In the 1950s through the 1960s, Wayland was a booming town and those returning service people from World War II and Korea were anxious to get on with their lives.
If you knew about these men who served in Africa, Europe and the Pacific Theatre and later in Korea, you understood how much time they spent under combat conditions. One man I knew started in Africa, then invaded Italy on up the “boot” to kill and destroy the Nazis and Fascists in Italy. He later was assigned to England to participate in “D” Day invasion of France and stayed on the ground until the surrender of Germany, more than three years of combat. I knew him and never knew he served, let alone over three years in the Army in combat in three different theaters of war until I was older.
Many of the men from this area served. They were the backbone of the community.
Many owned or worked for local businesses – others worked on farms or in factories in Grand Rapids area. The Wayland downtown area at that time was full of businesses – three grocery stores, a meat market, two hardware stores, four auto dealerships (Ford, Chrysler/Dodge, Chevrolet, Pontiac), at least six gas stations at any one time, two clothing stores, a baby shop, three restaurants, three insurance agencies, a local newspaper, a theater, pool hall, four barbers, two beauty parlors, two bars.
Times were good and getting better. It was a great town in which to grow up.
Once the freeway was constructed west of town, increasingly people either moved to the Grand Rapids area for work or did their shopping there. More money was leaving the area than entering to support business. Slowly, life changed in the city as older folks decided to either close business or sell outright. Many were converted to other businesses that struggled and finally the dream died and they went bankrupt or sold, some for pennies on the dollar.
One man left the business that was in the family for two generations and moved to Arizona, where he was very successful in the realty business. He was a future thinker and saw the type of business he had was slowly dying in a declining town.
I grew up during the good times. When the 1970s arrived, the town was dying and never recovered. By the 1980s, much of the town landscape changed, buildings were torn down for new structures or left vacant.
More activity and building was happening west of town near the expressway. First, Herb Chevrolet in 1966, then the Ford dealer in the 1970s. Miller’s 66 gas station was right off the expressway.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, new businesses were constructed outside of downtown toward the west, past the railroad tracks. It again is starting to show activity after all the things that were downtown at one time left to move toward the convenience stop businesses. The post office, fast food shops, banks, grocery store, hardware store, recreational vehicle dealer, etc.
Downtown is still dying, despite all the efforts to quell the tide. More storefronts empty or very little activity. What will happen to the bustling town of my youth? It died many years ago, though the DDA and Chamber of Commerce tries to stop the hemorrhaging, to little overall success. What can be done to have a resurgence of downtown? When looking at other similar towns like Wayland, it seems they all have the same problem – they live in the past and are unwilling or unable to change.
City government is bloated with excessive taxation. Wayland is the highest taxation city in Allegan County, Allegan is second and Holland third. Businesses wanting to locate in the city limits are shocked to see the tax base and tax burden they will bear if they locate here and decide not to move here.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Ranger Rick insists that Wayland has the highest total tax rate in Allegan County. I edited this column according to information I found that was different. I am still researching Ranger Rick’s assertion and am seeking help from local officials).
Will City government try to respond to make it more friendly to business and residents? Only if they want to, and that doesn’t look likely soon. The only reason the schools keep growing is because the majority new population coming into the school district lives outside of Wayland city limits.
My hope is city government will be responsive to the needs of business and residents and slowly drop the tax burden when possible instead of asking for more taxation. Remember, the more you tax something the less you get because of tax avoidance, the less you tax it, the more you get in increased activity. Such is the law of taxation and behavior. If you want more in the treasury, lower the tax rate, and you’ll get more residents in the city and more business activity. Unlike the thinking of city government, it isn’t rocket science. It really is very easy to understand. Like the Nike slogan says “Just Do It.”
The rotting of America from within continues …
