PARCHMENT ACTION TEAM

October 26, 2019

Saturday, October 26, 10:00 am.  Meet at the Commerce Lane riverfront park near the railroad trestle.

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We'll walk the Parchment City riverfront to get a better idea of what the City owns.  We'll also do a bit of fall cleanup (bring gloves and a rake if you have them) along the Commerce Lane riverfront park.

September 21, 2019

On September 21, 2019, a Michigan Historical Marker was dedicated in Kindleberger Park.  The marker is located in front of the sunken garden on Maple Avenue, behind the library. 

At 2:00 pm, the Parchment High School band performed

At 2:30 pm, speeches were given by Parchment Club member Cheryl Lyon-Jenness (who led the effort to acquire the marker), Parchment City Mayor Robert Britigan III, Parchment Schools Superintendent Jason Misner, Parchment Community Library Director Teresa Stannard, and Thomas Truscott, a representative of the Michigan Historical Commission.

At 3:00 pm, attendees walked from the park to the adjacent Parchment Community Library for cake and ice cream, with music from the United Methodist Church band, Stringers and Singers.

Many Parchment community members donated to support this project.  They include:

Anonymous

C. Bolton Family

Carol Bolton

Rob and Claudia Britigan

Marjorie Bruner

Dale and Barbara Cannon

Dan and Nancie Closson

Denny and Shauna Collison

Mike and Cheryl Conner

Dan and MaryLou DeGraw

Sharon Ebbit

Chet and Liz Emmons

Jo Ferguson

Curtis Flowers

Stephanie Grathwol

Jean Harden

Mark and Cheryl Jenness

Robert and Nancy Klesert

Koch Family

Steve and Nanette Kokmeyer

Parchment United Methodist Church

Parchment Garden Club

Leona Petkoff

Jeff and Judy Smith

Nancy and Harry Stoddard

Elaine Williams, in memory of Jim Williams

Gene and Vivian Wood

Special thanks to:

The Parchment Garden Club for supporting and sponsoring the acquisition of the historical marker

The Parchment Public Works Department for installing the marker and permanent planter below the marker 

Cheryl Lyon-Jenness, who coordinated this project from the beginning, and who wrote the history of Kindleberger Park that is written on the marker.

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July 18, 2019

The Action Team developed Parchment's first Welcome Packet for new residents.  This has been sent to area realtors.  

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See a PDF of the packet by clicking here: WELCOME PACKET.

Note: the Welcome Packet is for residents who live in City of Parchment; many who reside in the Parchment School District do not.  A map and street list can be found in the Welcome Packet.

May 10, 2019

Parchment's 2nd annual Community-Wide Garage Sale will be held Friday - Sunday, May 10-12, 2019.  After the sale, items may be left at the curb.  Bulk pick-up is scheduled for May 15-17.

April 11, 2019

Thursday, April 11, 7:00-8:30 PM
Please join us for a special Envisioning Our River Parchment Town Hall Group event!

When the Parchment Town Hall Group conducted a survey in August 2017, we asked residents to give us their top three ideas for making Parchment a great place to live.  Many people suggested we make better use of the riverfront property for recreation, economic growth, education, and to improve the environment.  Thanks to a grant from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, this Spring we are bringing riverfront stakeholders from Parchment, and our neighbors to the north and south, together to imagine what our riverfront can become.

Here’s what to expect:

• A lively discussion among Parchment residents about our riverfront and its development.

• A summary of “river ideas” from regional Kalamazoo River stakeholders from their meeting in March.

• Help guiding our discussion from experienced facilitator Sandy Bliesener, Parchment resident and president of OCBA, Landscape Architects.

• An array of river-themed refreshments including root beer floats, popcorn boats,
  and even a little Mississippi mud.

• An opportunity to talk with friends and neighbors about our community
  and its potential.
   

Mark your calendar, put on your creative thinking cap, and plan to enjoy an evening of stimulating discussion about the future of Parchment and our riverfront!
 
Made possible by a grant from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation.

June 23, 2018

Did you know that 6,000 people were here on June 23, 1933 to celebrate the dedication of Kindleberger Park?  There were bands, speeches, and lots of ice cream!  The Town Hall group is in the midst of planning a grand 85th Anniversary celebration to take place in the park on Saturday, June 23, from 1-4 pm.

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Plans include cake and ice cream, musical entertainment in the sunken garden (the Kalamazoo Concert Brass Band, the Kindleberg Connection, and the Blendings), baseball (Parchment Little League, Growlers), Plein Air artists painting in the park during the event, Kalamadoodle, a Memory Tent (to share memories of the park), a craft area for kids, and recreations of portions of the original dedication speeches.

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Be a part of the fun!  Lend us your time as a volunteer, your photos or other Kindleberger Park memorabilia, or your ideas.  Come to a Town Hall meeting (the 3rd Thursday each month at 7:00 pm at the library) or contact Teresa at the Parchment library at 269 343-7747 or teresa@parchmentlibrary.org.  

June 08, 2018

Based on suggestions received via the Community Survey conducted last summer, Parchment had our first  ever city-wide garage sale on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 8, 9, and 10.  City Manager Nancy Stoddard worked with Republic Waste to coordinate a pick-up of any "leftovers" on June 13-15.

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See the Facebook page for the Garage Sale here.

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Flyers were delivered by volunteers to all homes in the city during the third week in April.

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This event was a big success, despite a very rainy Saturday.  Thanks to everyone who participated.  Special thanks to the Garage Sale Committee co-chairs Deb Lawson and Lucas Harger.

February 05, 2018

Teams met with city administrators in late 2017 to discuss their approach to solving common problems.  Click here to view the list of questions for municipalities.

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Augusta - Judy Resler and Mike Conner. Click this link to view the Augusta report.

Gobles - Chet and Liz Emmons. Click this link to view the Gobles report.

Otsego - Judy Resler and Mike Conner.  Click this link to view the Otsego report.

Plainwell - Judy Resler and Mike Conner.  Click this link to view the Plainwell report.

Schoolcraft - Judy Resler and Mike Conner. Click this link to view the Schoolcraft report.

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Judy Resler and Mike Conner presented binders containing the results of these interviews to the City Commissioners on February 5, 2018.

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Changes implemented by the Commission based on the data gathered from these visits (as of May 2018):

• In-house newsletter printing costs were reduced by 2/3

• Attorney attendance at meetings was reduced to once a month, allowing the City to hire a Brownfield attorney to help with the mill property

• A notebook was created to hold all City forms and applications

• $1000 from the Parchment Garden Club has been set aside to restore the Sunken Garden in Kindleberger Park

• Commissioners are working to be active/known in the community, including participating in the annual Wassailing event and attending Town Hall meetings

• The City's website has been improved to provide more information to residents

October 19, 2017

Thursday, October 19, 2017.  7:00 pm.  Parchment Community Library.

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Public Media Network filmed this event.  It can be viewed by clicking this link: https://vimeo.com/239526178

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Candidates for Parchment City Commission:  Richard A. Bagley; Robert D. Britigan (Incumbent); Eric T. Cronin (Incumbent); Chester O. Emmons III; Thomas Jordan; and Brian McCue.

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The candidates made prepared statements to answer each of the following questions:

1. Who are you? Introduce yourself with a brief biography.  How long have you lived here, and what specific skills / strengths will you bring to the role of commissioner?  (Time limit: 2 minutes)

2. What is the primary reason you are running for this office?  If you are elected, what do you want to achieve during your tenure? (Time limit: 2 minutes)

3. What is the most critical issue facing Parchment?  What should be done to address it? (Time limit: 2 minutes)

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Candidates also answered questions from the audience.  Each response was limited to 2 minutes.

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At the conclusion of the event, candidates and audience members chatted informally. 

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October 14, 2017

The Parchment Garden Club and volunteers got Kindleberger Park ready for winter. Thank you all - it looks great!

August 14, 2017

The Parchment High School soccer team and the Parchment Garden Club joined forces to clean up the sunken garden in Kindleberger Park.  They pulled weeds, dug out saplings, removed poison ivy, and trimmed all the shrubs.  Thank you, everyone!  The garden looks lovely.

July 06, 2017

Work done: Weeds removed.  Roses and mulch added.

Done by: Cheryl Lyon-Jenness and Judy Resler

Maintained by:  Cheryl Lyon-Jenness

July 06, 2017

Work done: Weeds removed.  Hostas and mulch added.

Done by: Cheryl Lyon-Jenness and Judy Resler

Maintained by:  Cheryl Lyon-Jenness