Parents and community members urge board to pursue Oakland County Parks partnership to preserve Bowers Farm

Several community members spoke during public comment at the Oct. 27 board meeting to urge the district to pursue a partnership with Oakland County Parks to sustain Bowers School Farm and Johnson Nature Center.

"Bowers School Farm and the Johnson Nature Center represent both halves of my professional life," Rebecca Solomon Witt told the board, identifying herself as a former executive of Greening of Detroit and now chief strategy and marketing officer at the Detroit Historical Society. She said the sites are historic community spaces that provide environmental education and hands-on experiences, and she urged a partnership to preserve public access and maintenance.

Lauren Dalitish, a school counselor and member of the Friends of the Farm board, described the farm as an intergenerational learning hub and said a partnership would combine the district's educational strengths with the parks' maintenance and programming expertise. She encouraged the board to continue exploring options so future students and families can access the farm.

Superintendent West told the board the exploration is in the community-feedback phase: two public engagement sessions were held in mid-October, the community survey remained open through Oct. 31 and more than 800 responses had been received. A summary will be shared with the strategic planning committee on Nov. 12 and with the full board at the Nov. 24 meeting.

No formal decision or agreement with Oakland County Parks was announced at the meeting; the board is in an exploratory phase and staff said community input will inform next steps.

Provenance: public comment and superintendent report at Oct. 27 board meeting (see transcript excerpts).