College and Airport Partner On Beautification Project

This fall, the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport will have lush new landscaping to greet travelers as they enter and exit the terminal, courtesy of students from Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

The students, enrolled in the college's landscape design class, spent this past semester completing a site assessment, taking measurements and drafting designs, thanks to a partnership that instructor Sara Tanis, Ph.D., formed with Anton Bjorkman, deputy director of operations and maintenance for the airport.

The two met after Tanis presented about the college's recently launched sustainable horticulture program to the Downtown Development Authority in April of 2023. Through the program, students can earn an associate of applied science degree or certificate of achievement in sustainable horticulture and certificates in greenhouse management or landscape management. Tanis is the program director.

"I was looking for spaces for my students to practice in the community," Tanis explained. "It is really important for them to get that practical, hands-on experience. Anton called me shortly after the presentation indicating that he might have the space I needed."

Bjorkman saw this as the perfect opportunity to develop a new partnership in the community while supporting the airport's strategic plan that includes ensuring that the public has a positive perception of the airport property.

Tanis met with Bjorkman and Airport Director Craig Williams and surveyed the land to get a better idea of what the two envisioned for landscaping long term.

"They had some conditions," Tanis explained. "We could only use plants that were bird 'unfriendly' - no berries, no seeds, as well as nothing that attracted wildlife or grew too tall."

This, coupled with the fact that the airport lacked an irrigation system, was going to be a challenge for Tanis' students.

"I knew it would take a pretty special group of drought-tolerant plants to make it work," she said.

Tanis spent the first two weeks of the seven-week class teaching the 13 enrolled students about different plant palettes, focusing on low-maintenance, low-water varieties. The students then visited the airport to interview airport officials and to develop their own individual plans for the property. Emily Demorest was one of the students.

"They were really receptive to our questions. We were able to apply what we learned in class to determine their needs," said Demorest, a licensed social worker who decided to pursue a career in landscape design after the pandemic.

The students, Bjorkman said, also requested a tour of the airport terminal.

"They all asked really great questions," he said. "They wanted to tour the inside of the airport to try and match some of the building's interior aesthetics to their outside designs - which really impressed me."

Demorest and the rest of the class completed individual assessments and then combined all of the plans into one.

"We all had very similar themes," Demorest said. "It's a small program with great collaboration."

Collectively, the group agreed to use mostly native plants, grasses, sedges and some asters to brighten the area and add a splash of color while re-incorporating some of the existing plants - conifers, sedum, ornamental grasses and catmint.

Because there is no irrigation system, planting will not take place until September. Tanis' urban horticulture class will select the plants and install them. She anticipates a number of the same students will be involved so they can see the project through.

"The students have a real sense of ownership and pride," she said. "They are very excited to be part of the community and to have family or friends fly in and out of the airport and know that they had a part in making it beautiful."

Future classes will be responsible for the upkeep of the airport landscaping.

"It's an ongoing project and partnership," Tanis said.

Bjorkman is looking forward to the long-term relationship with the college.

"It's an amazing fit and mutually beneficial partnership," he said. "It will reduce some of the maintenance and upkeep for our staff, who are responsible for maintaining the airfield grounds, while allowing the students to master their skills."

Enrollment for the summer and fall semesters at Kalamazoo Valley is now open. Summer classes start May 6, May 20 and June 25. Fall semester begins Sept. 4.