Illustrative Designs
b. Existing Programs and
c. Community Framework
Facilities
The Community Framework for Fort Plains (figure 6 - 1)
reflects all the basic principles discussed in Chapter 3:
Because of the recent rapid growth in Fort Plains; the
consolidation, continuous development, variety of per-
provision of community services lags behind the need,
sonal choice, and responsiveness to many factors. The
and major improvement and development are required.
plan consolidates most community services into Commu-
While a full range of services is presently provided, they
nity Activity Centers, with the exception of a few existing,
are mostly undersized for the population and often poorly
specialized facilities. This opportunity is available
accommodated and located. New construction for post
because of the limited number of existing community ser-
operations and housing has progressed ahead of the
vices and quality facilities. It considers phased, sequen-
community facilities. This gap is particularly acute in the
tial construction of the planned facilities, and their impli-
family housing area.
cations for programming and design. It combines many
The Morale Support Activities office has very successful
activity choices into attractive and convenient central and
programs in sports, music and drama, though in inade-
local CAC's, including not only Morale Support Activities,
quate facilities, and moderately patronized arts and
but post exchange and other retail functions, child devel-
crafts, library, and youth activities programs housed in
opment, other Army Community Services, and leisure
makeshift, inconvenient older buildings. A large new rec-
and community activities.
reation center, convenient to some of the troop housing,
is heavily used. Major new facilities for the post's main
(1) Main Post and Local Centers Concept. Fort
exchange and commissary are centrally located and eas-
Plains is a large post. Its total population of 47,000 is
ily accessible (see existing conditions, figure 6 - 2); but
that of a small city, with a broad spectrum of residents -
there are no other retail or food service facilities available
many single troops, families, and a wide range of ages
on-post. New clubs for officers, NCO's and enlisted men
and ranks. Development is spread out over a large geo-
have been completed and are well-attended. Child care
graphical area, it is several miles from one end of the
and other Army Community Services programs function
cantonment area to the other. The number of people
at a minimal level in poor and remote facilities.
and great distances involved, suggest multiple service
locations for certain types of functions to be closer to the
The community services available off-post are limited.
But the bars, fast food restaurants and some recreational
individual users. The post is also clearly clustered into
facilities (roller skating, bowling) are heavily used by the
development areas defining separate categories of users,
such as units of single troops, family housing, and
soldiers, partly because of the inadequate provision on
post, and partly out of a desire to temporarily get away
administrative off ices, creating logical service territories
for differentiated and dispersed services.
from the military environment. Opportunities for hunting,
fishing and camping are abundant in the area, and are
The great geographical spread, and the lack of dominant,
utilized actively by part of the post population.
organizing topographic features, suggests the need for a
focus or center. There is little now in the physical char-
acter of the post to give a sense of overall post commu-
nity which the individual can identify with. There are
some features which start to provide a focus: the central
east-west road leading in from the main entrance; the
post administrative center, where most of the post popu-
lation goes at some time, located along this major road
or main street; and the newly completed post exchange
and commissary complex, located just off this main
street. These provide a good location for developing an
effective Main Post Center.
DG 1110-3-142
Page 6-5
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