Relics of the Cold War transformed into underground homes

(7 Apr 2006)
AP Television
Near Kimball, Nebraska - Recent
1. Wide open plains of Nebraska farmland
2. Radio towers and solar panels on farmland
3. Ventilation piping and cement platform on farmland
4. Metal hatch on cement platform
5. Car parked in driveway, couple goes in door
6. Couple walking down tunnel
US Department of Defence
FILE - Minuteman Missile Silo, Nebraska
7. Missile with warhead in silo
8. Command and control console of missile silo
9. Soldier executes command to fire missile
10. Missile silo door opens for firing missile, missile launches
AP Television
Near Kimball, Nebraska - Recent
11. Interior of living room
12. Couple at laptop computer
13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Don Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
"Yes, we purchased it for 40 thousand, the structure and we bought the trailer houses above that. The place was in ruin when we bought it. The facilities had been opened for 20 years, pigeons had made home of it, and contributed heavily. But our purchase price was fairly low, but our involvement and our commitment was very high. It took a long time and many, many hours to make this a home."
14. Tilt up from hot tub in living room to ceiling
15. (SOUNDBITE; (English) Charlene Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
"There was a time when the frustration level was very intense, and you could have walked away, but, it never entered our mind to walk away since it was a 20 year dream. I smiled for the first two weeks after we purchased the place, I was so excited."
16. Mid view of bank of batteries
17. Hand looks at gauges on battery monitoring system
18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Don Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
"This is a secondary back up system to our whole house UPS (Universal Power System). Set up with eight banks of twelve volts each, that can be charged with wind generator, with an alternator off our diesel generator, or with a standard battery charger."
19. Close view bank of batteries
20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Charlene Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
"Normally, you''re used to sleeping with like the moon or a street light shining in. We had none of that. It was so quiet that if a, when an ice cube fell out of the, in the freezer, we almost jumped out of bed, it sounded so loud."
21. Tilt down to green house glass to garden
22. UPSOUND: (English) Don Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
"Tomatoes, and potatoes and we''ve got some garlic growing. ... green Beans
23. UPSOUND: (English) Charlene Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner (off screen)
"Green beans, lettuce, radishes, broccoli. There''s broccoli growing right now down here."
24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Don Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
"Its built very well, two foot thick walls, steel reinforced. Some of the walls near the missile bay are four foot thick. Eighteen inches is the smallest wall."
25. Don Zwonitzer walks through former missile storage area
26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Don Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
"It was laying down with the nose that direction, the tail was that direction. There were a couple of carriages. And then they would open this 400 ton door. And that 400 ton door would roll on rollers with cables that would pull it to the west. And then the missile could be up righted with the tail down at that end, when the flame pit is. And the flame, if they would have shot it off, would have had to escape by going down into the flame pit and then exited at a 45 degree angle to the surface."
27. Wide pan of living room
28. Plants growing in living room area
29. SOUNDBITE: (English) Charlene Zwonitzer, Missile Silo Home Owner:
30. Kitchen area
STORYLINE:

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