The Partnership Park area is situated just south of downtown and a portion of the neighborhood shares Mechanic Street which is a main downtown artery. The neighborhood was at one time a prominent German Neighborhood and features two churches which used to have church services in German (Trinity Lutheran Church and St. John’s United Church of Christ). Over time as people moved out, the neighborhood started to deteriorate and eroded to a 90% rental neighborhood.
In the early 90s the consequences of being a high rent district started to show. Houses were dilapidated, crime was high, and the streets were becoming unsafe. In 1994 drug traffic was so high Jackson Community Development and the Jackson Police Department dropped planters in street intersections to prevent drug dealers from having through routes. Many residents who were not criminally inclined and institutions trying to conduct their missions became upset because they felt they had not been consulted. As a result, neighbors began getting together to police the neighborhood and to come up with strategies to get the planters out.
Leading residents began to confront drug dealers and those using drugs in direct conversations. They began liaisons with officers and began reporting crime in their area through neighborhood watches. In turn, officers began investing time and effort into the neighborhood with hopes of stabilizing the neighborhood and reducing calls to the dispatcher. Soon, residents and officer Jan Noppe contacted the Rappleye’s Law Firm about a vacant property adjacent to their offices – a lot that was becoming overgrown and a dumping ground. The thought was to have a park for the area and the Rappleys agreed. Noppe and the neighbors put together a clean up day and sought donations for the park, which they received, and the park was born. There was a contest for the name of the park and the winning name of Partnership Park came from a neighborhood child. The Park still exists today and would later be the inspiration for the 501(c)3 organization we are today.
At the same time two separate and independent neighborhood organizations with a common purpose were being established. One group met as a small coffee klatch at the YMCA Center through the organizing leadership of Doug Krengel, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church. It was a gathering of people representing neighborhood corporate groups (church, business, schools, government and nonprofits). They wanted to contribute in some way to the health of the neighborhood. The other group met at St. John’s United Church of Christ through the inspirational leadership of Wanda Beavers aided by Pastor Jay Cummings. It was a gathering of area residents interested in getting together to help each other and the neighborhood.
In 2002 the two groups came together and began meeting more formally. Meanwhile, Community Action Agency had started looking for funding to stabilize the area which they received in the form of a Neighborhood Preservation grant. The receiving of the money helped CAA launch a process of gathering neighborhood input about what was needed and desired in the neighborhood. The next level of formalizing the Association was writing bylaws and forming a board of directors in an effort to become a 501(c)3. The group received that status in 2003 under the name The Partnership Park Downtown Neighborhood Association (PPDNA). The board was a combination of founding churches, area businesses, interested community groups, local government, police, and residents – a practice that has been very effective for reshaping the neighborhood.
Since 2003 PPDNA has leveraged monies for local charity, National Night outs, rehab for the neighborhood, the building of 16 houses, social events, and countless other purposes. We also have The Barham Center, named after Ex Rhodes and Sadie Barham who were long time residents of the area, as a resource center in partnership with CAA. We have created a growing after school program, a community gardens program, as well as some new experimental programs (Clean Streets contest and an Energy Emergency Fund for example).
Currently, PPDNA is one of two actively functioning groups in Jackson, MI and we are looking to grow.
Welcome to our website and feel free to explore the possibilities of Partnership Park.