Commission highlights volunteer work, $750 mini-grant for Patterson Park children’s garden, and cleanup results

Commissioners reviewed recent volunteer activity and small grants supporting park projects.

Callie reported the commission’s Adopt‑a‑Garden workday had 13 volunteers and that interim city gardener Sue Orlicke has been helping with tools and pruning. She said the commission will use a SignUpGenius form to recruit teams for specific beds and asked volunteers to scan the QR code in the meeting materials.

Why it matters: volunteer teams and small grants supply labor and materials for park beds and children’s programming; the commission is trying to formalize partnerships with the city to maintain those beds.

What happened: Callie said the commission nominated a Patterson Park children’s garden for a Keep Michigan Beautiful mini‑grant and that the project received $750. She said she and project volunteers have finalized plant choices pending Chad’s approval and expect to receive the check by the end of May so plants can be purchased in advance of a tentative June 1 planting.

Callie also summarized an Earth Day citizen‑science cleanup: "We picked up 770 pieces of trash" locally and she noted that 268 of those items were cigarette butts, recommending the city consider installing a cigarette receptacle at a nearby bus stop.

Next steps: commissioners will coordinate with Chad for final design approval, proceed with plant purchases once funds arrive, and ask DPW about adding a cigarette receptacle near the bus stop cited in the cleanup findings.

Attribution: statements and counts in this article are attributed to Callie (commissioner) as recorded in the transcript.