Organizational Description:
Palmer Park is comprised of 296 acres of lawns and historic woodlands, a public golf course, tennis courts, state-of-art splash pad, hiking and biking trails, Lake Frances, a historic log cabin, and more. With continued city budget cuts and limited financial resources, the City has encouraged creative solutions from citizens to keep our parks alive and healthy. People for Palmer Park accepted this challenge, and has officially adopted Palmer Park. People for Palmer Park  (PFPP) is committed to the preservation, recreation and revitalization of Palmer Park, for the good of all. Our vision is to create an urban oasis, regional destination, and daily recreation site that will promote an active and healthy community. Our guiding values include preservation of park resources; restoration and preservation of the park’s history; equal benefit and access to the park; creation of a safe park environment; responsiveness to park users and the community; timeliness in our actions; and collaboration and cooperation with the city, community, and stakeholders.

We believe that with the collective energy, efforts, and talents of the people who use and love the park, it can be revitalized to its fullest potential and restored to Senator Palmer’s vision when he donated the land for the park in the late 1800s: “a park for the good of everyone.”
 
Position Description:
PFPP is seeking a Farm & Community Engagement Manager. This position is responsible for overseeing in-ground and plant production at the Palmer Park Urban Garden, an approximate one-acre urban farm located in Palmer Park, Detroit. (The one-acre is the portion currently being cultivated, however, it is part of a larger, almost 5-6 acre area that may be developed in the future.) The site, owned by the city of Detroit and operated by People for Palmer Park includes twenty (20) 4x4 raised beds, which have been planted with a variety of vegetables, herbs and perennial flowers/herbs,  a compost station, a rain catchment irrigation system, a greenhouse (under construction) and a pumpkin patch area has been planted annually.

In addition, People for Palmer Park previously planted approximately 700 apple trees in three different orchard areas. While there is a grounds crew engaged to do the major mowing, mulching and tree maintenance, the farm manager will assist with coordinating volunteers to do some regular oversight and maintenance of the orchards.
 
The Farm & Community Engagement Manager will also work closely People for Palmer Park to develop a maintenance and harvest plan. S/he will be responsible for recruiting and training volunteers and connecting with local organizations.  S/he will also need to utilize farm/garden tools, and operate light machinery including a farm tractor; occasional maintenance and repair of this equipment may be required.

The Farm & Community Engagement Manager reports to PFPP’s president, Rochelle Lento and Preservation Committee Chair, Clinton Griffin.
 
Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee the production of vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit, and seed at the PFPP garden including supervision and volunteers engaged in fieldwork at the site.
• Oversee transplant production by providing support and supervision to volunteers.
• Facilitate an annual farm planning process for the PFPP Farm. to include a site map, field plan, harvest plan, planning schedule, crop rotation plan, labor plan, and farm budget.
• Maintain and improve quality of produce and soil.
• Maintain records to monitor and evaluate key farm inputs, outputs, and activities.
• Assist with the development and implementation of farm-based education for urban gardeners and farmers.
• Assist with community engagement initiatives at the PFPP Farm including events, tours, and regularly scheduled working lessons/volunteer opportunities.
• Attend PFPP meetings, trainings, and other key citywide events, as needed.

 
Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will have 2-5 years of organic farming experience, including transplant production, farm planning, and harvest and post-harvest handling.
• Interest and familiarity with issues relating to the City of Detroit, local food, food access, and sustainable agriculture, and a genuine appreciation of the urban environment.
• Strong organizational and written/verbal communication skills; proficiency in MS Word and Excel required.
• Experience supervising volunteers and working with diverse communities.
• Experience teaching youth and/or adults, preferably in a farm or garden setting.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to lift 40 pounds.
• Driver’s license is preferred but not required.
• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, social work, community organization, natural resources, plant science, horticulture or a related field is preferred but not required.

 
How to Apply:
Please send email of your resume and brief cover letter no later than March 21st to Rochelle Lento, People for Palmer Park Board President of rlento@dykema.com or to PO Box 43734, Detroit MI 48243. Use the job title as the subject line.

For more information, please visit our Garden info page or call 313-727-9925.

Hi Folks!

Here is our much anticipated Palmer Park Puma 12 & Under match schedule.  How exciting, the Palmer Park Pumas are ready to pounce!!

This is our first year of being in the USTA Jr Team Tennis League.  Our players are very excited.  

First match is Sunday, October 29, 2017

Our home matches will be held at:
Dearborn Racquet Club:
​2727 Gulley Road, Dearborn, MI

Away matches are:
Sports Club of West Bloomfield:
6343 Farmington Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI
Franklin Racquet Club:
29350 Northwestern Hwy, Southfield, MI 

Come cheer our champs on!!
Serve it up!
-- Coach Lee

As you know, People for Palmer Park (PFPP) has been working very hard over the years to help restore this neglected park. What you may not know is, nestled in the heart of Palmer Park is a Log Cabin. We're excited to share with you an opportunity that will allow PFPP to transform this historical log cabin into an active & magical community gathering space. 
 
The Palmer Park Log Cabin was built in 1895 by Senator Thomas Palmer and his wife Lizzie as their farm and summer vacation home. It was built with a surprising addition for a rustic retreat -- beautiful stained glass windows! They hosted everyone at the Cabin from foreign dignitaries to everyday citizens. Senator Palmer donated Palmer Park and the cabin to the City of Detroit "for the good of everyone." It is this spirit that the People for Palmer Park operate. 
 
The Log Cabin was shuttered by the City in the 1980s and has only been opened once a year, over the past four years, for PFPP's Log Cabin Day. The stained glass windows of the cabin are now in varying states of dire disrepair. One of the greatest challenges in opening the cabin is that the windows are boarded. Once the boards are removed, only the broken, clouded windows remain.  
 
We have launched a campaign to restore the windows so that we can open them more easily and when they are open, let light shine in the cabin.
 
If we are successful in raising $25,000 by the October 28 deadline the Michigan Economic Development Corporation will MATCH our $25,000 allowing us to complete our project of restoring the stained glass windows in the cabin. This will transform the cabin into an active community gathering space in the heart of Palmer Park. 
 
Please visit our Patronicity campaign page to learn more about this wonderful project and make your donation. 
 
We hope that you will join us in supporting this campaign and become a sponsor. 
 
www.patronicity.com/palmerparkcabin

Special celebration for the public on Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm.
Join us for this opening day to celebrate and BRING YOUR CHESS PIECES!

In conjunction with Sit on it Detroit and Young Detroit Thinkers, People for Palmer Park (PFPP) will reopen “Chess Row” at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 27th. After years without this popular activity in the park, the community will once again see rows of chess tables in the beautiful southeast end of one of Detroit’s most vibrant green spaces, Palmer Park.
 
At the August 27 reopening, members of Young Detroit Thinkers, an award-winning chess team that teaches chess to young people while at the same time instilling life skills and values, will be present from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. to teach kids the game and challenge them to matches. 
 
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
 
“We have a partnership with Young Detroit Thinkers, an organization dedicated to teaching young people the skills to play chess. We plan to work with the organization’s president, Kevin Fite to bring chess players to Palmer Park, and even host a tournament one day soon,” stated PFPP board member, Lee King.

“Both Sit On It Detroit and Young Detroit Thinkers are key partners in assisting with the revitalization of Chess Row, another step toward  improving Palmer Park and bringing youth to the park for fun and positive, educational experiences.”
​LOCATION: Chess Row is at the SE end of Palmer Park, near Merrill Fountain, behind the Tennis Courts. 
​​

WHEN: Saturday, May 21, 2016 
LOCATION: Palmer Park, mostly in area near the Splash Park, and baseball on the diamond.
RAIN DATE: Saturday, June 4, 2016

People for Palmer Park will be hosting a Recreation Event Saturday, May 21st to showcase its many FREE recreation programs AND Urban Educational Garden. All of our program instructors for yoga, t'ai chi, walking, biking, baseball and tennis will all be at the park in hour long shifts beginning at 9am to answer questions, provide demos and introduce everyone to all that they have to offer this spring, summer and fall at Palmer Park. We will also have official PFPP Bike shirts ($15), Yoga tanks ($10) and T'ai Chi shirts ($10) for sale as well. All proceeds to People for Palmer Park.

Our Farm & Community Manager, Lindsay Page will also be at the Urban Educational Garden (near the Splash Park) to kick off volunteer days. She'll be there to answer questions, let you know our growing season plans and get you involved with our annual volunteers from Home Depot who will be on hand to help us build even more raised beds, a compost station and a greenhouse. You'll see this activity May 20th and May 21st at the garden, and anyone is welcome to join in! 

If you have been hesitant to check out one or more of our recreation programs or volunteer in the garden, or not sure the level of activity each provides, this is your chance to come meet all the instructors who volunteer their time all season to bring Detroit such great, healthy and FREE classes. We hope to see you there!
See the schedule for exact times below.

Most importantly, we wouldn't be able to provide these terrific FREE programs, without your support. If you haven't donated to our organization or have not yet become a member of People for Palmer Park, please consider doing so today. We look forward to seeing you out in the park soon!

Recreation Fair SCHEDULE
Yoga:          9:00am - 10:00am   (location - area near the splash park)
T'ai Chi:      10:15am - 11:15am (location - area near the splash park)
Walking:     11:30am -12:30pm   (Meet - area near the splash park)
Biking:         1:00pm - 2:00pm     (Meet - area near the splash park)
Baseball:     ongoing throughout the day  (location: baseball diamond)
Tennis:        12:00p - 3:00pm         (location - area near the splash park)
Urban Garden Volunteering ... open to everyone ALL DAY!