Housing

Housing

Franklin Evening Star - 04 January 1952
Meeting Slated to Discuss Camp Housing Project

Camp Atterbury and Public Housing Authority officials will meet in Chicago in the near future to make plans for starting work on 190 prefab houses at Camp Atterbury.

The Department of Army announcement from Washington said that the prefab housing area could be "on or off the post as desired It left the decision as to whether the area would be on or off the post up to the Commanding General.

No Site Selected

Maj. Gen. Paul W. Kendall. Camp Atterbury's Commanding General, said he would like to see the housing units built on the Post.

A meeting between officials, of the PHA's Chicago office and Camp Atterbury officials will be held sometime in the near future to make plans for starting the housing project as soon as possible.

It is expected that a site for 200 housing units will be discussed at this meeting and that a military or civilian engineering unit will be authorized to survey possible sites.

The PHA will build, establish rental rates, and operate and maintain the housing units, the DA announcement said. Rates for the housing units are unknown at this time. The units will be open to military personnel, regardless of rank. Public housing at most Army camps is limited to officers, enlisted men of the first three grades and corporals with over seven years service.

Franklin Evening Star - 10 January 1952
P.H.A. Officials inspect Sites for 190 Homes To Be Built at Atterbury

Three Public Housing Administration officials visited Camp Atterbury this week to look over sites for the construction of 190 emergency housing units. The PHA officials, who came from Chicago, inspected four sites. Two of these sites now are under consideration and a decision on where the pre- I fabricated units will be built is expected to be made in the near future.
The two sites under consideration are:

1. An area on top of the hill near Atterbury's East Gate. This site which overlooks the Camp, is on the south side of Hospital Road.

2. A 23-acre area in Block 8 extending approximately from the U. S. Army Hospital to an area near VI Corps. This area is bounded by Edinburg St. on the south, Harrison St. on the east, Division St. on the north and Quinny St., on the west.

The PHA officials who visited Camp Atterbury. Monday were Mr. P., J. Papadupoulos, Chief Project Planner; Lawrence O'Mara, Land Advisor, and Alfred Bassett, of the Utility Section.

Met with Gen. Kendall

They were accompanied by Lt. Col. Harold Titimarsh. Post G-4, and Post Engineers officials during their inspection of the four possible sites. Later, they met with Maj. Gen. Paul W. Kendall, Commanding General of Camp Atterbury, to outline their selections.

The PHA officials announced while here that 140 two-bedroom and 50 three-bedroom temporary units will be built "as soon as possible.".

It's pretty hard to say when we'll break ground or when the units will be completed," Mr. Papadopoulos said. "But you can he assured that we'll do everything in our power to get this project finished as soon as possible," he said.

10 Units To Acre

The units will be built on concrete blocks similar to those used under barracks buildings. It is not known whether the houses will be one or two stories high, however. The PHA said that 10 housing units will be built on each acre of land.
Jackson Bickford, representing the A. M. Strauss architectural firm of Ft. Wayne, Ind., also attended the meetings.

Franklin Evening Star - 25 January 1952
Work Will Start Soon on Homes of Camp Atterbury

Construction of 190 emergency home unit, to be built by the Public. Housing Administration for Camp Atterbury military personnel, start "soon," it was announced this week.

A team of civilian topographic surveyors from Fort Wayne, arrived here a day after a site for the units was selected. They surveyed the site for the A. M. Strauss architectural firm, also of Fort Wayne. The PHA will build the units with part of a $25,000,000 fund they have been given by Congress for emergency housing in areas where there is a critical housing shortage

Last summer a Senate Investigating Committee labeled Camp Atterbury as one of the most critical housing areas in the nation after making a first hand study of the situation.

To Be Built Soon

The PHA announced that 140 two-bedroom and 50 three-bedroom pre-fabricated units will be built ' soon as possible." "It's pretty hard to say when we wilI break ground or when the job will be completed," a PHA spokesman said. "But you can be assured that we will do everything in our power to get this project finished as soon as possible."

At Fort Jackson, S. C., members of the 31st Infantry Division cheered when it was announced the 190 housing units would be built at Camp Atterbury. The 31st is scheduled to come to Atterbury after it participates in Operation Long Horn at Fort Bliss. Tex. its members have been warned that the housing situation at the Indiana camp is "critical."

Franklin Evening Star - 21 March 1952

Col. C. S. Myers, Deputy Post Commander, turns over the first shovel of dirt at Camp Atterbury's 190-unit housing project. In the background is John Mischung, job superintendent, who reported that the Management and Maintenance building will be completed next week.

Franklin Evening Star - 06 May 1952
34 Camp Houses Expected To Be Ready by May 15

The first section of Camp Atterbury's 190-unit public housing project will he completed and ready for occupancy in about two weeks, it was announced today.
John Mischung, job superintendent for the Green and Gust Company of Chicago, the project's general contractors, said the target date for completion of 34 two-bedroom units is May 15.

Atterbury soldiers and their families should be able to move into these units within a few days after May 15th." Mr. Mischung said. "Then we'll start on another section of 26 units and they, too will be thrown open for occupancy as soon as they are completed. We hope to have all 190 houses finished by late July," the job superintendent said. N. F. Nelson, an engineer from the Green Lumber Company of Laurel, Miss., has been here two weeks supervising the erection of the prefabricated houses which bear the trade name "Laurel Homes."

List Rentals

Meanwhile. Public Housing Administration (PHA) had Camp Atterbury officials announce how much the houses will rent for and how they will be assigned to Atterbury military personnel. The PHA said base rent for the two-bedroom houses will be $50 a month while soldiers living in three-bedroom units will pay $55 a month.

This rent does not include utilities, such as electricity, gas, and telephone. The PHA estimates that the total cost of living in a two-bedroom house will be about $70 a month while the three-bedroom units will run about $5 more each month.
All of the units will be equipped with the basic utilities. They include electric refrigerators, cooking ranges and hot water haters, oil space heater, shower, and kitchen sink. In addition. a laundry building and a play area for children will be located in the center of the housing area.

31st Gets Lion's Share

Members of the 31st Infantry (Dixie) Division will occupy the majority of the 190 prefabs. The 31st has been allotted 134 units for its military personnel and their families. Enlisted men will get 105 of the 131 while the remaining houses, 2!) in all, will be rented to Dixie Division officers. Members of Camp Atterbury's Non-Divisional units have been allotted 28 houses. Post Headquarters. including the U. S. Army Hospital, will be assigned 23 housing, units while members of VI Corps will get the remaining five houses.

Once the present project is completed, Camp Atterbury will have 203 sets of quarters. There are now 13-government owned housing units on Post.

Franklin Evening Star - 20 June 1952
72-Site Trailer Park Planned At Camp Atterbury
Construction On Housing Project Will Begin July 10
CAMP ATTERBURY, June 20 Camp Atterbury's housing picture brightened up considerably this week when Post Engineers announced that construction of a new 72 site trailer park will begin July 10th.
Lt. Henry E. Damon, construction operations officer, said that the new trailer court will be located south o f t h e present permanent park and is scheduled for completion within 90 days.

Modern Design
Ultra-modern in design, the newly announced expansion in trailer facilities will feature a large, fully enclosed playground for small children two utility buildings equipped with coin-operated automatic washing machines; and complete clothes drying facilities.

The entire living area will be equipped with street lights for the protection of residents, Lt. Damon declared. Each trailer site will be served with access roads of crushed stone, sturdy oil drum frames, and connections for water, electricity and sewer outlets.

Low Rent Cost
Occupants of the present temporary trailer park will begin moving to another temporary park which they will occupy until the new project is completed sometime in September. The Post Billeting Office, which handles trailer-site rentals, said that each site will rent for $72 per year, plus $5 monthly for utility privileges.

Engineers will also construct one utility building for laundry purposes to serve the present permanent trailer park, the construction operations officer said.

Total 916 Units

Upon completion of the newly announced permanent trailer park Camp Atterbury will have on-post housing facilities for 315 families, Lt. Harry V. M. Cusack, post billeting officer, reported.

The figures break down: 72 new trailer sites to be built . . . 40 existing permanent sites . . and 203 PHA and government-owned houses completed and in various stages of construction.

"This should leave Camp Atterbury in much better shape than ever before in its history," Lt. Cusack said.