In 2020, the city is kicking off a historic survey project called . Over the next three years, in the late fall, winter and early spring, when the leaves are off the trees, this project will photograph and record the existing condition on all structures in the city limits made by people – from schools, homes, churches and gas stations to railroad switching towers, brick streets and water towers. Everything visible from the public right of way will be documented. Inventory may begin in your neighborhood starting as early as mid-winter – January 2021 or not until late fall of 2021 and ending in the spring of 2022. If we make quick progress and weather cooperates, the survey will start earlier.
Essentially, the survey is meant to be an inventory of the city and will complete an action defined in the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 Master Plan as well as fulfilling the city’s responsibilities as a Certified Local Government and as part of our Programmatic Agreement.
The survey will be performed by pairs of volunteers using smartphones and tablets to document approximately 24,000 resources citywide. Photos will be taken from the public right of way and uploaded to the cloud. Once collected the photos will be reviewed and analyzed by qualified historians and reports will be prepared on the history, context and structures in each neighborhood.
Currently the plan is to complete the first phase of field work in 2020 between the middle of February and the end of May on eight center city neighborhoods – Eastside, Edison, Northside, Vine, Stuart, Oakwood, Southside and West Douglas. Later in 2020 and into 2021 – as weather permits – work will begin on Milwood, South Westnedge, Westnedge Hill, West Main Hill, Downtown and Burke Acres/Mount Olivet. Over the winter of 2021 and 2022 the rest of the neighborhoods will be surveyed including Arcadia, Knollwood, Oakland-Winchell, Westwood, Colony Farms, Parkview Hills and Hill ‘N’ Brook.
Neighborhood reports should be available the summer after the field work is completed and the final report should be done by fall of 2022.
We would appreciate your help in publicizing the survey, letting your residents know what to expect and how they can participate if they are interested. Volunteers are needed for 2-3 hour shifts where they will document 50-60 buildings. Volunteers can sign up on the Inventory Kalamazoo 2022 webpage here http://www.imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/inventory/
We will be holding a public presentation to kick off the survey on Wednesday, February 5 at 7pm in the Van Deusen Room on the 3rd floor at the downtown library.
If you would like to arrange a presentation on Inventory Kalamazoo 2022 for your membership or board, please contact me and we will schedule at your convenience. We can schedule now for a meeting or event in the fall of 2021, just before we begin surveying your neighborhood. Depending on weather and a number of other issues, we may be ready to start sooner than fall of 2021 on your neighborhood.
You can use the attached logo in any publicity you generate. I have also attached the flyer for the survey. And a link to the Inventory Kalamazoo 2022 page on the Imagine Kalamazoo website.
Link to IK2025 page for Inventory Kalamazoo 2022:
http://www.imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/inventory/
Please give me a call at 269-337-8804 or send an email if you have any questions or to schedule a presentation on the survey for your neighborhood.