Assisted Living and Memory Care Facility
Kingscott is working with a private developer on a new Assisted Living and Memory Care facility. The 80-bed residence contains 24 memory-care units. The balance of the Assisted Living units are split between studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. From a central ‘main street’, residents can access courtyards, and a dining room. Image courtesy of Post Associates.

Bronson Healthcare Group’s new Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
Kingscott has completed design work and is finishing construction documentation for Bronson Healthcare Group’s new Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Mattawan, Michigan. The Center will replace an existing facility.

Senior Living Community Concept
Kingscott was asked to imagine a new Senior Living Community on a reclaimed site. In partnership with Viridis Design group and Erhardt Construction, we envisioned a community organized around a “Central Park”. See more of our concept here.

The projects at Marshall Public Schools are part of the district’s 2009 Bond program which will also include a new auditorium at the High School.

Decatur’s new Athletic Complex includes a new football stadium, baseball field, soccer field, softball field, and concession stand. Site lighting, playgrounds, pathways, and parking lots were included in the project that included remodeling to the district’s high school and elementary school.

Projects recently completed for DeWitt Public Schools include reconfigured traffic circulation, an addition at Fuerstenau Early Childhood Center, and improvements to the Athletic Stadium complex.

DeWayne was always ready to share his enthusiasm for engineering with students, including this visiting Girl Scout Troop from Kalamazoo.

After nearly 50 years with Kingscott, longtime Senior Associate and trailblazing engineer DeWayne Leppke, P.E., has announced his retirement. While we are sorry to see DeWayne wind down his valued participation in the firm, we take great pride in his many accomplishments. His involvement included:

• Served as Principal and member of the Board of Directors
• Engineer for Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery, Oshtemo, MI, at the time, the world’s largest shallow-water solar energy system in the world
• Engineer for the (Gerald R. Ford) Federal Building in Grand Rapids, MI
• Engineer for Berkshire Hills Monument Valley Middle School (linked to page), Great Barrington, MA utilizing solar/photovoltaic and geothermal systems
• Mentor for NASA Robotics Alliance Project FIRST Competition and recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award
• Member of Board of Deacons at Bethel Baptist Church, Kalamazoo, MI

In addition to the numerous awards his projects have won for engineering and design, DeWayne was named a Thought Leader in Energy in 2010, reflecting the continuing innovation he brought to projects large and small. His mentorship and friendship to all of us at Kingscott will never be replaced. Good Luck in all you do, DeWayne!

The Bedford Valley Golf Course at Gull Lake View sports a new clubhouse, including lower-level cart charging stations. The Craftsman-style building houses a pro shop, dining room, bar, kitchen, and changing rooms for patrons.

The new Battle Creek home of Family & Children Services is a former American Automobile Association office on Columbia Avenue. The building was transformed by Kingscott for use by this community service agency. A drive-through garage was turned into a new conference room.

Chenery Auditorium

Here are some of his many notable projects:

• Chenery Auditorium remodeling, Kalamazoo, MI
• Monument Valley Middle School, Great Barrington, MA, a school partially powered by alternative energy – solar and geothermal
• Epic Center, Kalamazoo, MI, a catalyst for downtown development and a home for many of the arts organizations Brooks has supported over the years.
• Woodland Elementary, Kingsford, MI
• East Middle School, Holland, MI, winner of several national education awards
• Holland High School Additions & Remodeling, Holland, MI


Epic Center

• Glen Oaks Community College Addition, Centreville, MI one of the first green-roofed buildings in Michigan
• Perry Child Development Center, Ypsilanti, MI, a groundbreaking Early Childhood Learning Center and winner of the William W. Caudill Citation
• Orr Elementary, Washington, D.C.
• Newton High School, Newton, KS
  
• Parker Hannifin, Office Building, Richland, MI
• DeChaine Residence, Eugene, OR

On Monday September 19, 2011, Brendon Pollard, AIA, Principal, and Susan Einspahr, Chairman of the Board and Senior Principal presented a check for $53,000 to the Chris Rundle, Superintendent of Gull Lake Community Schools.

As Architects and Engineers for the new Gull Lake High School, Kingscott qualified for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) tax credits. Kingscott’s sustainable design of the building’s envelope and mechanical and lighting systems exceeds code minimum efficiencies by more than 50%. The school district and the community made efficient, economical design a priority, and Kingscott wanted to share with them the benefit of implementing an energy-saving design.

from left: Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell, Executive Director Claudia Wink-Basing, and Roger Hinman

InterAct officially opened their new home on July 28 with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by local officials and community members. Executive Director Claudia Wink-Basing cut the ribbon held by Mayor Bobby Hopewell and Roger Hinman of The Hinman Company.

Kingscott worked with The Hinman Company to design the building to earn LEED Silver certification. Photos of the interior are shown here. A video of the ribbon cutting is posted on our Facebook page.

In partnership with Western Michigan University’s Department of Psychology, ROI is developing the Great Lakes Center for Autism Treatment and Research. It will be a residential resource and program for children with severe autism and serve as a home for up to 12 children between the age of 7 and 17.  The Dr. Sidney Heersma Outpatient Clinic for Children will share the remodeled building and serve up to 100 children per year. The Clinic will focus on developing skills and tools to help children and their families improve the quality of their lives.

Kingscott assisted ROI in site and facilities assessments as the organization began a search for a new home. With a site selected, and a capital campaign underway, Kingscott is working with ROI to design a home for these programs. Here’s a conceptual plan for the new facility.

ROI has set as goal of $2.5 million for the campaign and has secured 25% of the goal (as of April 2011). To contribute, contact Ross Hamilton at 269.343.3731 extension 234.

Residential Opportunities Inc. website

The Commission also recognized the Friends of Chenery, Kingscott Associates, and Kalamazoo Public Schools with the Historic Preservation Award of Merit, annually given to the individual or group that actively promote and contribute to historic preservation in the city of Kalamazoo. Working together, the Friends of Chenery led the effort to raise more than $7 million dollars for the project.

Donald Parfet accepts the award honoring the Friends of Chenery.

State Rep. Sean McCann (left) presents Alex Lee, Director of Communications for Kalamazoo Public Schools with the District's award.

Susan Einspahr of Kingscott, Sharon Ferraro of the Historic Preservation Commission and Brooks Godfrey of Kingscott.

The Project
Chenery Auditorium was not an ordinary high school auditorium when it opened in 1924. The auditorium, with superb acoustics, has served as a classic performance and concert hall for the entire community for more than eighty-five years. Today, it is home to numerous performing arts groups including the prestigious Gilmore International Keyboard Festival.

Over the years Chenery retained its acoustical brilliance, but the interiors succumbed to wear and age. The Friends of Chenery led the Public/Private planning and fund raising effort to restore it into a premier performance hall. The scope included restoring the performance auditorium; creating a new lobby; and updating the entry, corridors, and back stage areas. The project focused on retaining Chenery’s historical design integrity.

Our staff is our greatest asset and this honor validates the effort that we put into making sure our “family” has a wonderful working environment. The honor is given to companies that exceed traditional practices to recruit, develop, motivate, and retain employees. Kingscott is one of only four Architectural/Engineering design firms named to the list. We were rated highly in Work/Life Balance, Community Initiatives, Employee Education and Development, and Recognition and Retention.