compact, built-up residential areas. Larger service areas are necessary in low-density residential neighborhoods or in rural areas. �deficit. This would mean that two new schools will be needed. Since new schools are proposed in Oshtemo Township west of this community and in community #2, only one school is proposed for this community. It is likely that a new school will be needed by 1975. Community #2 This community has only one existing elementary school with a design capacity of 448. Since the 1975 projected enrollment is 663, this leaves a deficit of space for 215 pupils. It is proposed therefore that a new 560 capacity elementary school be built in the community which will adequately serve the needs in 1975. A second school in this community should be planned for 1990. It will accommodate children from the adjacent township area as well as from the community. ~ommunity #3 One of the two elementary schools in this community did not report its design capacity. However : there appears to be adequate acreage (47.0 acres) of land on the existing two sites. If needed, there is adequate space for expansion of the facilities on these sites. Projections indicate that a great amount of expansion may not be needed by 1975 as the total enrollment for the community's elementary schools is expected to be only 958 pupils in 1975. This would be an average of 479 per school. Two new elementary schools are proposed, however, by 1990 to serve the population, projected by that time. 9ommunity #4 One elementary school with a design capacity of 660 pupils is located in this community. The 1975 projected enrollment for this community is only 473. Therefore, the existing school is deemed adequate for the period through 1975. f9mmunity #5 This community contains three elementary schools which have a total de- · sign capacity of 1,204 pupils. Only 1,501 pupils is the projection for 1975. This leaves a small deficit of 297. Nevertheless, it is recommended that an additional elementary school of 560 student capacity to be planned to meet the demands for 1975. Another new elementary school will be needed by 1990. Community #6 There is only one elementary school in this community with 17.0 acres of land. Its design capacity is not reported, however, there is adequate acreage for expansion. The 1975 enrollment projection indicates that there will be a need to accommodate 785 pupils. A new elementary school is highly recommended. This would allow an average of 392 pupils per school for the community in 1975. - 47 - �Community #7 Three elementary school buildings with a total design capacity of 720 pupils share the same 15 acre tract in the City of Galesburg. The 1975 projected enrollment for the Galesburg area is 710. The school facilities should be adequate to 1975 particularly if the 1924 structure which accommodates 300 pupils is refurbished. At a later time, however, this older building should be replaced with a new structure . By 1990 a new elementary school should be planned for the develoDing area west of and north of the City of Galesburg. Community #8 This community contains two elementary schools with a total design capacity of 776 pupils. The 1975 projected needs are for 898 leaving a deficit of 122. The construction of a new elementary school is recommended by 1975 which would, if designed for 560 pupils, accommodate the school needs past 1975. Community #9 The elementary school presently serving this low density community is designed for a capacity of 300 with a projected 1975 enrollment of 550. Two hundred and fifty pupils would be in need of classroom space by 1975. Since the existing school is located on only 5 acres, a new site for a new elementary school is proposed. Community #10 This community contains one elementary school with a total design capacity of 420. The 1975 enrollment projection is 636 pupils which leaves a deficit of 216. It is recommended that one additional elementary school be planned to meet the demands. Community #11 The Vicksburg area, community #11, has two elementary schools. The two schools have a total design capacity of 780, however, the 1975 projections call for facilities to accommodate 1,160 pupils (this includes 1/2 of Brady Township and 1/2 of Schoolcraft Township). There is obvious need for additional classroom space for 380 additional pupils. These pupils can be accommodated by the new elementary school proposed in Brady Township, east of this community. ·Community #12 Community #12 is located entirely in Texas Township which has no elementary schools. Pupils living there must travel long distances to the City of Portage, the City of Kalamazoo or to Mattawan to attend ~chool. Th~ 1975 e~ro~lment proje~tion for Texas Township is 660. Since there is no existing school, it is reco~mended that two new schools be constructed by 1975. A third school should be constructed before 1990. - 48 ~ I I I I I I I I I I 1 l �Community #13 Two schools which exist in this community have not been included in the calculations because they are 'in poor condition being more than 100 years old. The design capacity of two relatively newer schools total 600. 1975 projections show a need to accommodate 768. One new school is recommended plus additional acreage to existing schools. City of Kalamazoo Three new elementary schools are proposed for the western portion of the City by 1990. Many of the existing schools in the city should be renovated as needed. City of Portage A plan currently being prepared by the City of Portage calls for twenty new elementary schools. Only a few of these schools are expected to be a part of the City's 1975 pl a nning program. Most of the proposed schools for Portage must be appl1ed to long range plans to 1990 and beyond. ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS - RURAL AREA Alamo Township The existing school should be continued in use throughout 1990. Cooper Township The one elementary school in the rural portion of Cooper Township has a design capacity for 400 students. Since the 1975 rural projected enrollment of the township is 1,028, additional classroom space for 628 pupils will be needed. Therefore, two new schools with a total site area of 26.0 acres should be scheduled. Richland Township The existing elementary school in the Village of Richland serves the entire township and should continue in service. By 1990, the school should be expanded and the site increased to 24 acres. Ross Township No new schools are proposed in this township, although an addition to one of the existing schools is recommended between 1975 and 1990. - 49 - �Oshtemo Township One new elementary school is proposed by 1990 for Oshtemo Township outside the urbanizing area. The township will also be served by schools in communities #1 and #13. 'Comsto·ck Township The schools in communities #6 and #7 will also serve the non-urban areas of the township. A new school is planned in the township outside the urban area because of the anticipated accelerated residential development north of the industrial belt between the cities of Galesburg and Kalamazoo by 1990. Charleston Township There is a projected elementary school enrollment for rural Charleston Township of 419 for the year 1975. One new school is proposed to meet this need. Texas Township The entire projected school enrollment of Texas Township was included in projecting the enrollment for community #12. For this reason, there is no new elementary school planned for the non-urbanizing area of the township. Pavilion Township The non-urbanizing part of Pavilion Township has a projected elementary school enrollment for 1975 of 258. This would justify construction of one new school on a 12.5-acre site. ~ I 1 I I I Climax Township A new elementary school is proposed for 1975 in the area around the Village of Climax. Also, by 1975, an addition to the existing school in the community of Scotts should be completed. Prairie Ronde Township It is anticipated that the students from this township will attend schools in the Village of Schoolcraft, so no new facilities are planned in this township. Schoolcraft Township One-half of the Schoolcraft Township population is figured in the Urban Area's community #11 (the Vicksburg area). The remaining rural portion of Schoolcraft Township, including the Village of Schoolcraft, has_a 1975 proj~c~ed school enro~lment of 451. With the projected 99 pupils from Prairie Ronde Township added, the school in Schoolcraft - 50 - I I I �will need to accommodate 550 pupils. The existing school has a design capacity of 400, so the school should be expanded by 1975. A new school is proposed in the center of tha township for 1975. Brady Township It is recommended that a new school be constructed by 1975 east of the Village of Vicksburg to accommodate the overflow of pupils from the Indian Lake school. Schools for the Village of Vicksburg are described in the discussion of community #11. Wakeshma Township The existing elementary school in the center of Wakeshma Township has a design capacity large enough to furnish the space needed for the 1975 projected enrollment. No new school is proposed for this Township. JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS - URBAN AREA Community #1 and Alamo Township The projected Jr.-Sr. high school enrollment for this coIT1.P1unity in 1975 is 1,437 pupils, and by 1990, an enrollment of 1,710 is projected. Although these figures are slightly lower than the proposed standard of 2,250 pupils for a Jr.-Sr. high school, they are large enough to warrant construction of a new school, since Alamo Township would utilize a school located in this community. It is therefore proposed that a new Jr.-Sr. high school be planned for Community #1 by 1975. Communities #2 and #3 and Cooper Township A new Jr.-Sr. high school is proposed for 1990 to serve the needs of a projected enrollment of 2,926 pupils from Cooper Township and Communities #2 and #3. At least 39 acres should be provided for this facility. Communities #4, #5 and #6 Grouping these three communities for utilization of a new Jr.-Sr. high school will produce a projected enrollment of 865 in 1975 and 993 by 1990. The existing schools should be adequate until 1975, at which time a new facility should be planned in Community t4. I -I •II It is anticipated that students from Richland and rural Comstock Township will also utilize the proposed school, and by 1990, an addition to this school will be needed. At least 28 acres sl10uld be acquired for this Jr.-Sr. high school and community park facility. Communities #8, #9 and #10 A new Jr.-Sr. high school located on the periphery of Community ~~9 would be central to the population served in Communities #8, #9 and #10 and would have a projected enrollment of 1,502 by 1975, including - 51 - �the students from rural Pavilion Township that will probably attend the proposed school. The projected enrollment for 1990 of 1,938 pupils will necessitate an addition then to the proposed school. For this combined school and community park facility, 34 acres will be needed. Communities #12 and #13 By 1975, a new Jr.-Sr. high school will be needed to accommodate the projected enrollment for that year of 964 students. An addition to this facility is proposed by 1990 because of the projected enrollment of 1,467 for that year. The new school is proposed to be located in the vicinity of the line between Texas and Oshtemo Townships. A second Jr.-Sr. high school is proposed in the northern part of Oshtemo Township to be built in 1990. This school is proposed because of the population increase expected to occur in Communities #1 and #13 and in Oshtemo Township after 1975 and before 1990. Community #7 Community #7, Galesburg, has a Jr. and Sr. high school with a total design capacity of 895 although 325 of the pupils are now located in a deteriorating portion of the facility, leaving only usable space for 570. The 1975 enrollment projections for this community is 455, therefore, there should be sufficient space. If, however, the 269 H.S. pupils projected for 1975 in Charleston Township are added to this number, an additional 154 pupils will need to be accommodated. There will probably be another 150 - 200 in rural Comstock Township which would prefer going to Galesburg rather than one of the two new Jr.-Sr. high schools proposed in the western part of Comstock Township. It will be necessary, therefore, to replace the old structure which accommodates 325 pupils with a new building at least that size or larger. Community #11 In community #11, the Vicksburg area, the existing Jr. and Sr. high schools can accommodate 1,380 pupils. The 1975 projected enrollment of 744 includes the village and 1/2 of both Schoolcraft and all of Wakeshma (123) projections are added, the total capacity need would be 964 which is well under the total Vicksburg Jr. and Sr. high school capacity. However, by 1990 needs for additions to both the Jr. and Sr. high schools should be anticipated. City of Kalamazoo - There are no new Jr.-Sr. high schools proposed for the City of Kalamazoo. However, some of the students living within the city may be attending a new Jr.-Sr. high school proposed for one of the communities adjacent to the city. - 52 - ~ �City of Portage - In the City of Portage plans, three new high schools are proposed for the city. One of these is proposed for the south central part of Portage by 1975. The other two are proposed for the eastern central and western central portions of the city by 1990. SERVICE AREAS OF OTHER JR. AND/OR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY Richland The Richland Jr. and Sr. high schools may later need to be increased to accommodate the pupils of most of Richland Township as well as the Village of Richland. The high school acreage should be increased to 24 acres. Gull Lake The Gull Lake Jr. and Sr. high schools should adequately serve Ross Township although an addition may be needed in the future - 25 acres is needed for the facility. Galesburg The City of Galesburg's Jr. and Sr. high schools should adequately serve all of Community #7 (Galesburg area) plus all of the rural portions of Comstock and Charleston Townships. The acreage is sufficient, but the 1928 structure should be replaced or thoroughly rennovated. Climax The Climax-Scotts Jr.-Sr. high school at the Village of Climax has adequate acreage to serve the entire Climax Township. Vicksburg The Vicksburg Jr. and Sr. high schools can adequately serve 1/2 of Schoolcraft Township, all of Brady Township and Wakeshema Township as well as the Village of Vicksburg. Approximately 6 acres should be added to the existing site size. Schoolcraft The Schoolcraft Jr.-Sr. high school with minor additions could be adequate to accommodate 1/2 of Schoolcraft Township and all of Prairie Ronde Township as well as the Village of Schoolcraft. At least 3 to 4 acres should be added to the site size and an addition to accommodate 25 to 50 more students should be completed. A larger addition would be more cesirable, however, because the need for another addition in several years will be inevitable if not done earlier. - 53 - �PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES GENERAL It is the purpose of this portion of the report on the Generalized School, Park and Recreation Conservation Facilities Plan to briefly discuss the methods, objectives and standards used in arriving at the recommendations illustrated on the Plan. Several factors have contributed to the contemporary concern about the shortage of parks and open spaces for recreational purposes. The concentration of population in urban areas requires special designation of areas for recreational purposes before all suitable open areas are occupied by other land uses. Today's population lives in a period of stress, rapid change, and increasing complexity which requires more outlets and escape opportunities than ever before to relieve the individual. Furthermore, today's citizen tends to work shorter hours, receive more income, and have greater mobility than before, and therefore has more interest in recreation with more opportunity to tak~ ~~van~aqe of recreational facilities. This Plan makes specific recommendations concerning the type of parks and recreational facilities required to satisfy the need for such facilities in Kalamazoo County. Recreational facility needs are projected for the years 1975 and 1990, and from these projections pro- posals are made concerning the locations for the needed facilities. Several types cf facilities are proposed: neighborhood parks to serve local needs; ccmmunity parks to serve the needs of the defined communities and m2jor parks to serve county-wide needs and interests. Proposals made in the Plan and this report are intended to serve as guides for future park and recreation area development. (See Map #6) POLICIES The park and recreation area plan represents an organized approach for meeting the current and future recreational needs of the County as set forth in the previously established goals for the planning program. As a means of assuring the achievement of those goals, it is recommended that: • Lands proposed as future park or recreation area shoulQ be acquired now for those purposes. • Lands proposed to be developed for residential use should include the dedication or reservation of suitable sites for recreational use by those occupying such lands. • The ITunicipal and county agencies responsible for pa~kE'. and recreation should contin 1-ie~ tt...'..1.e1.r · e ff orts to secure land for park and recreation development in advance of ac~ual need and develop them as r~quired to keep pace with the growth of the County. - 54 - sites �• The park, recreation and school agencies within the County should plan for the joint acquisition, development and use of areas in furtherance of the previously described park-school concept. • The lands designated as "open space" in the Land Use Plan should be utilized for limited recreation activity which does not interfere with the primary purpose of such land, i.e., drainage, flood waters and the like. • Community and major parks should include lands and water of the highest natural quality (topographic change, vegetative cover and wetlands) available in the areas designated for their location. STANDARDS The establishment of standards with respect to parks and recreation areas for Kalamazoo County was undertaken by the Community Facilities Committee of the Commission and the consultant. The result of that effort is given in Table 4, for the types of parks and recreation areas determined to be most fitting for this County. The basic sources of standards considered in this study were those suggested by the National Recreation and Park A.ssociation; "Standards for Outdoor Recreation Areas," American Society of Planning Officials, Planning Advisory Service, February, 1965, and "Outdoor Recreation Space Standards" Department of the Interior, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, April, 1967. THE 1975 AND 1990 PARK AND RECREATION AREA PLAN NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS Community #1 Five of the eight neighborhoods in this community do not have adequate park-play area. Therefore, 5 new parks with 25 additional acres of park area are recommended to be added by 1975. Community #2 Three new parks are proposed for 1975 to provide 15 additional acres of park-play area needed. Community #3 None of the five neighborhoods has adequate nark-play area; therefore, 25 acres are proposed for 5 new parks in 1975. - 55 - �lllll TABLE 4 OUTDOOR RECREATION AREA STANDARDS Type of Facility PLAYLOT u, Distance Standards Service Radius Time in in Miles Minutes 1 (block) 2-3 Population Acres Per Thousand 1 site for 40-75 children Site-Size Standard in Acres Minimum 2,000 sq.ft. Ideal 3,750 sq.ft. PLAYGROUNDS 1/4-1/2 5-10 1. 25 3 5-10 NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS 1/4-1/2 5-10 2.50 5 7-10 PLAYFIELDS 1 1/2 25 1. 25 12 20 COMMUNITY OR TOWNSHIP PARKS 2-4 30-60 5.00 25 40-50 7-10 20-30 4.00 100 300+ m MAJOR PARKS OTHER PUBLICLY OvTNED SPACE 60 11. 00 �FIGURE 1 SERVICE PARK & S I T E AREAS RELATIONSHIPS .............. ................... . ........................................................ ................................ ... .. ................ ... . . . . . . .. ... ... • ♦ NEIGHBORHOOD • I♦ • • ♦ • • ••••••• I ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ PARK \}llllllllliilli!It I I I I I " NO NEIGHBORHOOD PARK NEFDlD COMM UNITY PARK f lJ LF ILLS NEI GHBORHO OD REC REATION NEF DS COMMUNITY PARK ( IN I I RHATION TO Nf lGHBORHOOD NO COMMUNITY PARK NEEDEDMAJOR PARK FULFILLS COMMUNITY RECREATION NEEDS PARKS ) • I MAJOR PARK ( IN RELATION TO COMM UNITY & NEIGHBORHOOO PARK S) I '- - DIAGRAM • * * - 57 - D rnnm D LEGEND NEIGHBORHOOD PARK COMMUNITY PARK MAJOR PARK NEIGHBORHOOD PARK SERVICE COMMUNITY PARK MAJOR PARK SERVICE SERVICE AREA AREA AREA �Community #4 Three new parks with a total of 15 acres are needed by 1975, and a fourth new park with 5 acres will be needed by 1990. I I I Community #5 A total of 17.5 acres of additional park area is needed in this community. One new park is recommended for 1975 with additions to the area and facilities of the existing parks. Community #6 A new neighborhood park is proposed for 1975 to serve two neighborhoods. Existing parks should serve the remaining neighborhoods adequately. Community #7 Additional park-play area of 7.5 acres should be provided by development of a new park by 1975. Community #8 This community now has adequate park-play area to serve present and future needs to 19 9 0 . · Community #9 Three of the neighborhoods in this community need parks. 15 acres should be developed for 3 new parks by 1975. Therefore ,• Community #10 Fifteen acres are needed for development of 3 new parks by 1975. By 1990, a fourth park of 5 acres may be needed. Community #11 Two new neighborhood parks are proposed for 1975 to provide 10~0 acres of additional park-- play area. Community #12 During the period to 1990, four new neighborhood parks should be developed as the need for parks arises. Community #13 Five of the six neighborhoods in this community n eed parks; therefore, five neighborhood parks totaling 25 acres o f land should be developec. . - 58 - I I I I I I �City of Kalamazoo New neighborhood parks in the City of Kalamazoo Plan include two in the eastern and northeastern sides of the city, and seven are recommended to be developed in the western and southwestern portions of the city. City of Portage Three additional neighborhood parks are proposed in the City of Portage Comprehensive Plan, two to be developed by 1975, and the other one by 1990. COMMUNITY AND TOWNSHIP PARKS A township park is proposed for each township in the County. These parks are all proposed for development by 1975 based on the standards set forth above. Reference should be made to the Plan for illustration of the general locations recommended for township park sites. By 1990, additions to all of the township parks will be needed except in Alamo, Climax, Prairie Ronde, Kalamazoo and Wakeshma Townships. The township parks will serve the nearby communities as well as the townships they are located in. There are, however, several communities for which community parks are recommended to be developed in addition to the proposed township parks. Both types of parks are intended to provide area for outdoor recreation which cannot be accommodated by neighborhood parks. The areas served by these parks will therefore encompass areas already served by neighborhood parks. Community parks are those located in Urban Areas and township parks are located outside the urban area generally or the center of townships. In addition to general location, the following criteria were applied in selecting the sites proposed for the township and community parks: 1. Small community parks be located be located so as to serve as a buffer between residential lands and industrial areas or railroads. 2. They be located where they will be readily accessible to the community or township served. 3. They be located adjacent to water areas and contain wooded lands whenever possible. A site along Ravine Road on either side of the Penn-Central Railroad is proposed to be developed as a community park because of its accessibility to U.S. 131 and because it will allow the park to serve Communities 1 and 2 while providing a buffer area between residential and industrial development in the area. - 59 - �A community park is proposed north of Parchment west of Riverview Drive and east of the Kalamazoo River. An improved road may have to be constructed to provide easy access to the site, but other features of the site make it desirable for development for a community park. It is adjacent to the Kalamazoo River and newly developing neighborhoods and has a considerable amount of wooded acreage. The park would serve primarily communities 2, 3, 4 and 5. MAJOR PARKS - COUNTY PARKS The purpose of major and county parks is to serve all residents of the county, or a major area of the county, and not necessarily be considered as a substitute for needed township parks. On the basis of the standard 4 acres per 1000 population, the total acreage need for county parkland in Kalamazoo County is 935 acres in 1975, based on a projected population of 233,810, and 1,275 acres will be needed in 1990 to serve the projected county population of 318,696. This park land should be developed by expansion of existing parks and creation of new major parks. Six new major parks are proposed by the Plan so that major parks will be distributed throughout the county for easy access hy all county residents. The Plan illustrates location of proposed facilities as follows: Alamo Township A major park is proposed for development in this township adjacent to Rupert Lake. Along with the existing water access site at the lake, a new park would provide recreational facilities for the northwestern portion of the county. Charleston Township There are two existing parks in this township, and additions to both are proposed for 1975. One of these, Coldbrook Park on Blue and Portage Lakes, is already a major park that should be more fully developed; while the other, Crum Park, is not now a major park but is recommended for development as a major park by 1975. A new major park is proposed for development in 1975 in connection with an area to be preserved as open space along the Kalamazoo River. Comstock Township Two major parks are proposed for development in 1975 in this township. One of these, near Campbell Lake, is in the center of a city well ~ield area to be preserved as open · space. The second proposed park is located north of Interstate 94 and surrounds Morrow Lake in a proposed open space area. - 60 - ~ ~ I I I I I I I �Kalamazoo Township Milham Park located in the City of Kalamazoo is si.tuated on Portage Creek and serves the southern portion of the City. It is recommended that the proposed Blanche Hull Park adjacent to Milham Park be developed by 1975 as an addition to Milham Park. A new major park and open space area is proposed for development by 1975 in the southwest corner of the township in the area bounded by U.S. 131 on the west, Asylum Lake on the north, Lake Limekiln on the east and Howard Lake on the south. Schoolcraft Township Prairie View Park, a county park, provides access to two adjoining lakes and is adjacent to a conservation area. This park should be further developed during the period throughout 1990. Texas Township A new major park is proposed for development by 1975 on a site south of I-94 in the northeast corner of the township. Camp grounds, lake and stream access sites, and conservation areas now existing in Kalamazoo County are not proposed to be enlarged or increased in number. Development and maintenance of existing facilities should, however, continue throughout 1990, and, with the anticipated development of new facilities by private and quasi-public groups, should meet the need for such facilities during the planning period. I ' - 61 - �THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN UTILITIES �THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN UTILITIES INTRODUCTION It is generally accepted by health authorities that urban living requires an adequate supply of water suitable for domestic, industrial and fire safety purposes and a system for the disposal of sanitary wastes that does not pollute surface or ground waters. For somewhat different, though equally valid reasons, the efficient removal of storm water is a significant feature of acceptable urban living. It is these types of services with which this section of the report is primarily concerned. The other utility services required of presentday communities--gas, electricity, telephone and cable TV-- are supplied in the county by commercial organizations and the provision of these services has generally kept in pace with community development and demand. The installation of water supply, sewerage and waste disposal and drainage systems, usually a governmental function, have not paralleled development, primarily because of the scattered development which has occurred in the County. The latter systens are costly to install and maintain; a minimum number of users per unit of installed lines are needed to justify the required investment. One of the principal determinants in defining the Urban Area in the Land Use Plan for this County was a previous determination by the Public Works Officials of the County and its Cities and Villages of the capacity of their respective systems, or new ones that may be established, to service the estimated 1990 population. Moreover, the policies accompanying the Land Use Plan clearly indicate the need for water and sewer systems as a part of land development programs in the County. GENERAL The adequacy and provision of water, sewerage and drainage systems depend on such a vast array of circumstances that it is difficult to discuss them without using highly technical terminology and involving the discussion in specifics. Therefore, this Plan does not specifically describe where such utility services should be developed. Instead, it delineates the general areas that now have water supply and sanitary sewers and further recommends the areas in which water service and sanitary sewers should be provided to meet the anticipated needs of the areas in which development is projected to occur. The determination of the service areas was undertaken by a technical committee at the request of the Community Facilities Committee of the Kalamazoo Metrouolitan County Planning Commission consisting of the Public Works Di~ectors of the County, the Cities of Kalamazoo, Portage and Galesburg and engineer representatives of the Villages. Their study was related to the nature and extent of the existing utility systems* and the capability of those systems being expanded to accommodate presently unserved urban areas and projected development areas. Maps 7 and 8, Domestic Water Service Areas Plan and Domestic Sewer * See Appendix A for Maps on Existing Water Distribution Systems and Primary Sewerage Systems for Kalamazoo County. - 63 - �Service Areas Plan, respectively, show the results of that study, indicating the territory now being served (1965) the area which would be served by the year 1975 and the additional area that could be served by 1990. An important source of information concerning the supply of water was the data supplied as a result of a County-wide Water Study undertaken by the United States Geologic Survey with the cooperation of the Kalamazoo County Board of Supervisors. It will be noted that the limits of the total 1990 service area approximates the Urban Area boundary shown in the Land Use Plan. The maps also show the crestline of the Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Rivers watershed indicating that the greater part of the Urban Area lies in the Kalamazoo River basin where gravity flow can be implemented for sanitary sewers. It should also be noted that the Service Areas illustrated do not imply that all of the territory contained within them will be serviced by 1975 or 1990, but only that the existing systems (supplemented in some cases by additional systems) have the capability of responding to land development requirements for service within those boundaries on a progressive basis, by the years indicated. In recognition of the need for more definite sewer and water improvement programs, the County Planning Commission is presently initiating a County-wide Sewer and Water Study which should result in more definitive proposals with respect to the expansion of sewer and water service to meet those needs as development occurs. This report does not make specific recommendations concerning size, number, and locations of water and sewer lines, but reference should be made to the responsible utility agencies for a suggested schedule of providing service to the general areas that will be needing those services. There are, however, some general guidelines which are presented here without involving a highly technical study. WATER I I I l l I I GENERAL Historically, man's need for water has been accomplished through the use of open bodies of fresh water, springs, ground water and rainwater. The question of who provides water for whom within a community has been the subject of several discussions from the earliest times through the present day. In spite of advances in technoloqv, this question is still a major one. The current situation arise~ from the individual's ability to provide water for his short ranoe needs without consideration being given to the community's long r~nge needs. The concentrations of people characterizing the urban scene require new methods of solving age-old community problems or reversing those - 64 - I I I I I I �MAP #7 BA"fltY COUNTY ~·· 7\1 ~ ( t - - - - -"' - 0 I: I: I: R ; W ,. f.- ~- t' l"G G j:'_-: I , , ~ /~- WIHS U llH-JJ 6\ I 'I I . .. • 0 z ~ ST . . ose PH ~ ~ COUNTY KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN DOMESTIC WATER SERVICE AREAS PLAN ,~ ~ SYSTEMS AREA . . 1965 EXISTING ~ 1975 PROPOSED SERVICE AREAS ~ 1990 PROPOSED SERVICE AREAS ............., . .... , ::;::::::~•. ,::A:,:.:::•~::.l::4::::::~l•o 701 ,,oar•tl lty , SCHEllll ASSOCIATES, INC., A Dlvi t l Oft of CLYOf l . WILLIAMS & AS$0C ,, IWC ., INOPLS. KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 0 PLANNING COMMISSION �solutions reached previously. Whereas the farmer or exurbanite may still draw his water supply from his own source, the suburbanite and his urban counterpart must turn to one regulated water source that defies natural provision in its year-round reliability, and eliminates the hazards of pollution brought about by our highly productive and technical society. Urban man must recognize that not only have the number of users increased and congregated, but also that numerous new uses of water in the home, industry and elsewhere have also increased the overall demand. As population, urbanization and new uses are expected to increase over the years, the need for water will expand. POLICIES To assure the achievement of the Comprehensive Plan goals it is recommended that: • Natural water resources should be safeguarded from overuse and pollution. • Urbanized areas should be served by a water supply and distribution system or systems (either private or publicly owned) rather than from individual sources. • Expansion plans for existing and new water systems should be constantly underway so that adequate service exists to meet projected growth of population and activity. • United States Public Health standards should be maintained . STANDARDS Water system standards are largely individual , dealing with the quality and quantity of the natural sources, exact population and types of uses. Individual studies of each specific area must be made to determine those technical standards necessary in achieving the planning goals. DRAINAGE GENERAL The absorption of natural waters into the soil is severely hampered by urban construction. The sheer number of urban structures would be sufficient evidence of a change in those areas where water previously seeped into the ground. The supporting facilities of urhan development (streets, sidewalks, parking lots and the like) further change and cover the natural terrain. Rain does not fall anv more lightly on cities than on farms, and the resultant run-off creates problems . The remaining open land areas are subject to flood and erosion as the flow of water rushes over them . The management of surface run-off should include not only the collection and carrying - 66 - I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �of drainage waters to an adequate outlet, but should give consideration to its retention at appropriate locations to minimize downstream flood conditions and to serve as recharge basins for the replenishment of groundwater supply. POLICIES To meet the Plan's goals for drainage, it is recommended that: • Storm sewers should be provided in urban or extensively developed areas. • Storm sewers should be of sufficient size to handle both upper and lower basin runoff in a logical service area (a natural drainage basin). • Natural drainage courses should be preserved where possible through adequate channel rights of way. • The use of retention basins properly designed for storm water storage should be encouraged. • The use of storm drainage as an aid to or replacement of active irrigation ditches s~ould be prohibited. • Storm drainage systems should be maintained separate from sanitary sewer systems. STANDARDS Specific standards must be developed for each individual drainage basin based upon extent of development and design storms for the area. SEWAGE DISPOSAL GENERJ\L The disposal of sanitary wastes by individual private systems, as would be the case in the Rural Area, may be suitable for residential areas with low density populations. However , as population densities increase and areas become metropolitan in nature, the possibility of groundwater contamination increases, and private septic systems will no longer be acceptable for use. A municipal sewage collection and treatment system must then be resorted to for safe sewage disposal. POLICIES The achievement of the Plan's goals require that safe and adequate sewage collection and treatment for the Urban Area be provided. - 67 - �MAP # 8 BA""V C O U NTY ~ i ~ X ~ a I I I I I I ./ L I I I . ,J I ,·. I ,, / / ( J I I I l"-'-~'-!---+----t----,-;--+------1 , / . r 1---·- : ,CV I t z 1--;- KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN DOMESTIC SEWER SERVICE AREAS PLAN ~ SYSTEMS AREA . . 1965 EXISTING ~ 1975 PROPOSED SERVICE ~ 1990 PROPOSED SERVICE AREAS AREAS • •• l•••••••••T ••·•· •·•••111 • Po4o,el G•••• •n lol e•<• , - t•••• Hlh ,.o •<i ~, 5oc>/ee 101 •• ,-. .... .,., ,.,,.,1,u . •, ...... , .. , Pr•P•'•d lt1 , SCHH LII ASSOCIATH, INC ., A Dlvl t iH KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN 68 COUNTY PLANNING of CLYDf E. WILLIAMS I ASSOC ., INC ., INDf'LS• COMMISSION �STANDARDS Specific standards for sewage collection and treatment will vary with the locale. General standards set forth by the Urban Land Institute in their "News and Trends ... in City Development" (May, 1961) are: Collection System: Sewage Treatment System: Proper design of interceptors, laterals, and trunks to insure complete coverage of logical service area. Complete treatment required, preferable through consolidated area-wide system. ELECTRICITY, GAS AND TELEPHONE SERVICE These three public facilities are taken for granted by the public and are ignored almost entirely in a report such as this. It no lonoer is necessary to set adequaty of coverage as the objective, as the service areas of all three are so extensive. The companies supplying these services will provide facilities when and where needed. As a matter of policy, however, it is recommended that: • Utility companies be encourag~d to install utility lines underground wherever possible. This procedure, in addition to being an important aesthetic consideration, is also of practical importance as the ill-effects of inclement weather are reduced. STEPS AND PROCEDURES TO MEET COMMUNITY FACILITIES NEEDS INTRODUCTION The general responsibilities for the development of needed community facilities varies according to the political structure of an area. In Michigan the major entities which are responsible for the various community facilities are the County, Townships, Cities, Villages and School Districts. In the preceding sections of the report the needs for various types of facilities were discussed. It is now the responsibility of the various levels of governments to fulfill these needs by various methods of implementation. There are various methods of financing different types of facilities. It is not intended however that this report specify any particular means. The following outlines general procedures and different means of financing needed facilities. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM Prior to the outlay of any public funds or issuance of bonds, a Capital Improvements Program should be established by the responsible agency. - 69 - �The Program should have the following characteristics: 1. The program must be long range in nature. 2. The program should be comprehensive in its approach. 3. The program should be highly coordinated in its proposals. The concerned agency should during development of a Capital Improvements Program determine possible methods of financing the various facilities selected for inclusion in the program. Among the means of financing public improvements the following are the most widely used: 1. Current revenue··--under this the improvements are paid for by allocation from the annual budget. 2. Reserve funds---included in this are Cumulative Capital Improvement Funds and Cumulative Building Funds. Under this a portion of the annual revenue is set aside for use at a later date. 3. Special Assessments--these are applied against the property owners receiving benefits from -.:he improvement. 4. General Obligation Bonds--these are bonds which are issued by the local government and are paid for from ·taxes. 5. Lease Purchase--under this method bonds are sold and the improvements made by a non-profit building corporation. The corporation in turn leases the building to the using agency which pays a rental fee sufficient to 8over the cost of retiring the bonds. At the end of the lease period the leasing agency takes title to the building. 6. Revenue Bonds--these are bonds which are pain for from revenues derived from the project. 7. Other Governmental Financing--included in this would be special State Grants-in-aid as well as v~rious Federal Aid Programs. I I I I OTHER PROGRAMS For additional procedures for implementating the County Facilities Plan, refer to the "Implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan,'' 1970, Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission, Kalamazoo, Michigan. - 70 - I �ACTION PROGRAM After the determination has been made as to the priorities for the various facilities and the means of financing them, the next step is carrying out the plan. The affected agencies should follow the preceding steps, by establishing a program of priorities, setting up a Capital Improvements Program, determining the best means of financing the desired improvements and taking the necessary steps to implement the studies. - 71 - �APPENDIX �MAP #A-1 Al f.0AN .-OUNT V ;. ; ~ ~ r T • t r ( t ~ 0 < !lS!A.ll)' ;-\ /. r: :· ,,,,.rr~1 / " ),.0 ' i ; ,, i JOSf.'PH CO N'rV KALAMAZOO COUNTY. MICHIGAN WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS LE _ G END MAINS-•••••• • ■ • Existing Current Extension WELL - PUMPING STATION BOOSTER STATION RESERVOIR !"'!iw.-:.. KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY A-1 PLANNING COMMISSION �MAP #A-2 BARR Y COUNTY A.L_f.J3 A N COUN" Y ;c r i ;c X l ;; ~ J_· ( rt I V I I , ... • 'l KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN PRIMARY SEWERAGE SYSTEMS LEGEND , .... .. 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N N M N • N ~ ~ I I N N ST JOSEP H COUNTY ,__, r ~✓ "'.', I .... ,._ "' I I I f- f- .... .... l/) z ~ O> 0 .; ~ "' "' (') (') f- l I ~ :ll f- ... (') r :c .... ,._ f- w >. . . ?J~ /4. l 11 t:,;E) [ I I 'l-itl (') i ~:1/j_;;..~:f ?~~ri;,"; ~--W--- f- t,:,,•~ •:'1:i,J~ c -, • --. ;7'~-~-t~ "!'!,.,.,,:--,.,..,.;1-:".-i&:"! i I V I ~f.'4~"' ,) I u f T ( wx X ) --, I \ I r ~~~-;>f:!irA~ ;1;~~~--vi~ ,- • XY y ,. I TU l --- , ....I 0 It: r' vw -·r :r ·-J. 0 ,lf' r ,,::"=f-.f * 1---- t,, i ~ 0 I + T ,,t.........,--<· M Q.\ --, , ~-~ ~ tL_l I r- -+ ~ \ ,- . . ( . t--.. -...... · 7 - 1f - . , ~ •• "' ) -<7 1rr1 tL. UV I I _( wx ' . ST .,., ., i' / ! .,,1 V '1:> (;l • ( ... , ,/ t-:"'-~~_j I ,· • )\ UV J II '1 ' L -- 1 : I .J,- / I I f-. J. I lli=c ~~1y·r~~ - I~J~1it;fi:Jifnrf;¾,.~ I . -- ~~,J-+·~ I • · ..- ) ~s I I r-1 ' _J ____ ~<'___?_;l 4'fl' ~....,-..211,-: , · · -·:t; ·1?~~\l:JL_, TU "1 , f• -<.., :T ~-; ~ --,-' I _/ I _ '"-;':,' ~ I ) ~ • / I RS f Q Q~ '\ ' / ,.i.r':: .:, PQ r ~ ~ R l ~ Z{ ~ ~ WAI ~@~ s , .... Q 0 p i --'--i ;· ' , ,,., I I )- e' QR NO l~ '-. PQ z M MNO / YZ 8 z I zIU u ~ :J LM ,.,. -b- I :J 0 U N ~ :c :c ~ ~ .. c:, . HJ m :c .. C ~~ It :J .."' ;;,.J H > tz 0 It: z -1- :;- - --,----- 1 _· 1""""---+--- A 0 II) d> , I \ GH 0 f- f- "' - .I. , :c .... T• FG G f- ~ "' -:-1 J I f- f- :c :c \.: ;-• ,,:::, CD :c l BC C :c r I "' r -__.. ...- :c I f- :c .... .... l/) gi (') O> ...0 :;: I 0 f- z 0 It: I .."' .. .~ (') r· I I f- .,... "'... f- vz t 1 I 2 J: .... f- .. .,.. ,._ LEGEND EXISTING KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN COMMUNITY FACILITIES 1990 PLAN FEDER A L BUllDING ~ COU N T Y BUI LDING ~ 9 MUNICI PAL BUIL DING ~ ~ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ~ NEIGHBORHOOD PARK !::i. !::i. COMMUNITY OR TOWNSHIP PARK A A 0 0 * * * TOW N SHIP BUI LDING ~ MUNICIPAL FIRE ST A TION TOWNSHI P FI RE STA TIO N COU NTY POLICE MU NICIPAL POLICE TO WNSHIP POLIC E M ILI TARY POLICE Tiu pr•parolio11 of tlloi1 plo" wo1 finoncioll7 aided lhrov9h o fe411ero l Gro"t fro• the Deport••"' of Hov1 i1119 o,ul Utbo,i OeYelop111 e 11t, "1114ef the Urbo11 r'lo11111iflg Ani••••<• r'ro9ro1t1 , ovthoriu4 by Se<ti o111 701 of ,a.. Ho••i•■ Acl of 1954, •• ••••tletl . KALAMAZOO ,.., LIBRARY • -'-· - - - O THER CUL TUR AL FACILITIES OPEN SPAC E AND PARK METROPOLITAN EXISTING PROPOSED COUNTY Prepared * @ • ~ t~~¥?4J ay , SCHELLIE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY ~ JR. AND/OR SR. HIGH SCHOOL PROPOSED ... • -b -b- 0 0 • • • • ~ ~ CAMP 0 0 ACCESS SITE 0 0 @ CONSERVATION AREA 0 • 0 MEDICAL FACILITIES * * * * ~ r;:r-:-, ~ ASSOCIATES INC . PL ANNING MAJOR PARK GOLF COURSE OTHER HEAL TH & WELFARE FACILITIES URBAN AREA BOUNDARY A Divi,ion of CLYDE E. WILLIAMS AND • ASSOCIATES INC ., COMMISSION • INDPLS , � 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 Kalamazoo-County_Community-Facilities-Plan_1970 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-05 Title A name given to the resource Community Facilities Plan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Description An account of the resource The Community Facilities Plan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan was prepared in May 1970 by Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. with the assistance of the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Public utilities Master plan reports Kalamazoo 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/10ff970ef871f15b45ce9a517eacb871.pdf 358564d2073f9759d9813c07967d5ae2 PDF Text Text )> 0 0 s: a -,::, comprehensive plan :x, ~ , -~ , m J: en -,::, r )> .,,z 0 :x, "r )> t ~ I )> ~, 81 ~, r . ...< s: - 0 J: - G) .__,,,_... ~ z - ii - L . r 0 C: nr· · ,® : II -- I jl A,._ /'. - - KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICBIGA 1970 - 1990 �., ., TITLE: A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN, 1970-1990 AUTHOR: Schellie Associates, Inc., A Division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. SUBJECT: Comprehensive Plan DATE: June, 1970 PLANNING AGENCY: Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission SOURCE OF COPIES: Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission HUD PROJECT NUMBER: Michigan P-124 NUMBER OF PAGES: 28 ABSTRACT: This report summarizes in brief form, the major findings of 10 more detailed Technical Reports. General patterns of growth are presented with summaries of future population and economic development. The elements of the Comprehensive Plan are considered as they will effect future use of land in providing for projected growth. A graphic presentation of the Comprehensive Plan is also included in the text . �• • • • • • • • • • • • •IJ CONTENTS. • • 3-4 5-6 Kalamazoo County. . . .. The History of Kalamazoo County The General Future. Future Population . . The Future Economy • . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . The Comprehensive Plan . . • . . • . • • • . . Future Residential Areas. • ••.• Future Commercial Areas • . • . . • . . • • Future Industrial Areas . . . • . • . • • • Future Agricultural Areas . . • . • Future "Open Space" • • . . • . . . Future Transportation . . . . . • • Future Schools. • • • . • • . . •. Future Parks. . . . . • • . •••. Future Libraries. . • • . • Future Municipal Buildings. . ..... Future Fire Stations. . .•••.• Future Utiliti e s Sy stems. . . . . . . . The preparation of this report was financially aided through a Federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Urban Planning Assistance Program authorized by Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954 as amended. 7 8-9 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 19-20 21 22 22 23 24 24 Future Land Use Controls. . • . . . . . . 25 But "Planning" Isn't "Doing" • . . . . . 26 Metropolitan Planning Commission Members and Committees • • • • • • • . • . • • • • • . • 28 -1- �I THIS SUMMARY REPORT highlights major phases of a Comprehensive Plan for the future development of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, undertaken in October, 1964, by the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission. More detailed studies--resulting from systematic research, analysis and planning in the past six years--are contained in ten earlier Technical Reports: 8. The Community Facilities Plan for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, May 1970. 9. The Transportation Plan for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, May 1970. 10. Plan Implementation Report for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, May 1970. In submitting this Summary Report to the Commission, we wish to express our gratitude to the many Commission committees and individual citizens whose excellent assistance was invaluable in the preparation of the County's Comprehensive Plan. 1. The Population of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, January 1965. 2. The Economy of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, April 1965. 3. The Community Facilities of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, August 1965. 4. The Physical Resources of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, November 1965. Schellie Associates, Inc. A Division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana 5. The Existing Land Use of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, December 1965. June, 1970 6. The Organization for Planning for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, December 1965. 7. The Land Use Plan for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, May 1970. -2- • •I I I I I I I I I I I I �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I I I 1 - ! I I l I I I RICHL!o: I AUGUSTA _____ --i1 PARCHMENT 1_______ J__ _ • ._ ~ I I I ' l_______ r I I • I I I 1 f :,~::t- ----1 CLIMA)( : ..,__......._.......__. t--------~ I I ~ALAMAZOO ---~A~~~r~G_____ .____ 1,scHOOLCRAF~ _____, _ I I I __.._ ___ _ Kalamazoo County is favorably located midway between Detroit and Chicago, at an axis of two major expressways, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 131 • With few exceptions, the entire County lies within a highly-habitable zone of 700 to 1,000 feet above sea level. Most of the County is in gently rolling to quite level landforms, which, with proper drainage and utility installations is developable for a wide range of uses. The recent events of glaciation have provided the area with an unusually large number of surface water bodies --lakes and ponds--many streams--and the Kalamazoo River. Water is readily transmitted vertically from subsurface aquifers accounting for the favorability of ground water resources throughout the County. -3- �KALAMAZOO cou · TY is situated in the southwestern portion of Michigan in a region accounting for nine percent of the State's population which is increasing at a rate of growth 10 percent higher than the State average growth. Cities The County, renowned for its educational facilities, its industrial prominance and atmosphere for living, is leading the region in growth, educational achievements and commerce. Villages Five hundred and seventy-six square miles of land area contained in fifteen townships, 4 cities and 5 villages have evolved and prospered from a county of 44,310 in 1900 to an urbanizing area of 169,712 in 1960. The County's population is ninth highest with Kalamazoo City the ninth largest incorporated area in the State. There will be more said about the County's population later on in this report. Townships Galesburg Kalamazoo Augusta Climax Alamo Brady Charleston Climax Comstock Parchment Portage Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Texas Wakeshma -4- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �• • • • • • •., • • • • • • The County of Kalamazoo, an Indian name usually translated as bubbling or boiling water, was organized by an act of the Territorial Legislature and approved by the Governor on July 30, 1830. The Town of Bronson was officially designated as the County Seat on May 1, 1831. Five years later the name of the town was changed to Kalamazoo, because the men who had obtained a predominating influence in the community were at odds with Titus Bronson, the founder of the village • The earliest white residents within the borders of the County were fur traders who established posts on the Kalamazoo River before the War of 1812, if indeed not before the Revolution. The first white settlement was made on Prairie Ronde in 1828 . THE HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY The increase of the County's population since Michigan became a state in 1837 has been continuous, although not uniform. During the period prior to the Civil War, it was rapid, reaching its height in the six-year span between 1854 and .1860, when the population jumped almost eight thousand. This increase was not exceeded for fifty years until the period of 1904 to 1910 when more than ten thousand were added. Since 1910 when the population was 60,427 the increase has been so fast that the Federal Census of 1960 showed the County's population to have been 169,712 - a strong contrast to 6,367 counted in the State Census of 1837 . -5- �• • • • • • • The development of varied industries attracted settlers. At first probably more than ninety per cent of the people were engaged in farming. The manufacture of paper penetrated into Kalamazoo Valley in the decade after the Civil War and is now the leading industry of the county. In 1886 the Upjohn Drug Company, now one of the leading pharmaceutical firms in the country, was started. Later the Checker Motor Corporation, producers of Checker taxicabs and the Fuller Transmission Company, manufacturers of heavy duty transmissions were established here, and more recently the Fisher Body Division of General Motors. These are but a few of the prominent firms here now. These diversified industries attract workers and are the chief reason for the rapid increase in population since 1910. With the growth of population there was a corresponding increase in social and cultural interests. Educational facilities have always been a source of pride to the residents. By 1859 a high school was started in the City of Kalamazoo. At present there are four institutions of higher learning, Kalamazoo College, the oldest in Michigan, West- . ern Michigan University, Nazareth College, and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. The County has many public, private, and semiprivate organizations to stimulate the cultural and social growth of the citizens. Although it is impossible to note them all here, some should be mentioned. The Civic Theater, the Carver Center, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and the Kalamazoo Nature Study Center. What the future of the County will be remains to be seen. If the past is any criterion, the citizens will take advantage of the opportunities to develop the industrial, cultural, and social potential of the community. Progress will continue with appropriate leadership from the local governing bodies, and the help of the public at large. -6- �r r r r r r Soaring to 350 million, U.S. population is estimated to grow as much in the next 40 years as in the past 350 years! J JI And it will be urban growth, on wings of technological progress and economic shifts. In the 1950-1960 decade, 221 U.S. metropolitan areas, with urban cores of 50,000 or more, accounted for 85% of total U.S. growth (while farm population was dropping from nearly 30 million in 1930 to only 21 million in 1960). THE GENERAL FUTURE In order to provide the bulk of employment, housing, and health and recreation facilities for most of the surging population, the growing urban centers obviously must undergo vast, physical change. So alert urban and suburban areas are taking a careful look at their future, planning for it, and executing their plans as promptly as possible. And Kalamazoo County should remain an alert urban area. -7- �SCALE FOR: UNITED STATES= 1,722.0 TIMES GRAPHIC SCALE MICHIGAN:; !54.6 TIMES GRAPHIC SCALE KALAMAZOO REGION= 7.0 TIMES GRAPHIC SCALE 32000 0 300,000 ' 318,6o/ I - 2 80,000 2r2,oo~ V 260,000 240,000 2 20,000 FUTURE - SCHELLIE PROJECTION/ US:THO) NUMBER 2 - 209,3!57. POPUL A - 169,712 160,000 120,000 100,000 ~.,~ i.--.::-/2 I-"- - 20,000 0 ----~--- --- --- /4___: ~., L--::":: ~..,::.....---- ,,,. .,,,..,. ~ , / / ~ / .,,,.- _,,. ., I, ~ -·"" ,,.,.., MICHIGAN .,. .,• -✓--- /, I/ [7 / ~ .,/ 80,000 44,000 • / KALAMAZOO COUNTY 140,000 40,000 ,,,, -,,,,,. 233,8~ / - 60,000 V 288,42~ _/~ __,.,$ ...- _.,,.. / .,,,,,_ ~ ~ UNITED STATES ~ KALAMAZOO REGION 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 19!50 1960 1970 1975 1980 1985 -8- 1990 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �r r r r r r ~ , , 1970 - 1990 POPULATION PROJECTIONS By 1990 (a projection year "consistent" with the normal advance-planning period of 20 years), Kalamazoo County population should approach 318,600 persons--up 88% from 1960, growing somewhat slower than the 1950 to 1960 decade but faster that the u.s.--if current forecasts materialize. In almost every decade, the County has grown faster than the Nation, the Great Lakes States, the State, or adjoining counties. Its overall rate of population growth is superior to these areas. The rural population will continue to decline and may represent less than 1% of the County population by 1990 while the exurban population (non-farm persons living in the countryside) will continue to increase but at a slower rate of growth than between 1950 and 1960 giving way to the needs and demands of the people for public utilities furnished by the urban centers. The City of Kalamazoo may reach 155,000 persons by 1990, followed by Portage with an estimated population of 36,700 by 1990. All incorporated cities and villages are expected to increase in population during the planning period. 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 2,607 2,617 2,787 1,476 11,913 8,165 27,607 4,974 3,524 859 2,823 4,165 2,432 3,230 1,533 2,776 2,787 2,968 1,572 12,686 8,695 29,399 5,296 3,752 914 3,006 4,435 2,590 3,439 1,632 3,131 3,142 3,347 1,773 14,304 9,804 33,146 5,972 4,231 1,031 3,390 5,001 2,920 3,878 1,840 3,269 3,281 3,494 1,851 14,935 10,236 34,611 6,235 4,417 1,077 3,539 5,222 3,049 4,049 1,922 3,559 3,572 3,804 2,015 16,262 11,146 37,680 6,788 4,809 1,172 3,853 5,685 3,320 4,408 2,092 1,930 89,423 2,142 27,626 2,055 106,098 2,281 29,417 2,317 128,000 2,572 33,167 2,419 138,072 2,685 34,632 2,633 155,000 2,924 36,706 1,330 802 699 1,649 3,044 1,416 854 745 1,756 3,241 1,597 963 840 1,980 3,655 1,667 1,006 877 2,067 3,816 1,815 1,095 954 2,251 4,155 209,357 233,810 272,001 288,428 318,696 Town shies Alamo Brady Charleston Climax Comstock Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Texas Wakeshma Cities Galesburg Kalamazoo Parchment Portage Villag:es Augusta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg TOTAL I -9- �The County's reputation for responsibility in providing the public facilities and service needed by private enterprise coupled with responsible management rank it ahead of many competitors. With employment in 1990 expected to reach 136,100 compared to 62,700 in 1960, an increase of 73,400 new jobs will result in a tremendous number of job opportunities. THE FUTURE ECONOMY Already occupying a favorable location with adequate access to mid-west markets, Kalamazoo County from all indications will continue to advance economically through 1990. The County's physical, social and cultural environments are attractive to economic activities making it a good place to live and a good place to work. The chemical, printing and publishing, and electrical and electronic equipment industries hold strong potential for establishment in the area. Kalamazoo County will expand manufacturing employment more rapidly than the nation or Great Lakes Region. Manufacturing will continue to be the mainstay of the local economy, adding 18,900 workers by 1990 with 21,200 new jobs in the service industry, 16,500 in wholesale and retail trade, 10,900 jobs in governmental employment and 5,600 new jobs in the transportation, construction and finance fields. Educational programs and facilities are needed at several levels to train and retrain the labor force, provide continuing education for professional and technical personnel, and perform research and development services. Economic growth strongly influences population growth--the two need to be related and projected together to provide a source basis for planning. -10- I I I I I I I �,1 l- ,~ ' 'f -J -- ---J J r H E C O M PREH EN S I V E PLA ... �I I I I o THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN It should enrich the life and advance the opportunities of the individual citizen. 0 It should embody the County's unique physical setting and community character. 0 It should portray the fact that the County is a community of communities. 0 0 It should help the County direct to its advantage those inevitable changes which will increasingly result from outside economic and technological forces. It should regard the County's land as a precious asset and urge its efficient use for urban expansion and conservation of the balance for future needs. I I o It should encourage widely varied living environments, social and cultural institutions, employment and educational opportunities, and recreation facilities. o It should determine, for earliest possible reservation, the transportation corridors which will increasingly shape the community, influence its land uses, and delimit its neighborhoods. I o It should urge redesign and reinforcement of the urban center. I o It should balance conservation and rehabilitation of existing development with application of the best of today's knowledge to new development. I is based upon these principles and objectives: 0 It should provide for needed services at minimum cost: transportation, utility, recreational, protective and other services for residences, business and industry. The Plan is an instrument of public policy intended to set forth public goals and interests in the development of land and in the building of communities, especially as they apply to the exercis~ of regulations and to the expenditures of public funds. It is, therefore, an affirmation t~at such regulations are to be exercised objectively and such funds invested judiciously. -12- I I I I I I �I I I I I I I I II •II • • • • INSIDE THE BACK COVER OF THIS REPORT is the 1990 Land Use Plan for Kalamazoo County which portrays those aspects of the planning program which (with their inter-relationship) are capable of graphic presentation. Adapted from the reports listed on page 2, these aspects include: o Land Use Plan o Transportation Plan o Community Facilities Plan THIS PLAN PROJECTS AN URBAN AREA OF THE FUTURE •.. residential locations ... commercial and industrial areas ... transportation ... schools, parks, recreation and other community facilities designed to serve the people and their property ... and open space to conserve both the natural resources and to meet the inner needs of man himself. THE REGION'S URBAN LIFE can be well organized ..• its established objectives can be achieved ... its individual identities can be retained •.. and the confusions and frustrations commonly associated with larger urban concentrations can be avoided. LAND USE STATISTICS (1965) About 4%, or 15,000 acres of land, is used for residential purpose. Approximately .33%, or 1,153 acres of land, is being used for commercial activities. Less than 1%, or about 3,400 acres of land, is being used for manufacturing and other industrial uses. About 2.2%, or 8,000 acres of land, is used for public and semi-public purposes, excluding Fort Custer land. A total of approximately 10% of the County land area is being used for urban purposes including streets. An estimated 90% of the total land area of Kalamazoo County is currently occupied by farms, wood lands, vacant tracts, marshes and bodies of water, including Fort Custer land. It is estimated that approximately 16,000 additional acres, or 25 square miles of land, will be needed to accommodate the forecasted population to 1990. The balance of the County, or about 85% of the land area, will remain in a rural or vacant land use category through 1990 . -13- �I I FUTURE RESIDE The Plan provides for: AREAS o Over 30,000 acres of residential lands by 1990. o 40,000 new housing units anticipated by 1990. o Radiating outward from the existing nucleus of development for the Cities of Kalamazoo and Portage nearly 27,000 acres of lands designated for urban uses. Cities Villages Galesburg Kalamazoo Parchment Portage Augusta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg Townships (Portions) Brady Comstock Cooper Oshtemo Pavilion Richland Texas 1 Singltt Family Use~ o Somewhat limited by certain topographic conditions, i.e., marshes, lowlands and steep slopes, the non-urban land areas will continue to be primarily agricultural with limited rural residential type of new development. Approximately 3,000 acres of land in the Rural Area will be devoted to "large lot" residential uses by 1990. Details may be found in the Technical Reports. -14- �'-II II II FUTURE COMMERCIAL The 1965 Land Use Survey tabulated over 1,153 acres of commercial land in Kalamazoo County or 6.1 acres of commercial use for each 1,000 population. Commercially oriented, Kalamazoo County can anticipate a continuing growth in these lands which is projected to be 1,944 acres by 1990. This increase of 79i acres is a 69% gain over the 1965 tabulations. AREAS Re~ional Shopping Centers providing services of a community center plus general merchandise, and with a large department store serving up to a 20-mile radius and a population of 150,000 persons or more. The Plan provides for: o 1,944 acres of commercial land by 1990. o six new commercial districts by 1990. o expansion of existing shopping areas to meet 1990 growth needs. Commercial needs should be met by: Neighborhood Shopping Centers functioning to serve local needs for sale of convenience and personal goods with up to a one-mi.l e service area and accommodating about 4,000 persons. Community Sho~ping Centers providing services similar to neighborhood centers, plus a wide range of speciality shops and services with a service area up to 4 miles and accommodating 35,000 people. II II , II -Ill -15--------- ------ �FUTURE 0 0 INDUSTRIAL An amount in excess of 3,440 acres of industrial land use was reported in the 1965 Land Use Survey. This figure represents 18.1 acres of industrial land for each 1,000 persons in Kalamazoo County. Future estimates for the County project a total of 5,040 acres of industrial lands by 199Q. This 1,600 acre increase represents a gain of 47% in industrial growth during the planning period. On a county-wide basis, all but 40 acres is indicated in the urban and urbanizing area of Kalamazoo County. 0 Almost all of the existing industrial areas, particularly in the Cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, are retained in the 1990 development plan. 0 With most industrial lands existing within the Urban Area boundary, particularly in the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, new industrial development areas are planned to fill in the areas of space of vacant industrial lands with the addition of 3 new industrial park areas. AREAS o Areas planned for new industrial development are contiguous to the existing industrial land. These areas form a contiguous corridor of industrial uses, providing a consolidation of the previous areas committed to industrial activities. o The Plan encourages development on large level sites convenient to major transportation routes and adequately served by major utilities, water, sewer, gas and electric. o It provides for broad, attractively landscaped sites, with on-site parking _and room to expand, and no more than 10 to 20 minutes from employees' homes by private car. -16- • • • • • • • •I �FUTURE AGRICULTURAL AREAS Beyond those generous areas specifically designated for urban expansion, especially where urban services can be provided most economically, the plan should protect the vital role of agriculture in the economy, and provide a reserve for further orderly urban growth. This would still permit rurally harmonious large-tract development--3 acres or more per family. This is vital if the County is to avoid the tragically haphazard kind of urban intrusion into the countryside which has occurred around many cities since World War II. Such "Sprawl" is harmful to agriculture and urban development alike. / Non-farm homes along rural roads, folllowed by scattered subdivisions, happily add to a rural tax base until demands of urban growth exceed the reserve capacity of capital improvements designed for rural use. Roads become clogged, schools too small, rural services inadequate for urban needs. Then public expenditures soar, the farmer is taxed for services he doesn't need, the presence of urban uses inflates land values--but, because growth was scattered, more land has been "opened" to urban use than can be consumed. Taxes may drive the farmer to subdivide, but subdivision pressure exceeds market capacity. -17- �FUTURE 0 0 "OPEN SPACE" Tomorrow's population will have more time for leisure and be more dependent upon public recreation areas. From children's playlots to large hunting grounds, golf courses and ski slopes, specialized "play" areas are now an almost universally recognized human necessity--which "backyards" alone do not meet. Private provision for light, air, view, and recreation is neglected in the wake of urbanization. The need for urban space is growing even faster than population. Open space provides emotional satisfaction and aesthetic pleasures which make people happier, healthier and more productive, and communities more attractive to desirable residents, business and industry. It enhances property value and helps neighborhoods to live long and useful lives. 0 Open space also is instructional; it preserves convenient examples of natural phenomena and features of historic or physical importance which might otherwise be destroyed or made inaccessible to the public. 0 It also has conservation value. Swamps, for instance, can make only poor residential, agricultural or industrial areas, but excellent recreation preserves. 0 Open space also makes good boundaries and buffers, efficiently separating residential areas from industry, commerce or dissimilar neighborhoods. 0 The areas expected to be utilized b~ 1990, shown on the 1990 Land Use Plan inside the back cover of this report are treated in detail in the Technical Reports on Land Use, and Community Facilities. -18- • • • • • • • • • • • • �I I I I I I I I I • ••• •• • ••• •• •••·"=•-=•=•-:--•r,nm-rr,.. ,___________ FUTURE T OUGHFARE TRANSPORTATION ...J ~ "'....w ~ o All street and highway improvements throughout the County should conform to a uniform code of design and traffic control standards consistent with the Transportation Plan and federal requirements. (See Plan inside back cover) ' • : : : : i ~' ' I : i ~ .PRIVATE Statewide Arterials - to provide the highest level of traffic mobility available, located in ; : ; I j ~ widely spaced corridors of concentrated travel desire--high capacity and speed design--minimal ingress and egress--continuity of routing for regional or inter-regional travel movement. 11 These facilities should serve the longest trip In the Kalamazoo area the need for the movement desire serving major sections of metropolitan of people and goods will continue at accelerated areas with the highest degree of service. rates. Regional Arterials - to connect and augment the o The urban highway systems should circle, Statewide Arterials; to connect and serve major rather than penetrate the Central Business population centers and economic activity centers Districts of the cities. not served by Statewide Arterial Highways. ! ++-!-+1--+- ~ I ROAD o Highway and street network must provide direct access to all major traffic generators. o All routes should be designed to meet the needs of the existing and future land uses of the County. Local Arterials - to provide service of moderate length of travel at a somewhat lower level of travel service. They provide service between smaller cities, placing more emphasis on land access, and connect these areas with the higher arterial systems. -19- �PROPOSED THOROUGHFARE PLA COLLECTORS Principal Collectors - Rural--provide service between minor population and economic centers, with high level of service to adjacent properties. Principal Collectors - Urban--functlon as streets to serve substantial traffic volumes providing service to commercial, industrial and residential areas. Secondary Collectors - Rural--primary function of providing traffic service between local roads and streets and higher classified routes. Ease of access is a major consideration in the design of these streets. Secondary Collectors - Urban--a limited service area street designed to provide a high degree of property access and discouraging through traffic. T SYSTEM The heart of the system is a loop of expressways encircling the central portion of Kalamazoo and an expressway connecting Kalamazoo with the Portage area. The loop as proposed achieves several goals and does so in an economical manner. It connects all major routes through the City making quick access possible to any part of the City. It permits through traffic to bypass the City; and it will serve to create future development of land which is not presently attractive for development. Most of the proposed new rural highways in the County are relatively short segments which serve one of two purposes--improvement alignments of existing roads or completion of gaps in existing roads, thereby forming continuous routes across the County. In addition, some sections of the proposed routes provide a by-pass of urban areas for faster and safer travel or serve as connectors between the County and State routes and the urban areas. -20- • • • • • • • • • • • • • ' �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I FUTURE SCHOOLS URBAN AREA In Kalamazoo County, most of the elementary schools include grades kindergarten through sixth. This trend was continued in planning for future elementary school facilities. Junior-senior high schools needs are planned to accommodate grades 7 through 12 which provides flexibility for different combinations of groupings of grades in the middle or high school system. 0 40 new elementary schools are anticipated in the Urban Area by 1990. 0 10 elementary schools are planned for the Rural Areas of the County by 1990. 0 11 additional junior-senior high schools are planned for the urban area. 0 Remodeling and facility additions will be required in a number instances to meet the 1990 rural area high school needs. 0 It is recommended that new elementary schools be planned by applying the school-park concept. 0 Elementary schools in urban and urbanizing areas should be located to serve a neighborhood and high schools located to serve a community. Whenever possible, school buildings should be made available to function as community-recreation-social centers. -~C,t/OOL, - P..4fi<l4 PL.4HNIN6;-....:... -21- �9 .Ui~0 1 ! ~,-,-±:( ;ri •.. .,:~ , . 4 ....~Dlo.l!t,,,,,:.l~~~:.U~ ~' -·.1',. FUTURE . . PARKS 0 An estimated 200 acres of land for 38 neighborhood park is proposed for the urban area. 0 12 parks are proposed for the cities of Galesburg, Kalamazoo, Parchment and Portage. 0 Township parks are proposed for each township in the County. 0 Neighborhood parks are proposed in all incorporated villages in the county. 0 Major parks, totaling approximately 1,300 acres, are proposed to serve the needs of the population on a county-wide basis~ FUTURE LIBRARIES The development of a county-wide library system is recommended to serve all citizens of Kalamazoo County. Using the Kalamazoo City Library as the main facility, 8 branch libraries are proposed throughout the county to meet the needs of the townships and villages with 4 branch libraries proposed in Kalamazoo Township. Existing libraries in Schoolcraft, Portage, Augusta and Climax are recommended to be used to supplement the county-wide system on a local basis. -22- ----==---=---==-=---=-- - -- --- II • • • • • • • • • • �I I I I I I FUTURE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS o Expanded facilities are proposed for the Cities of Kalamazoo, Portage and Parchment. o New facilities are proposed for the City of Galesburg and Villages of Augusta, Climax, Schoolcraft and Vicksburg. o Remodeling and new construction are proposed for many of the Township facilities. A location within or adjacent to the Commercial Centers is preferred for the convenience of employees and visitors. The sites should provide off-street parking. -23- �FUTURE FIRE STATIONS Sites should be located close to a ma7or traffic artery, preferably, near the intersection of two such arteries. Their locations should be central to the service area, and oriented toward areas of greatest danger. o The plan proposes that the city and village units provide cooperative services to the surrounding rural areas. o Four facilities are planned to be replaced in the City of Kalamazoo with five new fire stations planned. Four stations are proposed for the City of Portage. Replacement of the older station in Galesburg is planned. o Ten new facilities are planned in the urbanizing area of the County. FUTURE POLICE STATIONS New police stations should be located on a 1/2 to 1 acre site with adequate off-street parking, and centrally located near the intersections of two arterial streets. o New facilities are proposed for the Cities of Parchment, Portage and Galesburg and the Villages of Vicksburg, Richland and Schoolcraft. Expansion of the City of Kalamazoo police station is recommended. o Continued police protection by the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department is expected in the balance of the County. FUTURE UTILITY SYSTEMS Sanitary sewer systems, water supply and distribution systems and storm drainage systems which are adequate to meet the needs of existing development are proposed to be provided for Kalamazoo County. While no specific water mains or trunk sewers are designated, it is proposed that these systems be limited to the proposed Urban and Urbanizing Area of the County, which includes all cities and villages. It is further recommended that no urban form of development be permitted in non-urban areas where municipal water and sewer facilities are lacking and not planned within the foreseeable future. -24- • • • • • • ' ' ' ' �I I o Zoning and subdivision regulations should be patterned after the model ordinances containing the primary land-use controls for the present and the future (as provided in the Implementation Report--because each municipality is a part of a generally homogeneous community. o The adoption of a comprehensive plan by the cities or village will make it possible, through the "State of Michigan Mapped Improvements Act" to certify and adopt plats for the reservation of lands for public facilities as proposed in the Community Facilities and Transportation Plans. The use of this act will assure the needs of the municipalities at a lower cost and provide assurance of needed public facilities to private developers. I I I I I I FUTURE LAND USE CONTROLS o By using Capital Budgeting, the anticipated expenditures are reviewed before the requirement is confronted, projects are reviewed annually on a merit system, the duplicating of projects is avoided, the staging of projects in a logical sequence is possible, and it provides a defense against unwarranted projects of special interest groups. The foregoing objectives can be accomplished by the coordinated use of sound new zoning, subdivision and other ordinances adopted by each of the units of government. -25- �• • •II BUT "PLANNING" The first step has been taken. Six years of concentrated efforts have produced a sound and financially feasible Comprehensive Plan for the future of Kalamazoo County. We have planned to make it a satisfying metropolitan community. Now we must put the plan to work. Virtually everything now depends upon affirmative action by the Municipalities. Now awaiting their official action are the Land Use Plan, the Model Zoning and Subdivision Regulations, the Traffic and Thoroughfare Plan, and the Community Facilities Plan. With the help of these basic tools and such "holding devices" as official mapping by the use of the Mapped Improvements Act, sites need by 1990 may be reserved in time and actually acquired under capital improvements programs. The community may then relate planned goals to a year-by-year municipal financial structure in an orderly programming of ability to pay with community growth. ISN'T "DOING" The work of ·the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission must continue to provide the balance between the urgent day-to-day needs and the longer range objectives. It can help with many planning decisions in the municipalities, expand its public education activity as a source of ever increasing information on all facets of county development, conduct in-depth research into still more fields of concern, activate still more programs in behalf of planning goals, and turn some of its efforts toward regional responsibilities. The County has made a good start. It is on its way. It has far to go, and no time to lose. -26- II I II I '11 -l -1 �I I KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN I I I I I I I I I I I I I COUNTY M. Eugene Malone, Chairman PLANNING COMMISSION Dennis Boyle, Vice Chairman Present Members Former Members Former Members Meredith Clark David Culver Lester Devries William D. Farley Donald R. Hayward William Hendrick James H. Pinkham Fred C. Reynolds Dr. Myron Ross F. Joseph Buckley John E. Daley Harvey Enzian Roger File Shirley Grekin John F. Hall Merritt N. Harper D. Gordon Knapp Arthur H. Lee Lionel L'Esperance Allan B. Milham Lawrence Paulsen Donald R. Phelps Richard Prey Charles C. Ranney George W. Sprau Julius T. Wendzel Daleo. Wheeler Bruce A. Watts, Planning Director COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES Land Use L. M. Angell Donald Arnott** Ed Baur** Grover Brussee, Jr. David Burgess Robert Cain Stanley Cramer David Culver* Charles DeKold Michael Fitzgerald Rudolph Germanson Ralph Gilbert Roger Gleason** Claud Good Bernard Griffin Niles Hagelshaw John Hall* Mary Jo Harmon Merritt Harper* Scott Harrison Donald Hayward* Roger Hayward Harold Hice Vern Hinz** Oscar Hunt W. D. Ingersoll** Wayne Jessop* David Jones James Kersten** John Light Wayne Lynn Helen Wagner Gerald Meyers Robert Morris Norm Nelson Stanley Oswalt** Vern Reed William Ripattee** Mrs. J. Robinson Wayne Sackett Lois Schadewald Matt Scholten Bert Secrist Donald Slighly Robert Somers L. M. Stager B. G. Stockwell James Sytsma Ray Vliek Warren Vroman** Julius Wendzel* -27- �COMMITTEES (Continued) Community Facilities Mrs. John Abramson** Jim Armstrong Don Arnott** c. Baker Richard Byce Joe Colby** John Conner Mark Crum** Chester Douglas** William Farley* Glenn Flamm*B Dean Fox** Dick Forward Rick Frazier* Tom Fricke** Mrs. Gladys Garrison Garrett Gernaat** Harry Gildea Robert Gove** Philip Graf** Jack Gray Jack Gridley** John Hall* Lois Harvey Frank Hemphill** Nick Kik** Herbert Larkin** Kirby Mason** Jacob Mein** Clifford Osterman William Middleton Cliff Osterman** Larry Paulsen James Pinkham* Patricia Pratt William Ripatte** Edward N. Ross* Albert Sabo** W. Schneidenback** Gerald Scott David Sharp** Foster Sherwood Robert Snell** Donald Sowle~ George Sprau* Gordon Start** Argyle Stevens Don Swets** William Taylor Mrs. Lowell Titus** Dr. Henry Tyson Leonard VandenBerg R. VanDeusen** James VerMeulen Chris Wenke Lyle King Ronald Knight Herbert Larkin** John Lattin Harry Lisk Allan Milham* Stanley Peck** Fred Sanborn** James Smith** Vern Smittendorf John Strand Donald Swets** William Taylor Donald Thall Transportation Robert Carroll** Meredith Clark* Wilson Doster Doanld Ebinger William Farley* George Gilbert Shirley Grekin* * Planning Commission Member ** Technical Resource Member • • • • • •II 11 •11 •l -28- l �H ~ ;:' ..:::c- HE> 3 Miles Prepared By: SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES 3 :l C0 u N TY J <j It- ( ~ :l - a p L ANNIN . ::13 30 2 ' - ~ ] a::> ) --=-= - m < HJ.St, r.I . HJ. Lt, I I HJ. 9t, < 0 m Ill ✓ ~ ( t HJ.Ill, H.l.t,t, cl � 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 Kalamazoo-County_Comprehensive-Plan_1970 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-06 Title A name given to the resource A Comprehensive Plan for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 1970-1990 Description An account of the resource A Comprehensive Plan for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 1970-1990 was prepared by Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. with the assistance of the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission in June 1970. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Kalamazoo 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/a22d8b42d8ae603b4300b2ea08827c76.pdf b1e82a39b51059d390f7db398997d1ba PDF Text Text COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROGRAM KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION PLAN ELEMENTS • 1970 • 1990 LAND USE SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, INC. A DIVISION OF CLYDE E. WILLIAMS INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA & ASSOCIATES, �J .FROM THE LIBRARY Of P};1_nntf1~ & Zcning C~n~sr, ' TITLE: LAND USE PLAN, KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN AUTHOR: SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, INC., A DIVISION OF CLYDE E. ~ILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES, INC. SUBJECT: URBAN AREA REQUIREMENTS RESIDENTIAL USE COMMERCIAL USE INDUSTRIAL USE PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC USE OPEN SPACE AND PARKS I DATE: MAY, 1970 PLANNING AGENCY: SOURCE OF COPIES: KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN .. COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUijTY PLANNING COMMISSION HUD PROJECT NO: MICH. P-124 SERIES NO: 1 of 3 NO. OF PAGES: 67 ABSTRACT: A determination of the distributional patterns for the major land uses was completed. The factors used in the analysis include space needs, physical resources, existing land use, previously prepared comprehensive plans, community facilities and transportation plans. An analysis is made of patterns concerning the assignment of land. The patterns of economic . activity, population, and transportation is studied relative to their influence on the assignment of land. A series of three plans are developed which include ~he sprawl, satellite and corridor development concepts. A description of the steps necessary to meet the goals and objectives of the land use plan are presented. A county-wide land use plan is presented in the report which indicates the generalized land use patterns for the entire county. �■ I LAND USE PLAN FOR KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN May, 1970 Prepared For: THE KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Prepared By: SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, INC. A Division of CLYDE E. WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES, INC. Indianapolis, Indiana I The preparation of this report was financially aided through a Federal grant from the Urban Renewal Administration of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Urban Planning Assistance Program authorized by Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954 as amended. �FOREWORD The preparation of the Comprehensive Plan for Kalamazoo County was undertaken in two phases. The first phase, completed in 1966, produced a series of Planning Studies Reports concerned with inventory, analysis and projections of existing conditions in the County to serve as a foundation for the plan for the future. The subjects reported upon in the first phase were: Population, Economics, Community Facilities~ Existing Land Use, Physical Resources and Organization for Planning. The second phase of the planning program is concerned with the · preparation of the Comprehensive Plan and plan implementation. It is being presented as a series of reports dealing with each of the basic elements of the Comprehensive Plan - Land Use, Community Facilities and Transportation - plus a report on Plan Implementation and finally, a Comprehensive Plan Report summarizing the entire planning program. Because of the many interrelationships between the three basic plan elements, they were prepared concurrently. This report on the Land Use Plan is the first of the plan elements to be completed and will be followed shortly by similar reports on the Community Facility and Transportation Plans to complete this series. MAY, J - 1970 �TABLE OF CONTENTS Subject Page No. THE LAND USE PLAN INTRODUCTION. . . . 1 BACKGROUND • • • 2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION • • 2 GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES. • 7 GOALS . • 7 GENERAL GOALS • Environmental Goals . • . . • . Social Goals • . • . • • • . Economic Goals • . . • . • . • Political Goals . • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 • • • • • • • 7 • 8 • • • • • 9 • 9 SPECIFIC GOALS. 10 LAND USE • • • • • . 10 Agricultural Goals. . •.. Residential Goals . • . • • • • . • • • • Commercial Goals • . . . • . • • • . • • • • Industrial Goals . • •••.•• 10 11 11 12 OBJECTIVES • • . 12 POLICIES. 13 . General. • • . • • . Residential Land Use Policies • . . • . Commercial Land Use Policies • . Industrial Land Use Policies • . Open Space Land Use Pol1 cies • • • • • . • • • • • • • . 13 14 17 20 22 THE LAND USE PLAN - GENERAL J J URBAN AREA REQUIREMENTS • 25 RESIDENTIAL LANDS • 25 COMMERCIAL LANDS . . 25 INDUSTRIAL LANDS. 27 i �- .,... TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED Subject Page No. . . . . . . . . . . OPEN SPACE, PARKS, PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC LANDS . . . . . . . . . THE LAND USE PLAN - LOCALIZED 28 28 THE LAND USE PLAN - RESIDENTIAL USE INTRODUCTION • • . . . . . . . . . • • • • DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES • . . . . . . . LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS . . . . . . . . . SITE CHARACTERISTICS. . . . . . . . .. . . . . UNIT DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . DESIGN QUALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ . . . HOUSING TYPES • • IMPROVEMENTS AND SERVICES • . . . . . . RESIDENTIAL LAND DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Cities . . . . . . . . . . Summary. • . • • • • . • . . . The Villages • • • . . . The Unincorporated Area . • • URBAN AREA. RURAL AREA • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 .. . . . . . . 29 29 31 31 . 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 . 33 . 33 . 33 . 33 . 34 34 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 THE LAND USE PLAN - COMMERCIAL .USE . . . . . . . . . . . DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES . . . . . COMMERCIAL TYPES • . • • . . . . . . . . . INTRODUCTION LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS. SITE CHARACTERISTICS • . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IMPROVEMENTS AND SERVICES • . . . . . . . .... ii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DESIGN QUALITY • • • • COMMERCIAL LAND DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . 37 37 37 38 39 39 40 40 ,- �J TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED Subject URBAN AREA. Pa9:e No. . . The Cities Kalamazoo. Parchment. Portage. Galesburg. Summary. . . . • . . . . ..• . . . .• . . The Villages Au~usta. Climax. Richland Schoolcraft. Vicksbur9:. • The Unincorporated Area. 43 43 43 43 43 43 44 THE LAND USE PLAN INDUSTRIAL USE INTRODUCTION. 45 DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES. 45 INDUSTRIAL TYPES. 45 SITE CHARACTERISTICS. 46 . UNIT DEVELOPMENT. 46 DESIGN QUALITY. 46 INDUSTRIAL LAND DISTRIBUTION. 49 URBAN AREA. 49 The Cities Kalamazoo. Parchment. Portage. Galesburg. J 42 42 42 42 42 42 43 RURAL AREA. J 40 50 50 50 50 50 . The Villages Augusta. Climax Richland Schoolcraft. Vicksburg. . . The Unincorporated Area. 50 51 51 51 51 51 51 iii �JI TABLE OF CONTENTS ---- CONTINUED Page No. Subject RURAL AREA. 52 SUMMARY 52 PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC THE LAND USE PLAN INTRODUCTION. 55 DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES. 55 TYPES 55 55 55 55 55 56 56 56 Administrative Police Fire scti"ools. Health and Welfare Libraries. Other Cultural Facilities. LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS. 56 SITE CHARACTERISTICS. 56. UNIT DEVELOPMENT. 57 DESIGN QUALITY. 57 IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED 57 PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC LAND DISTRIBUTION. 57 URBAN AREA. 58 The Ci ties The Villages The Unincorporated Area. 58 58 58 RURAL AREA. 58 THE LAND USE PLAN OPEN SPACE AND PARKS INTRODUCTION. 59 TYPES • Parks. Playgrounds. Open Space . . . -. DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES. 59 59 59 59 59 iv ,. ..... �TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONCLUDED Subject Page No. LOCATlONAL RELATIONSHIP • 59 SITE CHARACTERISTICS . • 60 .. OTHER FEATURES . • . • . . . . . ' 60 OPEN SPACE AND PARK LAND DISTRIBUTION 60 URBAN AREA • • . 60 The Cities .•..•• The Villages ...•••..•.•. The Unincorporated Area • . • • . . . • • RURAL AREA . . . • • . . 60 60 60 61 J ) V �--....... LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure No. Subject 1 Page No. Features of a Planned Community • • • • • • • • Features of a Planned Neighborhood • • • • • . Features of a Planned Industrial Park • • • • . 2 3 30 32 47 Map No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 1990 Sprawl Concept, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.... 4 1990 Satellite Concept, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan.... 5 1990 Corridor Concept, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan..... 6 Selected Sites for Commercial Centers, Kalamazoo County, Michigan ••••••••••.•••••••••••• 41 Selected Industrial Lands, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan. 53 1990 Land Use Plan ..•••..•...••.•.•..•.. INSIDE BACK COVER 1975 1975 1975 1990 Sprawl Concept, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan ••.•••. Satellite Concept, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan •••. Corridor Concept, Kalamazoo County, Michigan •. Population Density, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan ••. 63 64 65 66 Projection of Land Use Needs By Residential, Commercial and Industrial for 1965, 1975, and 1990, Kalamazoo County, Michigan . • • • . . • 26 Table No. 1 j vi �THE LAND USE PLAN ] �THE LAND USE PLAN 'INTRODUCTION A Comprehensiv~ Plan for community growth and development is essential if the ill effects of unorganized and haphazard development are to be avoided. Such a plan consists of several components; namely, the Land Use Plan, the Community Facilities Plan and the Transportation Plan. This report discusses the Land Use Plan which proposes a generalized pattern of primary land uses for the urban and urbanizing portions of Kalamazoo County (residential, commercial, industrial and public use) along with suggested open space and the very substantial areas of the County which are expected to remain rural in character through the planning period of 1990. The Land Use Plan provides the basic framework on which the other plan elements were developed--the latter subjects being covered by separate reports. The 1965 study of existing land use in Kalamazoo County revealed that slightly less than 20,000 acres, about 5.6 per cent of the County's 366,000 acres were devoted to urban (residential, commercial and industrial) uses. Anticipated needs to the target year of 1990, based on expected population increases from today's estimated 200,000, to nearly 234,000 in 1975 and 319,000 in 1990, indicate that lands to be occupied by urban uses will increase by about 80 per cent over the 1965 figure to almost 36,000 acres. It is the distribution of the 16,000 acres of land to be added for urban uses, its placement and relationships between uses, throughout the County with which the Land Use Plan is primarily concerned. It should be noted that the Land Use Plan is not a rigid blueprint for the future, but rather represents the most appropriate and fitting arrangement of land use throughout the County to accommodate anticipated land development needs, to the year 1990. With the passage _of time, it would be highly desirable to reassess today's determinations as to the most fitting guidelines for the future use of land in the County and make such adjustments as may be indicated as being desirable. ] The Plan identifies an Urban Area for those sections of the County which are now and are expected to be urban in character in response to growth and development by 1990, when the population of the County is expected to exceed 318,000 persons as compared to today's 200,000. The procedure used in arriving at the configuration of the Urban Area is described below. While the boundaries of the Urban Area are indicated as more or less precise lines of demarcation, in actual practice they can be no more than an approximation of such limits, and should be so considered. - 1 - �BACKGROUND The pattern of use proposed by this Plan is based upon a number of factors and studies. Foremost among them were the findings of the Planning Studies phase of the planning program which providE;d much significant data concerning the manner and the extent to which land is currently being used in the County; the physical characteristics and their influence upon development patterns; a study of the County's population, present and projected to 1990; the effect of economic development in the future, and an inventory of community facility (including utility) installations and the transportation facilities serving the County. That data, in combination with the comprehensive plans for the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, made it possible to arrive at preliminary determinations of the distributional pattern of major land uses throughout the County for a base year of 1975 with an estimated population of 233,810, and projected to 1990 when the population is estimated at 318,696. Space needs for the various uses as originally estimated in the first phase of this program* were adjusted in response to more definitive existing use data developed in connection with the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study and additional consideration of the effects of population and economic changes occurring in the County during the planning period. Considerably larger areas have been set aside for the various land use activities than could be expected to develop by 1990. This has been done deliberately so that a wider choice for the location of land uses during the next twenty years may be made. Consideration of the foregoing information by the County Planning Commission (largely through its Land Use Committee) led to the formulation of a series of Land Use Goals, designed to serve as guidelines for the preparation of the Land Use Plan. GENERAL DESCRIPTION J The Land Use Plan presented here is a graphic illustration of the general development pattern of Kalamazoo County as i t is expected to appear by 1990 if the goals and objectives are to be achieved. The basic concept evidenced by the Plan is that urban uses ide~tifie~ as residential, commercial, industrial, public ~nd semi-public, open space and parks, will be directed to Urban Areas designed to accommodate that type of development. Rural Areas a~so incl~ding public and s~mi-public, lands and "open space",' will continue to play a dominant role in the socio-economic life of the County, but it is expected to be keyed primarily to activities and uses of a rural nature. * Existing Land Use - Kalamazoo County, December, 1965. - 2 - , �The determination of the extent of the Urban Area, and subsequently the distribution of-urban uses, resulted from a series of considerations--land area required to meet the space needs of the 1990 population for the full range of uses, the capability of sanitary sewer and water supply systems to provide those services; the nature of the land; the existing and programmed community facilities · and transportation network~ The Urban Area form was derived from the study of a series of preliminary sketch plans illustrating three approaches to urban design form--urban sprawl, central city with satellite communities and corridor development. The 1975 sketch plans are shown in Appendix A, Maps A-1, A-2 and A-3. Maps 1, 2 and 3 which follow show the sketched 1990 configurations of the three concepts. The form displayed in the Land Use Plan (see Map 6, inside back cover) is somewhat of a combination of the three alternatives studies as being particularly appropriate in view of existing and trend development patterns, and the physical characteristics of the County. The major portion of the Urban Area represents outward movement from the central cities of Kalamazoo, Parchment and Portage, extending east and south to include Galesburg and Vicksburg, respectively, with an extension to the southwest in response to the establishment of the Community College in Texas Township. Other urban centers, the villages of Augusta, Climax, Schoolcraft and Richland, as well as emerging urban concentrations in the vicinity of Gull Lake, ,a.djoining Barton Lake in Schoolcraft Township and at central loca-, tions in the Alamo and Wakeshma Townships complete the Urban Area as defined in the Plan. Certain significant physical features, major lakes and marshalands, are shown to illustrate their impact on development patterns and as an aid to orientation. - 3 - �MAP #1 - if' ~ r ·... /. 'i: '-" , / -, , ,-,~-_, ,,1- .• --- # . , ,,iJ; ,r ,-0·,j',~ .-~ / l~ISU~l~HI l,.,F~-,+---~1 / - J" ,-,..--,-i-+--~------< ,/'· ' ; ST J EPH C NTV KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1990 SPRAWL CONCE'PT .,,. ,. .........,......,, ... •••••••••·• .. ••••••••••••••••• .. ••Cl•••• ••- .. ••••• .. ·•••••••....•••• U•h• D• •••••u•••••••• .. •U••••"•••••o ................. ,.,... ....... ....... ..... . .. u . ................... , ., Prop o rool l,y , SCHfUII A$$0C \ ATU, IMC ., A l>l t1 h le11 ol CLTOI f , WUUAMS & AS$0C ., IMC ., INMI.J , KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 4 PLANNING COMMISSION �MAP ~ 2 l-, 17 .,. ._.___., ~L - ~ \ 1· I t - - ~f---~ I- / 1 I ·" ,;\!AhJ '><,C> \,/ \ 1 i'l j Ir l '" 1-- . s , ( _~:I · ( --~--+---- r I . fr. -- I , I,,. l:~. S7 , 't~ II d', ' - ~-+=-,-,-F-+-'4---+- -~ -- //~• I _I r ..,•, ) I- .. ., ,, ,. t---.--'--+----,--'-------- l ~ -. / I - -01r -~ 4 ., . . ,.-.,-. ._n~: ,' I__..~ " ~~f;fc~fti ' ' ' ' • i --~---1--t---~-- --< //. ~ ' l!PH COUNTV KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1990 SATELLITE CONCEPT J __ ...................... ,,............................... ... ........................................ , .... ,.... ....... , ., .....,. . ... w, .. . o.. . ....... , ........ w,, • • ., ..... . .................... 1o., ••••••• ,nporo,I KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN 5 COUNTY i.,. , SCHH LI I AS$0 CIAT U, INC ., A Di wh l H of CLYOI t . WHUAMS & AS SO C., IMC ., INDl'lS , PLANNING COMMISSION �MAP #3 -~-~-(-.,-, ' - ( -_ I , r-'~ .' ,,J_. , V ~,,...,., , , ~ ' } 0 /\I rfl ., ' ·t' , XA§ !, pil J I ;1 J£ J ':' ' --f - ~-- i J; g ~ KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1990 CORRIDOR CONCEPT ....................... . ................, ._..., ... ~···· ..............,...····-···· ., ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 0, •• , . ....... ............ u,, .. ........ ol,.,M,.,1.. ......,,,. .,,,,, 0,4 ,,opo nil l,'I' , SCl-lllllf AS$0C1AUS, IMC ,. A Dl•l ■ l o. of CL'l'Of f . WllLIAMS & ASSOC ., IMC. , INDN.S, KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 6 PLANNING COMMISSION �GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES The establishment of planning goals for Kalamazoo County represents a first step in the formulation of public policies concerning the growth and development of the County. Such policies underlie the determinations used in the preparation of the Comprehensive Plan, and serve as guidelines for implementing the Plan. The setting of planning objectives is an intermediate step which defines the specific proposals made in the Plan which should be carried out and become realities within the planning period, in this case by 1990, if significant progress in meeting the planning goals is to be achieved. GOALS Following consideration of appropriate goals for Kalamazoo County, the County Planning Commission adopted a series of Genera_l and . Spe_c ific Goals for the Comprehensive Planning Program. Reproduced below are the General Goals and the Specific Goals for Land Use. The reports dealing with Community Facilities and Transportation will contain only the specific goals for those elements of the Plan. " GENERAL GOALS Physical development, with which the Comprehensive Plan deals, is essentially concerned with environmental goals, but it is also in-. fluenced by the county's social, economic, and political goals. These general categortes are discussed below: Environmental Goals e THE ATTAINMENT OF CONDITIONS OF SAFETY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY With so many new problems receiving attention, it is sometimes easy to overlook the more basic and traditional goals. Safety is one of these. Planning has always been concerned with making the planning area a safer place inwhich to live. It pursues this goal in a variety of ways including isolating dangerous activities, requiring inherently safer urban design, and regulating development in areas of unsafe topography. • THE ATTAINMENT OF CONDITIONS CONDUCTIVE TO HEALTH THOO,UGHOUT THE COUNTY ... ~ ,,,1 Health is another traditional and frequently overlooked goal. Planning's contributions to this goal range from relating development through setback requirements and yard sizes to natural sources of water, light and air, requiring adequate pollution controls and accommodating health facilities, hospitals, etc. in the proposed development pattern. - 7 - �L] • THE ATTAINMENT OF CONDITIONS OF AMENITY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY The County has always been concerned with what its people see, hear, and smell, but increasing emphasis is being placed on amenities as their economic and psychological values become known. Since planning deals with the physical and functional patterns of the county, its contribution to the making of a more attractive ·area can be very substantial. • THE ATTAINMENT OF THE BEST USE OF THE NATURAL SURFACE RESOURCES ,. The natural landscape contains elements of opportunity and restraint. Relating development to the landscape can effect public and private economics, contribute to county appearance, and prevent unsafe conditions. e THE ATTAINMENT OF BALANCED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND FACILITIES Both efficiency and liveability are provided when development, largely private, and facilities, often public, are balanced. For example, housing must be considered in relationship to utilities, parks, schools and streets. Planning provides several of the instruments by which coordination is achieved. Social Goals • THE ATTAINMENT OF A MAXIMUM RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES AND CHOICE FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY The responsible county today is one which provides ample opportunities and range of choice for the personal development of its citizens commensurate with its resources. The citizens include persons of different abilities, ages, tastes, and aspirations, and the opportunities include education, housing, recreation and employment. Both public and private services are considered. Planning's contributions include the designation of needed facilities in appropriate locations and recommended programing for their provision. · - 8 - ' , �J Economic Goals • THE ATTAINMENT OF A GROWING AND MORE DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY It is judged that the citizens of the County are interested in economic growth by means of a more productive economy, as well as a more diversified economy capable of providing a greater rate of employment, both of which would provide for a more stable tax base. Planning can accommodate this goal by providing for a greater variety of locations and environments for economic activities. • THE ATTAINMENT OF THE BEST LEVEL OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THE LABOR FORCE OF THE COUNTY The County is interested in enabling all citizens seeking an occupation to be able to find employment. Through providing a physical framework conducive to the retention of existing "industries" and the attraction of new economic activities, planning can play a major role in obtaining desired -levels of employment. • THE ATTAINMENT OF A TAX BASE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE PUBLIC SERVICES With "public overhead" increasing in range and cost as a result of changes in technology and the economy, communities are being forced to enlarge their tax bases. Planning seeks to improve the tax base indirectly by encouraging higher quality and longer lasting development, and by promoting conditions which should make the County attractive to economic enterprises. Political Goals • -i ,,. THE ATTAINMENT OF THE MOST DESIRABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY The responsibilities of the civil County, and the planning area of its comprehensive plan, extend throughout the entire geographic area of the County. This widespread coverage means that the County's comprehensive plan can deal with more relationships than the plans of its individual local units of government. The comprehensive plan can, therefore, aid the local units of government in the preparation of their own plans as well as serving the County as an instrument of county-local cooperation. - 9 - I '' �I • THE ATTAINMENT OF WORKABLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS: LOCAL, COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL The growing complexity of government activities is forcing closer relationships among municipal, county, state and federal governments, particularly in the economic sphere. Workable arrangements between these levels often require the kind of firm local development decisions which are embodied in a comprehensive plan. e THE ATTAINMENT OF STATURE IN THE COMMUNITY OF COUNTIES A pride in the County is important to most citizens. Its reputation among other counties is a test of stature. By encouraging a better and distinctive physical image, planning contributes to the County's reputation. SPECIFIC GOALS The general planning goals may be extended, or supplemented, by the statement of goals relative to the major elements of the Comprehensive Plan with respect to the following: • Land Use • • Community Facilities Transportation Ll LAND USE The Land Use Goals are given below. r Agricultural Goals Although the County is urbanizing, agriculture plays an important role in the county's economy and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. The Comprehensive Plan must recognize the particular needs . of agriculture and the characteristics of agricultural land just as it recognizes urban forms of land use. The following goals are proposed: • PROVIDE FOR THE RETENTION OF PRIME AGRICULTURAL LANDS FOR FARMING THAT ARE NOT ESSENTIAL TO MEET THE NEEDS OF URBAN GROWTH DURING THE PLANNING PERIOD. • PROTECT THOSE AGRICULTURAL AREAS TO BE RETAINED FROM THE INTRUSION OF SMALL LOT RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, AND FROM OTHER NON-FARM RELATED USES AND ACTIVITIES. • PROVIDE THOSE COMMUNITY SERVICES NEEDED BY RURAL RESIDENTS. - 10 - '1 Ill r �POLICIES The more significant of the policies applying to land use in Kalamazoo County are listed below; further elaboration of this subject is referred to under the heading "Development Guidelines" appearing if_f the discussions of the maJor land use categories in this report. General • The use of land to meet the needs of urban growth should be confined to the Urban Area delineated in the Plan, where transportation and community facilities can be provided through the planning period. New development should adjoin presently developed areas to prevent the costly and undesirable consequences of scattered subdivisions. • Lands to be used for urban uses are dependent upon a broad range of urban services and improvements (streets, utilities, schools, parks, health and welfare, libraries, police and fire protection, etc.) and should not be so used unless a satisfactory level of such services and improvements can be made available. • Lands in natural drainage courses, floodplains, marshes and otherwise unsuitable because of topographic or geologic characteristics should remain undeveloped as an accommodation to their natural purpose, to avoid the problems arising from development and to provide areas for needed open space. • Lands not well suited to development because of natural characteristics should be permanently reserved as open space through action by public agencies--ownership in fee, by establishing scenic easements or through land use regulation. In addition to retaining such lands to satisfy natural functions, open space can serve as a determinent of urban form, be utilized for casual recreation and the study of nature and can make a valuable contribution to the quality of urban life. • The intrusion of "plat" development into the Rural Area should be discouraged as being inefficient in terms of needed public services and improvements and as interferring with the socio-economic structure of the agricultural community; however, recognition of a vaiid interest in "country living" on the part of some of the County's residents indicates that such use of non-agricultural lands in the Rural Area may be appropriate on large parcels of several acres or more. • The integrity of the Land Use Plan, as a guide to establishing the most fitting pattern of land use, must be 13 �maintained if the basic goals of the comprehensive planning program are to be achieved. • Strip development bordering existing roads! whether for residential or commercial use, should be discouraged as it adds to traffic hazards, is costly in terms of providing community services and facilities and frequently produces "dead" interior land areas. f • Planned unit developments, for residential or even an appropriate mix of residential and other uses shou~d be encouraged as a means of achieving good quality neighborhoods and creativity in urban design. • Land development standards should be designed to encourage the rehabilitation and upgrading of older neighborhoods and to prevent the conditions which lead to blight and deterioration. ,.. Residential Land Use Policies Kalamazoo County has grown according to the pattern of most counties under the influence of a large city--from the city out, with a clustering of development at village centers. There are residential sections throughout the county which vary in quality--some indicate an instability that leads to eventual blight; some are well planned and stable; others are poorly planned and already showing characteristics of instability. Growth has occurred with additions here and there of subdivisions of various sizes, with a broad range of quality as to layout and relationship to adjacent developments and street patterns. A primary purpose in the guidance of land development is the creation of stable residential areas which -contain pleasant homes served by a circulation system, and which are properly related to commercial areas, employment centers and open space. In developing an interrelated system of land uses, residential areas are generally best formed in elementary school neighborhood units; which are bounded by prominent physical land features, major elements of the circulation system, and other more intensive land uses. Within the residential neighborhood there should be adequate provision for an elementary school, church sites, local shopping facilities, and ~ecreation facilities for both children and adults. Within the area of Kalamazoo County subject to urban development, cert~in types.of land are suitable f?r residential purposes. The rolling and higher areas are more suitable for residences than for industrial or agricultural use. Many of the higher areas have the additional amenity of view, and are less subject to flooding conditions and drainage problems. - 14 - Ll .Ll �J Following are the Residential Land Use Policies for Kalamazoo County. • Residential areas should be encouraged to develop primarily in the gently rolling areas rather than in the valley bottoms or on the very level lands better suited agricultural or industrial use. • The development of a variety of housing types and locations should be encouraged within each major segment of the Urban Area by: (a) Fostering and retaining the natural variety inherent in the landscape by reason of topographic variation, views, water areas, etc. (b) Allowing for the use of housing types ranging from single family homes to multi-family apartments and providing for variations in the design of these areas and their related facilities. Residential Density While residential density is merely a measure of number of persons residing within a unit area of land, it also has implications of housing forms and considerable impact on surrounding land uses. Residential density affects the size and spacing of arterial streets, schools and parks, and commercial areas. It is a determinant of the size of water mains and other utilities. Residential density is a significant factor in the plan for Kalamazoo county. • Residential areas should have varying densities dependent upon the type of development, location, and degree of improvements. • A maximum density of one housing unit per five gross acres should be employed in the Rural Areas. • Single family residential areas should have a maximum allowed density of four housing units per gross acre. • Multiple family residential areas should always be located functionally convenient to a regional or local arterial street. Adequate arterial and collector streets should exist prior to or be developed concurrently with the development of multiple family uses. • Since multiple residential areas are complementary to shopping areas and other primary service facilities, they may logically be developed adjacent to such uses. - 15 - �0 • In order that a maximum number of persons can take advantage of the amentiies of view and permanen~ open space, multiple residential ~se may be loc~ted in or adjacent to such areas, provided that multi-story structures are so located and designed as to not destroy such amenities for adjoining existing or potential residential areas. • The high densities of multiple residential use · should be located: ( a) (b) • Adjoining or convenient to regional arterials with preference given those routes which provide the most convenient and direct access (in terms of travel time) to the major trade and employment centers of the area. Adjoining major shopping, cultural or civic centers (at urban or multi-community level). The lower density of multiple residential use should be located: (a) Adjoining or convenient to regional or local arterial streets. (b) Adjoining the smaller business, cultural or commercial centers (at community or neighborhood level) • (c) As a transitional use between higher density multiples and single family residential densities. Mobile home parks, in terms of density; are predominately a multiple residential use and should be treated and located as such. However, mobile homes are a rather unique form of residential use. The home is designed to be moved, and as the size of the mobile home increases, so must the equipment used to move them. Although mobile home parks are similar in density to multi-family residences, especially in terms of space alloted to each unit, the park spreads out horizontally over the land and, thus, usually break the area into many small open spaces. Since such parks create certain specialized problems, recognition should be given the following: • Because of the heavy equipment required to move the larger mobile homes, because they are subject to ' and capable of being moved periodically, and because they should not be moved through adjacent residential neighborhoods, locations for such homes should be functionally convenient to a regional arterial. - 16 - ,. ,,,. �J • Adequate protection should be afforded the residents of mobile home parks from the adverse influence of adjoining streets and non-residential uses through proper landscaping, screening, or setbacks from such streets or uses. • Although some mobile home parks may be occupied by families without children, not all necessarily are. Therefore, such parks should be located so that they may be served adequately by such normal residential services as schools, playgrounds and commercial centers. • In order that mobile home parks may blend with the urban landscape, particular care and attention should be given to proper site location and design. Attractive natural features should be utilized to full advantage. Commercial Land Use Policies Conveniently located business areas of sufficient size to offer an adequate range of goods and services are as important to good community development as schools, parks and utilities. The need for a full range of business and commercial development is recognized and should include neighborhood, community and central business centers and other general commercial concentrations performing special functions in order to insure sound, balanced development of new commercial areas and the improvement of existing ones. The total amount of land allocated for all business and commercial uses should be scaled to demonstrated demand and need. As most businesses serve the population within a given area, the businesses increase in area with the population, although at different rates of growth. Because of the impact business has on other land uses, its scale and location should be coordinated with the other uses. In the otpimum location of business areas, access to potential customers is an essential requirement. Following are the Commercial Land Use Policies for Kalamazoo County: • Commercial areas should locate on properly sized traffic distributors centrally within or at a po~nt best serving the trade area. • In order to assure traffic safety, commercial areas should be located and designed for convenient access, provide off-street parking for automotive vehicles and separate vehicular from pedestrian traffic. - 17 - �0 • In order to improve the traffic vo~ume cap~ci~y o~ . streets designed for through traffic, the indiscriminate stripping of commercial uses along their frontages should not be allowed. • Business should be permitted only after sufficient right-of-way, improvements, and special control of access points have been assured to accommodate the added traffic generated. • In all cases, no access to abutting commercial property should be allowed within 35 feet of the intersection. Where possible, as in the case of larger ownerships or combined parking areas, the distance should be increased to 150 feet. Business areas should be located centrally within a trade area containing an adequate supporting population. Within such a trade area, two principles are involved in the location of business areas: (1) they should be related to the capacity of the street system, and (2) similar uses should be grouped. • A business area should be at a location which is conducive to convenient access by numerous shoppers. To be avoided are intersections which have existing congestion problems, abrupt changes of grade, intersections formed by acute angled streets, and other situations where additional traffic generated would impair the safety of motorists. • As additional traffic is generated by a business area, congestion should be minimized by provision for proper entrance and exits, and by provision for internal traffic circulation and ,parking. • As retail and personal services are business uses dependent on walking traffic, they should be encouraged to group together, preferably within planned centers, to maximize business potential and pedestrian movement within the concentration. • As the success and vitality of a shopping area is dependent in part on the maximum movement of pedestrians, the location of non-shopping establishments should be discouraged_within the core which create "dead-s:pots" such as offices, and large general commercial uses. • In general, retail businesses should locate on one quadrant of an intersection with other quadrant_s_ occupied by comp~tible use~ such as properly oriented or I?rotecte~ ~esidenc~s (either single or multi::- .'. family), clinics, offices, or other commercial uses which do not generate significant cross-shopping pedestrian or vehicular traffic. - 18 - r r r J �J J • Neighborhood business areas should consist of neighborhood shopping only. Intensive and heavier general commercial uses, large space users, an_d residential uses are not considered compatible within neighborhood business areas. • The size of a neighborhood shopping center district should be designed to serve the potential population within its trade area and range in size up r.. .. to a maximum of 10 acres. • Neighborhood business areas should be located from l½ to 2 miles apart in order to encourage stable commercial areas. • A neighborhood business area should locate at the junction of two local arterials or a local and a regional arterial, which should be central within its trade area and at a point best serving two or more elementary school neighborhoods or parts thereof. • Neighborhood business areas should be located at the junction of elementary school neighborhoods rather than within them. • A- neighborhood business area should be functionally separated from an existing or planned school in order to aid in the control of students during school hours as well as provide for greater safety. • As an exception to normal neighborhood business areas, limited retail or convenience centers or districts (containing up to 8 stores) may locate at the intersection of two local arterials, at the junction of a local arterial and a collector street, and serving only isolated residential areas. • The isolated residential areas should be outside the normal service area of the nearest existing or potential neighborhood business area. • Neighborhood business should be restricted to one quadrant of an intersection. • A community shopping center or district should range in size from 10 to 30 acres with 100,000 to 200,000 building square footage. • In order to encourage stable commercial areas, community centers should be located from 2 to 3 miles apart; and, as community business also serves the function of neighborhood business, a community business area should be located about one mile from neighborhood business areas. or - 19 - �• A community center should locate at the junction of a local arterial and regional arterial or the intersection of two regional arterials. • In order to minimize conflicts between shopping traffic and pedestrians, community business areas should locate at the boundary of elementary school neighborhood. • A community shopping center should be functionally separate from an existing or planned school in urder to aid in the control of students during school hours as well as provide for greater safety. • Community business should be restricted to one quadrant of an intersection, except when locational criteria specifically encourages a general commercial use to locate as part of a community business area. • The size of a regional center or district should be designed to serve the potential population within its trade area and range from 40 to 100 acres in size. • A regional center should be designed to serve a potential population of 30,000 to 150,000 persons residing in an area within 4 to 20 miles radius, depending on density, physical features, and circulation system. • In order to encourage stable commercial areas, regional centers should be located from 4 to 8 miles apart; and, as these centers also serve the function of community business, it should be located from 2 to 3 miles from community business areas. • A regional center should locate at the intersection of two regional arterials. Industrial Land Use Policies Industrial activities may involve the processing, handling and manufacturing of products, and research and technological processes. Heavier industries may include manufacturing, assembling, fabrication and processing, bulk handling of products, storage, warehousing and heavy trucking. All should be related in terms of intensity of use. They should be operated to · minimize external effects of traffic congestion, noise glare air and water pollution, fire and safety hazards. ' ' - 20 - Ll �Enough land, whether for an individual establishment or for a planned industrial park, should be provided with adequate space for industrial operations, future expansion, off-street parking for employees and visitors, loading and docking facilities, storage, landscaping, utilities, separation of buildings, and other space requirements. Because of their considerable investment in specifically designed facilities, most industries want to be assured of having enough room for future growth, and purchase or reserve area larger than necessary for immediate needs, however, space for industrial uses should be scaled to the demonstrated demand and need. Following are the Industrial Land Use Policies for Kalamazoo County: • Industrial areas should be encouraged to develop primarily on large level sites except prime level agricultural land, which should be subject to special analysis to determine proper timing of use change in order to avoid premature curtailment of agricultural production and loss of permanent open space. • Industrial areas should be functionally convenient to major transportation routes which include regional arterials, expressways, freeways and major railroad lines. • Industrial areas should be located where adequately served by major utility lines electric power stations and transmission trunk sewer lines, tru·nk water lines and lines. • Whereas collector and local arterial streets serving residential areas are designed primarily for passenger automobile traffic service, industries should be located with access provided only to expressway or major truck routes so that traffic will not pass through residential areas. • Land use types other than industrial or industrially related uses should be discouraged from industrial areas, with the exception of such convenience uses as banks, post offices and restaurants. • Certain industrial uses generate heavy traffic, noise, smoke, or other nusiances, and should be located . where it is feasible to provide an adequate transition, such as light industrial areas, commercial areas, or open space, to adjoining land use types. J - 21 - they can be which include lines, trunk _ gas �Certain areas of the County, both in and out of the Urban Areas, are rich in natural resources which, if not reserved, may be forever lost by prior development of the land for other purposes. Two principles should be applied; one, the natural resources should be allowed to be utilized, and two, the land should be reconditioned for other uses following resource utilization. • In order to insure continued development of natural resources prior to development of the land for other purposes, extractive industries should be allowed to locate in areas known to have deposits of minerals and materials. • After the industry has depleted the raw material, the land should be reconditioned in such a fashion that i t can be used by some other type of land use. • Because of the heavy equipment necessary to remove raw material from the site, extractive functions should operate only when the site is located on or has direct access to at least a local arterial in urban are as • Open Space Land Use Policies "Open Space" is area in public ownership or control which is open in character to permit visual or physical access. Open space may be intended for a specific purpose, or may just be "there". Open space may be miles of wild area or acres of farm land. It may be a small landscaped open area among the narrow canyons of the Central Business District. On the other hand, it may provide a view of the city, country-side, or any other feature as long as the outlook is a relief from the urban environment. Open space includes, but is not limited to, parks, recreation areas, water bodies, historical sites, sites of unusual scenic quality, scenic routes, flood plains, drainage ways, wildlife refuges, and land used for agriculture, forest, fisheries, water sheds, and extraction of mineral deposits. The following are the Open Space Land Use Policies for Kalamazoo County: • Open space should be distributed throughout the Urban Area to insure a relief within the urban environment provide sufficient space for passive and active ' recreation, and help curb the spread of urban blight and deterioration. - 22 - �In the modern day metropolitan area, as in Kalamazoo County, urban development is spreading over the country side. Communities are formed, many having the population of full-fledged cities, and all blending into one. Large expanses of open space are necessary to separate these communities from one another, and to provide a breathing place for urban development. • Where possible, open space elements should be combined to form a visual and sometimes physical separation between major sectors of the Urban Area in order to discourage continuous urban sprawl, and to preserve many of the natural features of the land. • Where feasible, areas or strips of open land such as drainage ways, marshes, scenic routes, trunk utility lines, hiking or nature trails, and bridle trails, should be reserved between residential neighborhoods or communities and between residential and adjacent areas. In the development of a total open space system, the functions of the various open space elements should be related to the distribution of population, other land uses, and the transportation system. , • Adequate open space land should be readily available to all classes or users. • The function and size of open space areas and facilities should be related to the density and total population of the area served. • Open space areas and facilities should be coordinated within the County and wi-th adjoining counties. • Multiple uses of open space land should be- encouraged, provided that the uses are compatible and adequate area is provided for each specific function. • Areas designated for open space purposes should be held inviolate against diversion to non-open space uses, and should not be considered as a reserve for such uses. If an overriding public purpose by another governmental agency requires the taking of open space land, compensation should be made for the area taken by the provision of an equal or better area and facilities. - 23 - �THE LAND USE PLAN - GENERAL URBAN 'AREA 'REQUIREMENTS The Land Use Plan shows the lands proposed to be used in the several use categories by the year 1990. The amount of land indicated for each of the uses was determined in accordance with accepted planning procedures as modified by the characteristics peculiar to Kalamazoo County. The following comments and Table 1 describe the basis for making these determinations. Current trends in residential development point to an increasing number of dwelling units being provided in multiple family structures which could result in a somewhat higher density of use and· require less land area than if the present mix of housing types were to be continued. Counteracting that effect is another current trend toward the incorporation of larger areas of open space into residential developments of all types. It appears, therefore, that the previously described indicators of space needs represents a reasonable estimate for planning purposes. That estimate is about 67 per cent greater than the 1965 residential land figure and at the density of use reported in the 1960 Census (3.9 units per acre) would accommodate 40,157 additional housing units. The projected population increase between 1965 and 1990, related to the 1960 average number of persons per housing unit (3.2), would indicate a need for some 40,000 new housing units between 1965 and 1990.* RESIDENTIAL LANDS Nearly 15,000 acres of land in the County were used for residential purposes in 1965, about 79 acres per 1000 residents. The Existing Land Use Report for Kalamazoo County projected a need for about 25,000 acres of residential land by the end of the planning period. The projected acreage figure given was "net" and did not include lands in streets which in the contemporary residential development will add about 20 to 25 per cent. In this instance the total gross area required would range from 30,000 to 31,250 acres. Applying the 79 acres per 1000 persons to the estimated population in 1975 indicates a total need in that year of 18,470 net acres and for the 1990 population a total of 25,177 net acres, or 30,000 gross areas. COMMERCIAL LANDS The number of acres of commercial land needed to provide appropriate service to the people of Kalamazoo County in the future can be estimated on the basis of prevailing standards of service with some adjustment in the light of current experience and trends. The 1965 survey of existing land use disclosed that 1,153 acres of land were * For background information see Appendix A, Map A-4. - 25 - �TABLE 1 PROJECTION OF LAND USE NEEDS BY RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL FOR 1965, 1975, 1990 KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN Gross Acres RESIDENTIAL LANDS 1965 Residential Lands Estimate Acres per 1,000 Population 1975 Projected Residential Land Needs 1990 Projected Residential Land Needs 15,000 79.0 18,470 30,000 ,, COMMERCIAL LANDS 1965 Commercial Land Estimate Acres per 1,000 Population 1975 Projected Commercial Land Needs 1990 Projected Commercial Land Needs 1,153 6.1 1,426 1,944 INDUSTRIAL LANDS ,,,. ,, 1965 Industrial Land Estimate Acres per 1,000 Population* 1975 Projected Industrial Land Needs 1990 Projected Industrial Land Needs 3,440 18.1 4,080 5,040 TOTAL 1975 NEEDS 23,976 TOTAL 1990 NEEDS 36,984 ~ ,,.. ~, ,,,. * Ratio decreased to 15.7 by 1990. - 26 - ., �used for commercial purposes, or about 6.1 acres per 1000 population. This ratio is probably the result of Kalamazoo's drawing power as a commercial center. It is expected that the need for commercial land in this County will remain at the higher level, although a slightly lower ratio may be experienced by 1990. By applying the current Kalamazoo County ratio of 6.1 acres per 1,000, there is an indicated demand in response to expected population growth for 1,426 acres by the year 1975 and 1,944 acres by 1990, some 273 more acres than presently used by 1975 and an additional 518 acres by 1990, a total of 791 acres over the 1965 figure. In terms of providing for future commercial development, somewhat more area than indicated above will be required. Modern shopping facilities require substantial tracts of land to accommodate retail and service buildings, the provision of off-street parking space and landscaped areas. Normally, some three to four times the space in structures is required for parking and amenity treatment. Another factor influencing the need for commercial land is the outward movement of business establishments, offices and distribution centers, to outlying locations where larger tracts of land for parking and open space can be assembled more readily than at in town locations. It is frequently observed that strip and scattered commercial development in the older sections of the community are being abandoned and the properties are being converted to other uses. All of these influences indicate that a realistic view of the future need for commercial land would total some 1900 acres by 1975 and 2800 acres by 1990, representing increases over the 1965 commercial acreage of about 750 acres and 1650 acres respectively, for the two planning target dates, somewhat more than double the increases derived by the ratio method. INDUSTRIAL LANDS Industry is a relatively small user of urban land. On the average, an urban community can be expected to have between five and seven per cent of its gross area devoted to industrial uses. In 1965 9.1 per cent of the City of Kalamazoo area was used industrially while only 0.9 per cent of the total County area (or 3,440 acres) was being so used which illustrates the range to be expected between developed and relatively undeveloped territory. In 1965, the Kalamazoo County Existing Land Use survey indicated a ratio of 18.1 acres of industrial land per 1000 persons. The planning study report on Economics . (1965) indicated a need for 1,500 to 2,000 additional acres to accommodate the industrial ewployment in new establishments to the end of the planning period. Since that estimate was based on an earlier and somewhat higher projection of population related to projected economic growth than the currently accepted projection derived by demographic methods, it appears that somewhat fewer than 2000 new industrial acres may be required. - 27 - �. Nevertheless i t appears expedient for planning purposes to accept the 2000 acre figure from the Economics Report, minus the 4 0 0 acre General Motors tract in Comstock Township (which had not been considered as existing in that Report) leaving a net need of 1600 new industrial acres by 1990. This gain between 1965 and 1990 would result in the 1990 ratio for all lands in industrial use of 15.7 acres per 1000 persons, somewhat lower than the 1965 level of 18.1 acres per 1000. 7 OPEN SPACE, PARKS AND PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC LANDS I I I 1 The principal determinants of area required to meet most of these needs as represented by the Land Use Plan are developed in detail in the Community Facilities Report. However, much of the area indicated as Open Space in the Plan represents a designation of major tracts of land which, by reason of their natural characteristics are unsuitable for most intensive urban uses but have much to offer as permanent and unencumbered green space. While such space will be used for outdoor recreation, their main function will be that of providing for periodic flood flows, to give form and definition to the pattern of urban development and to serve as an antidote to other elements of urban life. ,..,, THE LAND USE PLAN--LOCALIZED The scale of the Land Use Plan requires that the presentation be quite generalized in indicating the distribution of uses proposed throughout the County. As an aid to the interpretation of the Plan on the part of the cities, villages and townships in their planning implementation programs, individual land use plans for each such jurisdiction (excepting the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, for which comparable plans have been prepared by their respective planning officials) have been prepared. Where appropriate there has been some refinement of the use categories; for example residential use in the Land Use Plan does not suggest resid~ntial use densities, whereas the local land use plans divide the residential classification into two density groups--low and medium to high--and lands subject to extractive operations are so designated. Rural lands are shown in these plans in the open space grouping. The individual local land use plans are on file in the offices of the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission. ,- - 28 - �THE LAND USE PLAN--RESIDENTIAL USE INTRODUCTION Residential uses occupy the largest single share of a community's developed land. Although the precise figure for any given community may vary greatly, the average urban entity has about 40 per cent of its developed area devoted to housing. The area in housing and the variety of dwelling unit types depends on a set of variables which include the economic base, size and age of the community, topographic considerations, and individual housing preferences. Typical trends in Kalamazoo County affecting residential land use include a highly mobile population, movement towards suburban and countryside living and the increased use of multi-family housing. These are all important factors that must be considered in planning residential land use. DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES Residential development can, and does, take a great variety of forms and styles as to arrangement, location, density and housing types. There can be no precise specifications to be applied uniformly to produce "ideal" residential areas throughout Kalamazoo County. Experience with urban development does, however, indicate that when certain guidelines are applied to the development of residential areas, they do produce a setting and a degree of accommodation for the use tha~ is convenient and economical with an amenity value that makes urban living desirable. The Land Use Plan indicates extensive areas (in acreage two or three times as much as may be needed at current average densities by 1990) for residential use. The character of the utilization of that undeveloped land in the next 20 years for residential purposes, will be largely determined by the manner in which the development of that land takes place. Consideration of certain key factors applied to residential development proposals will assist in creating a higher level of satisfaction on the part of Kalamazoo County residents and provide some assurance that the objectives of the Land Use Plan will be achieved. Figure 1 illustrates some of the desirable principals of the Land Use Plan in respect to a Community. Some of the significant items to be considered are: LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS While there is an interdependence between all land uses, more are dependent upon a close relationship to residential use than the reverse. Major considerations are accessibility by uncongested roads and highways within reach of utility systems and a location not likely to be adversely affected by external influences. J J - 29 - �FIGURE 1 -- -- ~~ ....... ------- . . ~-><....~ Ju . < ~ ,.-,-< --'-><- - -·· H'I '-s ---- £ '>- Busi J): / r I AN ORGANIZED URBAN COMMUNITY, BALANCED IN TERMS OF LAND USE, AFFORDING · COMPLETE SERVICE AND EMP LOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO RES IDENTS feat Ure S Of a pL A N N E D e ALL PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY INTERCONNECTED BY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM e INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORHOODS PROTECTED FROM HEAVY TRAFFIC e JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SERVES TWO NEIGHBORHOODS e SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL SERVES FOUR NEIGHBORHOODS e DIRECT ACCESS TO THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT FROM ALL PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY " • 'I r 'I - 30 - �J ,. SITE CHARACTERISTICS Basic considerations are good sur£ace and internal drainage. Areas of poor drainage and subject to even short term flooding are to be avoided. Subsurface soils of poor structural quality are also to be avoided. Rolling lands are usually best suited to the purpose and can produce most interesting areas. Very steep slopes also create areas of interest but are less economical in terms of units to be accommodated and the cost of installing improvements. Tree cover adds to the attractiveness of a site as do views from ridges and high points. UNIT DEVELOPMENT Residential areas should be organized into neighborhoods whose size is largely dependent on easy access (1/2 to 3/4 mile) to a centrally located elementary school, recreation area and convenience goods shopping center. The unit should be contained within a system of major thoroughfares (or possibly other natural or cultural barriers) and internal circulation should be limited to traffic serving or generated by the unit. These principals are illustrated in Figure 2, Features of a Planned Neighborhood. DESIGN QUALITY Contemporary design techniques applied to residential areas recognize the desirability of obtaining maximum amenity value while reducing development costs. Fitting the local street system to harmonize with the topography and other natural features adds interest and greatly reduces the need for extensive grading and drainage ways. The clustering of housing structures reduces street and utility costs and provides more usable open space for the residents of the area. HOUSING TYPES Currently the strong affinity for single family housing characterizing Kalamazoo County is being challenged. While the Existing Land Use _ study indicated only 8.3 per cent of the County's housing units were in multi-family structures in 1965, 48 per cent of the permits issued for new units between 1960 and 1968 were for multi-family buildings. Single family units will undoubtedly continue to be the dominant housing type throughout the County but with the current trend forward more multi-family housing, a more nearly balanced mix of housing types may result. In larger scale residential projects the combination of a variety of housing types and densities creates more efficient neighborhoods and offer a broader choice to the residents of the area in terms of geographic location within the community and type of accommodations. Appropriate arrangement of such installations in a completely compatible manner has been accomplished in many instances. -, - 31 - �""I ,.. ..., ,.. "'1 .... ,.. ""II A SELF-CONTAINED AREA DESIGNED FOR RESIDENTIAL ANO COMPATIBLE USES, USUALLY ABOUT ONE MILE SQUARE, WITH SAFE ANO READY ACCESS TO A NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER PROVIDING SHOPPING SERVICES, SCHOOLS, RECREATION PLACES AND CHURCHES features of a ·p L A N N E D NEIGHBORHOOD e 1700 e STREETS TRAFFIC e 10 ACRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GENTRALL Y LOCATED TO SERVE NEIGHBORHOOD (Maximum radius of served area, 1/2 to 3/4 mile) e 8 ACRE PLAYGROUND FOR NEIGHBORHOOD IN CONJUNCTION WITH ELEMENTARY SC HOOL e NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPPING ON COLLECTOR AND CLOSE TO NEIGHBOR HOOD GENTER FOR CONVENIENCE BY FOOT OR AUTO FAMILIES DESIGNED FOR DIFFERENT TYPES AND VOLUMES Figure 2 ... �IMPROVEMENTS AND SERVICES The livability of a residential neighborhood is due, in good measure, to the availability of a wide range of urban services. These include physical improvements such as streets, utility systems, parfs, and schools; protection such as provided by police and fire departments; and intangibles such as the quality of zoning and code administration. New residential development should be supplied with these services. Of greatest immediate need in a residential development is the installation of all-weather roads in accordance with County standards and the provision of sanitary sewer and water supply systems. Individual sanitary waste disposal and water supply is an unsatisfactory way of meeting those requirements in the modern urban community and should only be permitted at remote locations in the rural area on multi-acre tracts. RESIDENTIAL LAND DISTRIBUTION J Of the 30,000 acres Kalamazoo County by Urban Area with the description of that anticipated to be used for residential purposes in 1990, about 90 per cent is expected to lie in the balance occurring in the Rural Area. A generalized distribution pattern follows. URBAN AREA The major long term residential development in Kalamazoo County is £xpected to grow outward in all directions from the presently developed central urban core, with some areas being affected more than others. Movement generally following the highway corridors to the north, east, and to some degreee to the southeast and southwest, will be more extensive than growth to the south and northwest. The Cities The City of Kalamazoo will continue to absorb a significant amount of the County's residential growth through the planning period. J The City of Parchment will not experience a great amount of residential development as lands available for that purpose are limited in area and should be largely occupied by 1990. Portage, which now has a dispersed residential pattern will have much of its land available for residential development converted to that use by 1990. It is possible that the land area to be developed for residential purposes during the planning period in the Cities of Kalamazoo and Portage will be about equal although the density of use in Kalamazoo may be somewhat higher. The City of Galesburg, being the eastern terminus of the developing Urban Area will experience greater increases in residential development than it has in the past. Generally, residential development in Galesburg will expand in all directions except south where it is bordered by the Kalamazoo River. - 33 - �Summary As a group, the four cities will contain some 20,400 acres of residential development, 73 per cent of County - total, in 1990, as compared to only 43 per cent in 1965. In terms of area occupied residentially, this will mean a more than three-fold increase in the cities from the 6,417 acres reported as being used for residential purposes by the 1965 land use survey. The Villages The villages of Kalamazoo County are included in the "Urban Area" designated in the Plan but, only Vicksburg is considered an integral part of the central core. However, each of them is expected to experience growth through the planning period with residential development occurring contiguous to existing residential areas. The villages of Richland, Climax and Schoolcraft can expand residential development in almost all directions. Augusta is bounded by the Kalamazoo River on the south but most other areas are open to new development. Vicksburg will probably experience continued residential development to the west and southeast as well as to the north along 24th Street toward Portage. In total, the villages will account for slightly more than 3 of the County's residential lands in 1990 as compared to 3.7 in 1965. However, the area so utilized in the villages will increase by 55 per cent during the planning period, from 553 in 1965 to about 854 acres in 1990. per cent per cent possibly acres ,,.. I ~ The Unincorporated Area Substantial areas of unincorporated territory in the vicinity of the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, which have not yet been impacted by urban development, will become a part of the central urban core of the County by 1990. Residential spillover from the central developed portion of the County will continue into southern Cooper Township; the development corridor from Kalamazoo to Galesburg will produce increased residential development in Comstock Township; a continuation of the movement into the Austin Lake area will cause further residential development to take place in the corridor extending to Vicksburg. Perhaps the most significant new residential development, other than in the cities of Portage and Kalamazoo, will occur west of those cities in Texas and Oshtemo Townships, the latter having already shown strong evidence of this trend. There appears to be good prospects for the expansion of residential growth in the north and east sections of Texas Township in response to the establishment of the new Community College, the natural attractiveness of the lakes and an interesting terrain. The unincorporated sections of the Urban Area are primarily made up of lands in Kalamazoo, Cooper, Comstock and Pavilion Townships and to a r ""r T r ,,.. r - 34 - �lesser degree in Schoolcraft, Texas, Oshtemo, Brady and Richland Townships. It is anticipated that by 1990 some 5,306 acres of those townships, will be used for residential purposes or about 19 per cent of the County land so used. Because of the lack of existing use ( 19 65) _ &a.ta separated out for the unincorporated territory of the County lying within the Urban Area, no precise measurement of increase in 1990 residential use over 1965 can be given. By inspection, it appears that the 1990 use will be approximately twice that of 1965. RURAL AREA J J For the purposes of this report, the Rural Areas of Kalamazoo County include all those lands which lie outside of the Urban Area shown on the 1990 Plan. The residential lands in Rural Areas are, of course, dispersed rather than nucleated and the density of use is almost always lower than that of the Urban Areas. It seems clear that residential development will occur in the Rural Area at a somewhat slower pace and should differ in character from the past. The natural characteristics of some of those lands--marshes, lowlands, woodlands, steep slopes and the like--make them difficult and in most cases unsuitable for concentrated residential use. Those same characteristics create highly attractive locations for individual countryside living on a comparatively large tracts of land. Even though the Rural Areas will continue to be primarily agricultural in character through the planning period it is expected that some 10 percent of the County's residential land, about 3000 acres will be so used in the Rural Area by 1990. However, it is recommended that small lot development in the Rural Area and strip development along rural roads be discouraged through the use of improved zoning and subdivision regulations. J - 35 - �THE LAND USE PLAN--COMMERCIAL USE INTRODUCTION Commercial land use includes all land used for retail and wholesale trade, small or large, except the industrial trade of manufactured products or raw materials. The commercial land use category also includes service centers or facilities for rendering personal, professional and financial services or the rental, repair or maintenance of products or equipment. Privately owned recreational facilities, primarily indoor, such as theaters and sports facilities are also classified as commercial. 0 , Commercial centers have experienced a substantial change during the last generation. The latest commercial center concepts indicate larger and more concentrated areas with a more comprehensive range of commercial facilities, conveniently located and readily accessible by automobile, with ample parking space. Such commercial centers would range in size from 5 to 40 or more acres, serving a neighborhood, a community or an entire region. Consequently, a smaller number of such facilities would be needed to satisfy the requirements of the growing Urban Area. The neighborhood and convenience shopping facilities, as well as central business areas in the cities and villages, will constitute the basic commercial center pattern in the Land Use Plan. However, certain larger areas designed to accommodate the full spectrum of commercial activities will be of major consideration in planning new commercial centers to serve the developing areas of Kalamazoo County. It is expected that the emerging larger commercial centers will have considerable impact on the use of land in their vicinity by accelerating residential development in the area in which they are located. Many such centers in metropolitan -areas that were located on the urban fringe 5 or 10 years ago are now in the center of a fully developed territory. DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES Several factors should be considered in the development of commercial lands as illustrated in the Land Use Plan. These factors include the following: COMMERCIAL TYPES In addition to the more traditional commercial forms, several types of new commercial centers may be developed. The three types occurring most frequently are generally referred to in terms of the territory served--Neighborhood, Community or Region. - 37 - �The Neighborhood Center functions mainly to sat~sfy local needs for the sale of convenience goods and the offering of personal services. This type of center usually contains 5 to 15 shops on a 4 to 8 acre site at or near the intersection of major or secondary roads. Its leading tenants include a supermarket and drugstore, with a one-half to one mile service radius (or a population of about 4000 persons). A Community Center usually provides the same services as a neighborhood center, plus a wider range of specialty shops and services. Its leading tenants are a variety store or small department store. This center is often located at the intersection of two major roads. Its service radius is 2 to 4 miles and can serve 35,000 people on a 10 to 30 acre site which may contain 15 to 40 shops. The Regional Center serves the functions of those previously described plus offering shops for furniture, restaurants, and most general merchandise. Its leading tenants are large department stores, and it is usually located at an intersection of a major road at an expressway. such a regional commercial center will serve a 4 to 20 mile radius and a population of 150,000 people in its 40 to 80 shops on a 40 to 100 acre site. "' ~ J J A more recent development is the emergence of the popularly termed Discount Store. Its characteristics are much like those of the community center. J. LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS The optimum relationship between commercial centers and growing metropolitan areas should be something of a hierarchy arranged to satisfy total area needs most conveniently, with the "downtown" and regional centers serving the entire area, community centers providing service to major segments of the area, and neighborhood centers serving subsequent needs. While this ideal arrangement will seldom be achieved, the suggested pattern can serve to identify the necessary elements to provide appropriate commercial service throughout the County. Access to and from the various commercial centers is important. The community and regional centers should be readily accessible py means of major traffic carriers since they are generators of high traffic volumes. The access problem with respect to the neighborhood center is at a somewhat reduced scale. Spacing is most important, particularly with respect to the large community and reg~ona~ centers. When improperly located, they may either add to congestion if too close or fail to give proper service if spaced too far apart. - 38 - , LJ r-i ~ r �SITE CHARACTERISTICS The most important factors relating to the site for commercial development are those concerning its size, shape and relationship to abutting or nearby highways. Additionally, the physical characteristics of the site, drainage, soils, topography and other natural features are significant. While size, in terms of land area required for improvements, parking and internal circulation, is obviously an important consideration, the shape of the land may be equally significant in terms of orientation of development features, visibility at entrances and exits, and relationship to adjoining land uses. J Moreover, the ability to remove storm water from the site rapidly without creating problems for adjacent lands, the fitness of the topography and soil structure to serve the proposed use and beneficial or detrimental effects of landscape features are factors to be considered. Sites including lowlands, marshy areas, high slopes and woodlands may create problems for the development of a commercial center, or, with careful handling could become outstanding features. DESIGN QUALITY There are three characteristics of successful commercial centers--they offer convenience to those using the facility; they are readily . accessible; and they are attractive. Each of these characteristics is the product of intensive design efforts to achieve high levels of acceptance and performance. The widely known downtown Kalamazoo Mall is representative of the design quality which attracts and retains the interest of the buying public. Site layout, structural installations and landscape treatment are the elements requiring the attention ~nd design capabilities of qualified professionals. More specific to public concern are the following items: J J • sufficient space to accommodate buildings and off-street parking • vehicular entrys and exits controlled to facilitate traffic movement and spaced to minimize hazards and congestion on the access roads • separation between service and customer vehicular routes within the site • internal circulation for pedestrians that is not in conflict with that of vehicles • adequate illumination of parking and other public places • placement and size of identification signs - 39 - �Additional features that serve to establish design quality are style of architecture, use of construction materials producing interesting textures, tones and color, attractive street furniture and aesthetic appointments--pools, fountains, sculpture, gardens and the like. The above principles, while more readily applied to new commercial centers, are equally applicable to the upgrading of existing commercial development through a coordinated improvement program. [_J IMPROVEMENTS AND SERVICES LJ The commercial center requires the full range of utility services--water, storm and sanitary sewers, electric power, telephone, etc--along with a higher than average level of protection services. Access routes should have sufficient traffic carrying capacity to handle the volume of movements generated by the center and be capable of accommodating acceleration, deceleration and turning lanes as needed. Access and interior roads, as well as parking areas, should be, hard surfaced for all-weather use and designed for expected weight loads. u u COMMERCIAL LAND DISTRIBUTION In 1965, the existing commercial land in Kalamazoo County was recorded as occupying 1,153 acres. Projections show an expected increase to 1,426 acres by 1975, and 1,944 acres by 1990, some 69 percent more than in 1965. The commercial development proposed in the Land Use Plan, follows generally the existing commercial pattern except that several new large centers have been added to meet anticipated needs. The new commercial center facilities are located well within the projected periphery of the 1990 Urban Area; several are located in unincorporated territory and two are proposed for the City of Portage. Most of the additional commercial acreage is accounted for by the expansion, or consolidation of existing commercial areas. A generalized description of the distribution pattern follows. URBAN AREA Mo&t of the need for commercial acreage in Kalamazoo County will be in the Urban Area. As a result of the expansion and development of the Urban Area, most large new commercial centers are planned for sites outside the existing incorporated city boundaries, yet within the 1990 Urban Area boundary~ It is expected that many of the existing large commercial sites within the cities will be expanded and redeveloped by 1990. * Existing and projected acreages are based on land use data and population growth. - 40 - �MAP #4 BARRY COUNTY Al.UBAN COUNTY "~ a~ ' ; .. ... J iJ i:! . ~i :I - . ...... "' J ... J J KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN SELECTED COMMERCIAL SITES IECTIONI 0 ..................... ,.. ......... ,... , ...................... ,.. , SELECTED o, KATI AREA SITES FOR COMMERCIAL CENTERS ·.::::_:::-:.:··.:-~:,:·.:·;~::-·,::-::,:.;·:_~·-·'" '••P<>r•d b KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 41 SCHElLU .o.SSOO>,.US ll',IC PLANNING Ao,~, .... "., ClYDE f WllllAMS ANO ASSOCIATES INC ~ INOtlS COMMISSION �The Cities Kalamazoo -- Commercial development in the city of Kalamazoo will increase during the planning period, however, there will be a tendency for larger commercial shopping centers to locate outside of the city's boundaries. The downtown mall and C.B.D. are expected to continue to function as the major commercial center for the entire county. The existing commercial strip along Westnedge in the southern part of the city and along West Main Street, as well as several smaller strips, are expected to continue and may expand to a minor degree. In 1965, there were 570 acres developed commercially. Projections indicate that the city will need 690 acres and 915 acres, respectively, for the years 1975 and 1990. Most of this acreage will very likely be adjacent to and an expansion of existing commercial sites. Percentage increases by 1975 and 1990 are slightly over 121% and 160%, respectively. Parchment -- There is not expected to be a great expansion of commercial land from the small neighborhood shopping areas that currently exist in Parchment. Approximately 14 acres of commercial land existed in 1965. Projections show that 15 acres and 20 acres will be needed for the years 1975 and 1990, respectively. Portage -- Except for a few small commercial sites, almost all of the commercial land in the city of Portage is strip commercial land located along South Westnedge Avenue with a few strips along Portage Road. There are also commercial facilities at Austin and Long Lakes. Thoµgh the commercial use pattern has been traditionally of a strip nature, it is recommended that the future commercial needs be concentrated in two planned centers. In 1965, there was approximately 209 acres of commercially used land in Portage. Projections show that 250 acres, a 20% increase, will be needed by 1975; and 310 acres, a 48% increase, will be needed by 1990. Galesburg -- The city of Galesburg~ located at the eastern edge of the urban core, will also need additional commercial land by 1990. One method of accommodating this additional acreage would be to expand the existing C.B.D.; the other is to utilize the commercially zoned and . planned areas near the intersection of East Michigan Avenue and I-94 which includes land beyond the city boundary. Within the city limits, there is expected to be an increase from the 1965 commercial acreage of 6 acres to 10 acres in 1975, and 20 acres in 1990. These figures represent increases of approximately 67% and 233%, respectively. Summary By 1990 the total commercial acreage for the four cities is expected to be 1,265 acres, an increase of 466 over the 799 acres recorded in 1965. This is an increase of more than 58%. - 42 - �The Villages The need . for additional commercial acreage is anticipated in each of the villages in Kalamazoo County. Most of the commercial acreage for the villages should be concentrated in the central business district of each village. Some development could logically occur in commercially zoned areas adjacent to several of the villages. In 1965, there was about 65 acres of commercial acreage in the villages. By 1990 this total is expected to reach 108 acres. This is an increase of slightly more than 66%. J J J J J J J Augusta -- The Village of Augusta is not expected to experience an appreciable change in commercial acreage. This is due mainly to the fact that shopping, other than the convenience shopping, is usually done in the cities of Battle Creek or Kalamazoo. The 1965 commercial acreage of 8 acres is expected to expand to 9 acres by 1975 and 10 acres by 1990. Climax -- Very little commercial development is expected in the Village of Climax during the planning period unless a large facility would be constructed in the vicinity of the village. From an estimated maximum of 7 acres in 1965, projections for the 1975 and 1990 show increases to 8 acres and 9 acres, respectively. Richland -- Richland has some potential need for more commercial development. In 1965, the total commercial acreage was less than 20 • acres. By 1975, commercial acreage is projected at 23 acres, and by 1990 indicate 29 acres. Sch.oolcraft -- The Village of Schoolcraft is expected to grow to some extent; and commercial acreage will increase along U.S. 131. From the estimated 15 acres in 1965, the commercial acreage is projected to increase to 17 acres in 1975 and 21 acres in 1990 by extending north to Shaver Road. Vicksbur~ -- Vicksburg is expected to experience commercial growth. In addition to the C.B.D. of Vicksburg, commercial acreage north of the village along 24th Street is expected to develop. Vicksburg's estimated commercial land in 1965 was 15 acres. By 1975 and 1990, commercial acreage is projected to be 16 acres and 18 acres, respectively. The Unincorporated Area Several large commercial centers are expected to be developed in unincorporated areas which are now urban or will be a part of the Urban Area by 1990. Two commercial center sites are located near the U.S. 131 interchanges in Oshtemo Township. In Texas Township commercial acreage is expected to develop near Kalamazoo Valley Community College, probably at the I-94 and 9th Street interchange. A large new com·mercial development is proposed in Kalamazoo Township at the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Mosel Road. Two new commercial centers - 43 - �are indicated for Comstock Township. One site is along Gull Road at "G" Avenue; the other is near Miller Road and 28th Street. Other commercial sites are also indicated in the urban portion of Cooper and Pavilion Townships. There does not appear to be any need for large commercial areas in these two townships as the urban residents will be adequately served by nearby shopping centers in adjacent . cities or townships. r The six areas described above at an assumed average size of 40 acres per unit, would total 240 acres. If completed by 1975, this would represent more than 88% of the total 272 acres needed for the Urban Area, and approximately 31% of the 738 acres estimated to be needed for the County by 1990. RURAL AREA Several areas have been illustrated on the plan as excellent potential commercial areas in Rural Areas. In almost all cases the areas are located either in lands adjacent to an incorporated village or other small urban core. One site is located in Charleston Township to serve the city of Galesburg and the surrounding Rural Area. A second commercial site is located about one mile north of Vicksburg to serve the surrounding community. Near the center of Oshtemo Township is a commercial site which could serve the rural community. Small commercial sites at the centers of Alamo, Scotts and Fulton could be expanded to a small degree. The southern tip of Gull Lake in Ross. Township may be expanded to 20 or more acres by 1990. In addition, a number of individual commercial establishments are expected to be constructed, particularly around the lake areas of Kalamazoo County. In 1965, the Rural Area contained approximately 26 acres of commercial acreage; but based on commercial land use projections, by 1990 the commercial acreage in these areas will reach 92 acres or more. These figures represent 2.25 % of the county's commercial acreage in 1965, and 4.60% of the county's commercial acreage in 1990. - 44 J . . �THE LAND USE PLAN - INDUSTRIAL USE INTRODUCTION Industrial land is commonly divided into two or three categories. These are usually defined as light industry, medium industry and heavy industry. Light industry is usually a small industrial operation that is not offensive to nearby residents and one in which all operations are conducted within a building. The term medium industry is less frequently used since this degree of diversity of industrial classification is not always needed. Generally speaking, medium industry would have some manufacturing or storage in the open. Heavy industry is usually a large industry and quite often produces harmful or distasteful odors, and loud or irritating sounds. J In this study, due to the nature and scope of the area being planned, industrial land uses of all kinds are grouped together under one classification called "industrial land use." The industrial uses within this section include all industry, which may be defined as the manufacture of whole products or component parts or the processing of physical or chemical elements. DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES Several guidelines should be considered in the development of the industrial lands as illustrated in the Land Use Plan. These development guidelines include Industrial Types, Locational Relationships, Site Characteristics, Unit Development, Design Quality and Improvements Needed. ] J J J INDUSTRIAL TYPES Of the industrial types briefly defined in the introduction, two of these are further defined here. When heavy and medium industry are grouped into one category they are often termed "general industrral use." General industrial uses include manufacturing, processing, extraction, heavy repair, dismantling, storage, disposal of equipment, raw materials, manufactured products or wastes. Further, railroad and/or air facilities, though of a communication and transportation nature, are sometimes classified with general industry. All operations may be performed in open or closed areas. Light industrial uses include manufacturing, processing, repair and storage, provided the activities are conducted entirely within enclosed buildings for which loading and unloading facilities are enclosed. - 45 - �In this report all types of industrial uses are grouped together providing a total picture of existing and planned areas for industrial development. It is not the purpose of the report to delineate the different types of industrial uses because we are dealing with large areas of industrial land and are primarily concerned with the spatial relationship of industrial lands to residential, commercial and other land uses. SITE CHARACTERISTICS Some of the primary considerations when planning the industrial lands for an area as large as Kalamazoo County are the site characteristics. There is more than enough land in the county suitable for industrial development. Some of the site characteristics taken into consideration were topography, soils, drainage, high slope, marsh, lakes and wooded areas. Medium slopes and wooded areas are acceptable in some residential subdivision development but are not usually practicable for industry. Industry should be situated on lands which have some slope for natural drainage and on soils which are suitable for construction of large buildings. New industrial develop ment should be excluded from marshes, wetlands and floodplains. □ 0 UNIT DEVELOPMENT Many cities,in recent years,have provided one or more industrial parks and have designed research triangles where industry and/or research can live, grow and develop together in a pleasant enuironment. A diagrammatic example of a planned industrial unit may be found on the subsequent page. The importance of planned industrial units is to provide a special place for light industry and research facilities to function near or wit~in a large residential community. Usually such sites are located on the periphery of residential development. Many well planned industrial units are located adjacent to residential lands, and are sometimes more attractive than the local residential neighborhood. DESIGN QUALITY Generally, the quality of the design of an industrial area is dependent upon the type of industry occupying the area. There are some types of industrial uses which, by their nature, defy most attempts _at design control regardless of their location. Most of the successful attempts 7egulat~ng quality o~ design_of industrial uses are in planned in?us~rial parks. Figure 4 illustrates some of the desirable principals of a Planned Industrial Park. - 46 - □ r �,, J J J J J features of a PL A N N E D INDUSTRIAL J J ' SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, INDIANAP0LIS I A PLANNED INDUSTRIAL AREA OFFERING A VARIETY OF PLANT SITE SITUATIONS FOR MODERN INDUSTRY e RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS FOR PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS e LANDSCAPED AREAS e GENEROUS OPEN SPACES e ROOM FOR EXPANSION e LOWER UTILITY COSTS THROUGH GROUPING OF INDUSTRIES e SUFFICIENT OFF-STREET EMPLOYEE AND VISlTOR PARKING e IMPROVED EMPLOYEE MORALE AND EFFICIENCY BECAUSE OF ATTRACTIVE PLANT LAYOUT AND OTHER AMENITIES e CONTROLLED USE OF LAND e OPTIMUM PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ACCEPTANCE ( A GOOD NEIGHBOR) FIGURE 3 - 47 - �Industrial parks,by their very nature,are conducive to quality control. They are so designed as to include not only functional, but esthetic considerations as well. Basically, an industrial park contains the following features: .,...,,,..-- • • • • • A variety of lot sizes for different types of industry Controlled ingress and egress from nearby thoroughfares Adequate room for expansion without conflict with other uses Architectural controls Site landscaping Many existing industrial areas could be upgraded by the expenditure of reasonable amounts of money for landscaping, paving of parking areas and other similar improvements. ~ u [J .U ~ u - 48 - �INDUSTRIAL LAND DISTRIBUTION Industrial land in Kalamazoo County is located for the most part in the Kalamazoo and Portage areas. The proposed industrial land is located within the 1990 Urban Area illustrated on the · Land Use Plan. It is the objective, in this section of the report, to generally describe the areas of industrial land and the distribution of industrial acreage for Kalamazoo County. J J J J J J URBAN AREA By far, the majority of existing industrial land in Kalamazoo County lies within the projected 1990 urban boundary. Many of the major manufacturers, General Motors, Upjohn and others, have plants located within the urban boundary. The major portion of the existing industrial development is located along the Kalamazoo River in the City of Kalamazoo and southward to the Upjohn Plant in Portage and southeastward beyond the G.M. plant. One can say that industry in the urban core has been somewhat consolidated to particular areas following a south and southeasterly growth pattern from the center of the city of Kalamazoo. Few people probably realize how fortunate they are that industry has not spread haphazardly in all directions. Perhaps this pattern developed by chance; but much of the existing industrial pattern, whether by plan or by chance, will be an excellent base for the County to continue to plan for its most suitable. industrial areas. The 1990 plan illustrates the proposed industrial areas. Almost all of the existing industrial areas, particularly in the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, are retained in the plan. Areas planned for new industrial development are contiguous to the existing industrial land. These areas "fill in the gaps" of non-industrial land to form a contiguous corridor (or corridors) of industrial use following the same pattern as now exists, but making the pattern more complete and consolidated. One of the chief reasons for planning new industrial land as a continuous development of the existing pattern is to keep industry consolidated. Consideration has also been given to the soils, landscape, and other physical features which are found to be conducive to industrial development. There is ample access to the areas, and plans are being made to extend utility services to the newly proposed industrial areas. Generally, achieving 12 acres of industrial land for each 1,000 persons of the population is a desirable goal. In Kalamazoo County, the current ratio is 18.1 acres of industrial land to each 1,000 population. A continuation of this existing ratio is not anticipated in the future. A gain of 1,550 acres between 1965 and 1990 expresses a growth ratio at the sound figure of 12 acres per 1,000 population, which would result in the 1990 ratio being 15.7 acres per 1,000. - 49 - �Kalamazoo County's existing industrial acreage in 1965 was 3,440 acres; and, by 1990 should be 4,990 acres using the above 15.7 acres per 1,000 of projected population. ~ The Cities "--'T' " In the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, expansion of existing industrialr lands into adjacent areas will account for most of the industrial development. Kalamazoo -- In the city of Kalamazoo, 449 acres of industrial development will probably occur between 1965 and 1990. This growth will, for the most part, be expansion or relocation of existing industries. New growth will probably take place in the northcentral and southeasternr portion of the city. Of the total growth, 189 acres is anticipated by 1975. Parchment -- Minimal industrial development is anticipated in the city of Parchment because of its already highly industrialized character and dense development. Ten acres of additional industrial land will probably be the maximum amount of growth, with little of this, if any, occuring until 1975 or later. Portage -- It is anticipated that the area surrounding the Kalamazoo Municipal Airport in Portage will be of an industrial character. Another area just east of the U.S. 131 and Centre Avenue Interchange may also become industrial. Between these two areas and other scattered sites, the city of Portage may gain 104 acres by 1975 and a total of 354 by 1990. Galesburg -- The city of Galesburg, in 1965, had the smallest ratio of industrial land to population in the County with only 1.3 acres per 1,000 population. Thirty (30) acres of industrial land is projected for Galesburg by 1990. This goal should easily be attained because of Galesburg's proximity to an Interstate interchange and the amount of vacant, buildable land scheduled for full utility service in the near future. The Villages Each of the villages in Kalamazoo County are expected to experience growth, and thus, industrial development. Some will experience a greater industrial impact than others. Each of the villages have lands within their incorporated boundaries or in neighboring township lands which can be converted to industrial use. Also, each village contains both rail and highway facilities for easy accessibility. In 1965, there were 89 acres of industrial land recorded in the villages of Kalamazoo County. By 1990 the industrial acreage in the villages is expected to reach 108 acres--a 19 acre increase. There will also be an increase in industry in some township areas adjacent to the villages. - 50 - r 1 i....,..-1 �Augusta -- In the village of Augusta the plan indicates industrial uses in the area east of the Central Business District in the vicinity of the Penn-Central Railroad and State Highway. ~ J J J J J J J J J Climax -- The plan for the village of Climax indicates one block of industrial land northwest of the village core and north of the Grand Trunk Railroad. This industrial area extends from the West Maple Street crossing of the Grand Trunk Railroad northeast to a point about one block beyond the north Main Street crossing of the same railroad. Richland -- A large industrial site is proposed just east of the Richland village boundary and north of East D Avenue. This area should receive primary consideration for industrial development allowing the remainder of the village to be free from industrial development. Schoolcraft -- Industry is planned for areas south and southeast of the village of Schoolcraft. One area is located namely along the north side of, and adjacent to the Grand Trunk Railroad. The other industrial area is planned for the area east of, and adjacent to the Penn-Central Railroad between Eliza Street and the southern village boundary. At one point the two areas are adjacent and, therefore, flow together as one industrial unit. Vicksburg -- Two large industrial areas are planned for Vicksburg. One is located to the northeast of the existing village boundary to either side of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The other is planned for, the southwest corner of the village and extending beyond the village boundary entirely south of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The Unincorporated Area A considerable portion of the potential industrial growth will be taking place outside incorporated communities. Comstock Township will continue to draw the greatest amount of industrial development-approximately 450 acres by 1990. Currently, 75 percent of the increase of industrial land is taking place in the area of the relatively new General Motors plant. This trend is expected to continue in the future; while other growth takes place along Interstate 94, Michigan 96,and Michigan 43 and the routes that connect them. A total of approximately 100 acres of development is anticipated in the northwestern corner of the township. Oshtemo Township, west of the urban core, is expected to gain 40 acres or more of industrial development along west Michigan Avenue and the interchange with U.S. 131, mainly due to the presence of Interstate 94. Texas Township is expected to increase its industrial land by ten or more acres by 1990. The unincorporated areas of Kalamazoo Township are expected to attract some 80 new acres of industrial development. Richland Township's Gull Road .area is also expected to attract about t~n acres of industrial use by 1990. - 51 - �RURAL AREA Almost all of the areas expected to develop industrially are found in the Urban Area. There will be a few small industrial plants scattered about on isolated spots of industrially zoned lands in the 15 townships of the County. It was noted earlier that industrial areas are planned for township lands adjacent to, or in the vicinity of some of the villages. In most cases these areas are also located in the 1990 Urban Area surrounding the particular villages. Nevertheless, some of these proposed industrial sites are extended to areas beyond the delineated 1990 Urban Area boundary. The only example of industry extending into a Rural Area is at Schoolcraft where a long narrow strip of industrial development is proposed running from north to south. Other examples of industrial land lying in rural township areas are near the villages and located in Charleston, Richland, Brady, Schoolcraft and Ross Township. The other probability of industrial land extending into Rural Areas is at or near Gull Lake in Ross Township. There is also the possibility that a large facility of great impact may increase the potential for industrial land in Rural Areas which is, so far, unpredictable. The total industrial acreage in Rural Areas is not expected to exceed 40 acres by 1990. SUMMARY (See Map 5) The following is a summary of the three large industrial areas proposed for new development by 1990: Area #1 - This area is generally located east of the City of Kalamazoo. Within Area #1, General Motors, several smaller industries and a number of new commercial enterprises are located. Most of the land is undeveloped, however, and is choice industrial land. The whole area, excluding the Genera·1 Motors property, consists of approximately 1,480 acres; however, only about 290 of these acres are available for new industrial use. The difference is caused by existence of other smaller industries, motels and other commercial developments in the area. Area #2 - This area lies east of and within the eastern portion of the City of Portage. It includes the Kalamazoo Airport and some lands lying to the east thereof. This area contains 2,600 acres of which 1,650 acres are readily available for new industrial la.nd use. It presently includes some good industrially zoned land and some Upjohn property. - 52 - ,. J �MAP #5 ALU!:GAN COUNTY I I I • I i '--'t--t---'+ i ·l+- ~ ... i- 1: I 1• .J . . j J J i J J J ' ' _o_ \ ' \ ---\ I - ' , I I ~ ~-tl I ! ,,,._-P..,, I I !? ! c5> I t I ! I ~ ! I ~ ~ ST JOSl!PH O NTV KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN SELECTED INDUSTRIAL LANDS .......... ..., ........ , , ... ., ........ , .......... , . . .. ..... 0,,,, :::,:::::::·-::::. ·: ,~~. ::."::1::.... ,o, ......... ,.................... ,, . po,.cl IY KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN C OUNTY 53 SCHHllE ASSOCIATU INC PLANNING A o,,, ..o~ of ClYOf E WllLIAMS ANO .-.ssOC IATU COMMISSION INC ~ 11,10 , lS . �I . Area #3 - The location of industrial area #3 is north of Morrow Lake and follows the high slope ridge north of Morrow Lake east to Galesburg. T Of the entire approximate 2,480-acre area, about 2,200 acres can be classified usable for industrial use. Almost 280 acres are used for residential, commercial or public semi-public uses. The three areas described for industrial use contain a maximum of 4,140 acres of land capable of being developed industrially. This is more new industrial land than- will be needed by 1990 for the entire County. It is wise to indicate more land than is needed in order to allow the industrial developer several choices. There have been 460 additional industrial acres projected as the 1975 needs within the study area. The 1990 projection shows that 1490 additional acres will be needed for industrial use by that point in time. Certainly, Area #2 or Area #3 as described could easily accommodate all the new industry by 1975; but in fact, Areas #1 and #2 will probably be utilized by 90% of all large new industry between now and 1975. Within the next two decades industry will locate in all three of the selected areas. ~ r u - 54 - �THE LAND USE PLAN - PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC -- INTRODUCTION The major public and semi-public uses of land are described in this section as an element of the Land Use Plan to illustrate the relationship of such uses to the other categories of land use. The facilities included are administrative, police, fire, school, health and welfare, libraries and similar public installations. More detailed descriptions of these facilities are given in the Kalamazoo County Community Facilities Plan Report. DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES J As a matter of consistency, this section sets forth some of the more pertinent considerations dealing with the placement and development characteristics of public installations. Additional information concerning these matters is contained in the Cornnunity Facilities Plan for the County. · J TYPES Administrative J Each of the incorporated cities and villages in an urbanizing county should have administrative facilities. A city or village hall is not only important for the administrative function, but may also be used as a place of public assembly. Police Several municipalities have police facilities, and all townships are served by the county sheriff's department. The State Police generally patrols the Interstate highways and other major State and U.S. highways. Fire Although many fire stations exist in the Urban Areas of the county, many outlying areas are not well served. A fire station in the center of a village or township usually is trying to serve an area far greater than is practicable. The need for many new fire stations are the result. Schools Elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools plus the colleges and universities in Kalamazoo County are included in this category. Jr. and Sr. high schools have been consolidated in the 1990 plan proposals. 1 - 55 - �Health and Welfare There are a number of good hospitals and other health and welfare institutions in the metropolitan area. Nevertheless, with the increased population growth, consideration must be given to new hospitals as well as other health and welfare needs. Libraries In Kalamazoo County, which is becoming quite urban, there is a need to expand the existing library system. It would appear practical to combine all the libraries in the County into a consolidated system. Other Cultural Facilities Art museums, zoos, botanical gardens, comprise the items facilities in this public nature. amphi-theatres, science and technology museums, and cultural schools, as well as other facilities in the cultural facilities category. Most of the category are public, although some may be of a semi- LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS Each of the various types of public and semi-public land uses (and facilities) have a somewhat different relationship to the surrounding lands than the other. Examples are probably the best means to portray the importance of the locational relationships. Therefore, the few following examples are given: Each fire service area boundary (usually l½ to 3 miles radius) delineates the area served by the particular station which is a different area from police, etc. The density of such fire station areas will be greater in urban areas than rural. Elementary schools should be located in residential areas, preferably at least one school per neighborhood in order to allow the pupils to walk safely to school. Most of the other public and semi-public uses should be located on primary or secondary roads and close to, or within urban areas. Many of the miscellaneous public and semi-public uses are large in size and serve a large area. SITE CHARACTERISTICS The site characteristics for the development of most public and semipublic uses should meet certain general crit2ria. Good buildable soils are important. Level or gently rolling land is usable for most public and semi-public uses. Steep slope lands, and marsh lands should be avoided. - 56 - ,. ...,.... �Open space and major parks, on the other hand, should be developed on land that is partially hilly,river-floodplain and densely wooded areas. UNIT DEVELOPMENT Some types of public and semi-public lands should be seriously considered for unit development. • Combination elementary school, playground, and neighborhood parks should be considered. • Jr. and Sr. high schools could be combined with a stadium, a community park and perhaps even a golf course for recreation and physical education purposes. • The contemporary trend in hospitals for urban areas is to combine and consolidate facilities. A health and welfare complex may be developed as a unit. • Combinations of college and university lands with adjacent wooded or lake areas, as well as agricultural open space should be considered for unit development. DESIGN QUALITY J J The quality of design for a planned unit can vary dramatically fro~ one development to another. Some factors, particularly within large areas of public and semi-public land use will not change materially. The general topography and other landscape features will help guide the plan for development. An example of a Planned Neighborhood Center is given in this report. Similar, and more closely tailored, plans should be produced for all major public and semi-public development sites in Kalamazoo County as the need arises. IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED The Community Facilities Report for Kalamazoo County covers the needs for the improvement of public and semi-public lands and facilities. Special consideration should be given to the importance of coordinating the needed improvements into planned units for whatever requirements are to be met. Accessibility and a full range of utility services and installations are basic needs if the public facilities are to render adequate service. PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC LAND DISTRIBUTION The general distribution pattern of these uses throughout the County is given on the following pages. - 57 - �( -, ~ I URBAN AREA The Cities The large tracts of "public" lands, located in the cities, are principally educational and medical institutions. Public lands of lesser size include administrative, police and fire facilities, schools, libraries and other public facilities. These smaller facilities are dispersed throughout the cities while the larger facilities are nucleated on fewer but larger sites. The Villages In most of the villages, the majority of public land is used for elementary and high school facilities. Other public uses in the villages include administrative, libraries, police and fire facilities, plus a hospital in Vicksburg. The Unincorporated Area Public uses of land will begin to expand more rapidly from the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage to the unincorporated portion of the Urban Area in response to the growth pattern. The two predominant examples are new schools and fire stations. RURAL AREA The primary public and semi-public land designated in the rural area are indicated as fire stations, elementary schools, administrative and police facilities. These public lands are dispersed at wide intervals throughout the County to provide service as needed. - 58 - �THE LAND USE PLAN - OPEN SPACE AND PARKS - INTRODUCTION The open space and park lands are included in this section to indicate their relationship to the other major land uses. For the purposes of this report, open space lands and park lands have been combined into one category. More detailed descriptions of these facilities are given in the Kalamazoo Coµnty Comm1,m ity Facilities Plan report. TYPES Parks Several different types of parks are considered in this plan. The major or county parks, are planned to serve all of the county residents. Community or township parks are designed to serve large urban communities or rural townships as the case may be. Neighborhood parks, which are usually the smallest of the three classifications serve mainly the urban neighborhoods. Playgrounds Each of the elementary, junior and/or senior high school should have adequate play area. General public use playgrounds may be found in conjunction with the school facilities. Open Space Lands along the edge of the Kalamazoo River and most of the major streams plus the state conservation areas, hav~ been included in the planned open space category. DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES I Some of the more important considerations which were the guides in establishing the location and scope of open space and park lands are set forth herein. Additional information in regard to these considerations is contained in the Corrµnunity Facilj,.ties Plan for the County. LOCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS Although open space lands and parks are treated as one typ~ of use on the Land Use Plan they have different relationships to other land uses. Examples of these relationships are probably the best means to portray the importance of the locational relationships. Therefore, the following examples are g.iven: Neighborhood parks should be located near the center of neighborhoods and preferrably clo$e, or contiguous, to the elementary school which will satisfy combined educationrecreation n eeds. - . 59 - �Most of the other park uses should be located on primary or secondary roads and close to or within urpan areas. Many of the open space lands are quite large and serve a wider area. SITE CHARACTERISTICS Open space and large par~s should be developed on land that is partially hilly, steep slopes, floodplains, marshland and densely wooded areas. Smaller parks and playgrounds should be situated on level or gently rolling land. Steep slope lands and marsp lands should be avoided. OTHER FEATURES The criteria that were established in the Puplic and Semi-Public Facilities section of this report f~r; Site Characteristics Unit Development Design Quality Improvements Needed with minor modifications, apply to Open Space Lands and Parks. OPEN SPACE AND PARK LAND DISTRIBUTION These land use types are described in some detail in the community facilities report. The general distribution pattern of these uses, follows. URBAN AREA The Cities Large tracts of "public" lands c;1.re located in the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage. These larger areas in9lude the Kalamazoo River Open Space area, the university and college Cruµpuses in the cities, golf courses, hospitals, and large parks. The Villages All of the villages have sqme park land~ however, public park land should be increased in the villages. As population needs increase more land will be developed in the park-open space category. The Unincorporated Area The large 400 acre state hospital facility in southwestern Kalamazoo will be converted to park use. The county rest home in Comstock Township is located in the qrban corrido~ between the cities of Kalamazoo - 60 - �-- and Galesburg. This area will be converte<il, for the most ·part, to open space and recreation use by 1990. (It eould serve as a d~veloped node for the Kalam~zoo River planned open spac~ area.) Other examples of "public" use in the 1990 Urban Area include the Eastern Hills golf course in Richland Township, tfle Elks Country Cl~b and golf course in Oshtemo Township (which is private, but can ~e used for semi-public play) and tne Park and Open Space areas in So,ioolcraft Township which are contiguous with those in Portage, and the Park-Open Space in Oshtemo Township. RURAL AREA Several conservation areas, most o+ which are located in Ross, Charleston, Schoolcraft and Wakeshma Township a~e planned to be open space ahd developed park land. Several new lprge parks phould be developed and located in Alamo, Comstock, Charleston, Schoolcraft and Wakeshma Townships. In addition, each t9wnship 9hould be provided a township park as shown on the Community Facilities Pla!}. One of the most important open space and r~creation fqcilities fo~ the county should be the Kalamazoo River opep space area. J 1 I - 61 - �APPEND;tX A MAPS 1 �MAP A-1 ALLl!GAN COUNTV I ; I ,.....~-~-(--;'/ ,, ) f---+--~-L,.. . I "•_:_~ ~ ~/-1,---L---'----'---l__ l---+-+---n----+-----'c1~---------,----- I I ;i;J.JUil 12 ), ( r f f !-,- - A ,i ;; KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1975 SPRAWL CONCEPT ..•.... ......, ....... , , .................................. c.,,., •... ,.....................,.....• ...,............. ....................., f,h,.o0 oO•"• ••Oo0 Ho,.too ••· U•Ooo ot,o, o- ,,.,,,.,,.,U,o,uooo , O '••t>•••O ..., , 5CMfLLIE ASSOCIATES, INC ., A Olvl ■ lu el CLYDf 1 . WIHIA/dt.ASSOC ., IMC ., INDf'l.S, KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 63 PLANNING COMMISSION �0 ' . . ALLZC3AN COUNTY ; 0 . \~ !~i. ] $: r--::~-· -___,____( ,,,- . - . I I I ' ; _ T'-., ' /~.~: jr::f _i. ,✓- I /· ~Jta~S/t$ 1},) ~t¼ f •• - - ' _, .;l >_,, , , ~___:: ~~\ J. / / . - ~► ~ ,,.~ p ..0: -'-------- t ~ & i= i ::.I ST "" OS'l!PH C ~- lf.: UNTV KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1975 SATELLITE CONCEPT . ............, . . ... ..... .................... ..........,., , , ... . . . 0 . . . ...... . . .. .. , • • • •••••• • •••••••u••·••••• .. • ..•••• "•••I•• •• •••••• ..••••••• .... •••ew••••• ,,eporod l,7 , KHflllf ASSOCIATES, INC ~ A 01•1 • 1•~ ol CLVO( t . WIUIAMS & ASSOC., IWC ., IHDP'I.$, KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 64,.. PLANNING COMMISSION �MAP A-3 '\_~' . G . . • , , ;.,, . , ~ > , ... , ~ r· __,, •-+---I----· ' I .nl I----'---+---,-,- lill.E / - ;;( ::;;, ----;- .;:_. .....,--~H-+----,---~--<(( l:L- ! - ~i ,. g g ~ !!PH COUNTY TTf KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1975 CORRIDOR CONCEPT ,.............., ....... .................................. ..................,............_,., ........... .. . ......... . . . . .. ... . . c, ... , •••• ..•D••• .. •• .. •••-•NO•••Y•h• ....... ............ u,, •• "··~-, Pr•p11nol KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 65 ,.. llr , SCHlllll ASSOCIAf l5, INC ., A Dl vl ol• ~ •' CLYDE l . Wlll1AMS&A550C ., IM C. , INOl'U , PLANNING COMMISSION �MAP A-4 • •• ., .,__""~~~-~:~'l:::i:-:.2t9:• :~,:,;:,::,L ~ ~~~~-----...· -::::/:.,. --------! .• 277 · 276 e • • .- • _2 89 278 • 2B7 .... ✓• 279 286 306 I i . -• _._ (,/-· • 2113 .I • 8• -.• • I KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN 1990 POPULATION DENSITY LEGEND II•• prepo r,u ion of lhh ,..,P woo l i n•n do ll y o i d•d lh.,, uth c, fede,o l G ,anl f<o• the Deporh•••• o l Hou, l n11 ond Urbon Do •elopfflont,un d u lhoUrbon ,i.,,.., 1n11 Auitloncr,,ov,o,.. outhoriud by Sutlon 70 1 of rho Hou, i nt 4<1 ol 195~ , 1969 • at .,.., • .,,1 . .1, n 0 P,e,-,..r ,o, , I THf K-"lA"'-"100 II\I TltOP'OLtT,\N COU N TY PU.NNING l 0.0 TOO.• PfRSONS/ACRE f :::;:;:;;:::;;:::: 0.5 TO 1.5 PERSot,15/ ACRE ·,:;.~~:::.::.:_:_:..~ 1.6 TO 4.0 PER~ON.S/ACRE ::::::::::::: 4 .1 TO 9. 9 PERSONS/ ACRE ;::::::::::::::::: 10.0 & OVER PfRSONS/ ACRE 2 3 Mi le s ,.._,.,,-1 C0MM15510N 66 ~ 1 ly • SCHHLIE A$$0C., IMC., A DJvhl"" Of CLYDE E, W i lli"°"'$ I, ASSOC., INC., INDl'l.S . �II u 0 u 0 IIJ 0 IIJ IL IIJ IL (!) IL (!) r (!) :c ., :c ., .J :,:: .J :!: .J z :!: z 0 z Cl. 0 0 Cl. O' Cl. en II'. O' O' II'. II'. f- en U) f- :J > :J > > X X N > > N H.1 817 Hl. L17 H.1 L17 Hl. 917 H.1 917 H.1917 I H.1917 --...__ I __;1-~ ,- ...,- ,,,,.-' - H.11717 -;,_J O!oJ 817 ON Z:17 I ON Z:17 r.f I ) i .1S I I .1S ,17 =,-_ H.1 017 ,17 11 I\ ---t\"" I I H.1 Qt, I I I H.168 H.168 > I2 :J 0 () , H.188 i '- - ~ H.1 LE: > 0:: 0:: ■I H.188 \~ I' Hl. --l i }, -1;'=7_:._ H.198 ~ Ill /'; ./ i H.198 ■ I I \ \ 1 \_ LE: l_ I II -1 H.198 I - ~ • \ : H.198 \ -j H.1 178 H.1 178 ~ 1 j \ I o~ cc O!oJ 88 - ON Z:8 7 ~ (\,,,/1 "© .1S ,8 I}=, l.S '8 (jJ I >.r"'t}· ... _ ....,-1~')· I :r. ' ~ H.1 08 ■ - "' 5'!,.f,_W"-l:~j H.1 08 ~~ci4 1,:,.,I ~ I Hl. H.1 6Z: 6Z: i "-----+ H.1 8Z: H.1 8Z: Hl. LC: > t2 H.1 gz; Hl. gz; :J 0 () ;,;;;;;;i,-._..;::;__1-~.,...--,I.--.....,---+ Hl. t,2'; [ UJ (/) O!oJ 8Z: ', ~ I- C/) ,~~'1./ • ,.,1 0 ~, . /;l4--_5S.!:,JL_ N z;z; ! l.S Hl. OZ: ,z: H.1 OZ: H.1 6, H.1 8, H.1 H ' Hl. 9, " ' i~· ,-------- ------ --------------+ - - - - - - +- > H.1 8, 1-2 - - .1 g, ' z:, :J 0 H.1 2 H.1 ,, () ct (!) UJ j H.1 O, H.1 O, H.1 6 H.1 6 ct Hl. 8 Hl. L L '-1 1 q �ST JOSEPH COUN I Y LEGEND KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN D RURAL - OPEN SPACE AND PARKS I LAND USE PLAN 1990 I RESIDENTIAL - COMMERCIAL - INDUSTRIAL - PUBLIC AND SEMI - PUBLIC SOME PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF THE EXISTING HIGHWAY SYSTEM SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL FEATURES MARSH LAKES ant 19~9 701 j 0 ~MAZOO - M E T R O P O L I T A1:N 2 3 Miles COUNTY Prepared By: SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES INC. PLANNING ' -,~' ' A Division of CLYDE E. WILLIAMS AND ASSOCIATES INC., COMMISSION IND � 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 Kalamazoo-County_Land-Use-Plan_1970 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-05 Title A name given to the resource Land Use Plan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Description An account of the resource The Land Use Plan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan was prepared by Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. with the assistance of the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission in May 1970. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Land Use--planning Kalamazoo 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/8965381ffad58732bf7e6399259eee09.pdf de5412ba1294bd1d98adf4c9709e685f PDF Text Text COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROGRAM KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION PLAN ELEMENTS • 1970 • 1990 (l TRANSPORTATION SCHELLIE A ASSOCIATES, INC. DIVISION OF CLYDE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA E. WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES, INC . �TITLE: TRANSPORTATION PLAN, KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN AUTHOR: SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, INC., A DIVISION OF CLYDE E. WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES, INC. SUBJECT: TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY ANALYSIS OF THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM NEEDS DEVELOPMENT OF THE FINAL PLAN METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATION DATE: MAY, 1970 PLANNING AGENCY: KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION SOURCE OF COPIES: KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION HUD PROJECT NO.: MICH. P-124 SERIES NUMBER: 3 of 3 NUMBER OF PAGES: 69 ABSTRACT: This report studies the existing transportation network in Kalamazoo County. Information for the study was obtained from the inventory taken hy the 1966 Origin and Destination Study for the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study. A major feature of the Plan is to provide a connecting link between roads around Kalamazoo to the Portage Area. A complete intra-county system is proposed which provides access to all portions of the County. The system is spaced so that no portion of the County is less than two miles from a major street or county road. The Plan further goes into a study of the costs of the system as proposed and means to finance the proposed improvements. The report then discusses the future modes of transportation in the County and sets forth its findings in regard to the same. �THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN OF KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN May, 1970 Prepared For: The Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission Prepared By: Schellie Associates, Inc. A Division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana With the Participation of: The Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Department The preparation of this plan was financially aided through a Federal Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the Urhan Planning Assistance Program, authorized by Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amended. �FOREWORD The preparation of the Comprehensive Plan for Kalamazoo County was undertaken in two phases. The first phase, completed in 1966, produced a series of Planning Studies Reports concerned with inventory, analysis and projections of existing conditions in the County to serve as a foundation for the plan for the future. upon in the first phase were: The subjects reported Population, Economics, Community Facili- ties, Existing Land Use, Physical Resources and Organization for Planning. The second phase of the planning program is concerned with the prepar- • • • • • • • • • ation of the Comprehensive Plan and plan implementation. It is being presented as a series of reports dealing with each of the basic elements of the Comprehensive Plan - Land Use, Community Facilities and Transportation - plus a report on Plan Implementation and finally, a Comprehensive Plan Report summarizing the entire outline planning program. Because of the many interrelationships between the three basic plan elements, they were prepared concurrently. This report on the Trans- portation Plan is the third of the plan elements to be completed in this series. The Land Use Plan and County Facilities Plan reports have been submitted . MAY, 1970 �TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Number Subject INTRODUCTION 1 GOALS OF THE KALAMAZOO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM . . Purpose . . . . . . . . . . • . Factors Affecting These Goals . Traffic Engineering's Role . • Goals and Objectives • • . . . . 1 1 • 2 • TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY GENERAL . . . . . . AIR TRANSPORTATION. RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION. HIGHWAY TERMINAL FACILITIES. Introduction Bus Service . . . . . Motor Freight Service • . • . . • • • • . . . . . . . • . • • . . . . . . . 2 2 5 • • . • • • . • . . • . . • • . • • . . 5 5 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8 8 INVENTORY OF THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EXISTING HIGHWAY SYSTEM ANALYSIS OE' THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM NEEDS 9 9 RIGHT-OF-WAY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 EXISTING PAVEMENT WIDTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 TRAFFIC VOLUME. . . . . • . . .10 SYSTEM CAPACITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 SYSTEM CAPACITIES ANALYSIS. . . . . . .16 ALIGNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . 16 RAILROAD CROSSING PROTECTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 LOCATIONS OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION. . . . . . . . . . . . 20 PROJECTED LAND USE PATTERNS. . . . . . . . . .23 COMMUTING PATTERNS OF INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYEES. . . . . . . 23 DEVELOPMENT OF THE FINAL PLAN 24 INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 DETERMINATION OF CLASSIFICATION. • • 24 Arterials . . . . . . . • . . . 26 Statewide Arterials. . . . .?.6 Regional Arterials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Local Arterials . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Collectors . . . .. . . . . . . .28 Principal Collectors . . • • • • • • • • • • • ~ 2R Secondary Collectors• • • • • • • • • 28 CLASSIFIED MILEAGE. . . . . . . . • . • . • . . . . • . 29 STANDARDS FOR DEVELOPMENT • • • • • • • 29 ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANS. • • • •35 - i - �TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED Page Number Subject . . . . . . . . . 35 Alternative No. 1 . . . . . . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . 37 Alternative No. 2 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 37 Alternative No. 3 • • . . . . • . 39 Alternative No. 4 • • • ••• . . . . . 41 PLANS OF OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES . . . . . . . 41 DESCRIPTION OF THE FINAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN. . . . . . 41 Urban . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Rural . . . . . . . . . • • • • • 44 Cost Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 STAGING OF THE PROPOSED PLAN. FINANCIAL PROGRAMMING OF THE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS . . • . 59 METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATION 59 • • 60 ANTICIPATED REVENUES . . .60 Property Tax. . . . . . .. • . 60 Income Tax. . . . . . . . ... Past Trends in General Fund Revenue. .60 Bonding Situation for the City of Kalamazoo . . . .61 Projected State Income Tax Revenue on a Per-Capita Basis for the Years 1975 and 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Estimated Revenue Obtained from the State Sales Tax for the Years 1975 and 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Estimated County Operating Levy that Could be Collected for the Years 1975 and 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . • ,63 Estimated Revenue Obtained from a 1% County Income Tax for theYears 1975 and 1990 . . . . . . . . . . • •63 - ii - �MAPS Map II II Page No. 1 EXISTING TERMINAL FACILITIES . 2 1966 TRAFFIC VOLUMES . . . . 3 1966 TRAFFIC VOLUMES 4 TRAFFIC DEFICIENCIES . • 17 5 TRAFFIC DEFICIENCIES (INSET) . . 18 6 LOCATIONS OF BAD ALIGNMENT . 7 MAJOR TRAFFIC GENERATORS 8 WORKING TRIPS . . • 9 APPROVED FEDERAL AID SYSTEM . . . . . • • 27 10 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO. l 11 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO. 2 . . . . 36 12 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO. 3 38 13 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO. 4 . . 40 14 1990 INTERIM VEHICULAR CIRCULATION CONCEPT. 6 . • . (INSET) - iii - . 12 • 13 . 19 22 . • 25 • 34 46 �l 1 TABLES Page No. Table . 14 1 STREETS OPERATING AT A CRITICAL V/C RATIO. . 2 EXPOSURE FACTORS FOR MAJOR R.R. INTERSECTIONS . . . 21 3 PROPOSED SECTIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION. . 47 4 CONSTRUCTION COSTS . . 51 5 RIGHT-OF-WAY COSTS . 6 COST ESTIMATES FOR PROPOSED SECTIONS . . . 52 7 TENTATIVE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE FOR PROPOSED 1990 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. . . . 56 8 REVENUES - 1964 9 REVENUES - 19 65 • • • 65 10 REVENUES - 1966 • • • 11 REVENUES - 1967 12 REVENUES - 1968 13 CITY OF KALAMAZOO GENERAL FUND REVENUE . . . 51 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - iv - 6n 67 68 • 69 I I �FIGURES Figure Number Page No. STATEWIDE ARTERIAL (URBAN) . . 2 REGIONAL ARTERIAL (URBAN) 3 LOCAL ARTERIAL AND PRINCIPAL COLLECTORS (ORB.AN) 4 5 - • • • • . . . . . . . . . 1 6 7 • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • • • . . . . . . . . STATEWIDE AND REGIONAL ARTERIAL (RURAL) . LOCAL ARTERIAL (RURAL) . . . . . . . . . . . . PRINCIPAL AND SECONDARY COLLECTORS (RURAL) . . SECONDARY COLLECTORS (URBAN) . V 30 30 31 31 32 32 33 �INTRODUCTION I •IJI • • • The automobile has brought about what has been termed individual, or personal transportation. This type of transportation has not been without problems, especially in cities. The most significant pro·blems resulting from the automobile are traffic congestion and lack of parking facilities. Cities have been attempting to meet t_~e demands of the automobile through the construction and reconstruction of their streets and highways. Unfortunately they have not been able to keep up with the ever-increasing volume of traffic. The congestion in the central business districts of cities has led to further dispersion of business and industry to the peripheral areas of the cities. This dispersion has resulted in compounding of the traffic problems by creating movements not only to the central business area but through the area to the opposite peripheral area. The motor vehicle is here to stay, at least during the foreseeable future. Recent developments in larger cities are tending toward a return to mass transit. However, this will have little or no effect upon the medium or small size cities. In order to more effectively deal with both present and future transportation problems, the Michigan State Highway Department is in the process of preparing transportation studies for the greater Kalamazoo Area. In addition to the report presented here, a study is being performed by the M.S.H.D. with the assistance of Alan M. Vorhees and Associates. It should be noted that these are only interim reports and a more comprehensive report will be completed at a later date by the Michigan State Highway Department and the Kalamazoo County Planning Department. GOALS OF THE KALAMAZOO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Purpose A transportation system may shape the growth of a community or the growth of a community may shape a transportation system. The ideal lies somewhere in between. Thus, the purpose of transportation planning is twofold. _Kirstly. it attempts to supply present and future transportation- neees-of commnoitJ:ec. also sets for c.oncrete proposals for future transportation development which will tend to effect desirable community development and discourage development of the uninspired, haphazard or inadequate kind. The General Goal of the Transportation Plan for the Kalamazoo County area is to form a network of ...t!}Qroughfares and re.lated transportation systems, which will expedite the movement of people and goods in a manner most conducive to the de'\le--1-0pmeRt of :the... economic and. social progress -0f the area. • - 1 - �Factors Affecting Goals Two of the major factors affecting the establishment of transportation goals for the area are the land use pattern and the economic and social life of the County. For the system to achieve maximum effectiveness, consideration must be given to these factors in respect to their influence on desired traffic origins and destinations. Travel must thsn be accomplished safely and efficiently along routes which cause minimum interference with these adjacent land uses. Residential areas should be served by collector routes which connect them with facilities designed for higher speeds enabling persons to reach those portions of the city devoted to industrial, commercial and recreational purposes within acceptable time periods. When these travel times become excessive, the use of the commercial and recreational services of the area is discouraged. This is prevalent in larger cities which have not kept pace with the growth of the area by continually updating the street network. Traffic Engineering's Role In meeting the transportation needs of an area, the traffic engineer is concerned not only with new construction, but with improvements to the existing transportation system through operational measures as well. While additional lanes at signalized intersections increase the capacity of that street, :iJllp.rove.ments in s i g n a l i ~ , such as tr~ffic sampling master controllers, which regulate a signal system, will speed traffic flow throughout an entire area. Channelization, separating conflicts between vehicle and vehicle; vehicle and pedestrian; and vehicle and train tend to promote movement, convenience and safety in traffic operations. A signing program which informs the motorist or warns him of any changes in driving conditions is the kind of program which the traffic engineer seeks to ensure. In addition, rigid enforcement programs are encouraged, since no operational program can be effective without such measures. Goals It is foreseen that in the Kalamazoo area the need for the movement of people and goods will continue to increase at accelerated rates. Accordingly, local authorities must strive to the greatest possible extent to keep pace with this need in providing transportation facilities. It was with this concept in mind that the following goals and objectives were formulated for the Kalamazoo County Transportation Network. • • • THE ATTAINMENT OF ADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES FOR THE EFFECIENT MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND GOODS . THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS IN AND OUT OF THE COUNTY. THE MAXIMUM COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE SYSTEM OF TRANSPORTATION AND TRANSPORTATIOU INSTALLATIONS WITH THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS. THE ATTAINMENT OF AN ARRANGEMENT OF STREETS AND HIGHWAYS ACCORDING TO FUNCTIONAL NEEDS, WHICH WILL PROVIDE EFFICIENT CIRCULATION WITH MAXIMUM SAFETY. - 2 - I ' I I I I I I _____._ �• • • • • • • • DEVELOPMENT OF A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ACCORDING TO THE BEST POSSIBLE ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES; ASSURING EFFECTIVENESS, SAFETY, EFFICIENCY, AND ECONOMY. THE REALIZATION OF A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CLOSELY COORDINATED WITH THE LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN. Policies The attainment of the foregoing goals will be largely dependent upon the proper decisions being made from time-to-time by the agencies and authorities charged with the responsibility of / implementing the Transportation Plan. To assist in that regard it is recommended that the following policies be considered as a guide in making those decisions: (1) The primary elements of urban highway systems should encircle, rather than penetrate the CBD of the cities. (2) The highway and street network must provide direct access to all major traffic generators. (3) All routes should respect and maintain as closely as possible the established social, political and economic characteristics of the existing land-use areas and those anticipated for future development. (4) The design of all local service street and road improvements should give recognition to federal requirements and be consistent with the Transportation Plan. All street and highway improvements should conform to a uniform code of design and traffic control standards. Specific Objectives Certain objectives are recommended for Kalamazoo County which will serve to fulfill the goals or policies previously stated. These are discussed in greater detail throughout the report but may be generally stated as follows: (1) The completion of the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study. (2) That all new highways conform with the Transportation Plan until KATS* is completed • (3) Agencies should proceed to program and budget improvements proposed in the Transportation Plan, as needed to alleviate traffic congestion and to keep pace with land development throughout the county . * Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study • - 3 - �(4) Initiate a uniform system of highway design and traffic control standards and procedures to apply to future public road system in the County. (5) Acquire right-of-way or otherwise prevent encorachment upon projected highway routes. (6) Take full advantage of construction program objectives in making highway improvements. ' ' ' ' 'I I I I I •I - 4 - I I �• • • • • • • • • • TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY GENERAL The first step in the development of the overall transportation system for Kalamazoo County is to analyze and evaluate the existing system. Analysis includes the physical characteristics as well as the overall operational performance of the system. The existing street system must be evaluated as to the degree of service it provides. In order to establish a basis for future planning, the transportation objectives of the county must be delineated. The trend toward the use of individual transportation requires local governmental agencies to be concerned with street and road planning. It is also important to consider the nature and extent of various other transportation systems, not only because of their physical relationship, but also because of their effect upon the economy of the community. There are two well-defined population centers-- the City of Kalamazoo and the City of Portage. Neither city has a large enough population to support mass transportation; however, both cities are of sufficient size to support local transit services. The movement of freight within and to and from the county is accomplished by extensive rail operations and by several motor freight lines . Industrial development has been intensive and is found in a belt extending from the north side of Kalamazoo to the northeast portion of Portage. The industrial areas are responsible for the well-developed rail network and are generally responsible for the vehicle congestion • For the purpose of describing the transportation systems serving the county, they are grouped under three headings--air, highway and rail. The systems are shown on Map 1 and are described below . AIR TRANSPORTATION Travel by air is the fastest means of transportation available. The volume of passengers carried by air has steadily increased each year and air freight has greatly increased in tonnage in the last few years . Kalamazoo County' is served by two major airports--Kalamazoo Municipal Airport and the W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport. Additional service is provided by the Austin Lake Airport . The Kalamazoo Municipal Airport is located at the southern edge of the City of Kalamazoo and is four miles from the central business area . - 5 - �MAP 1 : r---®'·\ : l' ____,! '' L.._. \., tc-'- !r !__, \i ,, . . . . . . . . . . . (- ·~:., '·i ! : : I ~ @----. ---:= ,,.,.. , .., , ,,•" iJl!P-•• . ,. ~ ' ' : ::,' ,: ,......) ( .. t__:: . I I! ~ ,...J----="--+- ------ :__ ... --------- .----- ✓- f'-"""''--'-+---'L§f--"--,,l,""'-➔-~~---'----'--+-=-----; ! i....---+===¢a-;===t=+=-t-===+=,=f"f' I !: ·1 ,,-: I --··-·--·--) __ ,:.. ,.. _.\.. ____ .... --·~-----ill I I I I ... ................. _ ... ..........._,,........ ....... .......... _.................. ........ ........... _, ...... . ..,...... .. . .... ,............ ---.. ··• ...... ..... I I KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN -- . . .............. ,•-··· LEGEND $ U Hi EXISTING STREET NETWORK N UWOU IN TIUfATI 1040 IYlTUA - - MAJOI tQll.OS ........ ltCOHOAl'f' 10,,lr,Dl EXISTING TERMINAL FACILITIES TIIMINAl .... 1969 P.UW.NG(I SfAJION '-l!OtiT I fAUfHGU UATK>N • flllGHT l'A.105 Q fUK.KtStA.TION • lll,Q fHMIHA!.1 Q l-..O I llAJIH t,u,lp AIIPOtl fA.CIUT1f$ •••••• • •• po, , 4 lo, fH l lA l AMAZ OO Mltl O POLITAN COUNfY Pt4MNIMO fACILHIH ♦ 0 PlNN · ClHTtM IAJLIO#.D • • - •• GU.HO TIUO:. WUTUN IAIUOAO C0M M IUI0H •••••••" h 6 kH l Ull A U0C IAU S, INC. A Olwhlu ef ClTDl I WIU IAIO 6 ASSOC I NC, tMofU �The existing runways are not of sufficient length to accommodate the large commercial jet aircraft. Plans for lengthening the runways have been made and currently are awaiting Federal funding. Approximately 26 commercial flights per day use the airport with connection to Chicago, Detroit, South Bend and Grand Rapids. The W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport is located approximately 22 miles east of Kalamazoo at the west edge of Battle Creek. Due to the physical limitations of both fields a non-profit corporation (South West Air, Inc.) obtained funds to retain an airport consultant to study the airport needs of Calhoun and Kalamazoo Counties. The study, which was presented in late July, 1969, indicated that a new airport should be built. Of the four sites which were investigated, the best site is located about two miles south of I-94 and the Galesburg exit (referred to as Site 2 in the report). The reasons for selecting this site were: (1) It is approximately equidistant from the City of Battle Creek in Calhoun _C ounty and the City of Kalamazoo. (2) The total construction cost was less than other sites. (3) The location would be served by I-94. The Austin Lake Airport, classed as a gefieral aviation field, is located in the south-central portion of the county . Approximately forty aircraft are tied down ar this field with fifty movements per week. I •I I I I I I I RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION The Kalamazoo area is served by two railroads -- the Grand Trunk Western and the Penn Central. Only freight service is provided by the former via a spur which connects to the main line at Pavilion. Both freight and passenger service are available on the Penn Central Railroad which runs from Chicago to Boston and New York by way of Detroit, Buffalo and Albany. There are four trains west-bound daily, three east-bound daily and two east-bound as far as Detroit on Saturday. Virtually all of the major industrial areas in and bordering Kalamazoo are served by track sidings and spurs off the main line. HIGHWAY TERMINAL FACILITIES Introduction The major aspect of highway transportation will be considered later in this report. Only highway terminal facilities and other general information will be presented here. This information generally falls into the categories of bus and truck routes, terminal facilities and commuting. - 7 - �Bus Service Intra-county public bus service is provided by Kalamazoo Metro Transit Company serving the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage. Regional service is provided by Indiana Motor Bus Lines and Greyhound Lines. Local bus service is good. Metro Transit has six routes which operate from 6:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. with extended service on Wednesday evenings to 9:30 P.M. Inspection of the bus routes shows that the areas with dense population are being served. The regional bus lines serve Kalamazoo, Augusta, Galesburg, Comstock and Schoolcraft. The lines provide service to the major cities in southern and northwestern Michigan and northern Indiana. From some of these cities nationwide interconnections are available. Motor Freight Service Among the major aspects in planning for motor freight transportation are truck routes, off-street truck loading bays and the location and development of truck freight terminals. • • • • • In Kalamazoo County, no city has established formal marked truck routes, . although the City of Kalamazoo has unmarked routes and has some streets that are signed prohibiting trucks. Throughout the county, however, it is generally required that heavy trucks travel on state highways. The Transportation Plan for 1990 should incorporate the extra load bearing capacity and turning radii required by large trucks. Also the environment and integrity of residential and commercial neighborhoods should be maintained. The plan should provide for an integrated system Iii and thereby remove the need for truck routes. • II Today's traffic requires that all terminals provide adequate off-street loading bays. Locations of the various motor freight facilities are indicated on Map 1 . These locations follow a predictable pattern in their proximity to the two railroads and main highways serving Kalamazoo. The major portion of the terminals is concentrated in an area south and east of the center of the central business district with the most distant one about three miles from the center of the city. These facilities have direct access to the railroads, the CBD, and to an arterial highway -- all of which are required in order to function economically and efficiently. Due to congestion in the CBD and the development of routes by-passing the CBD it is probable, as well as desirable, that most new terminals will be located along the interstate and by-pass routes. - 8 - I I I I I I I �-I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I INVENTORY OF PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EXISTING HIGHWAY SYSTEM An attempt to formulate a program for improvementsfwithin a transportation study area can only be made upon the basis of an accurate inventory of the existing physical characteristics of ~he transportation network. This necessitates inclusion of the following data: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. pavement width, type & condition right-of-way width alignment & grade structures traffic volumes capacities origin-destination studies parking facilities accident data railroad crossing data (number of trains, type of protection, etc.) A discussion of the applications of this information is contained in various portions of this report and will not be covered at this point. The information has been compiled by Alan M. Voorhees & Associates, Inc. in the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study* with the cooperation of the various local governmental agencies. ANALYSIS OF THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM NEEDS After compiling all of the information related to the existing physical characteristics of the county street and road system, it is necessary to analyze the data and determine the type and extent of problems affecting the efficiency and safety of travel within the area. It is the purpose of this section to summarize the deficiencies which must be corrected and the future needs which must be met by a proposed transportation plan. Those factors having a significant influence on travel conditions are discussed individually under the following items: a. b. c. d. e. Right-of-Way Width Pavement Width Volumes and Capacity Alignment Railroad Crossing Protection f. g. h. Locations of Traffic Congestion Projected Land Use Patterns Commuting Patterns of Industrial Employees RIGHT-OF-WAY The availability of adequate right-of-way is the most valuable resource a city can have in remedying its transportation problems. Unfortunately, this is the most prevalent deficiency. An existing street or road which * Data Collection and Inventories and Street Inventory and Capacity Analysis. - 9 - �is carrying traffic for which it was not designed can be upgraded to the standards if there is sufficient right-of-way available to permit pavement widening. The next obvious step would be to acquire the additional right-of-way needed to permit widening; but this is rarely practical -- particularly in a business area because of the prohibitive costs involved. (Buildings in the CBD and most other business areas are within a few feet of, if not actually on, the right-of-way line of the street. The acquisition of right-of-way then becomes a purchase of not only land but buildings as well.) A second problem evolves in cities with a grid type street system in the fact that needed corridors which do not follow the north-south, east-west grid system are highly expensive due to acquisition and disruption of established block-by-block land use patterns. Aside from the expense of the property itself there are other expenses inherent with the acquisition such as the normal legal work involved and possible condemnation proceedings as well as the time lag during which construction prices are almost certain to rise. Another consideration which enters into the matter of land acquisition is the creation llll of ill-will among many of the people who are displaced by such a pro.,.. ject. While this is a factor which is unavoidable, it cannot be entirely disregarded. EXISTING PAVEMENT WIDTH The width of a road or street is one of the principal factors which govern its ability to carry traffic. As would appear evident, this traffic-carrying ability (capacity) increases as the pavement width of the street increases. Deficiencies in pavement width are the product of an increase in the number and size of vehicles since the street was designed and built. A lane width of nine or ten feet is not uncommon -- particularly on older local streets; but this is far from adequate by present-day standards. Eleven to twelve-foot lanes are desirable. An example of the effect of pavement width on capacity may be seen by use of the charts published in the Highway Capacity Manual. Two ten-foot lanes have a normal base capacity of 1,375 vehicles per hour of green time, as opposed to the capacity of 1,750 vehicles for two twelve-foot lanes. Therefore an increase in pavement width of four feet increases the capacity by twenty-seven percent in this particular instance. Benefits derived from incre~sed pavem~nt width are not limited to the resulting increase in capacity. The increased safety and driver comfort are items to which an actual value cannot be assigned. TRAFFIC VOLUME Traffic volume data for existing streets and roads within the county is ~resented in Maps 2 & 3. ~olume ~nformation is a prerequisite to the design of any new transportation facilty or the modification of an existing one in order to alleviate present problems or to avoid future - 10 - • •• • •I ' I I I I I �I I I I I I I I I I I I I II ones. It is imperative that the number of vehicles, the percentage of turning movements and the time at which these are at a peak be known before any systematic approach may be undertaken to solve the traffic problems of the area. Once this information has been acquired, along with the necessary data to calculate the capacity of the street or road in question, it is possible to establish which streets are the most inadequate for the volumes which they carry. Priorities may then be established for solving the problems which are revealed by the study. Alloca...tio a£ turning lanes, assignment of one-way pair streets, restriction of on-street parking and adjustment of timing of automatic signals are s eps which may offer a solution to the congestion if it is not excessive. Once volumes reach a certain level, the capacity of the street will not be improved sufficiently by these measures; and more e~tensive remedies such as reconstruction and pavement widening became necessary. It is the purpose of the volume study to indicate which of these or other steps will correct or relieve the problems which exist and in what order they should be implemented. SYSTEM CAPACITIES Possibly the best definition of traffic capacity is one published in the Highway Capacity Manual, 1965. It reads as follows: "Capacity is the maximum number of vehicles which has a reasonable expectation of passing over a given section of a lane or a roadway in one direction (or in both directions for a two-lane or a three-lane highway) during a given time period under prevailing roadway and traffic conditions."* The capacity analysis is a critical part of any traffic study. It is used at the beginning of a study for the purpose of outlining existing and future congestion problems. Some explanation of the analysis and how it is made and used might be useful. After the collection of all pertinent data concerning the existing street network, the capacity analysis is undertaken to establish the network's adequacy. The factors involved in this analysis are: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) -- Highway Capacity Manual, 1965 by the Highway Research Board of the Division of Engineering and Industrial Research, National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, D.C. ----- * Pavement Width Amount of pavement occupied by on-street parking Percentage of transit operation Percentage of truck traffic Location of network within the city Peak hour factor (peak hour volume divided by the total 24-hour volume) Percentage of left and right turning movements Percentage of green time per hour from the adjacent fixed time traffic control device - - •· - 11 - �I I I MAP 2 .... /\ # .., r \\ ~ .~., i.. ff I •••-.•._, ~ I I .... l ~! ;l ! J70 JIO : ....• ; l~ ~ .. ! : ! ____.:-:.-=-/ l! t i 1: ~o;~;!/ ai i10 I. . ! ... . . .-r••"e.o :.1 'fi, l·---·---..·-·:;/ ·-, 'I ... / ;j :! = r· uo r·-·· dO t : .....1.. . ···-------- l ! to) ( Joo !:. ... / / ij __,t._] ~,. ! . I I : .........:1 ~ ,! JCO ... .... ~ ... .,, ! J,O !i 'Ht .:. t 2JO ;.i i • B!vo .................... -......-······· ___ ...--, _ ... •-·-···" --··-··---·· ......... -.. _, J ·:, 1--··-·-······•...f ...... ,.. L' ·-·- . ··•-.-'~ :,10 KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN .. -•···•·...... -~.- ............... ··-··•··. LEGEND EXISTING STREET NETWORK 1966 TRAFFIC VOLUMES ... 1969 12 = UlHI NETW<>'I •M!USl,t,H IOAO STSUJII - - MAJOl IOA.0$ .............. $1CON0.1'1•1' IOADS LEGEND 0 ~t ._.. •.ooo $... 0 ' - - -~ AOI , lill(NIGAN °''"'JIMOH (>t ifA.Tt t\l(iMWAO kAI AMA ZOO COUklY 10...0 ce,,u,uu10N I I I - �MAP 3 • • • • • IN SET Source& MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE HIGHWAYS KALAMAZOO COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN 1966 TRAFFIC VOLUMES ••• p•oi••••••o• ot ,.,. .,., ... , 1,. 0 ,.,.011,- o,<110<11 ••••••• • ho• u,o D•o••• .. ••I o f l'loo•••t 0 ••• 1.,. .... , .... ., ••••• u, ..... ••4•••' ••ii G•••• U•lo•• LEGEND ,1 ..... , .. . ............ ,,.,, .................... , , ...... ,01 0 . , ••• t.... , . . . . . . . . , , , , , . . . . . . . . . . .. OOOA0T ,•ll•••·"•·•tl .......... . lo,•••"'••••••• o., • .,..,,.M of • •o.ooo Aor - ........... ,.. tHI ll;Al4MAZOO MlltOl'Ot.lU,N COVN1' PIANNING co...... J5SION .....,.,..i 13 e,. KHtlUE A5SOC, ll'tC. o oli••- -' CUDI f WHllAM.S &. ASSOC INC.. IMOl'LS �TABLE l STREETS OPERATING AT A CRITICAL V/C RATIO* From Street Alcott Street Bryant Street Cork Street Crosstown Parkway East Michigan Ave. Lovers Lane Mills Street Oakland Drive Park Place Park Street Pitcher Street Portage Street Portage Street Portage Street Portage Street Riverview Drive Riverview Drive Riverview Drive Stockbridge Avenue Vande Giesen Road Vine Street West Main Street West Michigan Avenue West Michigan Avenue West Michigan Avenue Westfall Avenue Westnedge Avenue Westnedge Avenue Whites Road East Michigan Avenue Gull Road Gull Road King Highway Long Lake Drive Milham Road ML Avenue Oakland Drive River Street Gull Road Howard Street Burdick Street King Highway Shaver Road Stadium Drive West Main Street West Michigan Avenue Westnedge Avenue Westnedge Avenue * Burdick Street Portage Street Park Street Bronson Boulevard Harrison Street Kilgore Road Stockbridge Avenue Parkview Avenue Westnedge Avenue Park Place Lovell Street Milham Road Dorchester Drive Banbury Road Bryant Street Michigan Avenue Patterson Street Mt. Olivet Road Old N.Y. Central R.R. Stadium Road Westnedge Avenue Drake Road Colony Farm Road Vande Giesen Road Park Street Hylle Street Kilgore Road Academy Street Parkview Avenue King Highway Nazareth Road 26th Street Township Line Nash Avenue 12th Street Sprinkle Road Milham Road Comstock Avenue Humphrey Street Stadium Road Burdick Street (N. of Inkster) Mills Street Oakland Drive Michigan Avenue Limits of Study Area County Line Shaver Street Romence Road Volume to Capacity Ratio - 14 - To Portage Street Fulford Street Portage Street Penn R.R. Tracks Riverview Drive Cork Street Michigan Avenue Wheaton Avenue Park Street Water Street Michigan Avenue Kilgore Road Nottingham Avenue Palmer Avenue Gibson Street Hotop Avenue Riverside Cemetery Dr. Link Lane Fulford Street Michigan Avenue Burdick Street Michigan Avenue Woodlawn Avenue Oakland Drive Burdick Street Michigan Avenue Village Street Walnut Street Westnedge Avenue 33rd Street Normandy Avenue Limits of Study Area Michigan Avenue Centre Avenue Westnedge Avenue I-94 W.Br.Portage Creek Michigan Avenue Nazareth Road Oakland Drive Burdick Street (S. of Inkster) Township Line Westnedge Avenue U.S. 131 Interchange Engle Road U.S. 131 Interchange Portage Creek Kilgore Road I •IJ I II �The pavement width (with or without parking, two-way or one-way operation) is converted into a base capacity or service volume by means of a series of curves developed by the Highway Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. This base capacity is then adjusted to the proper level through computation according to the appropriate · factors listed previously. At this point the capacity of the portion of the intersection under analysis is known. This capacity is then compared to the existing volume in what is called the V/C Ratio*. By dividing the existing volume by the capacity the obtained value is the percentage of capacity at which the approach is operating. Capacity is affected by various physical conditions which, in turn, are varied as to the type of interruption to the flow of traffic. In the table below are some common deficiencies which reduce capacity: Cause Effect • • • • • • • • Incorrect Signal Timing or noninterconnected signals Hampers movement through intersection because platoon or group of vehicles from previous signal are not allowed to clear intersection. Poor Lane Definition Causes confusion as to vehicles entering the intersection overlapping into adjacent lanes. Poor turning lane indications (pavement markings and signing) Causes through traffic to become bogged in lanes reserved for turning movements. Non-use of reserved left-turn lane and left-turn signal in intersections with a high percentage left-turn movement. Intersection becomes clogged due to intermixing of left-turn vehicles with through vehicles. As a portion of the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study, a functional street network was defined and inventoried. From this inventory a capacity analysis was made and the various street segments were rated according to the V/C Ratio system explained previously. Each segment's rating was then compared to the maximum values set up for each functional classification. Maximum V/C* Values for Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study 1.00 0.90 0.85 0.80 Interstate Expressway Major Arterial Collector The street segments which are operating above the maximum V/C Value are listed in Table 1. * Volume to Capacity Ratio - 15 - �MAP 4 : l :! -:---•••-••••c·•••"• -••••••••••••••••• 'ii_____ r-----'~-+-------'-- ... -----______._ ~: ·1 : _,, ! ... _____ _::--.!'-'£ 'r~\ .:.t_. ~---···· !: ;! (: r•I , ___,__ ...... __:,..___ ... __• -----u --··----· •...• ····-' l -------------. --- ... -----+-----------------------! ,.) f ,.............. _.,,. ,_ .., ,._ . :::.:·::;:::::. :::~.:.~·-·· KALAMAZOO COONTY, MICHIGAN ··---"' ~- ··-•·•• ..............-•· ._ ·•· --••••..-h•••-n• ...... -........... ,........... LEGEND ~ SflHT EXISTING STREET NETWORK TRAFFIC - - MAJOl DE FICIENCIH UGfNO ... INSUfflClfNT 1969 ,..,.o,o<i ,.. HU l(AlAMA.tOO ,u,10,ouTAN COUlil'I' HANNING NlTWotC UHlUfAU k>AO svnu• IC»Jl6 •••·••• SICO..O.n 1°"'°6 - •--- ' AVfMfNT WIDTH CA,ACITY INSUPflCIENT IIGHT Or WAY COMMl$SION ,,. . . ,,.... , 16 ICHfllll AUOCIATU, INC /1. Do•h l . . •f CUDf I WIU IA.IIIS & AHOC , IMC' IMDf'Ui �•I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I SYSTEM CAPACITIES ANALYSIS The information presented in Table 1 indicates that several major arterials are severely overtaxed by the present-day volumes which they must carry. Among these are Westnedge Avenue, Portage Street, Mills Street, Riverview Drive and Oakland Drive, all of which serve as north-south arterials. In addition to these, other critical streets are Vande Giesen Road, which provides the only access between I-94 B.L. and Western Michigan University, Gull Road and a portion of Stadium Drive. While these are by no means the ~nly routes which are overtaxed, they are the ones which have V/C Ratios in excess of 1.35 and which also carry some of the highest volumes of traffic. Some of these V/C Ratios*are as high as 1.77 for a portion of Westnedge Avenue and 1.68 for Vande Giesen Road; and this is when no parking is permitted on them. These values are twice as high as the maximums previously established for arterial and collector streets. Maps 4 and 5 indicate which sections of the transportation system are deficient with respect to existing pavement width, right-of-way width and V/C Ratio*and serve as a graphical summarization of these deficiencies. ALIGNMENT The term alignment may refer to either the horizontal or vertical alignment of a street or road; both of which are contributing factors to the safety, comfort and operating speed on the road. Street and road maps provide reasonably accurate information relative to the horizontal alignment, but there is no method by which vertical alignment information may be readily obtained. For this reason only horizontal alignment will be considered in this report. Points of deficient alignment are indicated on Map 6. There are many roads in the county which are aligned in a manner which will not permit safe travel at a reasonable operating speed. Since many of these are secondary roads, the expense of eliminating any but the most critical points of poor alignment could probably not be justified. At the worst points, however, improvements should be made in order to avoid the accidents which are almost certain to occur if no changes are made. The majority of the locations indicated on the map of deficiencies in alignment are at abrupt right-angle jogs in the road and intersections at angles other than 90 degrees. Curves which permit moderate driving speeds in place of the existing sharp jogs would be desirable; and clearly defining signs and striping are the minimum measures which should be employed to make such roads safer. RAILROAD CROSSING PROTECTION There are 22 miles of railroad in the city and 115 miles in the county. Virtually every major arterial street in the city is intersected at least once by a railroad. Each of these intersections, which are atgrade, is a potential source of accidents and traffic congestion; and if traffic conditions are such that a separation in grade is warranted, * Volume to Capacity Ratio - 17 - �,-----------------------------------~MAP ~~S~ --- 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t'Ollt INSET Source, , MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE HIGHWAYS KAL,..MAZOO COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION KALAMAZOO TRAFFIC MICHIGAN DEF IC IE NC IE S Tl>• o••P•••"o" of '"" "'"P .,,.., ''"""""IIV 01,led !ho•th o fod••<al G•o•I l,o,.. II>• D•o•••••"' ol Ho,.,,.,, o•d U,t.o~ D~••loo.,••t, ••"•' ,1,. u,a.,. 1'11000, .. , LEGEND .......... ,. •• ,,.,,,.,.,., owtl>o<1ud l>y $,.c,,o., 101 of 11110 Ho"""' A<I ol 19.S~. O> ""'""dri, odo,lnl11u.-<1 II~ 1ho Mlc~igo" D•P<>•l•enr ol c............ . ""''"""""" INSUFFICIENT ••••• CAPACITY • 1• 1 • 1• INSUFFICIENT PAVEMENT WIDTH RIGHT Of WAY I I I ,,op41r,o4 fo, THE l(AIAMAlOO MEIIOl'OUU,N COUNTY ,t.t,l'INJNG CO,Y,MISSIO N /'repc,r•" ly SCHUU! AUOC., INC., o dl•loio,, o1 ClYOI!. f WllUJiMS & ASSOC~ INC., INOf't.$ I 18 �• • • • • • • • • • • • MAP 6 / ~\ ... .. ! ·\~ ! . ~---------------·········------------ ___ '•,., : \ '\,_ ·······-r········"'...... \...............'--++-----+--"'-r-----4--~ f. ~-·· l .: ·: i, :' : ;l:: d :. , ..: · __ 11 . ,,,.--;----···----0----;--··· ------------ ,.,--·········· _;::: ..--::-:•·· _/ .! .:/' ·: / ./ , I / j ~ - ~ --'-ill---'"'--1-~~--'-- ___ / ~--., : ·/··==·•"· L...·.:. ... ::::i_ _____:L.. 1 ...:··~ ~! •: •: •: 'l l ... i ( ..-· r-"'---'--f--'+½:l""---+---'---'---i- ------·--··· ----------·:··" :: ; / "--'--------1 ·:,,,,.==+=='"=9""=!1==l===l===sb,,,<f' : : ••~•,-,1,-'.. ..•..•• • :!! •.... .'~.L ••• .- : . •'• · • · •. J... I / , ,': :: J :,, r-·• ---~n .J.., / ················'····"..........."i / .............. ·....""···-··1·-·············-········· r:.) \-.....L.--'-'-'---- , ~- r-c....__,,.;-..:..::....- -, \! \:! i......,...... ·............. ······ ····································t· '"'............ ... / 1· ~ .-·· '------------------------------ 'i .. _____. . --.. . . ____:,_·_~ ___ , ____________________ : ;: :: l ________ ":,._:. _•--------~ : ,: ~ \ \ ········T····················•.... L ...····:~;·••·· ... ;l 'I ~j . ;,;.· ·- ... ,, . ............... -- . ···_ ·--. .................. ,......... ,wo>--.•••"lho ........ ..... ....... . •·· ....... •• •••••· •·•• _...,,.,.,,h, .. KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN LE GEND ~ . , . . _ , , ... , , OUOOHOO••• = EXISTING STREET NETWORK sn ut Ntt wo,u, •N IUHAI( IIOAO S'l'l!f M - - M AJ0t t 0AO$ ••--• •• U<;()N O.,,,IY •o....» LOCATIONS OF BAD ALIGNMENT 1969 • '• •••••,I"' 19 SCH f ll!I A UOC1 Af U INC A 0,.,,,, . ~ •I Cl'l'Ot ( W Hl' A/rillS & ASSOC ' NC •NOf'l. S �I this should be given consideration. Standards used in this portion of the study are those adopted for use in the 1970-1990 Michigan Highway Needs Study. The criteria by which the type of railroad crossing =, protection is determined is the exposure factor, a term which is applied to the product of the ADT* multiplied by the number of trains per day. Where the exposure factor is 200,000 or more, a separation in grade is required. At locations having a value of 3,000 or more, automatic signals and gates ar~ indicated. Information obtained regarding railroad crossings in the downtown area is contained in Table 2. The exposure factors which appear in Table 2 are in the 18,000 to 127,000 range which would normally indicate that no grade separations are warranted; but all of these crossings should be protected by automatic signals and gates. While safety is the primary concern of these standards, the decreased capacity and delays, which result from switching operations in particular, are of more than minor concern. Information obtained for these crossings indicates several 10-15 minute periods in the morning from 7:40 A.M. to 9:10 A.M. during which major streets are blocked by trains. This situation is undesirable at any time; but it is even more of a problem at a time when the traffic is near a peak. While these delays do not normally occur during the peak morning traffic, they do some immediately after it when there are still fairly high volumes on the streets thereby causing at least a great deal of inconvenience for many people. The cost of grade separations merely for the purpose of convenience is usually not justifiable. There- ,fore, a compromise must be effected between the railroads and the City to hold conflicts to a minimum by attempting to schedule switching. operations in a manner which is most compatible with traffic volumes. If this is not possible, grade separations might be given more serious consideration. I I I I I LOCATIONS OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION I I I I I The determination of points of traffic congestion within the area serves as one of the best indicators of the transportation system's needs. One approach to making such a determination is to consider the locations of the major traffic generators within the area since these are the most likely source of congestion. This applies only in a general manner, however; and it would be misleading to state unequivocally that all major traffic generators are the source of traffic congestion. They do provide a helpful guide in the search for points of congestion when further study is made of them. There are four types of generators which consistently create the most demand for ~ravel on a d~ily basi~--commercial, industrial, institutional and shopping areas. Tnese are illustrated on Map 7. There is a pattern which becomes apparent upon reviewing this map. The area between Portage Street and the Penn Central Railroad on the east side has a dense _ concentration of industrial and commercial land usage which continues northward through the city to the east of North Westnedge Avenue. South Westnedge Avenue has many commercial establishments along its entire length between Portage and Kalamazoo. The need for better access to the ,Western Michigan University Campus, as mentioned in other sections of this report, is also pointed up in reviewing the map of traffic generators. 1 I * Average Daily Traffic - 20 - I I �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • TABLE 2 EXPOSURE FACTORS FOR MAJOR R.R . INTERSECTIONS Description of Location No. of Observed Trains Per Day * ADT@ Crossing Exposure Factor (No. Trains Penn Central @ Patterson Street (NYC Tracks) 4 9,100 36,400 Penn Central@ Patterson Street (Penn Tracks) 3 10,500 31,500 Penn Central @ Walbridge Street 13 3,000 39,000 Penn Central @ Pitcher St. 12 8,600 103,200 Penn Central @ Westnedge Avenue 6 10,100 60,600 Penn Central @ Stockbridge Avenue 3 8,400 25,200 10 6,100 61,000 Penn Central@ Lake Street (Penn Tracks) 7 6,100 42,700 Penn Central@ Cork Street (NYC Tracks) 8 9,500 76,000 Grand Trunk Western @ Miller Street 4 4,400 17,600 Penn Central @ Vande Giesen Road 5 9,400 47,000 Penn Central @ Portage St. 4 16,000 64,000 Penn Central @ Michigan Ave. 8 15,900 127,200 Penn Central @ West Main St. 3 19,900 59,700 Penn Central @ Lake Street (NYC Tracks) * Average Daily Traffic - 21 - X ADT)* �. MAP 7 8A""" COUNTY I I ~ I t • ~-tr1 i'J !) E . jJ T I' • 0 / ( \b.. l .../ KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN MAJOR TRAFFIC GENERATORS lEGENO -- @ COMMUCIAl IN0VSU!"I ;.;;·,',:.::;_':;,\' UNlVEUlTY - s11on,NG cu-i10 ............ ....... . . .:: ::-~•·:":.:·•::,·:::·· 1.·::~;: ,;,_, .............. . .................. ,,,~,. .. , ••••'"~ • •••••'••• o, h,,,.,. ,.I ·····•·..•··•.... 1•,,......... ... K A L AMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 22 PLANNING COMMISSION �•I I • •I • I I I I I I I I I I There are many points of congestion which are not revealed by such cursory inspection; but the ones pointed out here are mentioned because of the magnitude of the problem when the bulk of the generators is involved. A review of the volume maps and the volume to capacity ratios of the streets and roads in the area will bring many more isolated problems to light as the Maps 4 and 5, showing deficiencies, point out . PROJECTED LAND USE PATTERNS The land use patterns of an area, both present and future, are the primary dictators of what improvements are needed in that area's transportation network. The type and extent of use of the various segments of land create the travel demands of the area. The 1990 Land Use Plan, as shown in the Land Use Plan Report, illustrates the expected land use patterns for the next twenty years. This serves as a guide in the selection of which routes should be improved and the possible need for new streets or roads by indicating what future travel demands are likely to arise as well as which land will yield the most economical right-of-way. The results of using this information in the development of the alternative and final transportation networks for the Kalamazoo Area are discussed in later portions of this report. COMMUTING PATTERNS OF INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYEES A survey was made of the fifteen largest industries throughout the Kalamazo0 Metropolitan Area for the purpose of establishing the home location of the individual employees by industry in order to determine their commuting travel patterns. The commuting patterns were collected for the purpose of comparing the information resulting from the survey with the information collected and provided by the Michigan Department of State Highways in its origin and destination study of the Kalamazoo Metropolitan Area taken during the fall of 1966. The industries surveyed were grouped into common geographical areas and the home locations of the employees of the respective industries were plotted on a series of overlays, whereby desire lines were established from home to work. The information resulting from this study not only · provided desire line patterns of the employees of the major industries within the area, but also provided information relative to land use characteristics concerning residential concentrations and their relation to the industrial employment centers. Nine of fifteen employers within the metropolitan area employing more than 500 persons per industry were used in the study. Information from the other six employers having more than five hundred employees per firm could not be used for the reason that these firms had more than one plant location within the study area, and had no appropriate records - 23 - �designating the location of the plant at which each employee worked. However, of the nine industries used in the survey a total of 7,129 trip patterns were recorded. Map 8 indicates the results of this study. DEVELOPMENT OF THE FINAL PLAN INTRODUCTION The development of the interim proposals for the Kalamazoo County Transportation Plan will be covered in this portion of the report. Intermediate steps in the selection of the most desirable plan began with the refinement of the preliminary needs and the determination of class~fications and standards for development. Alternate plans were then established for the urban transportation network and evaluated according to their relative merits from various aspects to include: (a) (b) (c) (d) compatibility with plans of other governmental agencies distance and travel times feasibility from design and construction standpoints estimated costs The final selection was then made for a total transportation network to be implemented in stages from the present until its completion in 1990. The alternate urban transportation plans for sections of new construction, Maps 10 through 13, present approximate locations only. I I I I I I 1 I I I DETERMINATION OF CLASSIFICATION .I The streets and roads of the Kalamazoo Area have been organized into two systems of classification. These are the legal classification as shown in Map 9 and the functional classification as applied to the 1990 Interim Vehicular Circulation Concept for Kalamazoo County Map 14). The former system applies to Federal Aid Highways which are placed in one of three categories--Interstate, Federal Aid Primary (FAP), or Federal Aid Secondary (FAS). With minor exceptions, FAP and FAS highways form an interconnected network serving both urban and rural areas. However, the selection of individual routes of the Secondary System often has been influenced by the need for improvement and the availability of Federal funds rather than by service characteristics. The objective of the legal classification is to concentrate attention on important arterial facilities to assure their early improvement and facilitate travel. The functional classification has more significance in this study; and it is the one to be employed in applying the standards for development. Highway systems have been functionally classified in various terms by different governmental agencies. Because of the availability of material and associated data for Kalamazoo County, the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission has decided to apply the Federal Highway Functional Classification. This system places all - 24 - I I I I 1 I I I �• • • • • • • • • •I I I I I I I I I .., ... ~,, At..U;8AM COUNTV . ~ .. [ ) C ; ! ; ~ ~ ! ! 2 i: • ,,~,,a,11a ~ r • 7\ -• r ~ E E E Ii I I i • ~ \r i-- . r AIAhl 0 -- - ~ : : ... ! MAP 8 co l I - -+- -- I °' I';: 1 r t I t C - ?.,,,, ... ~-, --,, ~ - • " !Lr -'Jf,.•:_;.; ~ ~ - ~ - 01. \~) :.. .f.\ _,t__ v /' -'1,lA5 ·r - ... ·R~-(J _. eA ' • ·--, ·1 '" If ' - • l JI .i.l T- .A. J ;Ju l + 1 • T KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN j WORKING 1 TRIPS ................... ... ••• ,~,., .... , •·••· ............... (I,,., ......................... .... . , '"-•••·•••.. ••.... M,rn•o•••••••• , ''""'"' ' '·•t••• _, ............ ,... HI •• ,............. ,.i,.,_,,,.. •••"'" lor KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY - 25 - KMIUII Al$0CIA1U, INC,. A IH• l • I•• •I Cl'l'Ot I WIUIAMI & ASSOC .. I WC , IHOftS, PLANNING COMMISSION �~ I roads and streets into one of three broad groups according to the character of service they are intended to provide--Arterial, Collector ~ and Local Access. Discounting the last classification, which will not be considered in this study, the remaining groups are further subdivided into statewide and regional· arterial, local arterial, principal collector and secondary collector~ all as used in Map 14. The basis for formulating a functional classification of a particular route relies on the concept that the purpose of any street or highway is first, to move traffic and second, to provide access to property. All streets and roads serve both of these purposes in varying degrees. Arterial routes provide the highest degree of mobility and the least access to land, while collector routes offer a lower degree of mobility with increased access to adjacent land. Due consideration of such factors as distribution of trip lengths in a given area, volume of traffic, desirable operating speed and spacing of streets is the reason for further breakdown of the classifications. I I I ~ I ARTERIALS Statewide Arterials The primary function of Statewide Arterial Highways is to provide the highest level of traffic mobility available on the total highway system. These provide direct and unrestricted routings between major metro~ politan centers and principally serve movements between rather than· within activity areas. These are generally located in widely spaced corridors of concentrated travel desire and are characterized by: high capacity design thereby facilitating sustained high speeds; minimal ingress and egress; and, continuity of routing for regional or inter-regional travel movements. These facilities should serve the longest trip desires in an expeditious manner. These should also link and serve major sections of metropolitan areas, carrying a majority of the total arterial travel on a minimum mileage with the highest degree of service. The system of highways should include all sections of the Interstate Highway System. I Regional Arterials Regional Arterial Highways interconnect and augment the Statewide Arterial Highways, forming a continuous network of highways which will efficiently serve major travel desires in all areas of the state. A primary function is to inter-connect major population and economic activity centers not served by Statewide Arterial Highways. These highways also provide service to other large areas of special interest and recreation areas which generate or attract a substantial amount of traffic, occasionally subordinating directness of routing in order to perform this secondary function. However, these offer a high degree of trip continuity either alone or as an extension of the Statewide Arterial System. - 26 - I �I I I MAP 9 .... }~;!'-~!.. ! I,, • ""; ./·. · •I •...t= -;tt~"-'---v""'•~---iH;-~~--------'"'! ,.,. ,. ,: i I l l, I., I -l ~ ~ i..,- ..... 1M.J'AIAi- I •I I I I I ............·•···•'............. -······--· .......... ·-·--..·•··. ....................... .. ··-•··••·• ..·-•··· .... KALAMAZOO COUNT Y, MICHIGAN lfGENO ' - - .1,14/0• •OAD\ ------- UCO ... DAn EXISTING STREET NETWORK APPROVED FEDERAL AID SYSTEM .. 1969 m=-= 27 a •cAOS lEGE_ND 1,1111 INTERSTATE AND PRIMARY -PRIMARY ••••••· SECONDARY (STAT E) • • . ,. ,. SEC ON DARY (COUNTY) �Local Arterials Streets in this classification provide service to trips of moderate length at a somewhat lower level of travel mobility than the major arterials. They distribute travel within geographic areas which are smaller than those identified with the higher systems. Local Arterials include those facilities which serve a secondary arterial function at the local level, placing more emphasis on land access than the higher systems and offering a lower level of traffic mobility. They also provide service between smaller cities and connect these cities with the higher arterial systems. They should not, however, penetrate identifiable neighborhoods. COLLECTORS Principal Collectors Rural - These roads function primarily as collector-distributor roads for relatively large areas. These also provide service between minor population and economic centers within the county. Traffic mobility and trip continuity are not as essential as on Local Arterials and serving thru-traffic may not be a major consideration. Access controls are not provided on these routes thereby permitting a high level of service to adjacent properties. These streets may also serve secondary traffic generators such as schools, parks and areas with high population densities. I I I I I Urban - These streets serve as extensions to the rural collector routes. The primary function of these streets is to serve substantial traffic volumes, the majority of which are intra-urban area in character. These may provide proximity service to commercial, industrial and residential land uses. Accordingly, in commercial and industrial areas, these streets may be designed and constructed to accommodate heavy vehicles with provisions for additional illumination, pedestrian movements, parking lots and loading docks. These streets may also serve secondary traffic generators. Secondary Collectors Rural - The prime function of Secondary Collector Roads and Streets is to provide traffic service between Local Roads and Streets and higher classified routes. Traffic served will essentially be generated from a relatively large area, although this area will be substantially less than the service area of the Principal Collectors. Ease of access is a major consideration in the design of these streets. Route continuity is of limited importance since traffic will utilize these routes for only a small portion of their total trip length. Urban - Unlike principal collectors, urban secondary collectors do not serve as an extension of the Rural Secondary Collector, since the area they serve is limited. In residential areas, these facilities are designed to discourage through traffic. - 28 - I I I �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CLASSIFIED MILEAGE The total highway system of Kalamazoo County is miles of streets and roads. Of this total, 564 urban areas while 1063 miles lie throughout the county. Further mileage consideration is given tiation is made by functional classification. URBAN CLASSIFICATION Statewide & Regional Arterial Local Arterial Principal Collector Secondary Collector made up of some 1627 miles are located in rural portions of the below where differen- RURAL 20.38 Miles 35.84 67.66 62.82 II II II 41.10 Miles 43.65 127.38 II 216. 87 II STANDARDS FOR DEVELOPMENT In order to provide for improvement of existing routes _in the transportation network and construction of new ones, certain standards must be established to which such sections of new or improved streets and roads must conform. Standardization~of the various classifications of routes serves a varity of purposes. It ensures the adequacy of all measures taken to upgrade the system and simplifies the preparation of plans and specifications for various construction contracts. From a less practical standpoint, it develops uniformity of the system, thus providing a certain degree of asthetic value. There are several typical sections contained in this report in Figures 1 through 7 illustrating the width of pavement, shoulder width, right-of-way, etc., to be adopted as standards for the different sections of both urban and rural routes. The only information necessary to determine which typical section is to be applied is the functional classification of the street or road in question and an approximate traffic volume on the portion being considered. The functional classification may be found in the plan on Map 14 and traffic volumes of the major streets are available from Maps 2 and 3. If the route in question is not shown in these figures; it will be necessary to either take a traffic count or estimate the volume. * The standards used in this report were obtained from the Michigan State Needs Study. - 29 - �----------------.... - • URBAN STATEWIDE ARTERIAL I PROPERTY I 6 O' _ L INE~~t------------'~'......_ 79' I MEDIAN 6-=.0_'- - - - - - - + t -...P-:-ROPERTY _ __ _ _ _-l--4~ t _ - ~ - - ----___:.1-=. LI NE 3' 36' 20' 24' 15' 12' I I I I 79' 20' Shi r. I I Pavement Curb J ~ 3-LANES 2-LANES MAXIMUM OEVELOPEMENT-6 LANES INTERMEDIATE DEVELOPEMENT-4 LANES FU LL ACCESS CONTROL DESIGN SPEED- 70 M. P.H. REGIONAL ARTERIAL MEDIAN 100' PROPE RTY LIN E 4' 28 1 36' 2 2' 28' PR oPERTY LIN E 100' ~ 40' - 12 24' - (2.' 28 1 4' I I I Curll -- Walk ~ a G1.1tter I I ~·. --~--- -· _.., ·,_. ·..·~:":.-.·, :: p --,-, I Curb 8 Gutt&r Pavement . .,, w 3-LANES Povemut .•:.: 4' :_.·,. ·- ~ ·.:-:.. _.:. ::;1 I Walk I ··~·--- 2-LANES MAXIMUM DEVELOPEMENT-6 LANES INTERMEDIATE DE VELO PE ME NT- 4 LANES ACCESS CONTROL- PARTIAL DESIGN SPEED-60M.P.H. 1969 SCH ELLIE ASSOCIATES, I NC. A Division of CLYDE E. WILLIAMS - 30 - a ASSOC.,INC., I NDPLS. ~ I I �• • • •I •I - LOCAL ARTERIAL a URBAN PRINCIPAL COLLECTORS PROPERT~Y -.l-o_ _ _ __ _ R_IG_H_T_-_0F_·_W_A_Y_;_(S_e_e_B_e1_o_w~ ) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.....,.._P_ROPERTY LINE LINE 4' DIM. "A" .2' DI ht ''A" PAVEMENT WIDTH 4' , I I I ( I I/ Curb a Gutte r I Walk Walk Pavementl l .-.: :.•.·, It I :-:~··.~·.·1: ...._.. :·.:~:··.=.:..::,-: ~- .. ~~.. :A·;.:.: ~ , --1 I I I I I I I I I DESIGN PAV'T Ho. of w SPEE.D WIDTH LANES 1201 45' M.P.K 60 1 5 24' 86' 45'M .PH. 48' 4 13' 66 ' 45'M. P. H. 28' 2 13 RI DIM. "A" 1 SECONDARY COLLECTORS PR0PE.;.;. RT.:....Y.,___.,_ _ _ _ _ _ R-'-IG _ H_T_·..c.. 0 _F ....:·W .;.;.A_ Y~ (S::..::ec=-e..::cB~•l:...:.o..::.w.:....)_ _ _ _ ___,~PRc:..:0:..a.PERTY L I NE L I NE PAVEMENT WIDTH 4' DIM."A" 1:i!' I~ DIM. "A" 4' I I 1,,-Curb a Gi,tter (Pavement Walk ~t). I 11 ll~.L·:-~.---._,. . .,._. .,._ -: : ..::-::.-~::_-.:-:.,:-: ._.-~~:-:"? : :"?-~=1°: =1,:--:._. :·:-:... :::-,._~:~~ ·:""" ·=·.,.,. _'!-·:--#. :.-..LA •• "1w DESIGN PAV'T. No . of SPEED WIDTH LANES 100' 40'M.P.H. 60 ' 5 14' 86' 40'M.P.H. 48' 4 13' 66 1 30' M.P.H. 28 ' 2 13 1 JP;i,JII.: - DIM."A" 1969 SCH ELLIE ASSOCIATES, INC. A Di v, s l on of CLYDE E. WILLIAMS - 31 - a ASSOC.,INC., INDPLS. �RURAL a STATEWIDE ARTERIAL I 150 1 PRoPERT LINE 49' 20' 36 1 10' 8' REGIONAL ARTERIAL MEDIAN t. USO' 24 1 8' 39' 27' lcf hi¢ Shi PROPE~T LINE 49' 2d Shldr. I I I 3-LANES ~ 2 - LANES MAXIMUM DEVELOPEMENT-6 LANES DESIGN VOLUME -OVER 23,000A.D.T. 1 I LOCAL ARTERIAL Cf it_ MEDIANP PAVEMENT -~ I I ----------------- I 75 1 PROPERTY LIN i II' 10' 60' PROPERTY LINE 2! 12' Shldr. 10' 20' 18 1 2-LANES DESIGN VOLUME- OVER 5,000 A . D.T. OE SIGN VOLUME - 2,000 TO e,oooA .D.T. RIGHT- OF-WAY I !50' RIGHT-OF-WAY I 2 0 1 ACCESS CONTROL-NONE 1969 SCHELLIE ASSOCIATES, I NC. A Div i • ion of CLYDE E. WILLIAMS - 32 - I r ' Shldr. 4-LANES ~ I FULL TO PARTIAL ACCESS CONTROL i I I INTERMEDIATE DEVELOPEMENT- 4 LANES DESIGN VOLUME- 5,000 TO 23,000A.D,T. RIGHT-OF-WAY 300 I I I a ASSOC., INC., INDPLS. �1....-----------~--------- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure 3 RURAL PRINCIPAL 8a SECONDARY COLLECTORS It't...(£_ PAVEMENT~I DIM."A" PROPE~R~T~Y-----~D~IM=·~"A~'-'_ ___.•~..LINE DIM ." C" DIM ."B" 6' Shldr. _!'lt,f'B" Shid PROPERTY LINE DIM'. 'C" 5' DIM'.'o Benn 11 SECTION MAIi 11 SECTION B ACCESS CONTROL- NONE DESIGN SECTION A VOLUME 2000 to enno 8 120' 2 41 10 1·Treattd 60' 12' 20' I8 100' 24' e'- eo• 121 20 1 10 86 1 2 4' 43' 12 1 Varies Vories 86 1 2 2' 43' I I' w PAV'T 11 DIM"A' DIM.11 8' 011.t"C" DIM. D11 1 A .D.T A B WIDTH SH LOR . WI OT H ll TYPE R1 400 to 790 A. D. T. 0 to 400A.0.T. Gravel 1 1969 Varies Varin SCH ELLIE ASSOCIATES, I NC. A Division of CLYDE E. WILLIAMS - 33 - a ASSOC.,INC., INDPLS. �. ~ I I I I I I :J I •• I MAP 10 BARRY COUNTY AL.Lf8JloN COUNTV ~ ' ~ ~~;~ii~ ~ • ! i - --Ir-- s ' R ; •• •~ I I Ii z •g -i I ~- ) r { r' r KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN LEGEND 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO 1 A INTERCHANGE e Gll:,'0E &Et>ARAflON no .............. ,.,. ••• .•-l•••••t ................... _,,,.......... . ...... ............................ , ....,.... . ..... . ....... 1. ..... , •• • •• ,. , .. .,.:,,,., •••ij"••"•••••• . .................. ,u,,0!Hoo,i o0 KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN - COUNTY 34 - PLANNING COMMISSION JI I I I I I I I I I I I �ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANS • Alternative No. 1 (Map No. 10) Location - Plan No. 1 utilizes a business loop connecting with B.L. 131 at Westnedge Avenue and continuing east to the east side of the Riverside Cemetery and then turning south until it reaches East Michigan Avenue. From East Michigan Avenue the route must bend either east or west to clear the railroad wye and then bend back toward the Penn Central Railroad at Reed Street. The route returns to a southerly bearing until it is just south of Cork Street where i t turns west and parallels Cork Street and Whites Road to Oakland Drive. From the intersection of Oakland Drive and Whites Road the route runs northwesterly toward Nichols Road• Then midway between West Main Street and West Michigan Avenue i t turns north and runs along Nichols Road to Alamo Avenue. The loop is completed by running northeasterly to B.L. 131 where i t curves from a southeasterly bearing to an easterly bearing. An expressway is also incorporated which runs from U.S. 131 and "U" Avenue along the general location of Shaver Road to Romence Road and then along the Penn Central Railroad from Romence Road to B.L. 131. • • Improvements on West Main Street and Stadium Drive between the business loop and U.S. 131 as well as new construction connecting B.L. 94 a~d King Highway to the loop on the east side are also needed for the loon to function properly. -,,, Justification - Use of B.L. 131 on the north saves nearly half of the construction and right-of-way costs of the north leg. Location of the east leg is dictated by the necessity of avoiding construction in the Riverside Cemetery and also the desirability of by-passing the Penn Central Railroad wye and switch yards. The southern portion of the east leg follows the railroad and then runs south through a corrider of sparsely-developed land which can be acquired less expensively than other routes farther to the west. The area immediately south of Cork Street and Whites Road is not heavily developed and traffic studies indicate moderately heavy demands this far south, making this a good location for the south leg of the belt. The west leg of the business loop is located in such a manner as to avoid disrupting existing development Western Michigan University and yet provide convenient transportation between the university and the rest of the county. The northern portion of the west leg provides for minimal interference with the present land usage. Several existing highways are in need of realignment and reconstruction whether this loop is constructed or not-especially those on the east side of the city where East Michigan Avenue, King Highway and B.L. 94 cross the east leg of the proposed belt. The location of the east leg takes advantage of this situation by being far enough east that the connectors to these routes are not very long thereby resulting in savings on realignment costs. of - 35 - �.. MAP 11 l!IARl'tV COUNTY Au..J!:SAN COUNTY '; ' 5! := E E tJ 11 !:: -/\ E a ~ i Ji i; i E E E. ~ i:i w i; .-'-~~~-"-I--~-,.'--I - ½ ) __... 1 l• ; ~ ' < I / ' f:1 I I ~1 ~ l i g i R i ~ t r C I T 1i •' ' ~ KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO 2 th • .... LEGEND A INTERCHANGE ••••••••11o.,., ,..., ••••'"•-~••• ..••••••••• .. ••·••O•••• ........ _, ...................... .......... ,,._,,. _..,.,,.,.,h,•-"'' ....... ............. - ••• ,...... w, .. , ' ' ' " ... _uo ......... , •• o•o,Oo0 Pt o poro<II ~, KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN COUNTY 36 - SCMllUE AUOCIAtU, INC, A Dh•h••~ of (\°n,f I WIUl<Uill & AHOC., IMC., ~ PLANNING COMMISSION I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �The north-south expressway through the eastern portion of the CBD is provided primarily as a solution to the travel problems which exist between Portage and Kalamazoo. This will be a high type facility with full access control on the portion south of the south leg of the loop. Its location utilizes the lower cost land adjacent to the old NYCRR as much as possible. The loop as proposed will connect all major routes into Kalamazoo and provide convenient and efficient travel for traffic desiring to bypass the city as well as connecting all parts of the city with a highspeed route. Congestion in the CBD will be greatly relieved an<l maintenance costs on city routes reduced by the decreased traffic - particularly truck traffic. Land outside the belt will become more attractive from a development aspect since travel between it and Kalamazoo will be improved. ~ • Alternative No. 2 (Map No.11) Location - Plan No. 2 is identical to Plan No. 1 with the exception of the south leg of the business loop and the deletion of the expressway between Portage and Kalamazoo in favor of one farther to the west. The southern portion of the east leg runs south from King Highway at its bend from an east-west to a northwest-southeast alignment west of the railroad wye and continues until it is south of Reed Street where it turns west and follows an alignment parallel to Howard Street to its intersection with Stadium Drive. The expressway to the Portage area follows Oakland Drive from where it intersects West Michigan Avenue until it reaches Howard Street. It then runs on a generally southern bearing along a line just east of Pikes Pond and Whites Lake until it intersects B.R. 131. Justification - In general the reasons for locating Plan No. 2 in this manner are the same as those for Plan No. 1. By moving the south lea up to Howard Street it is possible to decrease the required mileage of new construction by approximately 2½ miles without sacrificing a great deal in the service which it will provide. The expressway to the Portage area is also less expensive because it calls for 5-6 miles less new construction; and its route is such that not much disruption of heavily developed land is required. The use of Oakland Drive for a portion of it also contributes to the economy of this route. Alternative No. 3 (Map No.12) Location - Plan No. 3 is based on a business loop with the east leg of it formed by the same route as described in Plan No. 1 for serving the Portage area. The only variation in the Portage route is that the route would stay east of the NYCRR until it crossed it about 3/4 mile above Schoolcraft and then connect to U.S. 131 just north of Schoolcraft. The south leg parallels Howard Street from the NYCRR to - 37 - �MAP 12 l!JAFU'l:V COUNTY l a ~ ~ ~ I '' '' I I I I I I I I I I wu Hl!lilll I I I / . ~- ,. ( ' ~ R ~ t· ! j ~ , ~ ! ~ - i ! g _J } ·) I . ,.,,, 7 ! I -rl- r--T a ~ ! ! i ' ' i KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO 3 :;::::.::i:.,..••....,·:....,""::.:.~ •••••..•.... , .:::......... ....,..... ............... ..._........._,.". ,....... ,,,.. ,., .,_...,. 0,, . . , ~ ....,.,. ,.._ _ .. ,n,...,._.,,,.,,• - KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN - COUNTY 38 - PLANNING i I COMMISSION i ' I , I I I I I I I �• • ■ B. L. 94 and turns north along an alignment which is approximately the same as that of Campbell Avenue to form the west leg of the loop. The north leg alignment follows a line north of Patterson Stree t and parallel to it. S.R. 43, East Main Street, King Highway and B.L. 94 on the east side will all require improved alignment in making connections with the east leg of the loop. Justification - The smaller loop presented in this plan would make travel from one side of the city to the other more attractive than using the existing through routes since a driver does not need to travel such an indirect route as with the larger loop. It must be observed, however, that this smaller loop results in no savings in mileage because of the need to reconstruct the routes leading to it on the east side. Plan No. 3 has 27 miles of construction--either new or improvements of existing roads--as compared with 27 miles in Plan No. 1 and 18 miles for Plan No. 2. This loop dies very little to encourage development of the less developed land bordering the city because it doesn't reach out far enough to decrease travel time between these areas and the CBD. Improvement of the connections to routes on the east side should be made whether the loop is constructed or not; and so these costs are not directly a result of this specific plan. This is also true of the last mile of construction on the expressway through Schoolcraft which is needed regardless of whether the entire expressway is built. Alternative No. 4 (Map No.13) Location - Plan No. 4 is composed basically of two north-south and two .east-west routes through Kalamazoo. One north-south route on the east side is the same as that proposed in Plan No. 1 to serve the Portage area except that in Plan No. 4 this route ends at the intersection of Westnedge Avenue and the NYCRR tracks north of Center St. The northsouth route on the west side is the existing route of Douglas Avenue from B.R. 131 and its extension southward to Oakland Drive. On the north side an east-west route follows the alignment of Parsons and Mable Streets from S.R. 43 at Riverview Drive to the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Alamo Avenue. The remaining east-west route on the south side runs from the intersection of King Highway and B.L. 94 to Stadium Drive along an alignment approximately the same as Walnut Street. Justification - This is the least costly of any of the plans presented since very little right-of-way must be acquired. The routes follow existing streets for the most part; and even if total reconstruction were involved, which is not the case, only 16 miles of streets and roads are involved. The practicality of total reconstruction is subject to question because of the cost of additional right-of-way and the degree of disruption which this would entail. The plan has merit - 39 - �MAP 13 15A"l'tV COUNTY ~~~i~f~i~f ~t, ~ !g•iRA ' '' ' ~ S K 3 I I I I I I I ./ ~ ' €) - . ' - -~ -- ' )t ._.____,, t . r ._, f a 1 -- i-~ I I I I l!;\~1( I KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN 1990 ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NO 4 I ........ .. ,1 ••• • ,.,. . . . ••• "•oulo•, .,.• .. ••••••• ••••••••O•••• .....................••••••h" ........... .. .. ....... n, ,, .......,.. ...., ............ .. .. , . . . 0DOOO H H OO Ol ... 0 '1 0 0 000 U, ooo oui.,,..-, o,,,,.. ~ KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN - 40 COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION I I �• • • • • ,. • • • • • • • • in its ability to provide at least a stop-gap type of solution to many of the existing transportation problems for a minimum expenditure. With partial access control these improvements will serve as continuous routes through the city by connecting the arterials into the city; and also serve the CBD by permitting access to it from the major downtown streets. This plan is far from an ultimate solution to the transportation problem; but it is certainly worth considering as an early step toward relieving some of the present congestion and will continue to be a valuable supplement to any more sophisticated transportation network which might be implemented in the more distant future. PLANS OF OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES In order to avoid duplication of efforts, as well as possible conflicts, in analyzing the needs of the system and proposing future transportation plans, it is necessary to determine what information is available and what plans have been formulated by the various governmental agencies involved in the area. This would possibly involve the programs of adjacent counties and the State agencies as well as those within Kalamazoo County. Meetings have been held with representatives of all concerned agencies and their comments solicited in regard to any proposals under consideration. The result of these meetings has been a coordinated effort toward the arrival at solutions to many problems which now exist in the area. DESCRIPTION OF THE FINAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN Urban In selecting the most desirable of the alternative transportation plans, portions of the four urban plans which have already been described were selected and combined with some routes not previously considered to form what is felt to be an optimum total transportation system for Kalamazoo County. Graphic representations of the following description of that system is found in the 1990 Interim Vehicular Circulation Concept (Map 14) . In the legend for this map the term "proposed corridor" refers to sections of new construction. These are approximate locations only and will most certainly deviate from the route indicated at some locations when more detailed information becomes available from preliminary route location surveys. It should be noted also that for reference purposes, each section of new construction has been arbitrarily assigned a "section number" which in no way pertains to the order of proposed construction. The heart of the system, as with the other systems considered, is a loop of expressways encircling the central portion of Kalamazoo and an expressway connecting Kalamazoo with the Portage Area. The proposed loop is described as follows: Beginning at the intersection of B.R. 131 and Westnedge Avenue and continuing in an easterly direction along the north side of Riverside Cemetery to its east boundary; thence southerly along the east boundary of Riverside Cemetery and southwesterly along the general line of the NYCRR tracks to the intersection with Reed Street; thence west along a line south of and parallel to Reed Street as far as Stadium Drive; thence making a curve from west - 41 - �to north and continuing in a northerly direction along Nichols Street and Nichols Street extended to the south; thence making a curve from a northerly to an easterly bearing beginning at the intersection of Nichols Street and Ravine Road and following a line south of and parallel to "G" Avenue as far as the Penn R.R.; thence southerly along the Penn RR to B.R. 131 extended to the east which is approximately 1/2 mile east of the point of beginning of this description. The east leg of the loop described above extends to the north about 2 miles north of "G" Avenue and runs south along the NYCRR from Howard Street to "P" Avenue and then turns southeast toward the point where Long Lake Drive passes between Long Lake and Austin Lake. It then follows Long Lake Drive to a point about 1 mile north of the GTWRR and curves around the east and south corporate limits of Vicksburg and terminates at 24th Street south of the Penn RR crossing. The north leg of the loop continues to the east along "G" Avenue from the Penn RR to the intersection of 25th Street and "G" Avenue. There are several factors which have an influence on the selection of this ultimate transportation network; and in most cases a location chosen on the basis of any single factor will be in direct opposition to at least one of the other factors which needs to be considered. The optimum solution to the problem of selecting a location for a proposed segment of road or street, therefore, must be a compromise of the criteria used in making such a determination. Above all other. considerations, a route must be capable of carrying traffic between the points which are indicated to be the desired origin or destination of a significant volume of vehicles. The route should achieve this purpose in a safe, efficient and economical manner and with a minimum disruption of the already established land use in order to preserve the status quo of the social and economic conditions of the area involved. While striving not to disturb the existing conditions, the route must be one which will serve the future demands created by population growth and the expansion of developed land. The selection of the route for a loop around the city was governed by first determining what distinct limitations were placed on the choice of a route by the existing land use in the city. Foremost among such items were the location of Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo State Hospital, Western Michigan University and the railroads. These were considered to be areas to be avoided if at all possible; and in doing so, much of the loop falls into a fairly evident location. By looking at the information from Origin & Destination studies, traffic volume data and the existing transportation system, the selection becomes even more limited. For a business loop to fulfill its purpose it should be far enough from the CBD to collect traffic from the routes leading to the CBD before they become congested and distribute the traffic to its various destinations. It must, on the other hand, not be so distant from the CBD that its use is discouraged because a driver can reach his destination more efficiently by continuing to use the existing routes. In general, a driver must travel - 42 - I I I I I I I I I I I I �• • • • ,, farther when using the loop; but the distance travel is offset by the fact that he is able to reach his destination in less time and with more driving comfort than was possible under the previous conditions. When this is not the case, the loop has failed to serve its intended purpose. The east leg of the loop is located so as to by-pass Riverside Cemetery, clear the NCYRR wye and then follow the railroad south to "P" Avenue. Land along the railroad right-of-way provides lower cost right-of-way due to its undesirability for residential developme~t. Connections to arterials on this side are made before these routes merge and become completely congested. The south leg avoids the State Hospital and Western Michigan University and then turns north by-passing W.M.U. on its west side yet provides an urgently needed access to the university. The loop continues northward to Barney Road where it begins a curve to the east with the curve becoming an easterly tangent a little west of the intersection of Douglas Avenue and "G" Avenue. Development of the land in this northwest corner of the belt should become more attractive with the access provided to it. The north leg passing through Parchment and ending at 25th Street will do the same for this area as well as serving the areas which are already being used. Completing the loop is the southern segment of a new route along the Penn RR from B.R. 131 extended to the east and running north to a point about l¼ miles south of "D" Avenue. From the south end of this route an extension of U.S. 131 runs along the north side of Riverside Cemetery and connects with the east leg of . the loop. The loop as proposed achieves several goals and does so in an economical manner. It connects all major routes through the city making quick access possible to any part of the city. It permits through traffic to by-pass the city; and it will serve to create future development of land which is not presently attractive for development. The location of the loop encompasses the area of the highest traffic volumes with a few exceptions. Connections to the loop and provision for travel within the area bounded by the loop are the function of sections 21, 23, 24, 25 and 26. Sections 14 and 15, in conjunction with section 12, serve the Portage area and Vicksburg with a high speed limited access route having six lanes on section 14 and two lanes on section 15. Traffic volumes are sufficient to justify the six-lane section if only the present traffic is considered. Rural Most of the proposed new rural highways in the county are relatively short segments which serve one of two purposes -- improved alignment of existing roads or completion of gaps in existing roads, thereby forming continuous routes across the county. In addition to these purposes which are the predominant ones, some sections of the proposed routes provide a by-pass of urban areas for faster and safer travel or serve as connectors between the county and state routes and the urban areas. - 43 - �The alignment of Sixth and Eighth Streets has been improved and a continuous north-south route formed on the west side of the county. Twelfth Street is made continuous along the west edge of Kalamazoo. Long Lake Drive and Twenty-fourth Street will join into a continuous north-south facility alon~ the east side of Kalamazoo. A continuous north-south route is possible with improved alignment by the new segments connecting Thirty-second, Thirty-fourth and Thirty-sixth Streets through the eastern portion of the county. East-west trans-county facilities are provided by the following roads when connected with the appropriate proposed segments: "D" Avenue and S.R. 89 cross the northern portion of the county; "H" and "G" Avenues on the north side of the city; S.R. 96 and S.R. 43 pass through the center of the city. "MN" and "N" Avenues serve the east half of the county on the south edge of Kalamazoo. "Q" Avenue and Centre Avenue serve central Portage, and "W" Avenue crosses southern Kalamazoo County without any new construction involved. State Roads 43 and 96 are rerouted to by-pass the central portion of Richland; and in the same manner U.S. 131 and Long Lake Drive bypass Schoolcraft and Vicksburg, respectively. Part of 'the route proposed to by-pass Kalamazoo and Parchment on the north-east side is already under construction and will form a completed facility when joined with the subsequently proposed section at its north end. 'I'he grid system resulting from the previously described roads is su.ch that the maximum distance between parallel trans-county roads is six miles. This means that no point in the county is more than three miles from a through route in any direction; and in the majority of cases the distance is only half of this. I I I I I I I I I I I A summary of the proposed sections for new construction is presented in the following table. As previously stated, the corresponding section numbers have .been arbitrarily assigned and in no way pertain to the order of proposed construction. COST ESTIMATES An estimate was made on the cost of right-of-way and construction for each section of road or street proposed in the "1990 Interim Vehicular Circulation Concept" (Map 14); and is shown in Table 6 along with the proposed surface, right-of-way width, length and functional classification. Construction costs are based on current average prices for highway construction and will undoubtedly be subject to subsequent inflation. Cost of right-of-way is much less predictable without extensive investigation of the individual parcels to be acquired. It is stressed that the estimated costs of right-of-way are strictly approximations and should not be accepted as anything more than this. Average values were used for urban right-of-way having three varying degrees of development and one value for average rural right-of-way as indicated on page 52. Land use maps were used to provide additional - 44 - I �• • • - • • • • • • • • • • information in regard to location of houses, industry, commercial uses, etc.; and adjustments made in the usage of average costs where this appeared equitable. A total cost for construction and right-of-way for the thirty-nine . sec~ions was estimated to be $33,324,000 and $15,650,000, respectively. This gives a total cost of $48,974,000 and includes eleven in~erchanges • - 45 - �9,_A,.V COUN TV r. ~ i & A t: ~ E E l 1l ~ ~ ' = E i ~ Ii ~ I ~ E ~ MAP 14 i i I I I I I : .i •• I I I 'i ~§ -0 ~ UY r t I T ojj -..L--- . .. 1 ,l-., ..- , e P_,__.. I I I I I I I ~ ~ ! ! r r !! KALAMA ZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN ·••* - * ~ STATEWIDE AND REGIONAL A.RTElt\AL LOCAL ARTERIAL -•- * -* 1990 PRINCIPAL COLLECTOR SECOND,\IIY COLLECTOR - INTERlM PROPOSED CORRIDOR VEHICULAR EXISTING INTER.CHANGE PROPOSED INTERCHANGE EXISTING OVERPASS CIRCULATION ............... ,,.... ............ .. ,..... ............ .,.,.... ...... ,_ .. ...... . . . ........... . ...... . _ ........ ,........ .. .,...... ..... . ........... . .. _ CONCEPT PROPOSED OVERPASS SECTION LIMITS SECTION NUMBER * . . . . . . ... ,. . . .. . . . .... . . . W• h • CLASSIF1CAllON CONSISTENr WITH , MICHIGAN HIGHWAY NEEDS STUDY ~ KALAMAZOO METROPOLITAN -46- COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION �I I • • - I • • • • • • TABLE 3 PROPOSED SECTIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION SECTION NO . NAME PURPOSE 1 6th St. from "H" Avenue to "KL" Provides a continuous N-S route on the west side of the county by connecting existing sections of the road. 2 8th St. from I-94 to approx.l mi. s. of I-94 Giving improved alignment of 8th St. by removal of 2 right-angle bends in existing alignment. 3 Romence Road at U.S. 131 E. and W. sides of U.S. 131. 4 17th St.from Milham Road to Shaver Ave. To serve local N-S traffic in Portage area. 5 "U" Ave. from 22nd St. to 23rd Street Better alignment by removal of two rt.angle bends in existing road. 6 36th St. from S.Co. Line to "Y" Avenue To provide a continuous N-S route on the E. side of Co. which will connect this area with arterials and state routes. 7 36th St. from rt. angle jog to E. at S.end to "XY" Ave. Removal of two rt.angle jogs in existing alignment and same as Section 6. 8 42nd St.from "P" Ave.to "Q" Avenue Removal of rt.angle jogs to provide improved alighment and form a continuous N-S route in the S.E. portion of the county. 9 "D" Ave.from 24th Street to 27th St. To provide a continuous E-W route across the N.side of the county and also to give this portion of Kalamazoo County access to U.S.131 and to Richland as well as to N-S primary collectors leading to Kal . 10 Colony Farm Rd.from Parkview Ave.to S . of U.S. 131. Providing a continuous N-S route on the far W.side of the City of Kalamazoo. - To permit through travel between 47 - �TABLE 3 CONTINUED SECTION NO. PURPOSE NAME 11 One-way interchange at B.R.131 and U.S. 131 Change one-way interchg. to twoway interchg.in order to permit traffic leaving Kalamazoo on B.R.131 to travel S. as well as N . on U . S . 13 1 . 12 "Portage Expy." from B.R.131 to Edgemoor Avenue To serve as a by-pass of the CBD and to form the northern portion of an expy.between Kalamazoo and Portage. 13 Portage Rd. from Lake St.to Whites Rd. To improve Portage Rd.in order to permit the heavy traffic flow from Lovers Lane and Portage Rd. to operate efficiently. 14 "Portage Expy." from Edgemoor Ave.to Centre Avenue To provide a transportation route which will serve the heavy demands for travel between Portage and Kalamazoo. 15 "Portage Expy." from Centre Ave.to "X" Ave. Connecting the south-central portion of the county with the "Portage Expy." and also for. travel between Portage and Vicksburg. 16 "P" Ave.from Westnedge Ave.to Sprinkle Road To provide a continuous E-W route from Colony Farm Rd.thru Portage 17 "S.W.Bus.Loop"from Portage Expy.to Ravine Rd To serve as a by-pass on the south and west side and also to improve access to West.Mich.University. 18 "N.S.Bus.Loop"from Ravine Rd.to 25th St. To serve as a by-pass on the north side and to connect the Parchment area with state routes and routes into Kalamazoo. 19 Sprinkle Rd.Extension from Lester Rd. to "G" Avenue (already constructed) Serves as a portion of a by-pass around the N.E. side and also completes a gap which gives a continuous N-S route thru the county on the near east side. 20 "Northern Expy. "from 25th St.to U.S.131 To provide a high-speed fully controlled access route around the north and east side which will connect with U.S. 131. - 48 - I I I I I I I I I - • �I TABLE 3 CONTINUED SECTION NO. NAME - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -PURPOSE -----------21 N-S Expy.E.of Westnedge To serve as a continuation of the Ave.from "G" Av. to N.W. "Portage Expy. "in order to connect Business Loop it with the "Northern Expy." 22 -II one-way Interchg.at I-94 and B.L.94 on the east side Change existing one-way interchg. to two-way in order to make travel possible from B.L.94 outbound to I-94 westbound. 23 "King Hwy.Ext."from "Portage Expy."to Stadium Drive II To serve as an E-W route across the southern oortion of the CBD forming a continuous route in conjunction with King Hwy.and Stadium Drive. 24 "S.R.43 Ext."from River- To serve as an E-W route across view Dr.to Douglas Av. the northern portion of the CBD forming a continuous route by connecting S.R.43 w/Douglas Ave. 25 "Douglas Ave.Ext." from Alamo Avenue to Oakland Drive 26 Ravine Rd. from Nichols St.to intersection of Douglas Avenue and Patterson Street I I r •I ,, To provide a continuous N-S route on the west side of the CBD by connecting Oakland Dr. and Douglas Avenue Same as Section 24 27 "H" Avenue from U.S. 131 to Nichols St. Same as Section 24 & Section 26 28 "King Hwy.Ext." from "Portage Expy." to B.L. 94 Same as Section 23 29 Drake Road from "KL" Ave.to W.Mich.Ave. Same as Section 10 30 U.S.131 by-pass of Schoolcraft from Little Sugar Loaf Lake to S. County Line. By-pass Schoolcraft for purposes of safety and travel convenience. 31 Relocated S.R.89 from Richland to the NYCRR Provide improved alignment of S.R.89 and also permits by-passing the center of Richland for reasons of safety and convenience. - 49 - �TABLE 3 CONTINUED SECTION NO. PURPOSE NAME 32 Relocated S.R.43 from the N.corp.limits of Richland to its S. corp.limits By-pass center of Richland for reasons of safety and convenience 33 Connector between 32nd & 34th Sts.from "J" to "K" Avenue To provide a continuous N-S route thru the center of the eastern 1/2 of the County. 34 Realignment of 34th St.by connecting 34th and "N" Ave.to 34th and "MN" Ave. Eliminates two rt.angle turns and serves same purpose as Sec.33. 35 37th St.Connector to I-94 Provides improved alignment of existing connection between I-94 and Augusta Drive 36 Connector from 34th St. and "Q" Ave. to 36th St. and "R" Av. To form a continuous E-W route by connecting "Q" and "R" Aves. and a continuous N-S route by connecting 34th and 36th Streets. 37 S.R.37 from "C" Ave. at E.Co.line to 46th St. at N.Co.line New location of S.R. 37 38 "Q" Ave.from 32nd St. to Long Lake Dr. To provide a continuous E-W route across the south-central portion of the county. 39 42nd St.between "S" and "ST" Avenue Provide improved alignment information in regard to location of houses, industry, commercial uses, etc.; and adjustments made in the usage of average costs where this appeared equitable. A total cost for construction and right-of-way for the thirty-nine sections was estimated to be $33,324,000 and $15,650,000, respectively. This gives a total cost of $48,974,000 and includes eleven interchanges. - 50 - · I I I I �'l'ABLE 4 CONSTRUCTION COSTS No. of 12' Lanes * Cost per Mile Cost per Mile of Bit.Pav't.* of Con.Pav't.* 2 $105,600 $211,200 3 $158,400 $316,800 4 $211,200 $422,400 5 $264,000 $528,000 6 $316,800 $633,600 Based on $7.50/sq.yd. for bituminous pavement and $15.00/sq.yd. for concrete pavement. 7040 sq.yds.per 1 mile 12' pavement. Diamond Interchange: $800,000 (incl.bridge) Grade Separation: (24' County Road over Interstate) $200,000 $150,000 $350,000 Bridge Approaches TABLE 5 RIGHT-OF-WAY COSTS R/W Width I I I I I I - Acres/Mile of Road Basic Values Used for R/W Cost 66' 7.999 Acre 86' 10.424 Acre Rural $1,000/Ac 100' 12.121 Acre Urban (low developed or along RR) $2,000/Ac 120' 14.545 Acre 150' 18.182 Acre 320' 38.788 Acre Urban (intermediate development) $10,000/Ac Urban (highly developed CBD)$30,000/AC Diamond Interchange (avg. R/W) 45-50 Acres - 51 - �TABLE 6 COST ESTIMATES FOR PROPOSED SECTIONS SEC. FUNCTIONAL LENGTH (MILE) CLASS. NO. 1. 2. Sec. Coll. Sec. Coll. 2 2/3 R/W COST R/W 100' 100 1 I 3 Sec.Coll. 1/2 120' 4 Sec.Coll. 2 5/6 66' 5 6 7 8 9 Sec. Coll. Sec.Coll. Sec.Coll. Sec. Coll. Sec.Coll. 2/3 5/6 2/3 1 2/3 1 1/2 SURFACE ( $) 66' 66' 66' 66' 66' CONSTR. TOTAL ( $) ( $) I I I ,ooo I 122,000 2-Lane Bit. 282,000 404 12,000 2-Lane Bit. 106,000 118,000 1 60,000 Bit. 350,000 410,000 ~ 90,000 2-Lane Bit. 299,000 389,000 5,000 2-Lane Bit. 70,000 75,000 7,000 2-Lane Bit. 88,000 95,000 ~ 5,000 2-Lane Bit. 70,000 75,000 '1 13,000 2-Lane Bit. 176,000 ~89 ,ooo I 12,000 2-Lane Bit. 158,000 170,000 1 I I • 10 Sec.Coll. 1 66' 11 I N T E R C H A N G E 12 Loe. Art. 3 1/3 120' 13 Loe.Art. 1 1/2 120' 6 14 Loe.Art. 15 Prin.Coll. 7 1/6 * 60,000* 120' 100 354,000 2-Lane Bit. I 4,275,000*6-Lane 5,039,000 Con. 229,000 4-Lane Con. 3,600,000*6-Lane 3,902,000 Con. 147,000 2-Lane Con. Figures represent interchange costs. - 52 - 106,000 500,000* 560,000j 3,200,000* 5,418,000 10,457,000 634,000 863,000 2,400,000* 5,779,000 9,681,000 1,514,000 1,661,000 • �• -~ -I I I I I I I I I TABLE 6 Continued SEC. FUNCTIONAL LENGTH (MILE) CLASS. NO. 16 17 18 19 Sec. Coll. Loe.Art. Loe.Art. Loe.Art. 2 1/2 5 6 3 R/W COST R/W 120' 120' 120' 120' 20 Loe.Art. 7 1/3 120 21 Loe.Art. 3 120' 22 I N T E R C H A N G E 23 Loe.Art. 24 25 26 27 Loe.Art. Loe.Art. Loe.Art. Loe.Art. 1 1/3 2 2 1 5/6 1 5/6 I 100' 66' I 86' 28 Loe.Art. 1 86 29 Sec. Coll. 1/3 66' 30 31 * Stwd.Art. Loe.Art. 6 3 2/3 103,000 1,455,000 467,000 134,000 I 320' 120' 323,000 485,000 97,000 30,000 9,000 233,000 53,000 Figures represent interchange costs. - 53 - ( $) 367,000 4-Lane Con. 2,112,000 3,567,000 4-Lane Con. 2,534,000 3,001,000 2-Lane Con. 634,000 768,000 4-Lane Con. 2,800,000* 2,349,000 2,741,000 1,267,000 53,000* 1,354,000 103,000* 4-Lane Con. 563,000 886,000 4-Lane Con. 845,000 1,330,000 2-Lane Con. 422,000 519,000 2-Lane Con. 282,000 312,000 2-Lane Con. 387,000 396,000 1,350,000* 4-Lane 1,442,000 Con. 3,000 TOTAL ( $) 264,000 225,000* 2-·Lane 392,000 Con. 87,000 CONSTR. 2-Lane Bit. 50,000* 100' 66 SURFACE ($) 800 ,000* 1,011,000 2,453,000 2-Lane Bit. 35,000 38,000 4-Lane Con. 2,535,000 2,768,000 2-Lane Con. 704,000 757,000 �TABLE 6 SEC. FUNCTIONAL LENGTH (MILE) CLASS NO. R/W 32 120' 33 34 35 Sec. Coll. Sec. Coll. Sec. Coll. 2/3 1 1/6 2/3 1 2/3 Prin.Coll. 1 1/3 36 Stwd.Art. 37 38 39 Loe.Art. 1 5/6 Prin.Coll. 4 5/6 Sec. Coll. T O T A L S 5/6 R/W COST ($) 19,000 66' 9,000 66' 5,000 66' 13,000 100' 16,000 320' 71,000 100' 90,000 66' - Continued 7,000 $15,650,000 SURFACE CONSTR. ($) TOTAL ( $) ~ ~ 4-Lane Con. 282,000 301,000 2-Lane . Bit. 123,000 132,000 2-Lane Bit. 70,000 75,000 2-Lane Bit. ~ 176,000 189,000 2-Lane Bit. 141,000 157,000 4-Lane Con. 387,000 458,000 2-Lane Bit. 510,000 600,000 I I I 2-Lane Bit. 88,000 95,000 ~ I 1 $33,374,000 $48,974,000 t ~ I• -I STAGING OF THE PROPOSED PLAN After establishing the final form of the most desirable transportation plan, it becomes necessary to determine at what stage of the twentyyear period of construction each segment should be completed. This program would, by necessity, be somewhat flexible; but it would serve as a general guide for the completion of the system. There are four factors to be considered in formulating a schedule of priorities for the different sections of the transportation network. Most important of these is the determination of which sections will relieve existing congestion and parallel the growth rates of the population and the projected land use patterns. Secondly is the rate at which funds will become available for construction purposes. In addition to these two factors, it is necessary to coordinate the proposed projects with others related to them and to ascertain whether there will be a sufficiPnt staff available within the involved agencies to implement the plan according to the schedule. - 54 - I I -I I I �-I -I I I I I I I I I With these factors in mind, a tentative schedule of construction has been arrived at for the next twenty years and is shown in Table 7. This does not specify which projects will be done each year, but places the various sections in categories accordinq to the priority which they should receive. There is no set order of priority within each category. The sections are merely listed in numerical order according to the numbering system assigned to map 14 . The categories indicate whether the section should be constructed early in the program, delayed until midway through it or given consideration only in the last stages of the twenty-year period. The governing factor in the staging of the plan is the degree to which existing circulation problems and those which will arise in the immediate future will be alleviated by construction of the section under consideration. This is not to say that the cost, manpower, etc. relative to the sections were not weighed; but these are subordinate to . the primary objective of developing an efficient transportation system. It is of no value to build a section for which the present need is low merely because it is compatible with the present budget, while a badly needed section is shelved until more money is available. If the development of land use patterns and population concentrations in the future fail to follow the lines which at present seem the most reasonable to expect, it will necessitate a reappraisal and subsequent revision of the staging as it is now presented. It is suggested that those projects ear-marked for the early stages of the program be implemented as soon as possible even if they impose a heavy burden from financial and administrative aspects. The con-' struction of sections 12 and 14 as proposed during the earliest years of the program creates the greatest financial strain on the funds available for the project. Their combined cost of $20 million accounts for more than forty percent of the total cost due to the presence of seven interchanges on these sections. For this reason it would appear desirable to delay this construction until the later stages. However, the immediate needs to be served by these two sections and their interconnection with other early projects precludes such an approach. High traffic volumes between Portage and Kalamazoo necessitate early implementation of section 14; while the key to relief of the east side congestion of the Kalamazoo CBD lies in the early construction of section 12. Other proposed sections within the CBD must necessarily follow construction of section 12 in that their intended purpose could not be served without it . The benefits to be realized from such early implementation will more than equal the expenditures which must be made. Even those sections scheduled for the intermediate period should be completed as early as possible since they tend in general to augment the early stages and cause them to provide their fullest benefits. It is with some reservation that the suggestion is made that those sections scheduled for the last stages of the plan might be postponed until a later time than now expected if it is found that they create an excessive drain on the available funds or manpower at that time. There is no intention to convey the impression that completion of these sections would be an extravagance. They are justifiable projects which should be developed as soon as possible, but their value is not comparable to that of the earlier projects and so they merit less attention than the more critical projects. - 55 - �TABLE 7 TENTATIVE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE FOR PROPOSED 1990 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Sec. No. 12 1970 Construction Cost Name "Portage Expy." from B.R. 131 to Edgemoor Avenue $10,457,000 "Portage Expy." from Edgemoor Ave.to Centre Avenue $ 9,681,000 "S.W.Bus.Loop" from "Portage Expy." to Ravine Rd. $ 3,567,000 "King Hwy.Ext." from "Portage Expy." to Stadium Dr. $ 886,000 "S.R.43 Ext." from Riverview Dr. to Douglas Avenue $ 1,330,000 "Douglas Ave.Ext." from Alamo Ave.to Oakland Dr. $ 519,000 "King Hwy.Ext." from "Portage Expy." to B .L. 94 $ 2,453,000 TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST TO DATE $ 28,893,000 17th St. from Milham Road to Shaver Avenue $ 389,000 One-way interchange at B.R.131 and U.S. 131 $ 560,000 Portage Rd. from Lake St. to Whites Road $ 863,000 Sprinkle Rd.Ext. from Lester Rd. to "G" Avenue $ 768,000 One-way interchange at I-94 and B.L.94 on the east side $ 103,000 14 17 23 24 25 28 4 11 13 19 22 TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST TO DATE - 56 - $ 31,576,000 Anticipated Date of Completion 1978 1980 �TABLE 7 CONTINUED Sec. No. 3 10 16 18 20 26 27 29 1970 Construction Cost Name Romence Road at U.S. 131 $ 410,000 Colony Farm Rd.from Parkview Ave.to S. of U.S. 131 $ 460,000 "P" Ave.from Westnedge Avenue to Long Lake Drive $ 367,000 "N.W.Bus.Loop" from Ravine Rd. to 25th Street $ 3,001,000 "Northern Expy." from 25th St. to U.S. 131 $ 2,741,000 Ravine Rd. from Nichols Street to intersection of Douglas Ave. and Patterson Street $ 312,000 "H" Ave. from U.S.131 to Nichols Street $ 396,000 Drake Rd. from "KL" Avenue to West Michigan Avenue $ 38,000 TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST TO DATE 1 I I I I I I I I 2 5 15 21 $ 39,301,000 6th St. from "H" Ave. to "KL" Avenue $ 404,000 8th St. from I-94 to approximately 1 mile S. of I-94 $ 118,000 "Portage Expy." from Centre Avenue to "X" Avenue $ 1,661,000 N-S Expy. E. of Westnedge Avenue from "G" Avenue to N.W. Bus. Loop $ 1,354,000 Anticipated Date of Completion 19 83 "U" Ave. from 22nd Street to 23rd Street TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST TO DATE - 57 - $ 42,913,000 19 85 �TABLE 7 CONTINUED Sec. No. 6 7 8 9 1970 Construction Cost Name 36th Street from S. Co. Line to "Y" Avenue $ 95,000 36th St. from rt.angle jog to E. at s. end to "XY" Ave. $ 75,000 42nd St. from "P" Avenue to "Q" Avenue $ 189,000 "D" Avenue from Nazareth Rd. to 27th Street $ 170,000 U.S. 131 by-pass of Schoolcraft from Little Sugar Loaf Lake to S. Co. Line $ 2,768,000 Reloc~ted S.R.89 from Richland to the NYCRR $ 757,000 Relocated S.R.43 from the N. corp. limits of Richland to its S. corp. limits $ 301,000 Connector between 32nd St. & 34th St. from "J" to "K" Avenue $ 132,000 Realignment of 34th St. by connecting 34th and "N" Ave. to 34th and "MN" Avenue $ 75,000 35 37th St. Connector to I-94 $ 189,000 36 Connector from 34th St. and "Q" Ave. to 36th Street and "R" Avenue $ 157,000 S.R.37 from "C" Avenue at E. Co. Line to 46th Street at N. Co. Line $ 458,000 "Q" Avenue from 32nd Street to Long Lake Drive $ 600,000 42nd St.between "S" and "ST" Avenue $ 95,000 30 31 32 33 . 34 37 38 39 TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST TO DATE - 58 - $48,974,000 Anticipated Date of Completion I I I I I I I I I I I 1990 �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I FINANCIAL PROGRAMMING OF THE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS The total cost of constructing the thirty-nine sections of streets and roads as shown in Table 6 is estimated to be 47 million dollars. This estimate is made using present-day costs, and must be increased to allow for anticipated inflation over the twenty years during which the construction will be accomplished. A rate of three percent per year has been applied in making this adjustment, and the resulting cost becomes 64 million dollars. This is felt to be a realistic rate to assume when the trend in construction costs of the past ten years is examined. An average yearly cost would be 3.34 million dollars; but a more equitable approach would be to plan a yearly expenditure equal to onetwentieth of the present cost (or 2.45 million dollars) and an additional amount equal to the predicted inflation for that particular year. This means that the amount spent each year will be lowest in the early years of the program and increase to a maximum of 3.7 million dollars in 1990. It will be easier to budget the work with this schedule due to the fact that the amount of available revenues will be greater for each successive year. Federal funds will be available for portions of the proposed system which are classified as Federal Aid Primary (FAP) or Federal Aid Secondary (FAS) roads. Fifty percent of the cost of such projects could be financed by the Federal government. It is possible that several sections which do not qualify at the present time might be reclassified and therefore become eligible for Federal funds. Revenue from existing sources and also from other sources not presently in use has been estimated for the next twenty years. This information, obtained from the Kalamazoo County Planning Commission, is continued in pages 61 thru 64. METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATION Having chosen the most desirable transportation plan for Kalamazoo County, it becomes necessary to consider the methods of implementing the plan. Development by a private agency would not merit much consideration due to the fact that all of the sections of the proposed network form either arterials or collectors which, by definition, are primarily for mobility rather than access to land. A private developer would be interested in construction of streets or roads only if they provided access to land whose value would be enhanced when served by local access routes. There will definitely be projects of this type financed by private concerns, however, such undertakings are not the primary concern of this phase of the report. The most feasible method of constructing the new or improved segments of the network is through one or more governmental agencies whose duties will include programming the work, obtaining plans or doing the design themselves, awarding contracts, and inspection of the work. Such an agency would also coordinate the implementation of the projects between the diffe rent political subdivisions involved. - 59 - �I ANTICIPATED REVENUES Property Tax In order to obtain some idea of the increase in revenues collected by the property tax the following method was used: From 1958 to 1967 an increase in assessed valuation occurred in the amount of $72,656,445 or an average of $8,072,938. Assuming that the average increase of $8,072,938 per year would continue through the years 1975 and 1990, the following level of assessment was determined. For the year 1975, the assessed valuation would stand at $324,293,224 which would yield a revenue of $6,485,86-0 with a tax rate of 20 mills per thousand dollars which is the maximum property tax allowed presently under the Kalamazoo City Charter. For 1990, assessed valuation would stand at $445,387,294 yielding a revenue of $8,907,740 with a tax rate of 20 mills per thousand dollars. Income Tax In order to obtain some idea an assessment was made as to the leve~ of revenues that might be obtained should the City or County of Kalamazoo implement an income tax. Using data from Sales-Management Magazine, it was estimated that the average per capita income was $3,145 in 1968. Assuming a population of 110,750 in 1975, the total personal income for the city would be $348,308,750. An income tax of 1% (not taking into consideration deductions) would yield $3,483,087; a tax rate of 1.5% would yield $5,224,631 in revenue. In 1990, using the 1968 per capita income figure, the city's total personal income would be $487,475,000. A tax rate of 1% would yield $4,874,750 and a rate of 1.5% would yield $7,312,125 in revenues. Past Trends in General Fund Revenue The figures shown in the table represent the trends in General Fund revenues for the City of Kalamazoo for the years 1963 through 1967. Total General F1 1 nd revenue was analyzed and projected for 1975 and 1990, as well as two individual elements of the General Fund, including Property Tax, and share of state collected revenues. Two other sources of revenue were also assessed, Parking Fund and Water Department revenue. A per capita trend in expenditures was determined for the years mentioned above and projections were made for 1975 and 1990, using the per capita rates existing in 1967. - 60 - -I I I I I I I I I I �Ill Ill Ill Ill BONDING SITUATION CITY OF KALAMAZOO LEGAL DEBT MARGIN - DECEMBER 31, 1967 State equalized assessed value-December 31, 1967 • Limitation per Section 5.2074 of the Home Rule Act of the State of Michigan • • . • . LEGAL LIMITATION Bonded debt - Statement IV. •$ 308,772,209.00 . . ---------. 10% ....$ 30,877,220,90 • • • •$ 15,100,000.00 Less: Amount available in Bond and Interest Redemption Fund for the retirement of bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 30,313.53 Bonded debt not subject to limitations: Special Assessment Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2,840,000.00 Revenue Bonds... 745,000.00 3,585,000.00 3,615,313.53 TOTAL BONDED DEBT SUBJECT TO LIMITATION ........ 11,484,686.47 LEGAL DEBT MARGIN ...... $19,392,534.43 Assuming that the limitation on bonding remains at 10% of state equalized value and that state equalized assessed value is 18.8% higher than city unequalized assessed value, as it was in 1967, the following projections result: For 1975, the state equalized valuation would be $385,526,035 and the ceiling for bonded debt being 10% or $38,552,603. Figures for 1990 would be $529,120,105 in state equalized assessed valuation with a 10% bonded debt limit of $52,912,010. - 61 - �Projected State Income Tax Revenue on a Per-Capita Basis for the Years 1975 and 1990 In 1968, Kalamazoo County received $1,058,277 in revenues from the state income tax. Using the 1960 county population of 169,712 the 1968 per-capita return is $6.32. 1 Using the 1968 per-capita return of $6.32 and the estimated 1975 popu- ~ lation of 233,810, Kalamazoo County would receive total state income tax revenues of $1,477,679. Again using the 1968 per-capita return of $6.32 and the estimated 1990 population of 318,696, Kalamazoo County would receive total state income tax revenues of $2,014,159. , I .on -half of the yearl_y state income- "Gax....ravenue is reimbursed to the _founty government, the other one-half is distributed to the cities, villages and townships by population based on the 1960 Census. I I Estimated Revenue Obtained from the State Sales Tax for the Years 1975 and 1990 The twenty-four municipalities making up Kalamazoo County received .a total sales tax revenue of $1,850,311 in 1968, on a per-capita basis this figures out to be $11.05. Using the estimated 1975 population of 233,810 and the 1968 per-capita sales tax revenue of $11.05 the total county would receive a sales tax revenue of $2,583,600. Using the estimated 1990 population of 318,696 and the 1968 per-capita sales tax revenue of $11.05, the total county would receive a sales tax revenue of $3,521,591. The sales tax revenue is distributed to the differing municipalities on a per-capita basis with the county government receiving one-half of the total. - 62 - I I. I I �Estimated County Operating Levy That Could Be Collected for the Years 1975 and 1990 Using the 1968 equalized base the county would collect $784,880 for every mill assessed. During the years 1963-1969, Kalamazoo County's average equalized value increased by $31,653,921 per year. Assuming this rate of increa.se will continue, Kalamazoo County will record an equalized valuation of $1,027,523,990 in 1975 and an equalized valuation of $1,705,050,425 in 1990. The county operating levy is based on a rate of ~ 85 mills ] Multiplying the estimated equalized value for 1975 and 1990 by 4.85 mills, Kalamazoo County would receive revenues of $4,983,491 for 1975 and $8,269,494 for 1990. Estimated Revenue Obtained from a 1% County Income Tax for the Years 1975 and 1990. Based on data obtained from Sales-Management Magazine, the estimated 1968 per-capita income was $3,145. Using the 1968 per-capita income and an estimated 1975 population of 233,810, total personal income for the county would be $735,332,450. An income tax of 1% would produce a revenue of $7,353,325. Using the 1968 per-capita income and an estimated 1990 population of 318,696 total personal income for the county would be $1,002,298,920. An income tax of 1% would produce a revenue of $10,022,989. - 63 - �TABLE 8 REVENUES - 1964 CJ) ~ G) ::i:,, [:rj t"i G) CJ) ~ 1-3 ::i:,, X O"I .i::,. H [:rj 1-3 ::i:,, ::i:,, CJ) g; t:l t"i O 1-3 [:rj '1j < [:rj ~ ~ 0 ~ t"i < HO CJ) [:rj 1-3 ::I1 CJ) H ::i:,, t"i HH z CJ) [:rj '1j [:rj '1j G) t"i O 0 i:rj ~ '1:lO i:rj C ~~ 1-3 ~ Galesburg Kalamazoo Parchment. Portage ::.:, ~ 1-:tj [:rj ::i:,, [:rj ~ O~t:l zc z t"i 1-3 0 0 0 ;.O 1-3 H ~ H 0 ::i:,, to Z t"i C G) CJ) z 1-3 . X MUNICIPALITY Alamo Bradv Charleston Climax Comstock Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Texas Wakeshma ::U 1-3 0 0 0000 ~ [:rj [:rj ~~~ 1-3 < t"i (/) [:rj z 1-3 ::I1 CH H 0 [:rj G) z ::I1 I -:i_ic;n 3,501 68,162 772 446 98 58.327 8,514 227.677 265 544 7,201 7.848 17,505 7.755 4,209 1,824 910 4,827 291,479 Auausta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg COUNTY 88,884 2,808,194 ~ ~___..- .- -- .. ... -- --- - �~~~ ,.• ··■1 • ·• .. .) ·•i~-·111~- TABLE 9 REVENUES CJ) :i::i t"1 trj CJ) f-3 :i::i :x: O"\ Ul :8 G"l t"1 0 f-3 < trj 0 ~ ~~ i--::: CJ) trj ttj t:!j HO trj H f-3 ::r:: CJ) z ttj trj :i::i H CJ) G) f-3 tJ :i::i :x: MUNICIPALITY Alamo Bradv Charleston Climax Comstock Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Texas Wakeshma Galesburg Kalamazoo Parchment Portage Auousta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg COUNTY t"1 1965 trj ttj ~ HH CJ) < :i::i t"1 t-1 o n0 trj ttj trj < i--::: C: ~ ~ f-3 i--::: H z G"l G"l :,:; f-3 n n :,::J :8 ITj 0000 :i::i z ~ tJ t"1 f-3 0 ::0 f-3 n :-i:,, trj i--::: tJ H :;d ~ () :i::i f-3 n n H tJ:j zul t"1 C: f-3 f-3 H ".) . :,::J i--::: z trj t:i trj ttj trj CJ) < t"1 trj z ::r:: C: H trj G"l ::r:: I 3,600 8,000 3.489 2R4 3,476 13.693 59.641 6,281 224.130 810 199 7,399 12.378 7.998 572 915 741 4.003 58 078 39,765 10,236 893 776 14,401 789,801 19 666 204,272 ?q_f;c:;q 10 088 7,568 5,180 15.154 23,921 1,675,086 3,025,528 306,449 �TABLE 10 REVENUES ~G'l t:x:l ;:i::,, (/) ~ H Ul G'l t:x:l ::r: (/) ~ a-, O"I MUNICIPALITY Alamo Bradv Charleston Climax Comstock Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Texas Wakeshma Galesburg Kalamazoo Parchment Portage Auqusta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg COUNTY ;:i::,, 8Z t:l f-3 f-3 ;:i::,, :>< . 18,231 18,298 15,953 10,326 83,278 56,980 189.620 34_777 24. 6 40 t-◄ t:x:l <: i--:: 0 f-3 rrj 0 17:1 :8 ::a z ;:i::,, (/) f-3 ::r: z 1-rj HH t-◄ t:x:l <: 1966 on lf) t-◄ 1-rj t:x:l 1-"d 0 <: t:x:l i--:: ~ ~ f-3 i--:: 9 trj HO trj H (/) ;:i::,, H t1 z G'l G'l :::Of-300 0000 ;:i::,, z § t:l t1 f-3 0 ::a f-3 ()()Hi-<: 0 ;:i::,, t,d t1 C: z ~ ~ h:j ;:i::,, t:x:l n i--:: o trj t:x:l H :::0 ~ 1-rj trj f-3 ~ t1 (/) z ::r: (/) :-3 f-3 H C: H 0 ::r: .::a z t:x:l G'l I 3,501 3 005 224 14,858 70,748 6,208 341. 762 1-851 199 2,502 9,007 14,861 8,075 572 925 200 870 4,000 67.826 6,010 19,743 29,131 17,006 22,585 10,718 13,494 767.591 18.346 193,132 15,091 812,097 20,604 214,682 9.302 5,618 4,890 11,532 21,284 11,615 7,932 5,428 15,917 25,020 1,602,484 1,775,842 .... ... .... _... _ 1,705 25,876 26,353 3,151,569 45,534 _ J _,... __________ _ �~ ~~-- 11 11 • ; • ; - -~- TABLE 11 REVENUES - 1967 ~ ~ G) trj ~ C/) t"i H C/) trj G) C/) ~~ t-3 ~ X °' --.J MUNICIPALITY Alamo Bradv Charleston Climax Comstock Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Texas Wakeshma Galesburg Kalamazoo Parchment Portage Auqusta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg COUNTY t:J t-3 ~ t1 t"i O t-3 ti::Pd 0 ~;! HO trj H HH t"i t-3 ::r.: z G) 1-cJ C/) ~ H z G) !J. c; fi 76 4Sfi 10 R71 9 186 3,121 12 136 17 845 16,959 2,563 15,373 825.564 20.969 231,361 9.584 5,788 5.038 11.RRl 21. 9 29 11. 818 8,077 5,522 16.377 25,464 ~~ t"i 0 ::a t-3 0 0 H t-< 0 ~ tp t"i c:: C/) t-3 H t-3 ::a 0 z t-rj t-< t:J trj ~ trj 0 trj C/) trj zC:: z I 5 744 3.750 572 1.565 17,159 5.005 823 23,975 1,850,324 3,341,415 5,281 H ::r:: ?.7?F. 4.098 ::r:: trj G) ? non 1.100 158 1'1 nfiq R7.108 7.083 1fiS.79fi trj ~ 1-cJ :::0 trj t-3 <: t"i H J ,lHl l!J.7 !J. 13,903 790.851 18-902 198,985 ~ ::a~ 4,792 7,775 6,192 20.341 30.014 17,521 23.270 11,043 :::Ot-300 0000 . 4,79~ 18,783 18,852 Hi .41fi 10 .fiiq BS.802 58.706 195.366 v; .R11 25.iqn t"i O 0 trj 1-cJ 0 <: trj ~ t-< ~ t-3 t-3 t-< C/) trj l-tj trj <: �TABLE 12 REVENUES - 1968 (/) >' t"1 M (/) 1-3 ~ °'en MUNICIPALITY Alamo Bradv Charleston Climax Comstock Cooper Kalamazoo Oshtemo Pavilion Prairie Ronde Richland Ross Schoolcraft Texas Wakeshma Galesburo Kalamazoo Parchment Portage Auausta Climax Richland Schoolcraft Vicksburg COUNTY :s M H G'l G'l ::i:, (J) ~~ 1-3 t1 ~ 21.0S0 21.128 1 R 4?0 11.923 96,157 65,792 218,945 40,156 28,454 t-1 0 1-3 M '"Cl 0 <:M~ K! ~ (/) 1-3 ::r: HH z G'l t-1 (/) M '"Cl <: crl HO M H (/) ::i:, t"1 'rj t-1 0 0 M :u 0 ~MC ~~ H z 1-3 K! G'l !:a 1-3 0 0 4,293 41. 89 4 82,193 12 656 9,116 2,955 12.907 18,044 17,220 17,478 975,855 23,761 278,242 10,741 6,486 5,647 13,315 24,575 13.312 9,075 6,258 18,129 29,458 2,037,104 ~ ~ 99 113.471 7,494 340,257 11.920 4,518 (J) ::i:, z 1-3 X o::i:, 0 1-3 ~t:rj (/) z ::r: CH M G'l ::r: I 6.020 6,042 c:; . ? f; R 3.410 27.498 18,815 62.612 11,483 8.137 7.895 S7? 1,585 6,726 5,126 1-3 H t"1 7,535 ? q7? 4.971 1. 831 10,916 1,984 6.519 9.619 5,615 7.458 3,539 17 681 7,494 1,365 2,327 15,581 886,298 21,183 223,000 ~~~ . 4.701 7,416 6,939 22,796 33,636 19,636 26.078 12,376 ~1-xj ~ ::i:, M K! t1 M 0 0000 ::i:, z@ t1 t"1 1-3 0 !:a 1-3 0 0 H K! 0 ::i:, t::d Z t"1 C Cfl 1-3 H 1-3 0 ~ z 4,456 253 457 6.068 63.772 20,903 3 072 1.855 1,614 3,808 7,028 3,658,135 118,676 :-. ...... ~ :-. 529,138 ,__ �;·• , l I ~ TABLE 13 CITY OF ~(ALAMAZOO GENERAL FUND-ACTUAL REVENUES ~ 1-3 0 1-3 !)::,o ~ 0 CJ) CJ) 0 1-3 ::r: ~ ~ :i,, !)::,o 1-3 z !)::,o ~ 1-3 ~ [Ij tx:l co X [Ij tx:l 1-3 CJ) tx:l t1 CJ) - "CJ HOl-3!)::,o Z "CJ O ~ 0 0 [Ij 1-3 ~zGJ oz hj ~ H 0 hj 1-3 ~ !)::,o H z ~ C GJ z f-<: t1 ~ . 1. -~ -.) 0 1-3 !)::,o 1-3 "CJ O 1-3 ::r: [Ij 1-3 [Ij tx:l ~ !)::,o :;d :;d -~ 1-3 HH t1 tx:l 00 0 .1-3 2: z ~ R"> [Ij "CJ ~ m \.0 1990 Money Population Per Capita 17,670,000 155,000 ·114 8,525,000 2,945,000 55 19 1975 Money Population Per Capita 12,625,500 110,750 114 6,091,250 2,104,250 55 1967 Money Population Per Capita 10,342,965 90,669 114 1966 Mon~ Population Per Capita 7 18 19 2 18 5,064,339 1,809,663 261,128 1,700,859 55 19 2 18 7,726,854 89,469 86 4,342,956 1,768,415 262,014 1,706,079 48 19 2 19 1965 Mon~ Population Per Capita 7,287,805 88,269 82 4,118,563 1,680,212 240,070 1,614,745 46 19 2 18 1964 Mon~ Population Per Capita 7,375,883 87,069 84 3,794,503 1,572,223 213,679 1,612,682 43 18 2 18 1963 Money Population Per Capita 6,318,536 85,869 73 3,646,474 . 1,499,499 204,055 1,537,432 42 17 2 17 �0 I- 0 II: z 1/) - 1,,." . 1- "'·: A I- ~., ., I- • I') -r-, r :I BARRY COUNTY ALLEGAN COUNTY :I .. f- f- f- ,- r r :I "' r r I- I- 0 :: r r I- I- "' I') r r ~ ,: r I- ~ ~ ~ ~ \ ~ ol , . \a BC 7"°TJ1 __ .!.Ju § 0 A.!. 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' • LEGEND ·••* KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN - * -•-* 1990 INTERIM EXISTING INTERCHANGE _.,...-~... PROPOSED OVERPASS EXISTING OVERPASS •• SECTION LIMITS ' Hie pre p o ta fl o • wa1 f fnonciolly o ld •4 tll ,0 11119h o ful uol G rculf fr o• 1111• D• p• r tMent o f Ho,u l" ' 0 114 U r bo111 o f t llle Hoe1 h1t Act ol 19,, , u ••••••• • -- - • KALAMAZOO • CLASSIFICATION CONSISTENT WITH 1••· De • e lo p ••11 t, 11ul e r tiile Ur b o11 l'lo11 111n 9 .-.u h l o•c • ,,. , , • • , Oillt h of'iH4 .. ., Se c: 110 11 701 SECTION NUMBER * o f lllh pion SECONDARY COLLECTOR PROPOSED INTERCHANGE .....___.. CONCEPT PRINCIPAL COLLECTOR PROPOSED CORRIDOR ....--.... ..__ .~ .__, CIRCULATION LOCAL ARTERIAL -• -* VEHICULAR STATEWIDE AND REGIONAL ARTERIAL METROPOLITAN MICHIGAN HIGHWAY NEEDS STUDY , -· COUNT Y Prepa re d ay : SC HELLIE ASSOCIATE S INC . P LANNING A D ivi, ion of C LYDE E. WILLIAM S AND A SSOCIATES IN C ., COMMISSION IN DPL S. � 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 Kalamazoo-County_Transportation-Plan_1970 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-05 Title A name given to the resource Transportation Plan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Description An account of the resource The Transportation Plan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan was prepared by Schellie Associates, Inc., a division of Clyde E. Williams & Associates, Inc. with the assistance of the Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission in May 1970. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kalamazoo Metropolitan County Planning Commission (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Transportation--planning Kalamazoo 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/a6830d7f494dc9a00939e0a9358c8765.mp4 cdae61877bfeb92cee8b4a6640af6eb5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/75181e864878d99a26c82d9f04bdf50d.pdf 3be3bafc7cb839c72c57d00b4f2f66f8 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: Cold War Interviewee’s Name: David Scherer Length of Interview: 2:42:08 Interviewed by: James Smither Transcribed by: Sam Noonan Interviewer: “We’re talking today with David Scherer of Allendale, Michigan, and the interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project. Start us off with some background on yourself and to begin with, where and when were you born?” I was born November 27th, 1960, in Newburgh, Indiana. Small little farming community next to the Ohio River. We’re just outside of Evansville, Indiana, and— Interviewer: “What was your family doing for a living then?” My dad was a self-contractor plus [he] had a farm. My mother was a nurse for St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville. Interviewer: “Okay, alright. And as you’re growing up, when you’re a kid the Vietnam war is going on, did you pay any attention to that or was that not really on your radar screen?” When we used to eat supper, TV would be on, and the news coverage on television, I remember them doing, showing the body counts. How many wounded for a day, how many killed in action, how many enemy… was killed. You’d see them chopperin’ the wounded off by helicopter, [there would] be a general or a captain talking about that day’s battle. Same time, eating supper. And my dad wouldn’t say much because my dad was a World War II veteran, Seabees. So of course, being young, [I thought] ‘Ooh, military! Something military on the TV!’ Had a friend, his son was in Vietnam. And he didn’t talk about it very much, I never knew what happened to his son growing up, nothing was said so that family moved out, never saw them again, and – but still, to talk of Vietnam… the protesting on TV, I remember watching them burn their draft cards. I was in my teens, very early – thirteen, fourteen – and then once the end of Vietnam, you know, just kind of went away. Except for what you saw on TV about the veterans, the veterans that were upset – veterans that, they’ve had it with America, they’re gonna move out west, out in the mountains, get lost. That was it. And my dad did belong to [the] American Legion, what veterans there were, Vietnam veterans, they stayed to themselves. To me they were young guys, and the World War II veterans, I’d still remember my dad and his friends, couldn’t understand why these guys… I remember the word ‘selfish’ was being used. The World War II veterans said it. And I could understand… and I do remember these guys, when they did �get drunk they were hostile. Especially toward the World War II veterans. But then high school rolled around, Vietnam wasn’t talked [about] in history, still everything in history was World War II – very little was talked about Vietnam. Graduated high school in 1979, and still there was no talk about Vietnam at that period, if you were a Vietnam soldier - they kept very quiet. And then I do remember the news talking about the [casualties], and then Agent Orange. That was starting to become a big thing in the late ‘70’s. (4:40) Interviewer: “Now so what did you do after you graduated high school?” Worked on a farm. Bunch of us guys used to hang around, you know, being a small town, go to the river, frog around there, had our cars, had our pickup trucks. Farming was starting to become very bad, my dad’s business wasn’t doing very good, and back home it was either working – either at a coal mine or farming, or the military. 1980 rolled around and… actually the reason – if my wife was here she would tell you exactly why I joined the military, besides the work. I was dating a girl and things weren’t working out very well between her and I, and I got this thing in my head, ‘Join the army! Maybe she’ll come and stop you.’ Well the day came to get on the bus, she didn’t show up at the bus station. By then I’d already raised my right hand, I was sworn in. Interviewer: “Alright, now when you – at the time you enlisted were there a lot of guys from your community who were going in or did you just walk into a recruiting office and you’re the only one there or…” I was the only one there, cause by then everybody was either [in] college or still working on the farms. The recruiter said, ‘Not too many people from your area…’ Cause everybody was still talking college. (6:20) Interviewer: “Okay, now when you enlist were you given options for what kinds of training you could take or did you have to – did that all just depend on aptitude tests?” Aptitude tests. And everything turned out mechanical. Interviewer: “Alright. Now did you know that before you went off to boot camp or did you take a lot of these tests at boot camp when you got there?” I knew that before I went to basic. Interviewer: “Okay. So where did you do basic?” Fort Sill, Oklahoma. �Interviewer: “Alright, and describe that place, what did it look like at the time?” When I got off the bus at the reception center, everything was nice, clean, tidy, drill instructor got on the bus, course they’re yelling and they’re screaming and I’m thinking, ‘What did I do?’ And they rushed us through, ran us through the mess hall real quick, and the mess hall was huge, food was fantastic, I’m like, ‘This is pretty cool.’ Once we got our uniforms and… it was almost like that one scene [in] Stripes you know, getting the uniform, they’re fitting you, and this and that. Then they got us in the barracks, there’s one barracks. And… I arrived at Fort Sill July 2nd, by the time I got to the permanent barracks it was July 4th. Open-bay barracks, never saw nothing like this before. There was bunk beds, we’re all… bald-headed bunch of guys in our underwear and t-shirts trying to fill each other out, drill instructor said, ‘Time to go to bed.’ Fourth of July, we’re figuring okay, we’ll get to see fireworks - no. It was hot in Oklahoma, and you’re laying in bed, you’re sweating, and you hear the fireworks, they did have fans and by then we were already tired from the hustling around, getting everything together. So laying in your bed, sweating, hearing the fireworks thinking, ‘What did I do wrong?’ Everybody else was thinking the same thing too. Well, made it through the night, 5:00 the following morning, drill instructor’s throwing trash cans down the hallway. That was an experience, hearing trash cans, [being] called every name that you can think of that they could call you. We’re standing up, some guy’s still laying in bed and they’re flipping the mattresses off the bunk bed. So we’re getting… get dressed, showered, shaved, PT and all this. We still had the green uniforms, that’s before the fatigues. So we wore white tee shirts. And so then basic [started]. And drill instructor – both my drill instructors were Vietnam vets, I mean I was impressed with their shoulder patches, cause both of them [were] 7th Cavalry. That’s the big patch with a horse, and one was a white drill instructor, the other one was Puerto Rican, Sergeant Vega. Short. Man, the looks that these guys could give you… stop your heart. And they laid it out to us, being mom, dad, preacher, the whole…. But they’re also here to get you through basic training. Well they were still old school, how they were trained. They had no problems of putting you into place by.. I want to say a little more firmer grab, but you’re still called every name [in] the book. So they taught us the marching, the drills. We’re like, ‘okay, marching, drills.’ Then we went out in the fields. And taught us weapons, everything. The grenade throwing, how [to] set up your fire points and all this, and I was thinking, ‘well I’m [going to be] in maintenance, why do I need to know all this?’ No, no, no, no, this is it. But in the process I felt comfortable with my drill instructors. My father was a depression child, and plus a World War II veteran. Navy. There’s only one way, the right way. His way, the Navy way. You didn’t moan, groan, complain, and you took a butt chewing. Just, I mean, you took – well it was a basic drill instructor sitting there screaming [at] you, I found myself finally comfortable. [I thought], ‘Dad! When’d you turn into a Puerto Rican?’ I mean, I was comfortable though. And turned out the other guys who had fathers that were in the military, World War II, depression child, they’re hardcore. They didn’t know nonsense. (12:02) Interviewer: “So about how long did it take you to kind of come to that realization?” �I probably have to say within the third week. Interviewer: “Okay, alright. So on some level at least, did you understand what they were doing or were you just in a comfort zone at this point – did you know why they were doing this?” Yes. Cause talk to other veterans, World War II veterans, they’re more or less telling you how it was. If you didn’t pay attention to your training, you could lose your life. And my father, when he was in the Navy he was also a Seabee, so they were doing construction. Do it right the first time. And that’s how it was in basic, do it right. Interviewer: “And you’ve done farm work and stuff so you could probably handle the physical side of It pretty well?” Plus playing in high school football. I’m still in pretty good shape, compared to now, but yes – the running, the physical training part? It was easy. Interviewer: “Alright. So how long was the basic?” Six weeks. Interviewer: “Okay. And then what do you do after those six weeks?” Then we graduated. Then you gotta wait for orders to go to another school, your AIT – Advanced Individual Training. Interviewer: “Right. Okay, and what was yours?” Mine? I was a forty-one Charlie. Considered fire control repair. When you look in your sight, you had to make sure what you’re looking at, your barrel of the armored vehicle was looking at the same thing. There was a lot of optics and mechanical gears involved. Interviewer: “Did you do this at Fort Sill or did you go somewhere else?” Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. Interviewer: “And how was being there different from being at Fort Sill?” It was a different animal because we didn’t have drill instructors there, we had platoon sergeants. We still had the marching, but they marched us to school – where our barracks were. And where the school was, I’d say a good five, six blocks. And these were old barracks that we stayed in, but we still you know, had to keep our things extremely clean, did inspections left and right, but still being marched to school. Look forward to the weekends, we had weekends off, it was like ‘wow!’ And got to explore Baltimore, we were allowed to leave post. But Monday �morning, marching back to that school. And at school… was at first very basic, our instructors, they had the same M.O. as you, and so that’s when we started working on optics and the mechanical gears – on tanks and artillery pieces. From the most simplest things to binoculars. Then at the most complicated thing, a ballistic computer which belonged in an M60 tank. And everybody was excited, ballistic computers – this was still 1980. You know, inside a tank was a white box, cast aluminum with a lid. Took off the screws, had [a] couple handles on the outside, two mechanisms coming on the top. Popped the screw on this thing, excited – a computer! Looked in it, it’s ran by a bicycle chain. (laughter) I’m telling you, it’s true. Then it had a cam system and what the gunner would do, he’d turn a knob for what round they were shooting and what distance. Well, turn all this with the … and electric motor and the bicycle chain would turn the cams, which elevator to press the gun to. But still, the shock of seeing a bicycle chain in a ballistic computer. (16:30) Interviewer: “Now was it a computer only [in the] sense of being a machine that calculated things, as opposed to you know, having all the integrated circuits and all—” Circuit cards and everything, yeah. But that was the technology for the M60 tank from 1960 ‘til they started modifying the tank to an A1, A2, and the fire control systems got a little more complicated but not by much. And… but everything was still being dealt with optics. Nice, clean environment, no grease, no dirt. Interviewer: “Okay, now how much – was there a lot of math involved with what you were doing?” There was quite a bit of math involved, especially when it came to the mechanized gears – cause you had to make sure you had everything tolerated, count it just right, how many revolutions, broke down by… what it required for. There was also a lot of electricity involved too, so you had [an] oscilloscope, multimeter, rheostats, and all this that we were replacing. Interviewer: “Okay. So then you’re … electronics at the same time?” Mhm. Interviewer: “Now was there enough math that you got to use a calculator? I mean the handheld calculator existed by then, but was that part of what you used at that point?” That’s what we used, or if not we did the old math. Wrote our thing down inside the turret with a pencil. Interviewer: “But no slide rule?” No slide rule no. �Interviewer: “Yeah, they stopped teaching us that. Okay, alright. And how long was that training session?” That was a year. Interviewer: “Okay, alright. So daily life was basically just get up in the morning, march off to breakfast, go to school—” School, did our P.T. and then typical military life you know, barracks and then we started watching the numbers of the guys that weren’t around no more, cause we were also having testing quite a bit. And what the instructors used to love to do, as soon as you work on something, they would come in later on, take screws out, take this out – well you’re so confident that you worked on the piece earlier, you knew it was gonna be fine. Well all of the sudden it’s not working. Why is it not working? So you’re freaking out but you didn’t think about them sabotaging the part. You’re panicking, and can’t find out what’s wrong, so they might take a unhooked wire that you knew was hooked earlier, so they kept you on your feet like that. Then they started introducing Soviet stuff that was captured. We couldn’t believe how basic this Soviet equipment was, their sights compared to our sights. Interviewer: “I did once interview somebody who was serving in Germany in the ‘70s and they got to see inside of a T-72 tank, and he said a lot of it was of wood.” Their stuff was very crude compared to our stuff. Interviewer: “Alright, now when you would go into town into Baltimore or whatever, I mean you’d be going in there and you’d have short hair and so forth, would people know you are military to look at you, or…” (19:58) Cause long hair was still popular… you would stick out like a sore thumb. Interviewer: “How did people treat soldiers at that point?” We didn’t brag that much about – I mean they knew we were soldiers, only time… when you went back home on leave, somebody would- ‘Hey, you’re in the Army’ [and they would buy you a drink.] Interviewer: “So you weren’t getting any kind of old Vietnam backlash, or.. I suppose being [in] Southern Indiana you wouldn’t hit a whole lot of that anyway, but there were some areas where if you were in the military people might look down on you or—” �I got that at Chicago O’Hare Airport, cause I was in uniform. And I had a woman, wanted to know, ‘are we still trained on killing babies?’ And I looked at her and I just walked away. Then a couple of us went into a bar at O’Hare, and we were just minding our own business. Couple of guys told us about Vietnam and they told us about their experience walking through that airport and – early ‘70s, and they’re like, ‘You shouldn’t be walking through here in uniform.’ And you know, they told us about their experiences. Yelled at, screamed at. Interviewer: “Yeah. Okay, so there’s a little bit of that left over but clearly not like it was-” No, nothing like what it was. Interviewer: “Okay. So now you kind of, you get to the end of this year’s training, now how long had you enlisted for? What was the length of enlistment?” First time, four years. Interviewer: “Okay. And so you’re basically a little over a year into it at this point, once you complete that training what do they do with you?” It was the waiting game, just like being in college. When you took your final exams and it’s posted on the board. There was orders posted on a board, and when I enlisted, first thing the recruiter says, ‘Where you want to be stationed at?’ And I said Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, or Hawaii. Okay, that’s all on the paperwork. So we ran up to this bulletin board, saw orders. You know how excited … when you’re in college, ‘I passed!’ All of the sudden I hear guys, ‘Germany! Germany! Korea! Aw, I got Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, Fort Lewis,’ and I’m looking, looking, looking, ‘Scherer!’ Germany. My recruiter said, ‘I will get you Fort Knox, or Fort Campbell. For sure Hawaii.’ I’m still looking. Interviewer: “Now Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, why did you prefer those at the time?” They were 150 miles away from my home. Interviewer: “Yup, close to home.” Close to home. Interviewer: “If you’re gonna go anywhere else, go to Hawaii.” Hawaii. (23:08) Interviewer: “So you get Germany.” �I got Germany. Interviewer: “Alright, and now what, if anything do you do to prepare to go over?” Got a thirty-day leave and [went] back home, hung around my friends, you know, your typical.. like when you came home from college. Hang around your friends and you know, try to pick up some stuff, and the thirty days was great until probably the last week of that. And I still remember to the day, all of the sudden it’s time to go. And I had to fly out the local airport, then fly into JFK. And [I] still had never been to a big city, that big of a city. So got in JFK, big ‘ol wide-eyed, saw a bunch of other soldiers, we had a station area we had to stay at. Was going overseas. And just looking at the people at JFK and still In dress greens and excited, it was time for us to board. Eight hour flight. But there’s no preparation to get ready to go. Interviewer: “So they’re not teaching you anything about life in Germany or anything else like that?” Knew nothing about Germany. To tell you how naïve I was, when we landed at Frankfurt I was still expecting to see the Hansel and Gretel style homes. That’s how naïve I was! Still seeing German girls in pigtails and got in Frankfurt and… McDonalds. ‘Where’d these big buildings come from?’ Where’s the little Hansel and Gretel style homes, and all this? We had a reassignment area we had to go through, where a unit came [to] pick you up. Spent a day there, and then I’m noticing everybody’s speaking German. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, my dad and family spoke German. One day my [dad] said, ‘You might want to learn how to speak German.’ Psh! He was right. And my unit came, picked me up. Interviewer: “And what unit was that?” The 19th Maintenance Support Battalion. Interviewer: “Okay. Alright, they come and get you and now what happens?” They came, got me, and you know the whole ABCs, welcome to Germany, we’re going down the Autobahn and heading toward the barracks, and I was shocked on how these cars were driving. We had a military jeep, and just seeing all these cars – how fast! Still, where’s the bricklined roads, cobblestone streets and all this. All of sudden I saw a sign, ‘Welcome to Hanau, Germany.’ And so I get to my company, 19th Maintenance, old World War II German barracks. So I got the introduction, had a process and still checking out the barracks, still had marble floors. But you go down the hallway and it had gun racks in the walls. And homesickness [was] kicking in by then, I wanted to go home, and… nope, stuck there. Was introduced to everybody, my platoon sergeant and my squad leader – both of them Vietnam vets. ‘Welcome to Germany, you’ll have fun, you’ll have a blast.’ Well in the process while we were talking, big … in their head. ‘We’re gonna have fun, we’re gonna have a blast.’ (27:21) �Interviewer: “Alright, so now what do they do to kind of orient you or get you up to speed when you join the unit?” Well so got into the unit, signed in, then Frank …, he was in the squad I was assigned to, so it’s his job to get me everything I needed, from all the equipment and make sure all the paperwork’s signed in, showed me where the PX was on post and all the places that I needed to go. Now the post still had the cobblestone streets, and the barracks, like I said they were German barracks. But our motorpool was about five blocks away, and Frank told me about the history of Hanau. The city of Hanau, during World War II, the city was sacrificed – the lights were left on during the bombing, during WWII, to save Frankfurt. Nighttime bombing. So we got the history of Hanau, then the history of [the] 19th Maintenance Battalion. And we were the highest maintenance battalion you could go to next to the civilians. And the 19th Maintenance Battalion had a very proud history on turnaround for maintenance, that goes from wheeled vehicles to track vehicles, weapons, of course armor. Interviewer: “Now were you supporting units within an Army corps or a whole army or?” Army corps. We – they had to bring their stuff to us, what they couldn’t fix. We had several armor battalions we supported, we… their maintenance people brought everything to us, if we couldn’t fix it then we had to send it to Mannheim, that’s where the civilians were – to repair. But we were the last stop for them. And we saw some tore up things. Broken optics, how can you break this? And it’s stuff you never thought of, but we’re still in this nice, clean environment. And stayed busy, extremely busy. Interviewer: “And do they ever – do you go out and do field exercises or have other duties besides just the maintenance work?” (30:05) When the armor rode to the field, we rode. And when there was alerts called, then we went to our rally point out in the field. But we also did a lot of training out there too. You know, setting up… the general area which we were assigned to, if something would’ve happened, we did a lot of time in Freiberg, Germany. And my platoon sergeant asked a bunch of us, ‘You guys ever seen Roman ruins?’ ‘No!’ ‘Ever been to Rome?’ ‘No, never been to Rome.’ Well we’re in a field there, and he said, ‘You guys want to see Roman ruins?’ I thought he was yanking our chain, all of the sudden there’s these columns laying on the ground, chiseled columns. It was from when the Romans were there. Indiana, thinking… Romans? Shows you how much I paid attention, how much Romans conquered the world. There were these beautiful columns laying there, and we were eating our meal there, but it was just – I just couldn’t believe it – how far history went. And… but we did a lot of training out there, sloshing through the mud. And then still working on the stuff that they brought to us, we worked out a big large truck, and … got dirty, muddy, and all of this. Lot of practicing on NBC – chemical warfare, and of course nuclear warfare. That was drilled to us. And constantly drilled, that was our death threat from [the] Soviets. Warsaw Pact. �They had, we were taught if they do invade it’s going to be chemical warfare – they doubted that they were going to nuke us. ThenInterviewer: “So for chemical warfare, I mean what – was there protective measures you would take or?” We had chemical uniforms. And they had us – I mean, drilled on how to put on a chemical uniform, how fast can you put on these chemical uniforms. And your mask. And to the point, I mean you were timed, there we learned all the signals. Then they wanted you comfortable in these things, walk around with them in a day, you couldn’t pull your mask off. The cigarette smokers were going through hell. I mean you’re doing everything possible. And they didn’t give us a break, eat chow or smokes, but then they came up with a brilliant idea – let’s play baseball in these things. Cause they wanted you to get used to them, and they were charcoal activated – look inside a chemical suit, it’s all black. Then we were still wearing white t-shirts, so we played baseball, we played volleyball, and everybody’s sucking wind left and right, time to take our tops off and so what was the nice white t-shirt? [It] was black. We had to wear rubber gloves, your hands are pruned, but this, they kept drilling in our heads over time after time and time, that when an alert would come, how fast can you get your gear together, get it to the truck, have your weapon ready? This went on and on and there were sometimes where we’d get to the trucks, we’re moving out. And probably about [the] third month I was there I was on my.. probably fourth alert. And they’d call these things at one o’clock in the morning, never during the daytime but one o’clock in the morning. It was a race, get everything together that you were issued. Pile in the back of a deuce and a half, off we went. And then you knew we were going to go for a longer distance when they put convoy numbers on the trucks. (34:48) Then I became a driver, and had a convoy number on my truck. First time driving on the autobahn, so geeked up. Well [we] had a long drive, we ended up in Grafenwoehr, ‘where is Grafenwoehr?’ And got there, set up, and same thing all over again, chemical, train, train, nuclear, they – somebody walked around with a flash on a camera, ‘See the flash? That’s nuclear!’ Hit the ground. Put your butt toward the flash, cover your head. And so that went on, ran around [in] MOPP suits. Train with your weapon, still do your job – they’re still bringing parts to you. ‘Get it out, get it out,’ cause by then the tankers and artillery battalions are at the ranges – they have to qualify. They wouldn’t need their stuff so you’re getting everything out, still make sure your job [is being done.] Cause one of the things you were [threatened with] was you screw it up, that round falls short, kills somebody, your name’s all over that paperwork. And working on optics was – you know, no more … getting an optic cleaned, set just right. Looking through the thing there’s a smudge, ‘where did that smudge come from? Where did a piece of dust come from?’ And of course with being a mechanized gear it had to – everything was set. And still, had to be put out one hundred percent. And so this went on for a while, and still, chemical, chemical, chemical, and then one night things changed. That’s when the Soviets shot down that Korean airliner. And we were put on an alert. None of us knew nothing about the Korean airliner. But that gotta [have] happened probably two days before we had our alert. So we’re going to the �motorpool, all of the sudden we’re going a different direction than our usual where we would. ‘Where we going?’ ‘Fulda.’ ‘Where’s Fulda?’ ‘Fulda gap.’ That’s where the estimate the East German army and the Russian army comin’ through. ‘Nawww.’ ‘Yeah.’ By the time we got there we were the fourth battalion, they already had the armor ready to go. So they told us where we were going, we set up. And you look where we’re setting up, you saw the gap. We had our M60 machine guns and our fifties ready. And ‘you’re telling me we’re going to war?’ ‘No we’re not.’ ‘Yeah, we’re going to war.’ And… that was the first time I – while I was there, [that] it was scary. I was scared. And we were out there for three days. And my old platoon sergeant that was a Vietnam vet came up to us, he goes, ‘If we get overran, if I’m around I’m gonna make sure to shoot you guys,’ cause he said ‘the communists get a hold of you guys,’ cause he’s remember, from Vietnam, ‘it’s gonna be ugly.’ I don’t wanna be shot! But we were ready. Then, find out how big of a cluster it was, these other battalions run into their point. Then there was accidents left and right, left and right. And… but it never happened. We packed up, went back to where we came from, unloaded, broke out the beer. Beer was the biggest band-aid, and there was a lot of beer, there was a lot of drinking on your down time. (39:17) Interviewer: “Alright, now would you go off base or just stay on base?” Off base, local guest houses. Interviewer: “And how did the local Germans deal with the American soldiers?” I was hoping you would ask me this. It was like [an] age divide. The older Germans, that I would say was our parents’ ages when we were over there, they remembered American GIs, how well the American GIs treated ‘em. They said … they were starving for food, GIs always had food. [They] would give them the rations, they’re … and treated ‘em, even though they were Germans they would treat ‘em fantastically. They had nothing but praises [for] the American GIs. And it was the German… was our parents ages that we were what, say teenagers and younger. Then the older Germans would ask us - you know, treat us like we were kings. We had a rally point, was out in the boonies where we had – with our two trucks – it was at a farm, German farm. To me a home farm. It was this old German and his wife, they had a deal, contract where we would set up with the government – so they were used to Americans being there. They treated us like kings, they would feed us. And we would give them cigarettes here and there, and his wife always brought bread – fresh German bread. And he knew we couldn’t drink, but he was still – smuggled us a couple bottles of schnapps. But still, he remembered the Americans. Americans. And he hated communism. And the only ones that would not talk to us – and we figured, those were the ones that were in the war - the soldiers. German soldiers. They stayed away from us, and we discovered too, the older men would always wear long sleeves. No matter how hot it was. And somebody told us once, they think they were SS. Cause the SS marked on arms, and everybody else would run around with short sleeves. �(41:57) Interviewer: “What about the people your own age?” The younger kids, the college kids. They wanted us out, cause of nuclear weapons. And we were warned several times, careful in Frankfurt, might be a riot. And the younger kids by then, they wanted us out. No more nukes, that was hot and heavy in the mid ‘80s. And you see the protests, we got caught up in the protests in Frankfurt. There was four of us, and we were like… scared, ‘what are we gonna do?’ And it was this shop owner, pulled us in his shop. He knew we were Americans of course, with the haircuts. And we waited ‘til that protests went through, they were burning American flags, screaming, yelling, we ended up having five more buddies down the way got caught smack-dab in the center of that thing also, and they couldn’t get out. They were running trying to get away from there, by then the Germans said, ‘These are American soldiers,’ they pinned ‘em up against the walls and by then the Polizei were right there with their German shepards, but we’re still in that shop. And to this day I still remember that shop owner, we thanked him and thanked him and thanked him, and every time we went in Frankfurt we made sure we’d stop off at that shop. Of all things, it was a toy store. Interviewer: “Cause that’s somewhere where in the United States, when all that stuff was going on, I mean the Korean airliner thing attracted a certain amount of attention but at home it wasn’t really something where you really thought that that was gonna get you into a war or whatever else, and of course you – while there was an anti-nuclear movement of a sort that had been around, born really in the late ‘70s, you know, rioting, things like that now – I mean maybe over building a nuclear powerplant someplace-“ Exactly. Interviewer: “But yeah, it was just a different set of experiences there. Right.” Growing up, what rioting I remember seeing on TV of course, was down south. With issues down there, that’s where you saw the rioting – firemen with the fire hoses and all this. Interviewer: “Yeah, and there were antiwar – the antiwar stuff that went on the late ‘60s, early ‘70s too, but yeah, but for this whole other stuff going on in the ’80s, yeah it doesn’t affect us here. Okay, now are there other things that went on when you were in Hanau that kind of stand out in your memory from that tour?” Flag burning. We had a rec room, we used to watch news. It was stars and stripes, and then it was CNN news, they would have a partnership with CNN news. Bunch of us in the rec room watching TV, it was late, they’re talking about flag burning. ‘Flag burning? … burn flags in the US. What?’ Then they’re showing it. ‘The hell’s going on?’ Then they said it was okay to burn flags, [the] American flag. ‘Nawww, no way’ If somebody would’ve told me, ‘yeah, they’re burning flags in America,’ I wouldn’t have believed it ‘til I saw it on TV. And then AIDS, that’s same time about the AIDS breakout. And I remember a lot us saying we’re not going home, I’m �not going home, I mean what’s going on? Had the AIDS breakout, then ‘course the flag burning. ‘Course President Reagan, reassuring everybody everything’s gonna be fine. And we’re at Grafenwoehr when the Challenger exploded. Watched that on TV. It was cold, and I walked into the area, just got back from the range working on some tanks. Everybody’s gathered around the TV, ‘what’s going on?’ ‘Space shuttle exploded.’ And we were just at awe at that. Still, all our graphs, cause what news coverage we got wasn’t all that big – that was from the states. (46:39) Interviewer: “Now what was the time frame when you were in Germany for that tour?” From 1981 to ’84. Interviewer: “Okay. So I’m trying to think when the Challenger exploded I guess that was ’84, yeah. Okay, alright, so those things go on, then at this point now you’re running into the end of your original enlistment. At what point do you – did you decide to reenlist while you’re in Germany or?” No. When I was at Fort Polk, Louisiana. I got orders to go to Fort Polk, but right before I left – I would say a year before I left we started getting the M1 tanks. And the Army’s phasing out the M60 tanks. And I got orders to go on M1 – deprocessing team. What we were doing was receiving the brand new M1s, there was forty of us from all over Europe, got the orders. And the Army’s phasing out the M60s. So we had to work on the M1s, get them ready for issue. Finish working on what the plant didn’t finish putting on. And same thing, crash-course learning – cause we didn’t go to school for M1s. And by then [the] M1 was all computerized. Very few optics in the thing, all relied on circuit boards. I can say it now, cause all of this stuff is – I probably wouldn’t even recognize a M1 tank today compared to what we had. So you know, we were taught how to drive ‘em, fix ‘em, everything on these things. This went on for a year, and so like I said we’re phasing everything out. Start seeing accidents with these things. Especially wintertime, if anybody’s been to Grafenwoehr or Hohenfels, driving on a tank trail [in] wintertime, a sixty-ton tank and ice [don’t] mix. I mean, just out of the blue the thing would take off on you. You’re standing on the brake and you’re sliding, even though you’re not going that fast. Well … takes over. Had one guy, slid so hard into a tree he died. And then we had a couple guys in the motorpool, one got too close to another tank – and we had to line the tanks up front to back, front to back, where you’re almost touching. Well one guy traversed so fast, he didn’t think someone was on the outside and caught the guy between two tanks. And then you know, we knew about war but they didn’t teach you on fatalities. Anything was… get everything cleaned up, go back to work. Get drunk. And shake it off. So you know, we’re using a high pressure hose to get rid of the blood and on the new tanks, still that battalion coming in for this new tanks, … get these things out. And there was still a lot of accidents, people don’t realize, you know we didn’t fire a shot over there, you know how many casualties [there] were over there just in the ‘80s alone? Covered all four US wars. Nobody knows about the casualties we had in peacetime. We had explosions, vehicles overturning, vehicles in wrecks. Short rounds, guys getting hit by a mortar that fell short. The last year I was in Germany, Grafenwoehr had an engineer battalion, �combat engineer battalion working on landmines, how to set landmines – one exploded, killed seven guys. (51:45) Interviewer: “Yeah. I mean sometimes news of military accidents comes through, but usually it’s a helicopter crash or something like that.” Very brief. But when there was a explosion in the turret of a tank, no one knows – compared to today. And that sticks in my gull. Interviewer: “Okay. Now we had gotten into this, so you spent the last year in Germany on that tour, you’re now working with the Abrams tanks and so forth and you get orders to go to Fort Polk.” Fort Polk, Louisiana. I knew for sure I p’d off somebody to send me there. Who did I make mad? I was running through my mind – must’ve been my first sergeant, ‘come to commander!’ Got down there in Louisiana, drove down – it was July, hot. I mean now where I’m from Indiana, it got hot, extremely hot, the humidity wise. Louisiana, completely different animal. Get a sign, maintenance battalion, now when I left Germany I had a four-man room – still World War II barracks. Get down at Fort Polk, open bay barracks. Interviewer: “Now what rank were you at this point?” Sergeant. Interviewer: “Okay.” So I got my little – MY room. The only ones who got the rooms were in Seals, still open bay barracks. And being sergeant green, he you know, did all - what he had to do, get me signed in, processed, and got my equipment. And he said, ‘you guys get jungle fatigues.’ Why? Cause we were – we had to buy our BDUs, weren’t issued. And the BDUs at the time were heavy fatigues, he goes, ‘Down here we wear Vietnam era jungle fatigues.’ Now I don’t know personally if you’ve ever seen the fatigues – very light, very airy. Breathable, compared to what we had for the BDUs. (54:13) Interviewer: “What does BDU stand for by the way, is that battle dress uniform?” Correct. A woodland camouflage. So went to buy my jungle fatigues, they were olive green, and put my camouflage uniforms away, and then the new guys are coming in from basic, same thing. They’re buying jungle fatigues – we even had the jungle boots too. Look, I came from Germany! And was issued a window fan and a mosquito net and I was like… I want Germany, I �want Germany. And it was so hot down there, the Fort Polk day for armor and artillery, they weren’t as big as in Germany. The whole time I was there, fifteen months there, I worked on one tank. An old M60. You’re inside that turret and you’re sweating, sweating, I mean… hot. Now I did get to work on optics you know, binoculars and some sights, but nothing like in Europe. Now they didn’t have no M1s there, not yet. And this M60 had to be moved, so the platoon sergeant I had then, he goes, ‘You’re from Germany aren’t you?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘You know how to drive a tank?’ ‘Yeah I know how to drive a tank!’ ‘M60?’ ‘Yes!’ I showed him my driver’s license cause everything, what vehicle you drive… I moved this dinosaur, and the last tank I moved then was an M1. Now the M1 compared to the M60 – imagine you have a Volkswagen, all of a sudden you got a BMW. That’s how the M1 was, everything. But down there in Fort Polk, best way to describe it – just imagine somewhere in the country you see a bunch of people on a porch just fanning themselves, Fort Polk – while I was there, I think we had two alerts. And the guys from Germany and Korea, who went through alerts all the time, we got our stuff quickly. Now the guys who were stationed in the states, alerts? They’re still him-hawing around, yelling, screaming, ‘Where’s my backpack? Where’s my tent? Where’s this, where’s that?’ And you learn, especially from Europe and Korea how to have everything you need in that rucksack, everything. From extra pairs of socks, underwear, t-shirts, your sleeping bag, your tent, everything. And there’s these guys, they’re going, ‘I can’t find that stuff, what’s up?’ Well us guys from Germany and Korea, we’re already at the arms room, we’re ready. And these other guys are just finally showing up. Waiting at the truck, I got assigned a truck. Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, where is everybody? Cause you know in Germany, it’s ‘go, gotta go, gotta go.’ Lose the …. Finally they showed up, alert’s over with. So some other people said well, ‘how come you have all this stuff, you’re carrying all that stuff?’ Man, you need it. And I taught ‘em. ‘Alright, this is called a tanker drill. This is what you put in your rucksack, and it stays 24/7, don’t touch it.’ ‘Why? I wanna go camping?’ ‘Buy a tent then.’ And they couldn’t understand why you needed everything, cause in Germany you needed everything. From your mess kit to… the Army still used [a] two-man tent, one guy had one shelter half, [the other had] the other shelter half. So everything, in Louisiana, trying to get these guys figured out. Except for the guys coming in from overseas, we were ready. Then we were told, ‘Slow down.’ ‘Why?’ ‘We’ll never see a chemical attack here, nuclear attack. We’ll never be deployed.’ Battalion commander, when they had their incident at Grenada, he did everything to volunteer that battalion to go to Grenada. And most of the Vietnam guys were laughing at them, ‘these fools are gonna get us killed.’ I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that one movie with Clint Eastwood, Heartbreak Ridge? (59:19) Interviewer: “Yeah, mhm.” How him and that battalion commander and the old first sergeant you know, how they talked. That’s how it was. And I was still listening to the Vietnam vets, cause they still know what they’re talking about, but the guys from Germany are like, ‘We’re in trouble,’ especially with how they’re pushing chemical warfare, nuclear attack and all this. So then every Wednesday it was training day – we gave classes, would give more or less a refresher of what you were taught from basic and all this. And I’m telling the honest truth, I have the certificate to show you, and it was �bugging me – nothing on chemical warfare. So they encouraged you to give a class. That’s part of your job. So I said I’ll do a chemical warfare [class], how to decontaminate. They’re like, ‘decontaminate?’ ‘Yes!’ How to decontaminate your vehicle in case you’re – for chemicals. So my company commander said ‘Fine, write me up some index cards on the class.’ And the – our chemical NBC NCO wasn’t too keen on chemical warfare, and with all his time spent at Fort Polk – and like I said the training for that was… so I gave him a class, like I said that day, was more or less like a round-table thing for classes, from CPR, weapons, common map-reading, how to communicate on radio. Well mine was outside, and I had my truck – which was a 5-ton truck. They did have decontamination bottles there, which was charged by CO2 canisters. I laid out everything, and then everybody was going outside to my station. Had to introduce [myself] to ‘em, who I was and what the class [was]. And my company commander says, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ We were drilled, and drilled, and drilled, to the point [where we could] do it in our sleep. So I was giving my class, everybody’s like, ‘okay, so you have to clean it,’ you know, with this canister you had to soak, hose down inside the cabin of the truck, everything you would imagine you would touch. From the outside, inside, if you’re hauling troops, the backside. Went and [decontaminated] that truck. They’re saying, ‘Why? What if you’re separated from [your] unit?’ You see a vehicle, and you’re trying to make it back to the back. There’s a bunch of you, you see a vehicle that’s still working? You want to decontaminate that, get you and your people back in the back. By then you’ll be decontaminated. I told them how it had been done and how we were taught, and so this went on for all day, I think I probably had eight classes that day. Battalion commander showed up, and he very suddenly shows up – well there’s other units, he showed up to mine. So he wanted to know how I learned all this. I said, ‘In Germany this is – we’re training on this 24/7, besides your weapon.’ And he goes – and he was stationed in Germany, he remembers all the training. He says, ‘Stateside units are weak on this.’ He said, ‘Well run me through your class.’ I ran through my class, and everything, him and his aide and his first sergeants went through the class. It was over with, he said I gave a very nice class and he said, ‘You should be proud of what you were taught.’ That was it, left. Week later, all of the sudden we had a formation, battalion commander was there. And that’s when I got the Army achievement medal for my NBC classes. Now, if it had been Germany it’d have been another ‘oh god,’ there… and the funniest thing was listening to people say, ‘I can’t drive his truck!’ Cause they didn’t know how to drive stick shift. You’re gonna learn, guarantee. But they’re like, ‘will it save lives?’ They’re saying it will save your life. And so I got back to the barracks feeling kind of proud of myself, and this sergeant … in front of me, and he said ‘Showoff.’ You know, and he’d been to Europe. But it was just funny how stateside units… and it was getting’ time for reenlisting. And I liked [the] Army, I really did. I liked the structure. Everybody in the military was your family, I don’t care who you were – I think you heard this from other vets, when they get, use the term ‘brother,’ it’s true. With your best friend, you know everything about him, he knows everything about you. You almost feel like you’re part of his family, way he would talk about his family, vice versa. But at Fort Polk, soon as everything was done, boom, get in your car, go. There weren’t that very many people to hang out, like there was in Europe. These guys complained about how much they hated the Army, I’m like, ‘you got it made here!’ There’s no alerts, you’re not in the field. Went to the field once at Fort Polk – and nothing like Germany. �(1:05:46) It’s time to reenlist. ‘I’ll do it for another four years, what the hell.’ I’m having fun. By then, my dad had lost the farm – that’s when farming was taken out. Nosedive. I didn’t wanna work in a coal mine… The girl who I had high hopes [for], the reason why I went into the Army? Pffft, forgot about her, long time ago. So I reenlisted. Reenlistment NCO said, ‘Alright, where you want to be stationed at? Your dream sheet.’ First three places I chose the first time – Fort Campbell, Fort Knox, and Hawaii. ‘Okay.’ So it’s Knox, Campbell, Hawaii. Waited around for about two-three weeks, got orders. ‘Germany!’ ‘What happened to..’ ‘Well, those slots were filled.’ ‘Germany!’ He goes, ‘Could be worse, [you could] go to Korea.]’ I heard too many horror stories about Korea, no no no no. Then my thirty-day leave, and this time I knew what to expect. Leave went by fine, fantastic, got on that airplane and got [to the] reception station in Frankfurt. Same thing. So they said, ‘You’re gonna be assigned to the third infantry division.’ And I told them ‘I’m not infantry. I’m maintenance!’ ‘No no no, they got tanks and artillery there.’ ‘Can I go back to originally where I came from, 19th?’ They’re like, ‘No, no. Third infantry.’ So they came down, picked me up, and then they told me the history of third infantry, Audie Murphy. Okay, it’s cool. And got there, Wurzburg. Again, German barracks. Expected that, and so I expected everything, what I went through the first time I was in Germany. So I said, ‘What shop am I going to?’ Figured I’m going to a shop. ‘You’re not going to a shop, you’ve been assigned to a armor brigade.’ And that was the death knell, cause guys in armor brigade, their maintenance people, when the tanks moved, they moved. And they didn’t work out a nice, clean, sterile shop. They worked out of a van the size of a moving van. Said ‘this can’t be too bad,’ so I got there, platoon sergeant’s explaining everything, this is what my duties were – and we had … which was the computer to [run] tests on the computers on the tanks. Would tell you what was wrong, mostly circuit card, diode, all this. You won’t see no optics, I guarantee it. ‘It’s you and this one guy.’ Okay, fine, no problem. And this guy was like, ‘Oh, welcome, da-da-da,’ he was my roommate. We had nothing to do for about a month! Next thing I know, I’m busting track on a tank – which was not my job. They needed help, and they came to the truck, ‘you doing anything today?’ ‘Nope.’ ‘Yeah, you are.’ (1:09:37) Interviewer: “Mhm.” ‘You ever bust track before?’ ‘No. I drove tanks before.’ Ended up, for that whole month, they were reshoeing the M1s, busting track. Didn’t get to work inside the turret hardly. Interviewer: “Alright, you had no experiences with that at all?” No experience. Learn as you go. And so all the sudden, the recovery driver, which drives the M88 recovery vehicle, he was getting out. No one really – they had a hard time finding a replacement for him, and they looked at [me], and they said, ‘You’re a pretty big guy, you like heavy equipment?’ ‘It don’t bother me.’ And one of them said, ‘You’re a farm boy, aren’t you.’ ‘Yeah, no problem.’ ‘You’re our new recovery operator.’ Never recovered anything before in my �whole life, this thing is big enough, flip over a truck without even breaking a sweat, small APC, they usually use it to pull engine packs out of tanks. Learn as you go, never went to recovery school. But again, when the tanks moved, that thing moved. They would get stuck in the mud, we had to hook up to ‘em, try to pull them out. Wading through the mud, you’re muddy. In the process I ran across a friend of mine who was still at 19th maintenance. And there we were always proud of our uniforms, everything was always starched. Boots, spit-shined. Ran across him, saw his uniform was [the] same rank, he said ‘You look like a ragamuffin!’ ‘I don’t have time! We don’t do looking pretty no more!’ Boots and mud, and when you’re at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels I hope you run into a veteran, you’ll find mud [where] you never thought you could find mud. Summertime, dust. This real fine dust powder. And so again, you never dreamt [where] you could find dust, and the mud. But my friend’s like ‘Yeah, I’m still in the same truck we used to have back then!’ That truck, you could eat off the floor cause everything had to be clean. I said, ‘Well have you been working on the M1s?’ ‘Not much! What do you do on them?’ So I told him, ‘Well, in my unit you bust track, you help ‘em pull engine packs out.’ Course you’re working a turret, are you pulling a turret out or replacing a gun barrel?’ He goes, ‘we weren’t taught that in school.’ ‘I know, nothing.’ But they – you did everything when it came to the armor. Also I think for the artillery. And, ‘Can you replace the barrel in an M1?’ ‘Yeah.’ Takes two guys. ‘Can you do this on it?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘Can you pull that motor by yourself?’ ‘Yup.’ Still takes two guys. When we first started processing the M1s in [the] mid ‘80s, they discovered everything was in metric. And we had nothing but U.S. standard toolboxes. Now these are coming in from the states, metric. We couldn’t pull – everybody had their own certain job with a brand new tank, mine was to climb underneath there, drop these two plates, look for serial numbers. Couldn’t drop ‘em. They were 17mm, was there a 17mm in Germany that the Army issued? Interviewer: “Nope.” They had to go [an] auto parts store, German auto parts store, get a 17mm socket. That thing could’ve stopped if we would’ve had a war… it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, 17mm. (1:14:00) Interviewer: “Alright, okay. So you do this second tour, you join this armor brigade and you’re doing all these different kinds of things, and so what else kind of stands out about that tour for you?” How they would take people out of their MOSs and teach ‘em to do other jobs. We were so short-handed when we went to the range, desperately hurting for people. And I told [my] platoon sergeant, I said, ‘look, I need another person to-‘ My roommates then, Mark and I, we had this one tank [that] was giving us fits. Electronics. Need somebody to help us, you know, run to the truck, run the part on …, while one person is still in the turret. But we needed a person, once that part was fixed, run that part – or that piece of equipment to the person in the turret. Losing time! ‘I’ll get you somebody.’ They pulled a company clerk, a PSC. Not his job, never been in the field before. He’s just standing there, never been in mud. But that’s how it was, they pull somebody, and by the time I left – even though I’ve never been to gunnery, the tanker showed �me. Cause we had – what they were having problems with [was] fixing their sights. So we had to work on that. Then all of the sudden once you finish working on it at the range, they’re lobbing ‘em downrange. And you learn. I was on another deprocessing team for the second time around, and these were the new M1s coming out – there’s M1, [and] M1A1. Same thing, but this time we were at the ranges with these new tanks. And I didn’t see my company, my original – that armor brigade for a year. And back doing the same thing, but this time I had more experience cause there was some times we had to replace track. ‘Ooh, I know how to do that!’ Learnt that from them. And then when they came with the new M1A1, they were having problems with the hydraulic system. … put the wrong hydraulic fluid in the turret, and they put original hydraulic fluid instead of organic. And original was eating the O-rings worse than… you know, these are sixty million dollar tanks – and ready to be issued. But what really – I mean there’s one thing I did forget to tell you about, I don’t know if you remember when the Marines were bombed in Lebanon? We had an alert for that. And had to go get the M88, drive it down to post, put it at post, we already had the thing staggered and everybody was flipping out you know, ‘we’re gonna get bombed, we’re gonna get bombed,’ and they’re trying to reassure us, ‘no, we’re fine, we’re fine.’ At the same time, we’re starting to deal with terrorists. In the ‘80s, in Germany. They blew up that nightclub, that killed Americans. And then also there was a bombing in Frankfurt, airport, at Rhein-Main. And then when Reagan – President Reagan visited Libya over the bombing at the nightclub, and that really put everybody on edge. And they were saying, ‘Anybody who has a personal vehicle, this is what you need to look for, especially parked on the streets. Look at your gas cap filter – make sure the door’s closed, open it up, look at your gas cap. Make sure your doors are shut, none of them are ajar.’ And so everybody’s getting really paranoid, driving to the main gate, the MPs are out there with their metal detectors and the mirrors, looking underneath the vehicle. And my roomie and I went to Heidelberg just for fun, and.. walking back to his car, and all the sudden he noticed the passenger door. ‘Did you shut the door?’ ‘Yeah I shut it.’ ‘Was it ajar?’ ‘(‘I don’t know’ noise) Well I didn’t shut it all the way.’ But he was so paranoid, ‘You were sitting in that seat, not me!’ God, and that was the thing we were paranoid [about]. The terrorists. Plus the Soviets. And then the bombing at Beirut, we never thought of stuff like [that]. Then all the sudden the busses that we had on post, regular school busses – they had metal over the windows – mesh. (1:19:45) Interviewer: “Like being back in Vietnam.” It’s like what the… But we were still laid-back though, once we convoyed through the cities, the smaller towns – get to either Hohenfels, Grafenwoehr, and we still had to stop in these small cities. Had to stay by your truck, Germans would walk up to us – nothing like today, worry about suicide vests. Or somebody mucking around with your fuel tank like they did in Vietnam, would do the grenades with the tape where the fuel would loosen up the tape on the handles on the grenades, and off they went. Germany, the Germans come up to us and offer us coffee – especially if there’s a deli, the deli owner would come out with brotchens, and lunch meat – ham. Feed us! Left and right, nothing like it is today. There was always, would be somebody by the vehicle with – but our weapons were usually in the cab of the truck, were never loaded �anyway but… so it was always fun driving through these little towns because the Germans would look at your vehicle and stuff, they’d snoop around. They’d tell me how when I used to drive the 88 going through the towns, cobblestone streets – you know, this is a eighty-ton vehicle, and you know, [they’d] tell me how many years they’d been seeing American tanks run through here and all this. But very nice people. But it’s a shame today’s troops can’t do that like I said, going through Afghanistan. Interviewer: “Yeah, very different thing.” Different animal. And the troops in Vietnam, they were on their feet. If they stopped off at a little village or what there is of a town, they had to worry about the guerillas there, sabotaging. Interviewer: “If we can kind of steer back here toward your second tour – cause we’ve kind of gone and you’ve had kind of a flashback into the first tour and that kind of thing and that’s a good thing to have filled in, alright. So are there other main duties that you had or other things you did in Germany in that second tour beyond what you’ve talked about here?” (1:22:16) Well once I became an NCO – full time babysitter, which.. when I was a private, when an NCO told you to do something - from a Vietnam vet - NCOs we had, they said something, we’d listen to ‘em. Once they started to leave, there [were] very few Vietnam veterans still in the service. So a lot of those guys [who’ve] been in for a while, we remember what they taught us. Especially even though it was Germany, what to expect in a firefight. How to set up the claymore landmines, they were – or how to shoot your 203 grenade launcher. If you were an M60 crew or M50 crew, they were – they drilled that in, this is how you’re… your line of fire, everything. What they – but it was still taught to us. Then when it came – like I said earlier, they were old school. When it came time for room inspections they would flip out. I mean, god forbid they see a dust bunny floating underneath your bed. But it was still drilled into us, the new guys coming along. I mean, I feel bad now because I used to call some of the old Vietnam vets that I got along with ‘Pops, Grandpa,’ just wait, just wait, you know. And you knew the ones who you could monkey with and you knew the ones – especially once they’re drunk, no - leave them alone. Now, I was becoming an …, became a squad leader. I had kids under me. So I, you know, we had the room inspections. Keep your equipment [in] excellent shape, make sure everything worked. Make sure you had everything, especially when it came to the backpack like I told you about, Fort Polk. ‘I can’t find this, I can’t find that,’ but we also helped out the ones that were lagging behind, that’s what the Vietnam vets taught us. You don’t leave nobody. No matter what. So even though you went through something a thousand times that day with a certain person, you’re still helping ‘em. And so we – even out in the field we always had two canteens with us, with our gear. You have water in your canteen. It’s one of the things they’re always preaching, do you – make sure you have water. Then it got to the point, these new guys – the new privates. We’re getting after them, and… but then [in] the back of your head you’re still hearing the older guys, and… like I said, with then, with the older Vietnam guys – lipped off to one of ‘em, he might not �do nothin’ in front of you, minute you cross that corner he’s got you. And he would drill, ‘you don’t lip off, you listen.’ Cause you didn’t listen, you got so-and-so killed. … something sneak in. Nighttime, out in the thing, perimeter, these guys would wig out over the perimeter. When we had to string up Concertina wire in our area – this is when we were still having C-rations in cans. ‘What’s all this for?’ And when it’s time [for] posting guards, ‘don’t go to sleep, don’t go to sleep,’ even though it was Germany! And sometimes I think they were reliving their experience. Interviewer: “Probably were.” (1:26:39) And.. but still, the training. You gotta make sure you look out for your men, cover your men, and – like I said, then toward the end, lot of ‘em were gone. But then I guess you could say the new generation, we inherited their ball. And it was an honor, really. Interviewer: “So we were kind of talking about, kind of the later stages of your military career and your time in Germany, the point where you’ve kind of become the old guy, the Vietnam generation has gone out. How do you characterize the kinds of people who were joining the Army and coming in after you, in terms of their backgrounds or aptitudes or..” The people, [who] I went in with, from basic to probably about middle-time, we were all the same age group. In basic training [you] might as well figure you had your eighteen-year-olds and your nineteen-year-olds, maybe a couple seventeen-year-olds sprinkled in. I still remember we had twenty-year-olds and a couple Vietnam guys came back in, and so we were – except for some of the twenty-year-olds, us – the younger guys, we’re all still in the same mindset. High school, that big football game, that big pass that you caught and all this, or dating a cheerleader, or ‘my car is this fast,’ and all that. And there are small-town guys, still hung out together, you know. Still the same mindset. And even in Germany everybody was still almost in the same age group. You know, you were stationed with people from different parts of the US, and – but still the same mind group, except for what - the training. We were starting to take things a little more seriously, and I guess you could say it’s more or less going through college: freshman year, you’re green, you’re running around banging your head on ‘which direction do I go, what am I doing, what did I do.’ By the time your sophomore year, ‘okay, I know not to hit that wall no more, cause it’s gonna hurt.’ But you’re listening more to instruction. Following the direction. Now by then the older kids – I would say the Vietnam vets, for me, were starting to.. ‘okay, this guy’s alright.’ They will lead you through that – to get you going in the right direction, but they’re not gonna hold your hand all the way, they’re gonna let you fall. Same thing for college. By the time you hit your junior year, if you haven’t figured out what you’re gonna do or get your assignments on, you’re gonna fall. Well, in the Army, after… for me, I think the sixth year I knew where I was heading in the Army. Toward training, toward leading troops. It was all because that senior grabbed me by the neck, ‘it’s gotta be done this way,’ and his thing – I remember one of the Vets told me, ‘The Army’s been doing this for 150 years, they’re not going to change because you think it’s a better idea. Forget it.’ And once I got my five and I was, like I said, put into a squad leader position, then the ones that I was with – they were gone, out of the Army. �Same age group, they did their four years, three years, two years, they were gone. By the time I was twenty-six, I was considered the old guy – except for my senior NCOs. Then, I’m dealing with eighteen-year-olds, nineteen-year-olds. And trying to teach them what I was taught – by then the Army was changing their ways, where discipline-wise, wasn’t as harsh. (1:31:31) Interviewer: “Okay.” And so… you’d sit there and talk ‘em through more stuff, hold ‘em through more stuff. And I still remember a smart-aleck kid, I was climbing out of the turret of a tank and so help me, every bone in my body cracked, cause I twisted a certain way - goes, ‘Man, you’re old!’ I’m only twenty-six! ‘You’re an old man!’ When he said that from that day – like you know … came through PT, doing.. trying to prove I can still do more things than he can do. I can still take that ball and run, later that day, once I got back to the barracks, ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna die, shoot me now!’ These guys were (breathing heavily) ‘til it dawned on me and my roomie, we were talking – we were like that too, young and stupid. And.. but it was a different era, came in. We had suicide problems. Young guy, with sticks in my head… young kid, he was from Iowa, I won’t say his name – and we used to call him ‘Opie,’ had a girlfriend, he was the high school quarterback, by then the Army was teaching us to get more involved in your soldiers’ [lives]. Leave your door open, if you have a problem, talk to ‘em. Now this was getting away from working on tanks and running through the woods in Germany and all that, so... had this kid, and [he] got a Dear John letter – got used to getting Dear John letter[s], get the guy drunk as you can or take him to Frankfurt. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Frankfurt – at the time there was a red light district. You know, everybody always paid out of their own pocket to make this kid happy again, and we did everything with this kid. And the girlfriend, Dear John letter, and I guess they’d been together for god knows how many years. And one day he walked in the motorpool, and he hung himself. I didn’t see him do it – actually, nobody did. Then one day somebody was walking through the motorpool, MPs were showing up, ambulance and first sarge grabbed me, and let me know what’s happening, he’s growling at me. ‘What happened with this kid?’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t know!’ ‘Why did he hang himself?’ I didn’t know. And my door was open, but it was the way I was taught – you had a problem, you worked it out. And… I let that one slip through my fingers, not knowing. And took that one hard, and first sarge had been a Vietnam vet, 2nd 11 Cavalry. He said, ‘You know, this hurts worse than having one get shot.’ And so, still had [an] open-door policy but I wanted to walk up to you if you had a letter from your family, ‘lemme read it!’ And ‘specially if you had got a Dear John I doubt… if you let me read it. Of course we did give the big brother advice, if somebody did get a Dear John, ‘oh, to heck with that girl, you can do better, let’s get drunk.’ And you know, try to make ‘em feel better. (1:36:05) Interviewer: “Alright, now were there any women coming into your unit yet, or?” �We had women in our unit, the first time no women. Second time, that’s when the Army – we started having segregated barracks. And that was – I’ve personally, myself, never been in college – but I can image what college dorm room life was like. With females. They still couldn’t work on the tanks, the armor – but they mostly were for supply, paperwork, administration. And couple of ‘em did small arm repairs, and they’d beg and plead, ‘can we go out there on the tanks?’ ‘No, no, no, you can’t, you’re a girl.’ Interviewer: “Mhm.” Well that’s the worst thing to someone who’s hellbent on… okay, got permission from platoon sergeant, had her come out there and help us. Small girl, figured after a couple days lifting all these components out, then all of a sudden she could get in these areas where us big guys were struggling to get in. She loved it! Every minute of it. And we had a howitzer that needed the fuel cells replaced – diesel fuel cells, they’re bladders. Not ever worked on the artillery pieces ‘cept for the sights. One of the guys says, ‘Do you think you she could climb into that fuel cell and start pulling it out?’ Everybody else was too big. ‘Okay fine, no problem.’ She got into that thing, started busting her butt – we nicknamed her Mouse. She – everybody was in, the big guys were in love cause she could squirrel through that thing, and she was puttin’ some of the regular guys to shame. And.. but she loved it. And when she reenlisted, she reenlisted to be a mechanic. And.. but to this day they still don’t let women go into artillery brigades, or tank brigades. But the two I saw, oh yeah they’ve been great. I saw female truck drivers, could wheel around some of those deuce and a halfs - deuce and a halfs didn’t have power steering, these are still the manual steering. I don’t know if you’ve ever drove a manual steering vehicle, you know, lifts you out of your seat when you try and turn. Some of these women I saw were palming the steering wheel like it’s… ‘Okay sister!’ And they could hold their own, but still having a barracks of women, that was really weird. Extremely weird, couldn’t get used to it at first. But like I said, then it [became] college dorm life. It was fun. Interviewer: “Okay. So you kind of adapted to that, so it wasn’t a great morale problem to have the women there or?” (1:39:29) No! Still had some hardcore NCOs – female and males, they didn’t like it. And the younger guys, oh it was paradise to them. I mean, so... guys are sneaking down to their floors, girls were – my roommate was notorious, [would] always bring a girl in the room. I would wake up and see a toe from underneath the blanket, ‘alright that’s not his toe.’ Cause he better not be wearing red nail polish! But you know, just blew it off. Our, when new girls would show up at the barracks that had been assigned to us, I think every window of the barracks was open and these guys were like, ‘that’s gonna be mine, guarantee it.’ So yeah. Interviewer: “Do you know if there were problems with harassment or guys pushing things too far?” �If there was, it was taken care of in the barracks – it was nothing like that big Navy scandal in the ‘80s – Tailhook, I think. Interviewer: “Tailhook, yeah.” No, there was – I mean, if somebody did cross a line either they stayed away from each other very well… being an NCO I never heard nothing, nothing like it was with the drug issue. But usually you would call the – that’s what I was just telling Cody, my neighbor that brought me. A military romance, after a couple weeks, move on. Interviewer: “Alright, now were drugs an issue in the Army in the ‘80s?” Yeah. Everybody would leave Frankfurt, go to Amsterdam – hash. And cocaine was starting to make a big deal. Somebody would bring back pot and they would get laughed at, ‘why I got hash here! Why would I want to smoke pot?’ ‘Course drinking was a big issue. Still had your annual urine test, and then couple days later all the sudden MPs [would] be lying down in front of the barracks, calling names, or they would bring the dogs in. And guys would, had brilliant ideals on throwing the scent off on the dogs, they swore up and down, black pepper and all this. But once the dogs came in, searched your room, and – but like I said, the urine tests – but yeah, drugs were a problem. Interviewer: “And did you see occasions where it sort of affected anybody’s job performance? Or was this really kind of an off-duty issue?” Off-duty issue. We had one guy, flipped out – turned out he was doing coke. And flipped out in the motorpool, somebody was doing something and flat-out caused him to flip out. But in the ‘70s, I think, since you’ve been doing Vietnam vets, drug problems, very bad. So the military kind of got a handle on it – what to look for. I don’t know if any of your Vietnam vets told you about – with their NBC mask, their carrier. They used to have a EpiPen with them. And the EpiPen was speed that you would jab in your leg, if you had a chemical attack. So they were using their Vietnam – that EpiPen left and right, left and right. Well the military decided to take that EpiPen out, so by the time the ‘80s rolled around, we still had the same gas masks and all, no EpiPen. Cause the Vietnam guys would get stoned off the thing. Being speed. And… but then they got really hot and heavy with the drug testing stuff. Interviewer: “Okay. Now were there racial issues at all in the ‘80s?” (1:44:00) No. As you and I talked earlier about my southern drawl, when it does come out – basic training, where I’m from back home there was no African-Americans, no Hispanics, no Asians – all-white community. For high school football, we played this one – our first all-Black football team. We didn’t know what to do. And coach was getting after us, ‘They’re people! Hit ‘em! They’ll hit you back!’ And all that stuff. And man, these guys could run. Could never catch ‘em. We got our �butts handed to us. First time experience with African-Americans. Now, growing up, TV, you saw the protests with the fire hoses and all that. That was left at that, we go into other towns that had African-Americans, you looked at ‘em, all this. And you hear the violence on TV. Well, basic training starts. We had a mixture of… couple Asians, lot of Cubans that – their families escaped. And the boat people. Interviewer: “Right.” ‘Course, African-Americans. So [I was] assigned this bunk, guy sittin’ above me, and his name is Roro, black – a black man. Blackest man I’ve seen! He had his shoes and socks off, he’s sitting above me and his feet… and I just couldn’t keep from staring, and I kept staring. And staring, and finally he looked over his bunk – ‘Never been around a black man before, have you?’ And I’m like, ‘oh yeah, yeah.’ ‘What you staring at my feet for then?’ And the bottom of his feet was the whitest, as white I’ve ever seen my whole life. First words out of his mouth, ‘you’re a hayseed.’ ‘What?’ So he broke down hayseed – okay, and we became good friends during basic. And yeah, we had problems – we had the boys from the South, there was a couple fights in the barracks. And it got nipped in the bud real quick, and you right away knew who was racist. White and black. So basic went through, there was no major shooting, behind doors, yeah you heard the N-word quite a bit, from both sides. And I could never understand why a black man would call another black man the N-word. But I asked ‘em, ‘Why can you do that and I can’t?’ They’re like, ‘well you just can’t.’ ‘Why?’ I never got a definite answer. So I made it through basic training, AIT, same thing, everything smooth as silk. Then when I got assigned to 19th Maintenance, I had a four-man room. By then they were starting to segregate the rooms, white and black, white and black, white and black. No more all white, no more all-black. Interviewer: “So they’re de-segregating the rooms then.” (1:47:42) Exactly, thank you, de-segregating. And so this corporal took me to my room, he goes, ‘Good luck with your roommates,’ and he opened the door, guys were sitting there, all three of ‘em were black. One of ‘em said, first word, ‘hell no!’ And I… oh my lord, I’m… so got in there, introduced myself, they introduced themselves. Two of ‘em [were] from Detroit. That one was from Los Angeles. And got settled in and all that, these guys made me feel comfortable. And after a week or so, once we really got to know each other, just imagine being stationed, or in a room with two Eddie Murphys and a Chris Rock. Cracking jokes all the time, everything. There [was] more laughing and giggling in that room, and these guys – especially the two from Detroit, and finally they’re calling each other the N-word – they looked at me, ‘long as this stays in this room, you can say it.’ I was like, ‘what?’ Well, okay… well then it was… everybody was the N. Now once we left that room, go to the mess hall… and then other black guys would show up into the room and the N-word was floating around, and I finally said it – well these other black guys – “Ohhhhh, well here we go.’ They’re like man, ‘that’s not cool, that’s not cool.’ So… but yeah, the guys from the South still – you could tell the ones that walk around with a big belt buckle and the stars and bars and everything. Now the thing in Germany, everybody bought �stereos. The biggest stereo you… I bought one. Now I’ve always loved country music, well actually, a variety of music. And I bought this Lynyrd Skynyrd decal, and it was stars and barsstyle. But instead of stars it said “Lynyrd Skynyrd.” Well then the… Lewis, that’s the one from L.A. – he could’ve been a diehard Malcolm X. There was days he would flip flop. Walked into the room, he [was] playing my stereo – we had to have headphones – he’s just sitting there listening. Walked over to see what he was playing on the turntable, a Willie Nelson song. Goes, ‘This is pretty cool!’ (laughter) And you know, back in the ‘80s all the rhythm and blues are African-American groups, you know, you had Peaches and Herb and… then they got me listening to music, and Gladys Knight. And Aretha Franklin, the Commodores, and Stevie Wonder, so the music thing, you know, by the time I left, the first time? My variety of music, instead of country, was [expanded]. But those three guys made my first tour in Germany great. And before – if I would not [have] gone into the military, if I would’ve seen three black men… I would’ve steered away. Honestly. But these guys – like I said, they’re the ones that, when they told me about life in Detroit, [at] first I thought they were yanking my chain. Since I’ve lived here in Michigan I was like, ‘Wow, that was rough.’ That was almost a war zone itself. But… and then Los Angeles, Lewis – that’s happened right at the time of the riots in L.A.— Interviewer: “Yeah, the whole Rodney King thing and—” (1:52:34) Exactly. And ‘course that was covered on AFN – Armed Force Network. And you could see the gears in his head just turning, and… I got concerned, cause right away he said, ‘See how you F’n white people are?’ And I’m like, ‘Not everybody’s like that.’ ‘Aw, bullshit.’ And then that’s when the Malcolm X side, slash… the one gentleman who wears the bow tie, Farrakhan. Interviewer: “Yeah.” That side came out. So we got into a discussion about it and all this, and by then the other two guys came into the room, and they heard him just going off and all this about whites. The other two guys yelled at him, and that’s when the N-word… go outside, play on the Autobahn, we don’t care. That’s over there. And ‘course I wanted to stand up and say the same thing, and you know… ‘Keep your mouth shut Dave, keep your mouth shut,’ but the other two guys… so he got mad and he took it out of the room, probably went to the club. Those guys [were] saying yeah, ‘People from New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, [they’re] different.’ And… but that’s, that was the hesitation. You heard behind the doors, ‘Oh, you’re after me, you’re out for me!’ But no, no… then I had to be careful on how I talked, with that drawl. Picked my words very carefully. And then I, when I got orders those guys were – the two guys were gonna head back to Detroit, work at the plants. They had family working at the plants. One was Ford, one was Chevrolet. Now with Lewis, I know he was heading back to Los Angeles, I don’t know what his plan was. I had orders to go back to Louisiana, and… Louisiana, where I was stationed there was more whites than anything. Now we did have the African-Americans from Louisiana tripping people [out], believed in voodoo. They’d touch that little bag around their neck. But racism was bad in Louisiana, they were still burning crosses. You didn’t really wanna get caught if you walked �downtown Leesville, that’s just outside of Polk – walk with a black guy, they look at you and you feel the hair on the back of your neck, and so it was… and I fooled around – this is way before I met my wife – starting dating a girl in our company, and she was black. She was from Jackson, Mississippi. It was good times, very good times. Her dad, mom, fantastic people in Jackson. They welcomed me into their home, they were drilling me, where I’m from. All this, and… they were very open-minded. Now her brother, on the other hand, [thought] ‘what was I doing in their house?’ Oh they used to get after him for one into another. And so this girl I was dating, things were getting pretty hot and heavy, and the thought of reenlisting wasn’t going to happen. ‘Nope, I’m with this girl.’ Well by then her enlistment was coming up, but she wanted to go back to Jackson. Well then that reenlistment NCO put a bug in my ear, and that’s when also, he guaranteed Fort Knox or Fort Campbell. Well I could finish my career [in the] military close to home. So this woman and I, or girl, talked about it, nope, she’s getting out. She wanted me to get out with her. And I was going to, then like I said, reenlistment NCO – and then too, the Army was throwing money at you too. Okay, wow. She got mad when I raised my right hand. So, that’s when I got orders. I knew for sure, Evans… you know, in that general area - Germany. (1:57:51) Interviewer: “Yeah, alright. Now Germany then, you’re kind of coming to the end of the reenlistment period. And at this point are you ready to get out?” I was… I was looking [forward to] becoming staff sergeant. All the sudden, there was a point freeze. And there was a freeze, they said it’s going to be a long freeze. And so I wanted to be a staff sergeant. Did everything possible [to] get my points up but still, there was that freeze. And so then they started plucking through the ranks, to be warrant officer. And actually my first platoon sergeant – he was a staff sergeant, very first one I ever had in Germany. He became a warrant officer. And he was talking to my roommate and I, he said there’s one slot open. He said, ‘I want you two to become warrant officers, forget about being staff sergeant.’ Mark and I, my roommate – like I said, we’re laughing and giggling about it, and I figure, ‘Aw heck, he’s not going to be [a] warrant officer,’ cause by then he was becoming anti-Army. Anti-government, everything. Alright. So [without] even pursuing it anymore I figure it’s gonna be a shoo-in. And so my warrant officer, he’s chief warrant officer three. ‘Still serious about being a warrant officer?’ ‘Oh yeah, I’ll do it, I’ll do it.’ ‘They’ll send you back to Aberdeen for warrant officer school,’ dadadada. ‘Okay.’ I left it at that. Week later my roomie was acting really weird, the conversation of warrant officer wasn’t brought up no more and I still didn’t think… he came out, he said, ‘I’m going to be a warrant officer.’ ‘What?’ ‘I want to take that position.’ ‘What the—’ You know, we’re both the same rank, had the same points, I said, ‘You? You’re anti-government, you hate the Army, everything!’ ‘Nope, I want to take it.’ ‘Aw,’ just… by then, just imagine, you know the sound a semi makes when it’s locking up its tires? So saw [the] warrant officer, chief, went ahead and I said, ‘You got that position?’ Then he looked me dead in the eye, ‘You want to be a warrant officer?’ ‘Yes!’ ‘Well why didn’t you say something?’ Well I said, ‘You said to Mark and I…’ He said, ‘Yeah,’ So I said, ‘Well,’ and I told him, ‘I figure Mark wouldn’t want the position and it [was going to be] easy walking.’ He goes, ‘I waited for you to say something but your roommate said [he wanted it.]’ And this is the guy who hated the Army, every time we had an �alert— (unhappy noises) Hated rules and regulations, and he took it. And so then being a professional babysitter, I was starting to get frustrated, because when you’re telling a grown man – and this is when we still polished our boots. ‘Dude, you gotta put polish on those boots.’ They expect you to spit-shine your boots, put on a clean uniform. Make your bed. So, that’s when the old-school discipline, by a couple years, out the window. You’re writing up action reports. And I’m writing up this guy left and right, spending time in my room, writing him up and explaining to him, trying to tell him… still. And it wasn’t [just] him, it was a couple of guys. When we got called out on alerts, first thing I always say – make sure you’ve got water in your canteens. Well we’d get where we had to go, all of a sudden one of them’s crying, ‘I don’t have water.’ ‘Why don’t you have water?’ ‘I forgot.’ Still I’m dealing with this guy that didn’t want – you know, his room was always a mess. That’s one thing they still flipped out, out in the military – they want polished floors, nicely-made rooms. And it was getting old. Then he pulled a stunt on me – when I went to the first sergeant, first went to the platoon sergeant then the first sergeant. ‘Discipline him, discipline him.’ Their version of discipline was talk, not physical. He pulled a stunt where after chow was over with, we were heading for formation, started complaining – ‘I didn’t eat.’ ‘Why didn’t you eat?’ ‘Didn’t have time to eat.’ ‘What were you doing?’ Gave me this big him-haw story, I said, ‘You know, there’s that snack bar going toward the motorpool.’ ‘Are you refusing me to eat?’ ‘There’s the snack bar.’ And I left it at that. Someone else said, ‘There’s a snack bar on the way.’ They served hot dogs and chips and pastries. Later that day, he went to Chaplin, told Chaplin I refused to let him eat. He said, ‘He denied me – where I couldn’t eat at the mess hall, said I couldn’t.’ Well, then Chaplin listened to his story, got a hold of my first sergeant. First sarge is like.. by then, battalion commander found out, sergeant major found out. I got a phone call to go battalion, and my platoon sergeant was there, company commander there, and my first sergeant. ‘Why are you denying so-and-so to eat?’ I’d forgot all about [it.] Then, I said, ‘We were marching to the motorpool – he told me he didn’t eat,’ I said, ‘there’s the snack bar,’ we always stopped off at the snack bar. And no, mess hall was closing. And they said, ‘Would he have had time to eat at the mess hall?’ ‘No,’ cause you marched out at that time. And they said, ‘If he would’ve eaten, could he [have] caught you guys marching?’ I said, ‘No, we’d probably been at the motorpool by the time he caught us.’ Well, sergeant major was just going off on me and my first sarge, like, ‘yeah yeah yeah yeah,’ my platoon sergeant… didn’t ever getting after him and by then I was the last one. And I explained to these men that I was having problems with this guy. Only thing to do to this guy before the mess hall incident was court martial him, but that was out of my powers. I suggested it, have charges brought against him – for unbecoming a soldier. Well by the time all this thing with the mess hall and all this, I got written up. And… for not following through. But the reason why is how I was trained, for… over the years. Cause the NCOs I had from over the years were the Vietnam vets, couldn’t stop that war cause you didn’t eat. (2:07:18) Interviewer: “So is this moving you into a direction toward thinking it’s time to hang ‘em up?’ �Yeah. Cause my best friend was becoming a skilled craft ink-pen, which is a government inkpen, and a Webster’s Dictionary. And plus you know, getting everybody in line, that’s why I use the term heavily - babysitter. Well, I came home here to Michigan, my mother moved up here. And so I came home to visit her, and my mother met this waitress. And so a couple years [later], my mom was badgering me about this waitress. ‘You have to meet her!’ ‘Okay, whatever, just…’ So finally it was time to take leave, and the guys were going to gunnery, my roomie that got accepted [to] warrant officer school, he was gone, so… and feeling kinda bummed out, kicking a rock around, you could say. Still doing my duties. Then they stuck me in headquarters. And usually when you start copping attitudes they stick you in headquarters. But the headquarters was in charge of maintenance, so they stuck me upstairs. Then I got to wear my nice pressed fatigues, and spit-shined boots, feeling pretty good. And they said, ‘This is going to be your job. We want you to find parts.’ ‘What kind of parts?’ ‘Anything dealing from tanks, trucks, jeeps, anything.’ Cause it was headquarters’ job to make sure all the parts came in, and make sure everything got done at a certain time. Okay, fine. They put me at a desk, this lieutenant tossed me [a] United States Army phone book, of Europe. ‘Start finding parts.’ ‘Okay, what the hell.’ So my first duty station was Hanau, and actually it was also the Army junkyard of – every vehicle you can think of that’s been destroyed some way or another, collision or… But they needed truck parts. And called up Hanau maintenance, you know, explained to them what I need, ‘Well you gotta try this Corps because they’re running the junkyard, call them,’ and all a sudden, ‘Yep, we got those parts and all this.’ Went to the major that was running headquarters, told him, ‘Fine, how long’s it going to take you get down there? Sign out your deuce and a half.’ Gotta go back to Hanau, which … completely direction. Got the parts, brought back, all a sudden, ‘Can you find these parts?’ ‘Okay,’ called up. And it was nothing like … ‘I’ll trade you for … rows …’ cause believe it or not we had to pay for these parts. So then I knew about Mainz, Mainz was the civilian repair. And I got to know them fairly well while I was in headquarters. So we had to get parts from them, but we had to purchase the parts, even though it was going to U.S. military equipment. So that was going back and forth, Hanau, then we dealt with German contractors. I went to John Deere and I went to Volvo, carrying jacks and all these. And getting parts, that’s how I finished out my last year. I never touched a M1, had people come up to me, ‘How do you work— we got this problem, dadada,’ and they used to get mad at headquarters. I don’t know how many times I tried to make a great escape to the motorpool. All the sudden I hear on the window, cause headquarters [was] above the motorpool. I hear on the window, ‘Get back! Get back!’’ So I’m at a game, they’re start— they’re purposely walking back, slow. ‘Get your truck, we need these-‘ Okay. Then like I said it was becoming fine, cause also headquarters, when we’re out in the field, that’s how they’d go to the different mess halls and check out the food preparation so… the one lieutenant did so we went to the different mess halls out in the field, you know, got to eat already, soups and pastries. Then we had to pick up fresh produce from a German market. Which was fun, and then I seen a couple of guys again from – I worked with during that whole eighty-eight I had, they’re looking so tired, I’m looking so nice and fresh— we had showers, cause then when we had showers, if they brought out showers to you. Well in headquarters where we stayed there were showers. Living it up, honestly. And I got a medal for that job also, but getting back to my wife. (2:13:10) �My mom met my wife. And when I got home on leave, my mom handed me a piece of paper, ‘This is her phone number, don’t screw it up.’ ‘Alright.’ Well when you have a mother that’s hellbent – she wants [a] daughter-in-law and a grandchild. My wife already had a daughter from her previous guy, she was a little girl. So called up this – my wife, I said, ‘is Martha home?’ She goes, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘I’m Dave, I’m Sharon’s son. Would you like to go out on a date?’ So I’m already figuring, I heard it in the conversation in my brain, ‘No that’s fine, that’s okay,’ and I remember telling her, ‘Thanks’ you know, figuring, she goes, ‘Yeah, I’ll be glad to go out on a date.’ Well by then my wife’s like, alright – her dating scene was zero, because she already had a little girl. And my wife came from a very.. a Catholic, Hispanic family. So she’s already in hot water because she had a child, but still, very strict Catholic and Hispanic. So I met my – then, [I’d] say new girlfriend, and we went out on a date. Couple dates. It was third day on my leave, I asked her to marry me. Where that came from… she looked me dead in the eye, she goes, ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yeah! I’m sure.’ She said yes. Now, what was I thinking? It just [slipped out.] ‘Okay!’ Went back to my mom, and my mom’s like, ‘Oh, great,’ cause she loved Martha already, which is my wife’s name. And Martha’s daughter, Amanda, she was two at the time. So after I realized what I did, okay. But like I said, we still dated while I was home on leave, and right away people thought Martha and I were married cause of Amanda. And all the sudden those thirty days – pew, gone. Head back to Germany. Then things just.. wouldn’t click, it did not feel right. And we had a big inspection. So we still had to get all the guys together, get all their stuff together, make sure things – the same routine over and over and over. Then I heard, ‘Can’t find my tent!’ ‘How do you row this?’ ‘How do you pack this?’ ‘Why do we-‘ It was like, oh my god… in the process I was thinking about then, my fiancée, and her daughter. This isn’t fun no more. Honestly. Time [came] around to enlist. Eight years under my belt, twenty-seven years old. Still thinking of Martha. And Amanda, cause when I was home with Amanda, the two-year-old, damn she was fun! You could tell her to do something, she would do it! No question, or tell her find something? ‘I can’t find..’ God, this is fun! Like I said, people were already thinking we were married. Well I was still staying at my mom’s house, there was no staying at Martha’s house – like I said, her mom and dad, very Hispanic. ‘Better be a wedding ring on that finger before you stay in our house.’ I mean, I’m getting out, so I called her up, ‘Martha,’ I said, ‘I’m getting out.’ ‘When?’ ‘Well, I still have to talk to the reenlistment NCO,’ and they brought down the battalion reenlistment NCO. ‘I’m getting out.’ ‘Why, you got a career in the Army!’ And… said, ‘Go to Lima, Ohio, guarantee you’ll be hired in a tank plant.’ I’m done. That’s all I told him, ‘I’m done.’ I had sixty days of leave accumulated, that’s back then – reason why no one really went home, cause you still had to pay for your airline ticket, compared to today where they have free flights. (2:18:24) I saw all of Germany that I wanted to see. Dachau, and Munich, Berlin, got to go to East Berlin, which was very scary and unnerving. Cause being to me, was like walking into a black-andwhite movie. Still war-damaged. Interviewer: “And this is now like 1987 or something?’ �Pardon me? Interviewer: “This is still like 1987?” No, this was 1985. Interviewer: “Okay, so a little earlier, but not that much—” Before I went to Fort Polk. Interviewer: “Okay.” They were offering tours by then, go to East Berlin, there was forty of us. We had to take the troop train to go over there. Went through checkpoint Charlie, most of our uniform – all of our uniforms, we had to wear dress greens, everything from our ribbons, nametags, and our battalion insignias, and our patches had to be taken off. Here’s the rules. Don’t start no trouble, if you start trouble you’ll cause a war. Visit, go to a guesthouse, look around. Okay, we did that. Once we got through checkpoint Charlie and on their side, there was no color. I swear to god there was no color. Everybody looked depressed, they were so war-damaged. And we were told, ‘You’re gonna be spied on right away, there’s cameras around. They’re gonna be looking at you, please don’t do nothing stupid.’ So we went to the guesthouse, we’re all hungry and… the German that was running it, East German, she was glad to see us. One, she knew we had money, and we had exchanged our money for East German marks. But she knew we had money. And got into the place, and noticed there, still for the longest time, there’s still the same people sitting in there. And told that to the NCO that was in charge, he goes, ‘That’s KGB. So don’t talk about your job, if they ask you about your job, just tell ‘em you’re in the United States Army. Don’t tell ‘em you worked on dadada, you know, or poppin’ pimples. Don’t tell ‘em nothing, don’t tell ‘em what state you’re from.’ And they didn’t.. off the street somewhere, ‘You have a cigarette?’ They.. for American cigarettes were black marketed over there. But they would exchange you East German and Russian cigarettes. You ever heard this old slang, ‘A certain part of your body will get knocked to the floor,’ I’ll tell you once we’re done here, I did smoke a Russian cigarette. Remember Granny from Beverly Hillbillies, way she drank the moonshine, the smoke, and… aw. But we ended up having soup, drank beer, we walked around East Berlin, and they were still showing us war damage, very little rebuild from after the war. Then we saw Russian soldiers, they were around, but they knew we were Americans, but we were there for a day. Just walking around, just absorb— but everything just, we saw the Russian cars, saw the sickle and hammer everywhere. And still was able to see the Berlin Wall and if you’re on the west side you see nothing but graffiti along the west side. On the east side, grey concrete, and blocks. And barbed wires. And you saw the barbed wire where it was a gap, then another section of barbed wire, then the fence. There was mines, and you saw the gun towers. So when our time was up, went back through checkpoint Charlie, exchanged our marks, we all had McDonalds in Berlin. We had two days in Berlin, we partied. But then you always heard people complain about how much they hated the U.S., you saw it on the news at the time. ‘I hate the U.S.,’ especially when they started burning the flags. We used to say, if you hate it �that much, East Germany will take you in a heartbeat, Russia will take you, move there. You got it made! And cause if you spoke negative of the communist government, you’re put in prison. Or disappear for good, so when I heard Americans complaining, ‘Go to Russia!’ And said that one time when I was home, to a friend I went to high school with. ‘Go to Russia! What’s holding you here?’ ‘I’m not gonna go over there.’ ‘Go! They’ll welcome you with open arms.’ (2:24:15) Interviewer: “Alright, okay. So you, then that was a useful sidetrack there but it’s basically you, basically you’d seen Germany, you were done with that, you were done with the Army, so you go back home, so you have your sixty day’s leave, so you get to leave essentially early?” Exactly, early. Plus with cash. And so I out-processed and I got orders for Fort Dix, New Jersey. And so there [were] a lot of people at Fort Dix out-processing, which is a process [of] getting out of the military. And get all your paperwork filled in, then you’re cashing in your leave, and they’re counting out how much money you got and all this, which turned out to be a nice, some pocket money. You get one more physical, get your teeth cleaned, eyes examined, and everything. But you’re in such a hurry where… I want out. And they run you through, past the reenlisting NCO. ‘Still got a chance to stay in,’ and my biggest beef was the – I knew the warrant officer chance, that was my own fault for not jumping – but what still hurt was staff sergeant, the points, the freeze on the points. Still, there was no letting up on the points. And he said, well, the reenlistment officer or NCO at Fort Dix, told him my MOS, he’s looking through, he said, ‘Change your MOS.’ ‘To what?’ ‘Go to a combat, be combat.’ ‘A grunt?’ ‘Guarantee you’ll make your rank.’ He’s rambling off different MOSs, MOSs – now what I learnt in Germany? No. I was tired. I didn’t want to go to back through AIT again. I mean, I knew guys who got out of the military then came back in, and they were very fortunate to get into their MOS. No. So they put us all on the bus, we had our papers, and everything. We were free. Didn’t look back, get to the airport in Jersey, there was another reenlistment NCO there – for all of the branches. Climbs up on the bus, ‘is this the Army bus?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Who wants to reenlist, who wants to stay in?’ He’d come up to me, ‘I know you want to stay in.’ ‘Sit on your— NO. No.’ Already in civilian clothing, nope, nope. Cause I was tired. Not… I was physically, emotionally drained. Cause the fun was gone, I know being in the military’s not supposed to be fun, but… when you have to watch out for other people, ensuring they do things, when you have somebody commit suicide and you know, you saw the training accidents that were going on… but there was my wife. And a little girl. So got out, got out in May. Then we, my wife and I, well, we always include our daughter, got married [on] September 7th, 1988. Got a handshake from Fort Dix, New Jersey, ‘Good luck!’ That was it, good luck. (2:28:22) Interviewer: “And then did you go work for General Dynamics or what did you do after that?” �No. Cause had some money left over, I frogged around in Holland, we got married, started an instant family with [a] little girl. And after a while I had to get a job cause money didn’t last long, learning to live with a little girl in the house, that’s a different animal. I learnt how to shut bathroom doors. There was no bathroom doors in the barracks, especially in the latrine. So when you got a little girl [who’d] be bopping around through, ‘Dad’s at the bathroom door!’ ‘What are you doing Dad?’ ‘I’m urinating.’ ‘What is that Dad?’ And now I’m shouting, (laughter) and I was still a clean fanatic. Bathroom and all it, couldn’t get used to after she’s brushing her teeth, spitting in the sink, that was a no-no in.. especially in the latrines, you’d clean up after yourself. Finally my wife said, ‘She’s a little girl, a three-year-old little girl, she’s not a private.’ Cause I was still in that military mindset, everything had to be set. So I got a job, busting down truck tires. I had a tire shop, I knew how to do that already and… these guys… I was still disciplined military for work, get it done now. Do it right the first time, get it done. Then we can play later, first [time] working with civilians. They moaned, they groaned, they cried, and I’m thinking of the days working on those tanks in wintertime in Germany, didn’t get to complain. Your best friend in the wintertime, trying to unlock a vehicle, is a cigarette lighter to thaw out that lighter. These guys were complaining here in Michigan, being cold, had to work out in the cold. I remember helping busting down track down in snow, reattaching track, pulling barrels off.. and just, then the drug use. If there was overtime they would complain about overtime. We were on call 24/7 you could say, in the military. And I discovered I hate working with civilians. Then also, I’m this happy guy with [a] handful of medals. And certificates, I mean medals and certificates. Went to my father-in-law, said, ‘Why don’t you go to the, join the VFW? There should be other military people you know, guys you could talk to – you know, tell lies and all that.’ Went to the local VWF, told ‘em I’d like to join. Right away, that post commander said, ‘What years were you in?’ I told him, ‘Were you in a war?’ ‘Yeah, the Cold War?’ ‘Did you fire a shot?’ ‘At a enemy, no?’ ‘You can’t join.’ ‘What?’ ‘I did eight years!’ ‘That’s great, that’s nice, you can’t join. Cause you were not in a conflict.’ The Cold War was not considered a conflict. Now more than likely the post commander was a Vietnam vet, I respect that. You know, ate the same food he ate. (2:32:44) Interviewer: “It is Legion versus VWF, American Legion if you’re in military.” Same thing. Interviewer: “Well the Legion would take you, wouldn’t they?” Nope. Interviewer: “Really?” Nope. Cause American Legion is a foreign war. Now they said, ‘You can join auxiliary but you gotta pay.’ Auxiliary? I can’t go stand at that bar and shoot the breeze with… cause a lot of those Vietnam vets, either once they got out of Vietnam they went home or if they still had time on their – they went to Germany or Korea, or Japan. And when you’re told, ‘No, you can’t join.’ �And I had these medals and the certificates, and you had these Vietnam veterans, fifteen months at the most in the country, twelve months, might as well say I did six years. And so, when— so I told my wife, my wife knew I was… and so I kinda put it on the back show for years, and when Memorial Day rolled around, I… Veterans’ Day, not going to participate in nothing. And when my kids were going through school they always say, ‘Hey, have the veterans stand up!’ I would sit down. Cause, all because I [was] not good enough to join the VFW and the American Legion. And the thing was, I never ran across a Cold War veteran in Holland. And I guess they’re like me, just kinda low-profile. Then when 9/11 happened, and then all the sudden that patriotic feeling hits you in the gut and all that, and well even with the first Desert Storm… and I did receive letters, I got a notification from the local recruiter office, just be prepared, just in case. Well, nothing came out of that. Then when 9/11, and how they were welcoming back the troops. Like heroes. And you know, they get the free phone cards, free flights and all this, I’m like, ‘why didn’t all this happen with us?’ Then reality kicked in, what about the Vietnam guys? Of course World War II, but how they make a big ordeal then… where I lived in Holland, we’re next to Tulip City Airport. The jets, drive past there and all a sudden one of the jets [was] idling, and there was a kerosene smell [that] hit me. Cause on the M1 tanks, they were diesel. They had turbine engines, has that same exhaust smell. ‘The hell?’ First year my wife and I were married, being by Tulip City Airport, and National Guard helicopters used to land there. And they were Hueys, and I don’t know if you’ve ever been told, Huey – the Huey helicopter has a certain sound with its props. Once you hear it, you know it for life. Then Cobras, the same thing. I would run out the front door and look, tell my kids, ‘that’s a Huey UH-1, I rode in those,’ which I did. And no matter what the weather was, could’ve been cold as hell outside [in] Holland, I would run outside since I heard that Huey. Or I hear a Chinook. (2:37:02) But then ten years ago I tried to commit suicide. I… it was that fast-paced life from the military, Germany. So this kid, walking through our neighborhood, looked like that kid that took his own life. And my kids, my boys were playing Call of Duty. Then the smell of the exhaust, and seeing this kid. Already pulled the trigger, then my wife and kids flashed in my head. So I spent some quality time at the hospital, and then the V.A. got involved, and I had to go talk for a while and… but the things that I learnt while I was in the military, especially Germany, like the chemical issue, and radioactive fallout, and that stuff stays with you. And they didn’t tell you how to shut it off. Interviewer: “So you had your own version really, of PTSD?” Yeah. Interviewer: “And this came back to you at that moment when all those things came back together.” And then that’s what the V.A. diagnosed me with. But I kept telling them I didn’t fire a shot, and then they explained… so, and right now I have a son, my youngest – the one who used to make �fun of how I used to talk, I have a southern drawl – he’s in the Army. He’s been in for six years, and he’s going to reenlist. [Of] all places he’s stationed in Germany. And one of the training centers, so I was asking him all kind of questions, and of course, how many alerts, and all that stuff we went through. ‘We don’t do that stuff over here.’ ‘What?!’ ‘Not chemical?’ ‘No.’ ‘What’s an alert, Dad?’ Oh my god, he’s in Germany! Now he came from Fort Lewis, Washington. And they were very busy at Fort Lewis for being MPs. Now where he’s at, Hohenfels, they nicknamed it Mayberry – because it’s so slow, nothing. At Fort Lewis, speeding tickets, burglaries, assault, drugs, and he’s just sitting there going, ‘I’m at Mayberry.’ But still, you got that training area back there, ‘You guys ever go out [to] Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels?’ ‘No.’ ‘Okay.’ But I have to admit though, it’s the honest truth – I did grow up quite a bit. Now to this day, could I go – if I could go back to that small town where I came from? In a New York minute. Cause I know everything that was farms or either subdivisions, they redid a portion of the highway, I know the place I grew up on – gone. But that lifestyle, you know when you hear these old country songs, pickup trucks and all that? But the experience I learnt in the military? I would never trade that in. Interviewer: “Alright.” I mean, there was a lot of laughing and giggling, there was a lot of crying. There was a lot of anger. But the people I served with, I haven’t seen in thirty years. I still think of ‘em. Especially my very first roommates from Detroit. Still think of ‘em. And.. trying to hook up with these guys, you know the horror story after college, after you met your friends in college, you guys go your own way. Then they’re involved with their lives, you get things going in your life, then it’s… you know, but the memories are good. Interviewer: “Alright, well, the whole thing makes for a pretty remarkable story, even if you didn’t get shot at. And I’d like to close this out by just thanking you very much for taking the time to share the story today.” Well thank you very much for having me, I should’ve warned you though – being from the part of Southern Indiana, we do have a knack to yak. Interviewer: “Hey, well if we were still using tape I could say to you right now, tape is cheap. But anyway, thank you very much.” Well thank you very much. [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 SchererD2287V Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scherer, David Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-11 Title A name given to the resource Scherer, David (Interview transcript and video), 2018 Description An account of the resource David Scherer served in the U.S. Army from 1980 until 1988. He served as a sergeant in the 19th Maintenance Battalion, 302nd Maintenance Battalion, 705th Maintenance Battalion, and the 3rd Infantry Division. He was stationed primarily in Germany and the U.S. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) 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 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 video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d968c5aa11e9d7b447c0f149fed29856.m4v ec0b25e4e6b5876013586d921efa0098 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/67020648cb9cd8105bf6d42141d3578a.pdf e247fa1e841b2da27ecd85e0ccd4eb97 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Lee Scherwitz Vietnam War 1 hour 25 minutes 53 seconds (00:00:03) Intro -Born on October 9th, 1946. -Entered the service in 1965 as a career airman. -Left the service in 1991. -His highest rank achieved is senior master sergeant E-8. (00:01:10) Early Life -Born in Teaneck, New Jersey. -Father was a tool and die maker. -Mother was a homemaker at the time. -Four other siblings. He is the second youngest of five. -Family moved a few times. Grew up mainly in Pearl River, New York. -About 20 minutes from NYC. -Desired to become an auto mechanic. -Not interested in college. -Someone offered him money to operate an auto repair/carwash station. -In 1965 the military recruited at his high school. -Those that already secured entrance to a college were dismissed. -He did want to go into the Navy. -In his youth he went through the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Sea Scouts. -Brother was also in the Navy. -Navy recruiter told him he already met his quota. -It would be two years before he could get in. -At the time he didn’t know the Air Force existed. -Thought it was part of the Army Air Corps. -Already had his draft card. -He knew drafting was inevitable so he wanted to just do it and get it over with. -Air Force recruiter convinced him to enlist. -Turned 18 the October before. -Already took his aptitude test. (00:05:00) -Being an aircraft mechanic sounded interesting. -When he was very young he would repair lawnmowers. -Graduated in June, 1965. Basic Training, Aircraft Maint Training, and Tech School in the US -On July 6th he was formally enlisted. -He was flown to the Lackland, Texas Air Force base for basic training. -The barracks were from WWII; boarded up and condemned. �-They were put to work to refurbish their own barracks. -Many on his flight to the base were from New York as well. -He already had a sense of a military outlook from his scouting experience. -Enjoyed his training ultimately. -After basic training, sent to Shephard Air Force Base in Texas. -Trained to maintain aircraft. -Studied in the one/two engine section of the school. -Worked on F-86, F-84, F-100s, and T-33 planes. -Learned to take pumps on/off, doing basic maintenance. -Next, his first duty assignment was at Selfridge Air Force base in Michigan. (00:10:00) Selfridge Michigan -Started out with a brusque introduction to the base. -Became more friendly after the initial stages. -Shown an F-106 for the first time. -Selfridge was part of the NORAD system. -At this time he is a 1-striper, Airman Third Class. -Much of the higher ranking recruits were being sent to Vietnam. -He worked under a 3-striper. -Designations of levels of training: -He had his 3-level from his current training. -Higher than that there was a 5-level. -7-level was for an NCO. -A 9-level was the supervisory level. -Took the advice to take every opportunity. (00:15:00) -Learned to drive a de-icing truck. -Arrived at Selfridge in the later part of 1965. -He was assigned to the 94th Tactical Interceptor Squadron. -In 1967 he “Flying Fists”, the 91st transferred from Selfridge to Richards-Gebaur Air Force base in Kansas City, Missouri. -He transferred to Richards-Gebaur in January 1967. -He continued to work on the F-106 planes. -He had earned his second stripe and had more responsibility. -“Crewing” on his own without supervision. -Running an expediter truck. -It’s purpose is to monitor resources of the planes to ready for their flight. -Not long after transferring received orders to go to Southeast Asia. -But he did not have the training to work on the Phantom planes there. -So he was required to go to tech school at MacDill Air Force Base in Flordia. -While at Selfridge he had met a girlfriend. -They married on July 28, 1967. -Coincided with the Detroit riots. -His tech school journey was their “75 day honeymoon”. -Classes at 4am to noon. -They were teaching classes 24 hours a day to get everyone through quick and out to Vietnam. �-Took place in the Tampa Florida region. -He finished the tech school training at MacDill in October 1967. -Next, he was sent to San Francisco to fly to Thailand. -While there he had two days until his flight left in California. -Visited Haight-Ashbury and the “typical” tourist areas. -Received some disapproving looks and “snubbing” while wearing his uniform. -But not as bad as some military would receive. (00:20:00) Ubon, Thailand -Flew to Bangkok, Thailand. -Next, flew on a C-130 plane from Bangkok to Ubon, Thailand. -Reported to the 555th Tech Fighter Squadron. -They used F-4 Phantom planes. -Took some training for about two weeks before working on his own. -The pilots there would fly for 100 missions, and they could be discharged. -Others had to stay for a year minimum. -He was part of the 8th Fighter Squadron. -Known for Daniel “Chappie” James, the first black four-star general. -He interacted with him and was well liked among the recruits. -At that time Chappie James was a colonel. -A 12 hour work day was typical. -They had one day off for the week, and which day it was varied. -“Cannibalization” of parts occurred. -When parts are taken from a broken airplane and used to fix another. (00:25:00) -When larger parts were needed the entire assembly would be transferred. -Legal and illegal “cannonballs” the process was referred to. -They went through three Crew Chiefs that were fired. -He was given a new role as Crew Chief. -They desperately needed a craft to be fixed and gave him wide authority to do so. -Because of cannibalization the craft required constant guard to prevent taking its parts. -At this time he is a three-striper rank. (00:30:00) -Given a phase dock crew to work for him to complete their goal. -Spent most of his time searching for parts, requisitioning them. -On the 90th day of repair they ran a taxi check. -Finally on the 120th day the plane was in flying condition. -Once it was finished he was able to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand as a reward for hard work. -Stayed for three days. -After returning to base, he went back to crewing and launching planes. -All the planes he launched returned. (00:35:00) -The Seabees built all of the infrastructure for use by the Air Force. -At Ubon he resided in a concrete two story barrack well built to protect against weather. -A house boy polished their shoes and cleaned their clothes. -The house boy used ironed clothes with banana leaves. �-The starch would seep into the uniforms. -Caused uniforms to “foam” if caught in the rain. -Workers on the air base would bring their children. -One would babysit while the other was cleaning. -(Seemingly these may be local people). -Requested his wife to send little toys or gifts for them to have. -Beer cost only 5 cents, while a Coka-Cola cost 25 cents. -His preference: wine or Popov Vodka. -Popov was only 90 cents. -They would take the “baht bus” in to town. -Baht is a Thai currency. -Drink ice used in town was made from local rivers. -Used the vodka to pour over ice to sterilize the water. -It was not a war zone. (00:40:00) -At that time no air bases had been attacked in Thailand. -“A shopper’s paradise.” -American’s boosted the local economy. -One of his purchases: a set of bronze ware utensils with rosewood handles. -Another: gave them his black and white wedding photo. -A craftsmen recreated it enlarged and in color. -Souvenir temple rubbings: cloth with crayon rubbed over the surface of the temple carving. -The town was about 15 minutes drive away from the base. -Spent 13 months in Thailand. Udon, Thailand -In May, 1967 the 555th Tech Fighter Squadron relocated from Ubon to Udon, Thailand. -Significant special operation activity in Udorn base. -He and his crew were the last to be picked up in the relocation. (00:45:00) -Packed up the base flag to relocate, and still owns it. -Took on a new temporary duty. -Working in the control room on a night shift. -Managing the fleet of planes. -A “frag order”. What the mission requirements were. -Ensure all the operations were done in sequence. -Kept track of all the maintenance going on. -Temporary role turned long term because he excelled at his new role. -They desired having someone familiar in the control room. -Soon he was transferred to the 432nd Tech Recon Control Wing. -His job with them as a maintenance controller. -Managing the fleet of planes being maintained on the flight line. -In this role he interacted with many special operations. -Interacted with Air America. -Gave him a “big picture” view. -Air America was a CIA operation that used planes to deliver rice/supplies to Thailand, Laos, �Cambodia, and South Vietnam. -Public affairs. (00:50:00) -Moved special ops to places marked planes couldn’t go. -Supporting locals also provided them with intelligence. -Training local Thai and Laos how to fly small, short range craft to go on missions. -Lima Site 85: -A US base in Laos was overtaken by enemy troops. -About 11 were able to be evacuated. -Required the base to be bombed and napalmed to prevent information and technology from use by enemies. (00:55:00) -The largest Air Force casualty of the War. -Most memorable moments were when someone would make a “MiG kill”. -A celebrated event. -Planes would fly in spirals and use phosphorous lights in celebration. -Also memorable, the Bob Hope Show. -Raquel Welch was along with them. -He grew a handlebar mustache for the occasion. -He was picked out of the crowd to be interviewed by Bob Hope. (01:00:00) -It was a sit-down video recorded interview. -He was raised Lutheran. -Married into the Catholic Church. -At Ubon he was taking a confirmation class. -Through the local church he heard about a nearby school with a barebones hut to teach in. -They used foam missile cases to insulate the structures roof from the hot radiating sun. -Took about 4 days’ time. -The local mayor (called the Puyabon) invited them to come participate in a local social gathering. -Dancing, lots of food and rice wine. -They used red ants for food seasoning. (01:05:00) -Red ants are citric like a lemon. -Australians were also part of the military force at the Ubon Air Force Base. -They participated in a number of CIA missions. -They used a MARS station to communicate by radio and phone to the US. -The communication was set up and funded by Barry Goldwater. -Mail and audio reels as well. (01:10:00) -On July 27th, the Udon base was attacked by sappers. -They attempted to blow up a C-141. -About 10:30 pm. -Several casualties and damage to certain planes. -His tour was supposed to end in October, 1968. -His replacement didn’t come for another 30 days. �End of First Military Enlistment, New Enlistment at Homestead, and Misc. -Relieved to be out of the military. -He had a free day in Bangkok before his flight left. -He was offered an assignment to Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. -The job market at that time was very weak. -So he chose to take the assignment on a 4 year tour in the US. -Returned to the US in San Francisco, California. -Had to re-enlist to accept the assignment. -A tax incentive to those that were in or flew over Vietnam was offered. -A month tax-free. -Upon re-enlisting he took up the journey to Vietnam and back for this purpose. -Flew to Okinawa, then a civilian flight to Taiwan, to Ching Chuan Kang base, to Bangkok, and then finally back to Ubon. -Upon his return to San Francisco the climate was hostile with hecklers. -Flew home to Michigan from there. -Had a 30 day home leave. -Took a slow trip to see family and travel to Homestead, Florida. -They put him to work in the control room as his experience were very desirable. (01:20:00) -At Homestead, the structure was still assumed under a squadron mindset. -At the time the US was friendly with the Shah of Iran. -Iran was being supplied with Phantom planes. -He trained maintenance officers to maintain the fleet. -Experience that was very useful for future use. -Reflecting on military experience: The best thing he’s done. -Advice: Entering the military with education as an officer is much higher paying. -Enlisting in the military and getting education with the GI Bill shaped his life. -He took college education for aviation business management. -Now he is an airport manager. -Discovered he enjoys managing people more than manual mechanic work. � 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_ScherwitzL1023V Title A name given to the resource Scherwitz, Robert Lee (Interview outline and video), 2009 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-11-12 Description An account of the resource Lee Scherwitz was born in 1946 in Teaneck, New Jersey. He entered the service in 1965 and his military career primarily concerns management and maintaining aircraft for the Air Force. At Lackland Air Force Base in Texas he undertook his basic training. Next he worked at Shephard Air Force Base in Texas to maintain aircrafts. By late 1965 he arrived at Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan where he worked on the F-106 planes. Eventually in 1967 he transferred to Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in Missouri with the "Flying Fists". After receiving orders for Asia he was flown to Ubon, Thailand with the 555th Tech Fighter Squadron. In 1967 his Squadron was relocated to Udon, Thailand. With the 432nd Tech Recon Control Wing he worked as a maintenance controller and interacted with Air America missions. Re-enlisting in 1968, he went to Homestead, Florida where he worked in the control center once again. Eventually Lee would leave the service in 1991 after the Gulf War. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scherwitz, Robert Lee Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Brock, Rosemarie (Interviewer) Lest We Forget Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force 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> 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 Language A language of the resource eng Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f93a8aaa42290caa91d2999494f34aee.mp4 1356836e9df481f7cd69f807bc5f3a2a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/71edca456b3f76f48acf4924712a0c1a.pdf fa0e69912a717badc49a26e7fc2e50a7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Clarence Schipper World War II 1 hour 28 minutes 4 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on January 29, 1924 -Grew up in Grand Rapids -Went to Davis Tech for high school -Father worked as an auto mechanic -Had worked out west as a cowboy before moving to Grand Rapids -Owned Schipper Brothers Garage -They had work during the Great Depression, but had to incorporate a barter system -For example, men would trade a chicken for an oil change -He was the oldest child in the family and had a brother and sister (00:01:41) Start of the War -Turned on the radio and heard the report that Pearl Harbor had been bombed -Followed Hitler's rise to power during the 1930s -Heard his speeches on the radio -Knew U-Boats were sinking American merchant ships before the U.S. entered the war -Surprised that Japan attacked first as opposed to Germany -17 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked (00:03:02) Getting Drafted -Received his draft notice after he turned 18 in January 1942 -Reported for duty shortly before his 19th birthday in 1943 -Friends enlisted, and he considered that route, but wanted to get his high school diploma -Graduated from high school in December 1942 -Reported for duty in January 1943 -Reported to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids for a general physical -Sent to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a more thorough physical -Army was weeding out men unfit for service -A lot of men were getting processed -Sent home for two weeks after the first part of processing -Sent by train to Rockford, Illinois for further processing -Issued Army clothing -Three days of intense training -Took tests on every topic possible -Purpose was to sort out recruits and see where they would work best -His tests indicated that he would train as a radar operator (00:07:10) Basic Training -Sent to Atlantic City, New Jersey for basic training -Assigned to a room on the 17th floor of the Ritz-Carlton hotel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean -Had never traveled that far from home before -Experience he'll never forget -Received training on how to march and rifle training -Two hours a day of intense calisthenics -All of the men training there were destined for radar duty �-Trained with men from all over the United States -Exposure to different accents and backgrounds -Never ran into anyone that he knew from Michigan -A lot of focus on discipline and following orders -Adjusted well -Had been part of a National Guard unit in high school, so he understood it -Father was a WWI veteran and told him what to expect -One man couldn't cope with it and committed suicide by jumping out of a window -Days started at 4:30 AM -Had decent food -Not allowed to use the elevators in the hotel -Had to run up and down the stairs to get to and from the 17th floor -Basic training lasted six weeks (00�:12:45) Training in Florida -Boarded a train in Atlantic City -Passed through Washington DC -Went to Myakka River State Park, Florida -Received radar operator training in Florida -Practiced with a small radar unit -Received Jungle Training in Myakka River State Park -Cut down brush and set up a camp -Focused on how to survive in a jungle -Dealt with alligators in the swamps and thousands of mosquitoes -Had basic, unpaved roads for foot travel -Received First Aid training -How to treat snake bites and minor injuries -Went on 20 mile hikes -Trained in Florida for ten months -Went to Drew Army Air Field for radar training -Hands on operator training -Reading the scopes and understanding how to mark planes -Couldn't tell the size of the object, but could follow it -Had downtime in Florida -Got one furlough back home -Visited Orlando and Fort Myers -Saw segregation -Remembers an old black woman stepping off the street to let soldiers pass -He stopped her and told her she didn't have to do that for him -Segregated drinking fountains, bathrooms, and restaurants -Saw the abuse of black citizens and he wasn't used to that -Grew up having black friends th -Part of the 624 while in Florida -Note: Possibly a signal aircraft warning battalion (00:20:58) Deployment -Near the fall of 1943 they went to Boston -Shipped out of New York City aboard the RMS Empress of Australia -Carried 5,000 troops -Sailed with a huge convoy -Ships as far as the eyes could see �-Changed course every five minutes to avoid U-Boats -Remembers ships dropping depth charges -Took 12 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean -Weather was good at first, then it turned bad -Had to share his bunk with two other soldiers -Got to use the bunk for eight hours at a time -After a while he decided to sleep in a stairwell -Voyage wasn't bad until men got seasick -Difficult to feed all of the men on the ship -Only got two meals a day -Had liver and onions for breakfast -Evening meal was better (00:24:40) Stationed in England -Landed at Glasgow, Scotland in mid-January 1944 -Got off the ship and took a train toward London -Greeted by the elite Coldstream Guards -Couldn't keep up with them -Went to Henley-on-Thames -Part of Company B of the 573rd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion -Received training with British radar equipment -More advanced than the American equipment he previously trained with -Transferred to the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion -Traveled all over England during the first half of 1944 receiving additional training -Received gas mask training -Allies feared Hitler would use poison gas in continental Europe -More target practice -Stayed in England during D-Day and for a while after D-Day (00:29:50) Landing in France -Went to Southampton on June 27, 1944 to go across the English Channel -Note: May have been earlier on June 12, 1944 -Boarded a large ship without amphibious capabilities -Had to climb down rope ladders into landing craft to go ashore in France -Landed at Omaha Beach -Set up the unit as quickly as possible -Had to convince American pilots to cooperate with the radar operators -British pilots cooperated without fail or pause -Able to see enemy and friendly aircraft on the radar scope and track them -After the British pilots got a few kills then the American pilots listened to the radar operators (00:34:03) Advancing through France -Followed the 2nd Armored Division as it moved through France and the rest of Europe -Moved into northern Europe over the course of 1944 -The higher they got, the better they could “see” with their radar -Always stayed two and a half miles behind the front -On July 17, 1944 the Americans launched their attack on Saint-Lo, France -Remembers bombers passing overhead to bombard the German position -Most destroyed city that he had ever seen -Drove through on a jeep -Army bulldozed a path through the rubble to create a makeshift road -Moved rapidly after they broke out of the Normandy area �-Close to the front a lot of the time, but never directly on the front -Always had a ring of antiaircraft guns around the radar unit -General Quesada of the Ninth Air Force always made sure the radar units were protected -Remembers being in a tent one night when the antiaircraft guns started firing -Grabbed his helmet and rifle without thinking about it -Unit never took any casualties -Saw some of the French civilians -Remembers French farmers in the area beyond the Normandy beachhead (“hedgerow country”) -Despite the war going on around them they still tended to their cattle -Grateful for the American soldiers -He didn't smoke, so he always gave his cigarettes to French civilians -Came close to Paris, but didn't go into Paris -Entered a small town near Paris -As they advanced the Germans retreated without firing a shot -As a result, the townspeople considered them to be the liberators of the town -There was a wealthy couple in the town that treated his unit to dinner -First time he ever had escargot -The husband was French and the wife was American -Meant she could translate for the soldiers th -The 555 Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion was an Army Air Force unit -Attached to the 2nd Armored Division (00:44:34) Radar Operations -Usually had a basic Quonset hut to work out of -Had four or five radar scopes in the hut -Had a six foot by ten foot board with a gridded map of Europe -Used it to mark the positions and altitudes of aircraft -Sometimes he worked on a radar scope, and sometimes he worked on the board -Pilots notified them if they hit their target(s) -Used codes to communicate with pilots -For example, “How many oranges?” means “How much fuel do you have left?” -After a pilot's 25th mission he came to the radar unit to direct his squadron -Had to do that before returning to the United States (00:48:46) Advancing into Northern Europe -Moved into Belgium in late summer/early fall 1944 -Prior to the Battle of the Bulge they were on the Rhine River -Keeping German aircraft from getting across the river -While stationed there, no German aircraft got through the radar screen -Moved into Aachen, Germany in October 1944 -Americans were shelling one part of the city, and the Germans were shelling another part -His unit was in the middle of the shelling -First German city they helped capture -Not allowed to talk to the German civilians they encountered -Allowed to talk to the Dutch and the Belgians -He was able to minimally communicate with them (00:53:58) Battle of the Bulge -Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944 -His unit was on the northern edge of the German offensive, just outside the Bulge -Saw American artillery returning from the front -Strange, because usually the artillery went ahead and stayed until they advanced again �-Learned that the Germans were advancing west -Saw a lot of American troops and vehicles headed away from the front -His unit was not allowed to retreat until they had permission -Once they received orders to retreat, it only took them two hours to pack up and move -Heard that the 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division were called up to stop the Germans -Those units fought in the Battle of Bastogne which helped stop the German advance -Reestablished their radar a little farther from the front -Every available German aircraft was being used in the offensive -Only saw one German jet during the Battle of the Bulge -So fast that the radar could barely track it, and American planes couldn't catch it -Couldn't believe that such an aircraft existed -Slept in pup tents until they received larger, six-man tents -Never slept in houses -Had never been so cold in his entire life -Constantly lost feeling in his feet and lower legs during that winter -Fortunately, he never developed frostbite or got sick -His unit was always busy during the Battle of the Bulge -They only had to retreat a few miles from the front when the battle began -Operating in an area near the Belgian cities of Liege and Verviers -His radar unit helped shoot down 102 German planes during the Battle of the Bulge -526 German aircraft over the course of the war, so nearly one fifth of all confirmed kills (01:01:58) Advancing into Germany Pt. 1 -In late February/early March 1945 they advanced into Germany -Moved south and crossed the Rhine River on a makeshift bridge -Made out of sunken river boats and bridge panels laid down by the Army Engineers -Somewhere north of Remagen -Things got quieter after they crossed the Rhine River -Able to advance ahead of the infantry units -Faced no German resistance -At the end of the war they advanced to an area near the Czech border -Saw parts of Germany virtually untouched by the war -Refreshing to see intact buildings and landscapes after months of devastation (01:04:14) Buzz Bombs -Germans used “buzz bombs” (V-1 Flying Bomb) during the Battle of the Bulge -During the battle the Germans fired hundreds of them -Remembers one landing about 100 yards from his position -Didn't explode, so he and a few other men decided to go look at it -Had a camera, so he took a picture of the unexploded bomb -Not technically supposed to have a camera, but his officers didn't mind (01:06:18) Unit Personnel -Had the same personnel throughout his time in Europe -There were 30 men in his immediate unit, and 65 or 70 in the rest of the unit -Had good commissioned (lieutenant and above) and non-commissioned officers (sergeants) -As civilians they worked in technical fields -One sergeant worked at a radio station (WBBM) in Chicago before the war -Another sergeant had done oil exploration work as a civilian -They were good men (01:08:08) Advancing into Germany Pt. 2 -Saw German civilians as they advanced �-Forbidden to talk to them -Saw Buchenwald concentration camp -Made an impression on him -If the Germans allowed an atrocity like that he wanted nothing to do with them (01:08:45) Post-War Duties & End of the War -Disarmed German civilians after Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 -Went door to door collecting shotguns and hunting rifles -Guarded German prisoners of war for 30 days -Planned on being sent to Manila then probably onto Japan for the invasion -Atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in early August, then Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945 -Prisoners of war looked like regular men -Shocked -Kept the prisoners in a simple camp -Chance to see that the average German soldier was no different than an American soldier -Allowed him to see the Germans as human beings as opposed to the enemy (0:11:01) Photograph in Belgium -Shortly after the Battle of the Bulge he got a picture of Belgian children sledding in the winter -They were sledding past the wreckage of German tanks -Showed him the resilience of children in war torn countries (01�:12:06) Leave in Switzerland -After Germany surrendered he received ten days of leave in Switzerland -Chance to get away from Germany and evidence of the war -Able to let his guard down while in Switzerland -Refreshing to see shops and civilians acting normal (01:13:03) Coming Home & End of Service -Originally went to Marseilles, France to board the ship bound for Manila -With the war over in the Pacific Theater those plans were canceled -After Japan's surrender the unit was broken up -Men were being sent home on the point system -Points awarded based on length of service, rank, dependents, and combat seen -He had spent 23 months overseas and 11 months in the U.S. and saw 5 or 6 major campaigns -He had 87 points at the end of the war -Needed 85 points to go home -Sent home with other soldiers with a high number of points -Got home on October 28, 1945 -Sailed back to the United States on a Liberty Ship -Seas were rough -Ship was cheaply made and rattled in the rough water -Pulled into New York City -Sent to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania to be discharged (01:15:27) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Taught him to appreciate things more -Will never forget the time he spent in the Army and his experiences overseas -Learned to cherish the freedom he has in America (01:16:12) Life after the War -Returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Siblings were still at home -His old room was unchanged -Had a hard time readjusting to civilian life �-Didn't know what to do with himself -Walked the streets of Grand Rapids at night -Just wanted to get into a fight to relieve the tension he felt -Had a hard time concentrating -Became a die maker -Worked for Keeler Brass in Grand Rapids as a tool and die maker -Worked there for 42 years (01:18:08) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Came back a different person -Went in as a young man and came out as a man -Affected him, whether it was for better or worse -Believes that it was for the best (01:18:44) Spirit of Grand Rapids Honor Flight -Went on the Spirit of Grand Rapids Honor Flight on May 16, 2015 -A former colonel in his church convinced him to go on the Honor Flight -On May 15 he and the other veterans went to Thousand Oaks Country Club -Treated to dinner, entertainment, and a photo op -At 5:30 AM on May 16 they went to Gerald R. Ford International Airport -Served breakfast -Hundreds of people in the airport waiting to shake hands with the veterans -Amazing experience -Two fire trucks gave them a water salute as they departed -Arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C. -Greeted by servicemen and servicewomen thanking the veterans for their service -Had a police escort through Washington D.C. -Stopped at the Air Force Memorial -Saw the Iwo Jima Memorial and the First World War Memorial -Visited the World War Two Memorial -Emotionally profound moment that deeply touched him -Visited the Vietnam War Memorial -Found the name of a young man from his church killed in action during the Vietnam War -Saw the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -Visited the Korean War Memorial and the FDR Memorial -Served dinner in a vintage WWII mess tent -On the return flight they were given letters of appreciation from home -Letters from friends, family members, church members, and local school children -Event concluded at East Kentwood High School -Greeted and saluted by police officers, paramedics, and firefighters -3,500 people of all ages waiting to welcome them home and thank them for their service -Never experienced a day like that in his entire life � 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_SchipperC1923V Title A name given to the resource Schipper, Clarence J (Interview outline and video), 2016 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-02-18 Description An account of the resource Clarence Schipper was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on January 29, 1924. He registered for the draft in January 1942 and reported for duty in January 1943. He received basic training in Atlantic City, New Jersey then went to Myakka River State Park, Florida and Drew Army Air Field, Florida for Jungle Training and Radar Operator Training (respectively). In late 1943 he crossed the Atlantic Ocean and was stationed in England from January 1944 to June 1944 where he trained with Company B of the 573rd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion. He was reassigned to the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion and went over to France, after D-Day, in June 1944. His unit was technically part of the Ninth Air Force, but followed the advance of the 2nd Armored Division through Europe. He passed through France, was in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, and took part in the advance through Germany. After Germany's surrender he helped disarm the German population and watch over German prisoners of war. In October 1945 he went to Marseilles and returned to the United States. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schipper, Clarence J. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/44c68c0550b32ce422b78a1c4052bae6.mp4 7955c0b081f31bb6cb85d134e7f8b83f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6827d6f6a47bc19ab9eb34c8a49d7eed.pdf 12e0ec4422f2558accb4b6221f33acf5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Harold Schipper (00:39:00) (00:07) Introduction: • Born in Holland, Michigan • Worked in freight warehouses. • His father worked in a print shop. • One of his brothers was in the service before he was. • He finished school at eighth grade to begin working. (01:28) • Received his draft notice in early 1944. • Was chosen to be a Marine while being sworn into the service in Detroit. • Spent 8 weeks in San Diego, California for basic training. • During basic, the men would regularly go for thirty mile hikes. • He did not have any problems with his drill instructors. • After basic training he was able to go home. (03:45) • After a visit home, he was shipped to the Solomon Islands. • He had never been on a ship before being sent to the Pacific. • He could not swim, so he was afraid of being in the ship. • He did not become seasick on the trip. • The weather was very nice, took 30 days to get to the Solomon Islands. • 3000 men were sent on the transport. • They had to watch for mines. • The ship was alone, not a part of a convoy. • Landed fifty miles away from Guadalcanal. • When he landed, he was assigned to his regiment. • His name was not called off during the original assignment list. • Assigned to the quartermaster’s office. (09:25) • Had to care for the supplies. • Also had to care for the officer’s mess hall. • The men would have to set the table and serve food to the officers. • He was able to eat much better than the other men, because of his assignment. • Assigned to the 1st marine division. • Waited for the marines to come back from Peleliu. • Many of the men returning from Peleliu were badly injured. (11:20) • The men would work with the native population. • They would search for special stones while the marines would give them cigarettes. �(11:50) • Had no idea where he was going when he was about to be shipped to Okinawa. • The weather was good for the trip from the Solomons to Okinawa. • Part of a very large convoy. • Recalls being able to tell the depth of the ocean by looking at the water color. • Was still part of a supply detail while on the ship. • Battleships and destroyers were part of his convoy. • Many of the men on his ship were suppliers. • The convoy was attacked by Japanese bombers, but American destroyers took them out. • The men would get out of their ships with nets onto Higgins boats to make it over the reef. (16:45) Okinawa: • Remembers a large sea wall with machine gun placements. • The Japanese were not directly behind the seawall, they were further in the hills. • He had a very routine daily schedule. • He would receive orders in the morning and would have to fulfill them by the end of the day. • At times, the men would have to build bridges for the troops. • Remembers his officers being much older and experienced than he was. • He forgot to destroy a pair of ruined lieutenant’s pants, and was in trouble when the colonel came and saw them. (22:00) • Brought supplies in a jeep to the front lines. • This was the only time where he saw the front lines. • The Americans were doing most of the attacking, with Japanese trying to defend. • Doesn’t remember being too far in from shore. • He did not have to go to the shore to receive shipments; it was all brought to him. • The same group of 20 men stayed together the entire time. (25:00) • The men would stay on the camp while they had time off. • Did not receive a lot of information about what was happening on the front lines. • He never saw the casualties coming back to camp. • Remembers being in an outhouse when the first atomic bomb was dropped. • When the war was over, the men had just been loaded up on ships. • A small typhoon hit the island when they were finishing loading up. • The men were sent to Tientsin, China. • They spent six months in Tientsin. • He has no idea why the men were sent to China. • Remembers the city being very dirty and poor when he was there. • While on liberty in the city, the men would throw money out the window so the poor could receive some. • Inflation in the city was terrible. (31:00) �• • • Was sent on a garbage scow when he finally left China, because there were no ships for them. He stopped in Hawaii. While on the ship, he was hanging in a hammock when someone cut the ropes and he fell. He was not allowed off the ship when they stopped in Hawaii. He landed in San Diego, California. He was sent to Great Lakes for discharge. • • • (34:40) • He was so glad to be back in Holland. • He began working in a freight warehouse, unloading boxcars. • Feels he was well taken care of and disciplined while he was a Marine. � 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 SchipperH Title A name given to the resource Schipper, Harold J. (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schipper, Harold J. Description An account of the resource Harold Schipper served in the Marine Corps from 1943 to 1946. After training in California, he was sent to the Solomon Islands, where he joined the 1st Marine Division as a replacement after the invasion of Peleliu. He took part in the landing on Okinawa, where he served with a supply unit, moving supplies from the harbor to positions inland. After the war, his unit was stationed in Tientsin, China, for six months, where he noted the extreme poverty of most of the inhabitants. 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. Marine Corps 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 2007-12-06 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/d12e7017bc67b6dfbc7d3472f3404455.mp4 5d498411e580ea6281796f5cc0e210c7 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1d8f6c3f82cff2901c034d1d61f1fa27.pdf 04815c16a8999d354497497ec37d665b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee: Cecilia Schlepers Length of Interview: 00:56:56 Background              Cecilia was born in Byron Center, Michigan. She is the daughter of Dutch immigrants who moved here after WWII. Her father was Johannes Martinus Schlepers. It is a German name, as his parents and grandparents were from Germany, which is quite close to the town where he was born and raised. He was born in 1911 and became part of the army in 1931. Her father’s family worked as farmers and owned a store. When he joined the army is was a national obligation. It was required that all firstborn boys join the service. He would serve for half a year in 1931, and was called up as reserve for 3 or 4 years following that. In August 1939, the soldiers began to mobilize. Despite the fact that the Netherlands were a neutral country, they saw what was happening around them and they needed to be ready, in case something happened. During the time in between his service, he worked at home on the farm and he also worked on created new land from water. It was a lot of shovel work and hard labor. But he didn’t mind it, as he loved to do that kind of labor. Her father was not married until after the war was over and he moved to America. As a boy, he followed the Roman Catholic religion and he would attend catholic school until 8th grade. After the war, he did a correspondence course, for a diploma for someone who works at the border, in an office. She has that diploma as well. He was always helping at home. At that time, it was during the Depression. They were careful not to make any mistakes that would lead them to bigger problems. Mostly they just lived off of their own produce. Her Mother (6:25)       Her mother was born in Friesland and was the 5th daughter in a family of 12 children. Her father was a farmer and they rented a farm. He was able to have hired hands for odds jobs around the farm. They had a more difficult time than her father did. One time, their entire cow herd developed hoof and mouth disease, and all of their animals had to be quarantined. They ended up selling what animals they could and killing the rest, losing the farm in the process. They ended up moving to another place near a canal. Her mother worked on the farm to prove herself, to show that she could do what the boys were supposed to do. She was always quite proud of herself for that. �                       She had a grade school education until 7th grade. Her mother loved reading. While they were in Friesland, they grew up with the Frisian language, so when she went to grade school, her mother had to learn Dutch as well. She loved that as well. She would also attend a choir class, which was part of the schooling there. Her mother would, for one class, win a reading contest, and as the prize, she was given the book “Robinson Crusoe” and it has been her favorite book ever since. (10:00) Living on the canals, her mother loved to ice skate. Her mother would participate in a speed skate contest, and would win against a famous speed skater. She shows her mother’s skates and how they worked. Eventually, her family needed money, so she was hired out to work for farmers around the area; she ended up working for awful people and she went home. After explaining things to her parents, they understood. And some time later, those same farmers sent a car to pick her up and bring her back. They were a lot nicer from then on. She would be there for a year and then she would go work for her aunt for a year. It was during this time that she realized that she had a calling for the vocational life. So she went home and talked to her parents about it and joined a convent in 1934. She was 19. It was hard to adjust to life there, but she wanted to make it work, so eventually she made it work. She would find her niche in the choir there and would eventually help direct the choir. She and a few of the other women would attend an Economics School and got her diploma; equivalent to a high school diploma. While she was at the convent, she would use a scythe to cut the grass on the convent and she was good at it. She would remain there for 6 years, when the war began. Eventually she would conclude that the convent was simply not for her. So she left for home to help her family on the farm. She would live as a companion with her aunt. Her sister would also live in the village and she would help her sister out as well. (20:10) Her grandparents became self-sufficient and would help out the townsfolk as well. Her brother would come and visit and bring a spindle, to spin wool for knitting and clothing. The Netherlands did not manufacture things anymore since the Nazis took over. She would work under the cover of night in order to not have what she made taken away by the Nazis. During this time, the Germans would round up people and have them go to the German labor camps or factories to work. So two of her younger brothers were in hiding, and so were some of the others from their town. They managed to stay hidden for the whole war. Her father’s brother did end up working in these camps. And when he got his weekend to go home, he decided that he did not want to go back. So he spent some time hiding, and he was eventually caught. He would spend the rest of the war in a Dutch prison. Her mother did not discuss the Germans much, only that they were very hated. �       You always had to be care of what you said and who you said it to because of collaboration with the Germans. She would listen to Queen Wilhelmina on the radio, who had escaped to London at the outbreak of the war. She would give broadcasts from London to let the people know what was going on. It was the only communication from the outside world at the time. (26:00) Having the radio was illegal in itself. One night German soldiers demanded some money from some livestock they sold. Her family would soon realize that they were neighbors dressed as German officers, demanding money. Her grandfather would give them some, but hid the rest in the barn. They would look for it but with no luck. Also at one point, her grandparents’ farm went up in flames, though her mother was not in town at the time. The grandparents would live with some neighbors and the farm was eventually rebuilt. The boys would have to live elsewhere for the time. After the war, one of the sons would take over the farm, which was in an area that was under German control until the end of the war. Her Father (31:30)              Going back to her father, he was called off to active duty in 1939. He would serve as a gunner in the infantry, stationed at Velsen, which was on a river. He would run a ferry there as part of his duties from August until May. On the early morning of May 10th, he and the others were surprised by all the planes flying overhead. He vividly remembers that because he was so surprised. Up to that point, they thought that they were good. But once they saw all those planes, they knew they were in trouble. He and the others there were told to surrender, while some distance south, there was fighting for 5 days. The general of the Dutch army would surrender after 5 days of fighting and her father would spend the rest of his time as a prisoner of war. They would stay in Assen, which is the capital of Drenthe. Her father did not talk about his time there a great deal. In fact, during her time in the Netherlands, many of the veterans did not want to talk about it. They look at it as a black mark on their past and they do not like talking about it so much. Because the Germans viewed the Dutch as little to no threat, many of the soldiers were allowed to go home right away. This would exempt him from being taken to the labor camps and factories. He would eventually make it home to do everything he could to help his family, neighbors and friends as much as he could. (36:05) He would spend the war bringing his brother, who was in hiding, food, clothes and other things. He would have trouble making sure that the Germans did not find out about what he was doing, or else he would get in a lot of trouble. �   Her father did not say much about what he thought about the Germans either. She only knew of a deep hatred that existed. Food was not a problem for her father’s family, so they shared with the community as much as they could, while still hiding it from the Germans. Although her father’s family did not hide any other allies from the war, she remembers her mother’s neighbors were hiding an English ally. Post-War (41:50)                   When the war ended, the war had left the country in ruins. They wanted to start a life, but how could you do that when you have nothing. So her father decided to go to America. Her mother was thinking the same thing, and put an advertisement in the newspaper asking for a traveling companion to immigrate to America. She got 6 letters, and photos, and her neighbors helped her choose which one to go with. It turned out to be her father. They met at the train station, and had coffee. They ended up going for a walk and ended up at a church. After some walking and talking, they decided to meet again, which began their blossoming romance. They would marry a year later, in September 1947, in order to go to America to work on a farm. They sailed to America in October of 1947, on a ship. The men and women were separated. Her mother was having some hard time, thinking she would never see her family again. Her mom told her that they would walk the decks of the ship and smoked, in order not to become sea sick. That was the time her mom picked up that habit. Her mother would also participate in singing on the ship as well. They landed in the New York Harbor. When they saw the Statue of Liberty, it was very emotional for everyone on board. They would work on a farm in Maryland for a year, to work of the debt of those who sponsored their trip there. It was a lot of hard work. After the year was over, they moved to Hudsonville, Michigan, where some of his friends were that they made on the boat. They ended up in Grand Rapids, and her father got a job at a furniture factory. Eventually, some of her family would make it to the USA, and move to Michigan as well. (52:00) Her mother took a correspondence course in artwork and loved it. She would eventually do a lot of commercial sign painting and truly flourished in her job. Her father worked at the furniture factory for the first 5 years and then got a job that he had to quit because he was allergic to the saw dust. From that point on her father had a hard time finding a job, but eventually got into metal work in Holland, Michigan, and worked there until his retirement at 65. Her parents would go back to the Netherlands. Her mother would go back 10 years after immigration, and her 10 years after that, her mother and her and her sisters went to visit family in the Netherlands. � She love it so much that 2 years later, she would eventually go back and would be there for 27 years, marrying, and having four children. � 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 SchlepersC1080V Title A name given to the resource Schlepers, Cecilia (Interview transcript and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schlepers, Cecilia Description An account of the resource Cecilia Schlepers is the daughter of two Dutch immigrants who lived under German occupation during the Second World War. She talks about what life was like for each of her parents during the war. Her father's family worked on a farm and her mother's family lost their farm during German occupation. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) 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 Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--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 2011-02-15 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/9952be6d25ded7e75180bb2205151ccb.mp4 5bff361b0ec7b0b4da0d0e81df9411dd https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7f8cef76f746b91a63c596f06bf0ca27.pdf 433d0bbacb376f43e60549f1e1cd64fe PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Cold War/Persian Gulf Era James Schmehil 41:58 Introduction (00:11)          James was born on February 25, 1963 in Virginia. Growing up, his father worked as an electronics technician working on the equipment used in the production of television shows. His mother is an accountant and owns her own business. James has always wanted to be a pilot, and he planned from a young age of joining the Air Force and attending the Air Force Academy. His father was also in the Air Force and it was his influence, along with James’ uncles who also served in the Air Force. (02:21) The largest influence in his decision to join however was his wanting to fly. The astronaut program is something that every aviator aspires too, but his immediate goal was to become a pilot. After high school, he joined the Air Force, but decided not to attend college first. He enlisted in July 1981 and he went to basic training in October 1981. In between, he performed odd jobs to earn extra money before he left. (04:17) Air Force Training and Enlisted Service (04:20)          Basic training was difficult and challenging but not what he thought it would be. It was not as physical as Army or Marine Corps basic training. The focus of their training was not hand-to-hand combat. The first night he was at basic training, they had been bussed on base in the middle of the night and were called ‘Rainbows’ because they did not yet have their uniforms. He was 18 years old when he went in the service. When they first met their TI (Training Instructor) he put great fear into all the men there. (06:35) Their training also had an academic element that put emphasis on following rules and directions. James was taught a certain way to fold his clothes and how to keep them in his locker, they were inspected to make sure it was exactly right. He finished basic training in the beginning of December and went on to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas and began schooling to be a missile crew member. (08:39) From December to April 30, he was in Tech School, which consisted of him being a Missile Systems Analyst Technician. He learned how to manage the launch sequence for the Titan 2 Missile. The Titan 2 Missile is an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile). �        The crew for this missile system consisted of four men, two enlisted and two officers (commander and deputy commander). James handled the launch sequence and the guidance computer. He would also back up the commander in the decoding of the messages that would come from the launch control center. (10:17) The coding was simple, but cryptic and top secret, which required him to have a top secret security clearance. He did that for two years. Missile crew tours were for 24 hours. At 7am they had a daily briefing that told the men what was happening around the world and the current threats they may have. They would then drive forty five minutes to an hour out to the site. He was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base with the 374th Ballistic Missile Squadron; James arrived at that post in 1982. He would be on site at 8am, and they would relieve the on duty team and perform system checks and maintenance operations. After a year of being there, James applied for the United States Air Force Preparatory School and was accepted. He started school in July 1983. The application process was much like a college application; he was required to submit his high school transcript, SAT and ACT test scores. (12:50) The purpose of this school is to prepare candidates for the Air Force Academy. They had high emphasis on math, science and english. James stayed there for one year and graduated in 1984. A month later he entered the Air Force Academy as a freshman. James graduated with a degree in physics. He participated in the Soaring gliding program and the parachute program and earned his jump wings. He also had survival training. He graduated in 1988. At that point, he stayed in Colorado Springs until his pilot training slot opened up, which he began in October 1988. Pilot Training and Officer Service (14:25)          After beginning his pilot training in October 1988, he finished a year later and was selected to be an instructor for the T-37. He went to the training school in San Antonio, Texas from 1989 to 1990. In 1992, James was sent to Barksdale Air Force Base and continued his service as a flight instructor as part of the ACE Program (Accelerated Copilot Enrichment). At this school, he worked with co-pilots and trained them how to support their pilot and to give them hands on experience as a full pilot. Once they were qualified, they would allow co-pilots to fly across country on they own. (16:12) In 1995, James was selected to join the C-130 program and was sent back to Little Rock Air Force Base. He was stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia. James flew many missions in the C-130 which consisted of dropping paratroopers, dropping cargo, delivering cargo and carrying people. A C-130 can land on a landing strip only 3,000 feet long, which is about a half-mile. (18:23) In 1996, James was deployed to the Middle East and flew missions out of Muscat, Oman. He was there for about a month before transferring to Saudi Arabia. �               He flew out of Al Kars, which was a new base in the city of Dhahran. The United States contingents were staying in condo like buildings there and a month before James arrived they were bombed and many Americans were killed. When James arrived, they were staying at Al Kars and living in tents. Since the base was so new, they did not have the facilities that a normal base would have. They did have air conditioning and a chow hall. (20:47) He was given a ten minute phone call home each week. When he left home, he had a three year old child and a five month old baby. Saudi Arabia is sandy and it gets everywhere and in everything. They had to replace computers every few months because the sand would cause them to fail. (22:23) Flying there was nice; they did a lot of missions around the Arabian Peninsula and up and down the coast close to Yemen. They resupplied the troops that were also stationed around. While there, he learned that camels come in different colors. He was flying a low level mission at 500 feet and he had canceled his IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and used Visual Flight Rules. They saw some black, white and brown camels. In the distance they saw a tent in the middle of no where. Parked outside the tent were a stretch limo and other beautiful cars. They quickly got out of there because they did not want to get involved with whatever they were doing out there. (24:41) James spent Christmas in country and returned home in January. On his way home they flew through England and Iceland. While flying out of Iceland, they flew into the sunset and the sun did not move because they were flying high enough and kept up with the rotation of the Earth. Once they made their descent towards St. Johns, Canada the sun dropped instantly. They landed in Boston and stayed the night before returning home to Moody Air Force Base. (26:48) When he got home, his five month old was now nine months old and she did not know him. He spent a total of four months overseas on that deployment. In Saudi Arabia, James learned that his squadron, the 52nd Air Lift was closing, so he had to start searching for a new job. He chose to go back to the T-37 training school in San Antonio, Texas. He became an instructor that taught pilots how to become instructors. (28:43) After being there for several years, he was selected to be part of the initial cadre in the T6 program, which was the joint trainer for the U.S. Navy, Air Force and the Canadian Air Force. It replaced the Air Force’s T-37, the Navy’s T-34, and the Tutor for the Canadian Air Force. James was stationed in Wichita, Kansas at the Beach Aircraft Company. They wrote all the regulations, procedures and rules that were necessary to form training programs with the T-6. He stayed with the program for a couple years and was successful in creating an effective training program for the new flight crews. After that he took a one year remote assignment from 2001-2002 in Honduras, and served with Joint Task Force Bravo, in Soto Cano Air Force Base which was about an hour outside Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. (30:35) His job there was to serve as the director of operations (second in command) for the squadron and was basically the air field manager. His duties involved running the weather operations, the civil engineering support, the refueling operations and all the �    support people worked together to complete their mission. He also coordinated with the United States Army and the Honduran Air Force. They supported the anti-drug operations that were going on in the area. (32:30) While there, he lived in a wooden hooch with air conditioning but no running water or bathroom. He had a golf cart as his vehicle. After his year there, he went back to San Antonio and returned to the T-6 training school and again acted as an instructor. James retired from the Air Force in 2005 after serving for twenty four years. (34:48) Thinking Back (35:02)     James remembers back in the Persian Gulf War in the early 90s. He was an instructor at Del Rio, Texas. He had mixed feelings about the war, because he wanted to be out flying missions and serving his country overseas instead of staying in the United States and training others to fly. He felt like he should have been doing more. The best thing that the Air Force taught him was teamwork. Everyone has their job and when everyone makes their contribution to the bigger picture everyone wins. No one job is not important. (37:35) He also strongly supported the defense of the Constitution and saluting the American Flag. It gives new meaning to certain things. (39:17) The biggest sacrifice that he had to make was having to leave his family during his Middle Eastern tour and his year in Honduras. � 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 SchmehilJ1518V Title A name given to the resource Schmehil, James (Interview outline and video), 2013 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schmehil, James Description An account of the resource James was born on February 25, 1963 in Virginia and grew up in an Air Force family. His father and his uncles all served in the Air Force, and when James graduated from high school, he too joined. He enlisted in July 1981 and left for basic training in October. After basic training, he became a Missile Systems Analyst Technician on the Titan 2 Missile system. After two years he applied for the United States Air Force Preparatory School and later attended the Air Force Academy. He graduated from the academy in 1988 with a degree in physics. James became a pilot and flew C-130s and also was a training instructor for the T-37 and the T-6 aircraft. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Schmehil, Marie (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-05-29 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/c09644b97dfe4a0f977f8863913b8371.pdf eefb1d4e88f75bd26e0e26e6d9d8550b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project James Schmehil 2nd interview Peacetime – Gulf War & War on Terror 23 minutes 36 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born on February 25, 1963 in Virginia -Had one brother and one sister -Lived in Virginia for two years then the family moved to Chicago -Grew up in Chicago (00:01:01) Enlisting in the Air Force -Enlisted in the Air Force in October 1981 -Father had served in the military for three or four years -His uncles had served in World War II and the Korean War -He aspired to be a pilot -Made a 24 year career out of the Air Force -18 years old when he enlisted (00:02:35) Nuclear Missiles -From 1982 to 1984 he was a missile crewman for the Titan II nuclear missile -Had to know how to carry out a launch sequence and the guidance system (00:03:09) Air Force Academy -He was accepted into the Air Force Academy Prep School -Studied there in 1983 and 1984 -Completed the Prep School and went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado -Studied there from 1984 to 1988 -Graduated and was commissioned as a lieutenant (00:04:04) Service as a Flight Instructor -Went to Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, for pilot training -Program took a year to complete -Stayed at Laughlin AFB as an instructor on the Cessna T-37 training jet -Served as an instructor from 1989 to 1992 -Trained pilots to fly jets in the Gulf War -Effectively served as an instructor until 2005 when he retired -Only three years when he flew C-130s and was assigned to Honduras on a remote assignment -Rewarding to serve as an instructor -Had six months to teach a cadet how to actually fly a plane -Had six months after that to teach a cadet how to fly a plane like an Air Force aviator -Sometimes, new pilots didn't understand certain dangers, or why something was dangerous to do -Likens it to a teenager driving a car for the first time -Some of the cadets simply were not capable of being pilots -Had some challenges with cadets that were unacceptable for flight -Flew the Northrop T-38 trainer at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana -Flew with copilots of the aircraft stationed at the base -Cheaper way to get the copilots flight time so they could become pilots (00:10:01) Flying C-130s -In 1995 he was assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, where he flew C-130 supply planes -Carried paratroopers, personnel, and cargo �-Got a remote assignment to Saudi Arabia -Stationed there from October 1996 to January 1997 -Flew supply missions to bases in the Middle East -Picking up and delivering cargo (food, equipment, and weapons) -Serviced outlying bases that relied on aircraft resupplies -During one intelligence briefing they were told militants were taking potshots at American planes -Saw some planes come back with bullet holes in the fuselage -No one ever shot at his plane (to his knowledge), and he never returned with any damage (00�:12:55) Returning to Service as a Flight Instructor -In 1997 he returned to the United States and was assigned to Randolph Air Force Base, Texas -He was back in the T-37 teaching pilots how to be instructors -He would act as the student on training missions and deliberately make mistakes -Taught the pilots how to correct mistakes -In 2000 he became a trainer on the new T-6 Texan II trainer -Trained at Beechcraft Corporation headquarters in Wichita, Kansas -Did his remote assignment to Honduras in 2002 and returned to the States in 2003 -Continued work with the T-6 Texan II from 2003 until his retirement in 2005 (00:14:38) Personal Relationships in the Air Force -Met his wife at the Air Force Academy during a Valentine's Day Dance -She was the sister of one of his squadron mates -Became incredibly close with the people he trained with and lived with -Sought out people from similar backgrounds with similar personalities -Gained new friends wherever he was assigned -Still in touch with a lot of his friends from the Air Force -Most of them live all over the country, only one lives in Michigan (00:16:53) Life after the Air Force -Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, after he retired from the Air Force -Excited to move back to a northern state where there were four seasons in a year -Briefly lived in Canada after retiring -Adjusting to the civilian workforce was the most challenging part of returning to civilian life -Lack of accountability with workers -Workplace politics -Works for National Heritage Academies (chartered school system) -Headquarters is in Grand Rapids, Michigan -81 private schools in eight different states -Works as a computer programmer at headquarters -Department IT and developing software for the schools for use by the students -Laptops, digital projectors, and smartboards are becoming more common (00:21:50) Reflections on Service -Air Force career was a great time in his life -Doesn't regret his service and he would do it again -Great adventure -Taught him teamwork -Everyone has abilities and talents to contribute to the larger effort and reaching a common goal � 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_SchmehilJ1822V Title A name given to the resource Schmehil, James G (Interview outline), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-25 Description An account of the resource James Schmehil was born on February 25, 1963 in Virginia. He enlisted in the Air Force in October 1981. From 1982 to 1984 he served with a Titan II nuclear missile crew, and from 1983 to 1984 he studied at the Air Force Academy Prep School. In 1984 he attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and graduated in 1988 with the rank of lieutenant. He received pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and served as an instructor there from 1989 to 1992 and at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. In 1995 he was assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, where he flew C-130s, and from October 1996 to January 1997 he flew C-130s out of Saudi Arabia. In 1997 he served at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, teaching pilots how to be instructors and in 2000 began working on the T-6 Texan II trainer. From 2002 to 2003 he had a remote assignment to Honduras. Upon returning to the United States he continued working with the T-6 Texan II until his retirement in 2005. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schmehil, James G. Jr. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Salinas, Jacob (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Type The nature or genre of the resource 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 application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d5a257cd911c5addeec3f4e46dc8e77.mp4 94190aae19952ad93b2a902db4cb96fe https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/858136ff0a95df5f9805c821ac08e759.pdf 8e2dec30823b7dc96c933911aea116ea PDF Text Text Eugene Schmidt (1:01:09) (00:04) Background Information • Eugene was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1918 • His father was in plumbing and heating • He graduated from Catholic Central High in 1936 • After graduation Eugene worked at a grocery store and was a book keeper for his uncle • Eugene signed up for the National Guard in 1935 • He was assigned to the wire section and worked on telecommunications • They had drills once a week and they used WWI rifles • He had summer camp at Camp Grayling • He was federalized on October 15, 1940 (5:17) Training • Eugene was sent to a camp in Louisiana by train • They did a lot of hiking and there was a lot of mud • The mosquitoes were bad and they had to use netting on their tents • In September1941Eugene’s enlistment was extended indefinitely • He heard about Pearl Harbor on the radio while living off the camp • His battalion was moved to Georgia and then to Fort Devens, Massachusetts • They were told they were going to ship off to England, but at the last minute they were sent to California on a train (16:40) Deployment • They crossed the Pacific on a converted luxury liner • The weather was good, but some people still got seasick • It took a long time to get to Australia because they had to go east of New Zealand and then to the southern part of Australia to avoid U-Boats �• They landed at Port Adelaide, Australia • They had to eat a lot of mutton when they first got there • They later moved to Camp Cable in Brisbane and then traveled up the coast in Queensland • He got along well with the Australians (24:45) New Guinea • They left Australia and went to Port Moresby in southern New Guinea • On the trip over they hit a storm and some fuel barrels broke loose so Eugene had to help secure them but, one of the barrels hit his knee and bent it backwards • Because of his injury Eugene had to stay in the rear echelon instead of going over the Owen Stanley Range with the rest of his battalion because of his injury • Moresby was small and its population was mostly women, children and elderly people (29:55) Back to Australia • On January 15 his division was relieved from Buna and sent back to Australia • They went back to Camp Cable for rehab and to reequip • They went down to Newcastle for Amphibious Assault Training • His battalion lost a lot of men and some were sick with Malaria and Jungle Rot • They were there until May and then went to Saidor (34:18) Saidor, New Guinea • Eugene was put in charge of a squad and went on an amphibious assault • He then returned to his HQ company • The jungle wasn’t pleasant • He learned from his experienced friends that he needed to use a machete at times to get through it and to watch out for the people around him • He was a Supply Sergeant when supplies came in • Eugene felt that one job wasn’t really any different than another, just with different duties �• The Japanese were trying to get out of New Guinea at the time he was there (45:20) Aitape, New Guinea • The second amphibious assault was on Aitape • They had to cross two rivers and it was very difficult • Australian engineers were trying to build a bridge, but they were taking too long so the Americans crossed with ropes tied to the other side • They didn’t see many Japanese soldiers (50:42) Returning Home • He went to Finschaefen for 3 weeks • Eugene was assigned to a tent with a friend that had joined the Army with • They traveled back to the US together in October of 1944 • When he got back he moved around some and then was assigned to be an MP in Detroit, Michigan • He didn’t do much and they didn’t arrest anyone with overseas stripes • He was discharged at Fort Sheridan in July of 1945 (55:32) After Discharge • Eugene worked at a service station, at Fisher Body as a maintenance welder, sold life insurance, and then went to work for Kerr Glass selling fruit jars • He retired from Kerr when he was 60 years old • The military gave him a better understanding of how to get along with people � 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 SchmidtE Title A name given to the resource Schmidt, Eugene (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schmidt, Eugene Description An account of the resource Eugene Schmidt was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1918. He joined the National Guard during high school and was federalized on October 15, 1940. Eugene was assigned to a Head Quarters Company and he was deployed to Australia. Then he was sent to New Guinea and was injured by a loose fuel barrel on the way over. He had to stay in the rear while his company went to Buna and after they were done he met up with them in Australia for amphibious assault training. They went on 2 assaults in New Guinea at Saidor and Aitape. In October of 1944 he was sent back to the US and was assigned to be a MP in Detroit, Michigan. Eugene was discharged in July of 1945. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-07-23 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/d0d8ee3d9904b28748233c7db844f076.mp4 2631edce9e3b2cdbeead0322468d7f38 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/806546b6d32ce607ee08381dfd6a3ccd.pdf 452bf7b1deacd6f8db346a215b772088 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee: Louis Schmidt Length of Interview: 00:57:40 Background                    He was born in Allegan County, in Door, Michigan. He was born November 20, 1926. His family worked on a farm. They raised pickles, potatoes, corn and anything that they could. It was a hard time. His father had this thrashing machine. It was slow moving and he would work until the snow fell trying to get things done. He got on WPA, it did not pay so well. He got the job right in Dorr. They also raised pigs. His stepfather would bring them home lard and pork sandwiches. He loved his stepfather more than his own father. If it wasn’t for his mother, his first father would have beaten them to death. He would get blood poisoning and die at the age of 29. He was too stubborn to go to the hospital until it was too late. His mother raised the kids, 140 acres and 72 heads of cattle. She did a great job. She would later remarry to his stepfather, who was a wonderful guy. He would go to Sycamore School. The school had 29 students. Since then it has been rebuilt. He really liked his last teacher. When he would go get water, his teacher’s boyfriend would come around and she would send him inside to check on the class. It took them a while, but the kids finally caught on to what was happening. He would go to school until 8th Grade. He finished around 13 or 14, and when he was 16 he wanted to join the military when he was 16, but he had to be 17 to join. He would also lack a birth certificate. There were 13 kids in his family and 17 kids in a neighbor’s family. They would all just take care of themselves. The war had started by then, in 1941. He was too young to join at the time. Instead, when he was 14, he would get a job a local store. His mother had to make a certificate stating that he was 14 so he could work there. He would work there for 3 years. While he was working there he would get paid 48 cents an hour. Then, that was a lot of money. When he got his first check he made $2. He ended up going to the office because he thought they overpaid him. They had not. He would then start working there more and still he thought they overpaid him. When he came in the next time, they threatened to fire him if he kept coming back in. When he turned 17, he would enlist into the Navy. The people at the store told him that he would not have a job when he got back. He did not care. He picked the Navy so he had a clean bed to sleep in, instead of a fox hole. He didn’t like ships, because he hated the water. He had never learned how to swim. He took his training at Great Lakes, in Chicago, Illinois. Training (7:50) �              He had 13 weeks of basic training and spent much of the time learning to identify different planes. It was fast paced and they had to learn quickly. Learning to swim was part of the Navy rules. They could not keep him in unless he learned how to swim. He would wait until he was 12 weeks in before even attempting to learn to swim. He would go to the recreation pool and attempt to learn to swim. His superior would stand over him all the time and tell him to quit crying. He was upset because he thought he would not be allowed to go home with his company and he really wanted to stay with them. So, to show this guy what he could do, he dived into the pool. He did not come up. Instead his superior saved him with a hook. He would pass this test for his efforts in trying to learn. He was so happy he could have kissed the man. To this day, he does not know how to swim. While he was there, he really had to learn “Sir!” While he was getting processed in Detroit, they were really nice. He didn’t have to call any of them “Sir.” When he got on the train to go to Chicago, things were very different. But he learned quickly. While he was putting his 13 weeks in at basic, he only made one mistake. When he was dressing himself, he had to fold the crease in his pants a certain way. One morning he woke up late and did not pay attention. He would have to run around the compound for an hour, holding his rifle over his head for punishment. He thought it would be easy, but he could hardly keep his arms up after that. From then on, he learned how to dress properly. He would also be warned for when he was supposed to come to attention. You were supposed to have your feet close together, so you can click your heels. His superior wanted to hear that click ring in his ears. His job there was to keep the fire going with gravel-sized coal pieces. He thought he was alone, but he was wrong. He clicked those heels together and that officer was not satisfied. He threatened him with running around with the rifle over his head again. He learned very quickly. They did not get to graduate on time because of poor behavior. They were watching some Navy WAVES graduate from basic and they whistled at them. Their company was held for one week. After they graduated, he got a 14 day leave home. He was then shipped to San Francisco. Active Duty (14:00)   They stayed in San Francisco for a couple of weeks while they waited for a ship to take them over. They finally found a carrier to take them to where they needed. It was the Prince Williams. �  He wasn’t even out of the San Francisco area when they got a submarine scare. He did not know if it was Japanese or Russian, but he heard the siren go off and a red light come on and all the soldiers had to go topside. They would stay there all night. The next morning, they would take off. The trip would take 29 days to Brisbane, Australia. The food was not that good. Australia (15:20)                When they got there they would go to a AATC, Anti-Aircraft Training Center. They would train with 3-inch twin 40’s. They would train by shooting on at a sleeve on the back of an airplane. The man in charge told them to shoot the tail off if they would want to. That sleeve got tore up, only the cable holding the sleeve was left. There was a general on base, no one knew he was as he was dressed as one, who had heard about this. He would have the man in charged called down for a talk. The man never came back. Schmidt thinks he was court martialed. Going back to the crossing, he was sick the whole way across. He remembers on another ship, he could not use the bathrooms on the ship. So the guys had to squat over the side of the ship and let it fly. They were not given any paper to clean themselves with, but the waves were so big they came up and washed them off anyway. He also remembers that he was given a small amount of rations that were supposed to last him 14 days for the trip. He and some others ate it the first night and would take food from other people in order to eat. One guy would trip the man and the other would take his tray of food. And when they got the food it was grilled chicken with the feathers still on it. Since they would not allow him and the others to use any of their stuff, they did not wash, shave, brush their teeth and they were starving. When they got to Brisbane, the first thing they wanted was food. Their superior at Brisbane asked them what had happened. They told him. He even told the man that on Christmas, one of the ensigns had thrown them some beer, but when it hit the floor there was no beer left. He said they had about committed mutiny. The officer told them not to tell anyone back home about what had happened. It would be the first thing Schmidt told his family. He would stay at Brisbane for 12 months. While he was there, he was running with an officer on a beach. Suddenly his back went out down low, by his hips. He was taken to a hospital to see what was wrong, but he never did find out. Even to this day, he still doesn’t know. While he was in the hospital, he had to make a choice. He could both go on an operation and possibly become a cripple or he could stay at the hospital. He would decide to stay. He thinks he made the right decision, because today he can feel whatever it was happen in his back now. (22:00) He would be in the hospital for another couple of weeks and then sent him back to the base. While he was in Brisbane, his main job was gate watch. They had a perimeter that he would have to walk around at night, to keep people from sneaking in. �                There was a lieutenant commander there who would keep him on his toes. If you did not salute him, he would find out why soon enough. While he was on gate duty, there would be women who would come to the gate, but couldn’t get in. Sometimes you would stick your hand through, though not all the way, as the holes weren’t big enough, just so you could hold their finger. He knows there was a lot of hanky-panky going on down there. If someone ever got caught, they would have been court martialed. He really liked it there. They would stay there for a year and a half and would then move to the Philippines. While he was in Australia, whenever he had liberty, he would go to Brisbane. While he was there, the Red Cross would give the soldiers a place to stay and food to eat. It was first come, first serve. He had a fun time over there. The beer was really strong, as he was only 17 when he got over there. He got back to base and he had stayed up all night. When he got in the shower, he was there for 6 hours because he passed out. If his mother would have seen him, she would have disowned him. The native Australians did not like the American military there. One of the American soldiers was with the wife of an Australian soldier who was fighting in New Guinea. When he came home, he found out and he and some buddies of his got on an elevator with the American and beat him. By the time the soldier got to the hospital, he had no teeth left. The Australians would also write letters to the Navy office, telling the American soldiers to take care of the kids who they happen to have while over there. There was a lady that he met who would only go with sailors, not marines, army or anything else. He really wanted to take her home, but she wouldn’t. She was a really good looking. His mother said he was lucky he didn’t bring her home, or she would have kicked them both out. She always told him that if he ever got a woman pregnant, he would have to make his nest right there to take care of her and the child. Coming from a home of 13 children, he understood. The one thing he did not like about the Navy was that he could not swim. He had a belt that had an inflatable tube on it and he would wear it everywhere. He would wear it to church, while he slept, when he went into town. He never knew what was going to happen. One day and officer told him not to wear it everywhere like he did. He told the officer he couldn’t swim. That was a mistake. The officer told him that he was going to learn how to swim before he left for home. Schmidt still does not know how to swim. He’s an ice fisher and has fallen through 10 times, once even taking the truck with him. It’s a miracle that he is alive today. Manus Island (27:00)  Although he spent most of his time in Australia, he would also travel around a lot, transporting to different bases. Manus Island would be the main stop for traveling soldiers.  Although he was a plumber, 3rd class, but he drove truck all the time. �    One time when he was driving, he was pulled over by the shore patrol. Some of the soldiers he picked up were sitting with their legs over the tail gate, and others yet were on top. The shore patrol said that he could get court martialed for letting those soldiers sit on the tailgate. If someone ran into him, their legs would be ripped right off. Instead, he was given a ticket and a warning. It was strange that there was no problem with the soldiers on top. While he was on Manus, the only thing that was going on was he was transporting soldiers from the docks to about 10 miles in, and when they were done at the shooting line, he would transport the soldiers back. He and some friends made it into a race. After he went to Manus, he would spend some time in the Philippines, and that was a whole different story. The Philippines (29:50)    He got there and he was waiting for orders to go down to the Indian Ocean for an invasion. It was the closest he had ever got to combat. When he heard the news about joining the invasion, he was really bummed. He remembers it was a Sunday and they were all packed, and then they got the news that the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. They were then ordered to get their gear off the ship because they were going home. Going Home and Reminiscing (31:00)         On the way home, they had a pool going about what time the anchor would drop in San Francisco. There was about $300 in that pool. When they got there, he was summoned to the captain’s quarters. He thought that he was in trouble or that they were going to try to get him to sign on again, which they eventually did. When he got to the captain’s quarters he discovered that he had actually won the pool for guessing the correct time the anchor was dropped. He told them to keep the money until he got on land. He was afraid that if he had kept in in his locker someone would steal it. He had won $310. He got a 34 day leave. Afterwards he was called back to Chicago Great Lakes, where he was discharged. He had to dress up in a suit and when he got his discharge medal, he was saluted. He did not know why, as he was only a 3rd classman. He didn’t know, so he just saluted back and went on his way. Back to when he was in the Philippines, he was at a base. There were huts put up, and they would stay there, until they were needed. They were more or less just getting ready to go out to the China Sea. When the bomb went off, the plans would change completely from there. He did not travel at all and did not see any of the local population. The Japanese would bomb the heck out of that place and there was a lot to take care of there. When they left, they would leave behind all the vehicles because they were too expensive to ship back over. Instead, they would place the vehicles in a 40 acre slot and torched them. �             He tried to take some pictures to bring home, but they had checked his camera and took the film out of it. He would have liked to show some of those pictures to the President to show him where all of the tax money was going. He did not think anyone would believe him since he didn’t have any pictures He said the place looked like a war zone. He also remembers a group of Marines torched a Philippine town without any warnings to the people there. He thought that was a real dirty thing to do, especially since the Filipinos had worked for the American soldiers. They were paid in rice, which the people loved. Everything there was outside. Eventually they built a two-seat outhouse and everyone would share it, both the locals and the soldiers. There was a huge problem with STD’s. If a soldier got or gave an STD they would have to pay a $300 fine and be put in the hospital for 30 days to be cured. After they got out of jail, they would go right back to it. He said the line for STD’s at the hospital was 10 miles long. Everything was cleared up eventually. He really learned a lot when he joined the Navy. He especially learned how to do all different kinds of knots. He was very sick of seeing knots, but they come in very handy for him at home. Of the different ships that he rode on, the LCI. The best, in his opinion, was the carrier. Once he was on an LST, a flat, long ship, whose end comes down so they can get onto the beach. The end had snapped of while they were at sea, and he thought they were going to drown. They ended up closing off the hatches before taking on too much water and they made it to shore. When he went back to the states, he took a cargo ship back, so they could feed everyone on there. There were about 700 people on that ship. They made pretty good time going back compared to the trip there. He was sick all the time. But now they gave him a pill that would help him with it and the also put something behind his ear too. He would eventually get used to the ship after being on land for almost 13 months. It seemed like the weather down there was always windy. You could see these huge whales come up right next to the ship. It seemed like there was no end to them. He would also see these flying fish that had wings on them. They would go for 50-100 feet before going back into the water. Post Duty (43:10)    Once he was out of the Navy he tried to find a job. He tried to go back to the store, but they did not let him have it back. He ended up going to a union that would help him get his job back. By then, he was making $2-$4 and hour He would work there for about 4 months, when he found out about another job opening working for a refrigerator company. He applied for the job and the man told him that he needed to get a pair of steel-toed boots and he could start that afternoon. �                  He ended up getting them the next day but did not have seniority to stay there. So he would work there for 30 days as a temp and if he was a good worker they would let him keep his job. He ended up moving from one shift to the 11-7 shift. He didn’t like what he was doing and often felt himself nodding off. One guy told him to stick his head in the freezer, which would wake him up. He was freezing! They had asked him to stay and extra 4 hours and he did now that he was awake. On the way home however he was blasting the heat and he was falling asleep. Then the guy at the store tried to offer him daytime hours. The union didn’t like that and told him that he did not have seniority. What he really wanted was the hi-low job, which the guy who was running that had been there for 5 years. He was barely there two months. He would eventually get the hi-low job 10 years later. He really enjoyed that. He was working at the job for 25 years, when one day, he got into it with his boss. She was mad at him because he wouldn’t look at her when she was speaking to him. Instead, he was always looking up at the ceiling because it was always full of pigeons. Well, he got snotty with her and she fired him. He would work with the Union and his supervisor to try to get his job back, and he did. He said it was a beautiful place to work and he put 31 years into it. His time in the Navy definitely changed him. (49:00) He went in as a boy and came out as a man. While he was there, they tried to get him to resign, but he didn’t take their offer. He said that the discipline he got kept him out of trouble. He didn’t get into fights and was really good. He remembers a time when they were on an island and he and another guy thought they heard someone on the island. They raised the alarm and the Navy that was there came running out, guns at the ready. Everyone went around trying to put all the lights and an officer gave him a Thompson Sub gun and he accidentally discharged 30 rounds into a hut where the American soldiers were staying. Luckily, no one was in there. He should have been court martialled and discharged but he wasn’t. He had a lieutenant felt badly and knew it was an accident, so he was assigned to do other work for what happened. Turns out the noise that started all this was coconuts falling from their trees. He feels he had it pretty easy in the Navy. The only time he made a mistake and he froze on the trigger. He never could stand the ships, but he’d like to go back on a ship to visit. He wishes that he would have stayed in the reserves. � 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 SchmidtL Title A name given to the resource Schmidt, Louis (Interview outline and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schmidt, Louis Description An account of the resource Louis Schmidt served in the Navy during World War II. He was sent to Australia after basic training and trained as an anti-aircraft gunner, but served mostly in support units. He served for about a year in Australia, and then went to Manus Island and to the Philippines. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-09-07 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/4a87e701f50fe75fc743bcf0d84c73bb.mp4 f8250560ccd16a526ea5ba44847776f4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b987a8e505602ebe7b1d14dd20e5405b.pdf 169b0154bdee38812d9046cd02df02e7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project World War II – Pacific Theater Robert Scholz Total Time (01:19:57) Introduction (00:00:08)  Robert was born January 16th, 1918 in Quincy, Illinois (00:00:22)  His father owned a grocery store and his mother was a nurse (00:01:27) ◦ Robert worked in the Navy Department as an a offset printer in Washington D.C.(00:03:59) ◦ Prior to the attacks on Pearl Harbor, he mentions his work was very busy and filled with young people (00:04:55) ◦ Robert was having a late Thanksgiving dinner with friends when he found out that Pearl Harbor had been bombed (00:07:00) ▪ He was drafted after Pearl Harbor happened and ended up at Camp Grant in Illinois; from there he went to Ft. Leonard Wood for basic training (00:09:16) Basic Training (00:09:16)  Robert and the group he trained with stayed in barracks at Ft. Leonard Wood; they had a corporal and sergeant assigned to each barracks (00:10:21)  He mentions that the men in charge would do everything to make you miserable like run in the rain without boots or coats but overall it wasn't too bad (00:10:53) ◦ There was an incident where the men had to dig two man foxholes and have a tank run over it which was pretty scary for him; two men were buried alive during this exercise and wound up dead (00:13:48) ◦ Basic training lasted over six weeks; he then trained to be a combat engineer (00:16:38) ◦ He did bridge construction and was taught how to use explosives during engineer training (00:16:58) ▪ Robert's wife and son came down and visited Ft. Leonard Wood once when his son was four months old (00:18:40) World War II – Pacific Theater (00:19:13)  Robert and the other men left from Ft. Leonard Wood on a train to Camp Stoneman in California to a replacement depot(00:20:29)  From Camp Stoneman he left via a ship and was put on guard duty (00:22:16)  They stopped for refueling after about two weeks at New Hebrides; from there they went to New Caledonia off the coast of Australia (00:23:03)  They arrived in Leyte in the Philippines and as they were jumping overboard into the landing craft, an alarm sounded and Robert was told they were being bombed (00:27:18) ◦ As they got to the other side of the island and Robert met a civilian couple who used hemp to make everything because the Japanese took all of their clothing (00:29:49) ◦ There wasn't much fighting going on as they were crossing the island of Leyte (00:31:05) ▪ The geography was mostly swamps and Robert recalled it being terrible; they had to chop down trees to make roads (00:31:30) ▪ Robert was assigned to the 13th Engineer Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division as a combat engineer (00:33:14) �  This unit was assigned to be the first assault unit at Okinawa, Japan; just before they hit the beach- everything went silent and arrived on the beach to find hardly any opposition at first (00:36:17) Robert remembers a loud explosion as he was trying to sleep in a foxhole as it was his first experience with a Kamikaze attack (00:37:38) ◦ Part of their duty was to fix bridges and cover up roads to keep them open as Robert remembers and jokes the protection of the equipment, such as bulldozers, were more important than the men (00:40:44) ◦ He remembers quite frequently that his brakes would go out in his vehicle; they had no lights for protection and drove in the mountains as he had to keep down shifting to brake on time (00:42:52) ▪ The unit was in water most of the time from the constant rain and Robert always wonders why he never got sick or a cold (00:43:58) ▪ Robert was able to write home quite a bit about the specifics of what was going on in Japan (00:44:56)  After the campaign was over, Robert remembers sleeping in a cot for the first time in months (00:47:43)  Robert never really encountered any Japanese prisoners or any of the Japanese civilians (00:48:42) ◦ After the island was secured they didn't really experience anymore Kamikaze attacks (00:50:03) ◦ Robert and his unit headed to Korea after the island of Okinawa was secured; they took a ship and landed at Inchon in Korea (00:51:42) ◦ They did not see much of the Japanese while they were in Korea; the United States took over the Japanese barracks (00:54:03) ◦ He remembers the Koreans being hospitable towards him as he went out to dinner with a family (00:55:33) ▪ Robert remembers seeing Russians while in Korea; he went to the 32nd parallel with a few other men and the Russians saluted them and wanted to have drinks with them (00:58:15) ▪ They were in Korea for a few months til about Christmas time after arriving in August (00:59:33) Back to the United States (01:01:30)  Robert was discharged at the Jefferson Barracks Military Post; from there his wife met him in St. Louis, Missouri (01:02:42)  Robert and his family decided to move to Grand Rapids, Michigan; they stayed with a couple as their apartment wasn't quite ready yet (01:04:41) ◦ He worked for a company that made fly paper; the army offered up help to adjust to civilian life and Robert remembers it being a mistake that he didn't take it at the time as he had a tough time adjusting to civilian life again (01:06:14) ◦ Robert's second child was a boy with special needs, he had cerebral palsy; a doctor talked to Robert and his wife to plan for another child to help the oldest sibling get through the tough time of having a special needs sibling- Robert had two more sons after that (01:09:44) ▪ He moved around to different jobs; he worked in a lab as a quality control manager and went to night school as well (01:12:49) ▪ After some schooling, Robert became a plant manager and went to different companies �in different locations- he enjoyed his work to the fullest (01:15:21)  The Army taught him how to work with people and that's the biggest thing he learned while he served (01:16:03) � 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 ScholzR1586V Title A name given to the resource Scholz, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2014 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scholz, Robert Description An account of the resource Robert Scholz was born in 1918 in Quincy Illinois. Before Pearl Harbor he worked as a civilian for the Navy as an offset printer in Washington D.C. He was drafted after Pearl Harbor happened and did his basic and job training at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri. Robert became a combat engineer in the 13th Engineer Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division. Robert and his unit left on a train to Camp Stoneman in California and from there they departed to New Hebrides via ship for refueling. From there they went to New Caledonia and finally arrived at Leyte, Philippines. His unit later took part in the initial landings on Okinawa, and after the war went to Korea before returning home. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army 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 2014-03-20 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/7a2658fb120342747ad3e3ed7deffcda.mp4 edc5beb069dcef6dd44acae69310c600 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/36da9eb6ccb1c793b389a1103cb7a3a8.pdf e1a6a662a1d4ca8ce5cebf1cd74be42f PDF Text Text Robert Schowers (36:23) (00:05) Background Information • Robert was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927 • His father was a policeman and was killed in the line of duty in 1941 • He first heard about Pearl Harbor on the radio • Robert went into the Merchant Marines when he was 16 in March of 1944 (2:45) Training • He first went to Sheepshead Bay for boot camp and passed the test to be a radio operator • Robert was then sent to Hoffman Island • He learned code and typing • They could go to New York on the weekends • He still had to do physical training and marching • Robert met his wife on one of the weekends • He received a 2nd class telegraph license, a 1st class telephone license, and a ham radio license (9:34) Transport Ships • Robert went to the union and was assigned on a T2 tanker ship to England • The basic salary was about 130 dollars a month with extra pay for being in England • They went to Liverpool and didn’t really know what was going on with the war because the only communication they had was listening to the radio • When they went to shore there were blackouts • After 2 trips to Europe and 2.5 months, got on an oil tanker headed for Aruba • They went through the Panama Canal and to New Hebrides, the Philippines, and Subic Bay • The ship stayed at Subic Bay for 1.5 months to unload fuel to other ships • They went to Manila and a Navy camp in the Philippines �• Manila was bombed out and poor • Robert and a friend got off in Panama City and got on an Army ship called the Seatrain Texas • They sailed to the Mediterranean Sea to pick up locomotives from Oran, Marseilles, and Naples (19:45) Army • Robert received a draft notice so he thought it would be best to enlist in the Army because it would only be for 2 years • He got measles and shortly after that he got pneumonia • When he was better he got married in Anniston, Alabama • They made him a private first class and he became a clerk • He thought it was boring being a clerk so he requested to be transferred • Robert was sent to Santa Fe, New Mexico • He helped write training manuals and was in the band for marching and dancing (27:14) Discharge • After being discharged he went to work for the University of California in New Mexico as an electronic technician • He went to the University of New Mexico and graduated in 1969 • Timothy was the project leader for a photo optical group • One of their jobs was to design telescopes • He flew out of Las Vegas to go do tests • The hours were long, but he liked it and stayed there for 14 years • Timothy then did some graduate work in Wisconsin and then received a job at Sandia • He was with the Military Liaison and went all over the world to fix equipment • At 60 he retired in Albuquerque, New Mexico �• Then in 1999 he moved to Los Vegas, Nevada � 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 SchowersR Title A name given to the resource Schowers, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schowers, Robert Description An account of the resource Robert Schowers was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927. Robert joined the Merchant Marines when he was 16 and passed the test to become a radio operator. He trained at Hoffman Island and received his 2nd class telegraph license, 1st class telephone license, and a Ham radio license. Robert was assigned to a T2 tanker and made 2 trips to Europe during the war. He then got on another tanker and fueled ships at Subic Bay. On his 3rd ship, the Seatrain Texas, he went to Oran, Marseilles, and Naples to pick up locomotives. When he returned he joined the Army for 2 years during the Korean War. He was stationed in Santa Fe, New Mexico and wrote technical manuals. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Merchant mariner Merchant marine--United States 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 2008-05-21 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