There are 51 parks in the 12-square miles that serve the 58,000 residents of Royal Oak and visitors to the “Life Now Playing” hamlet. With an annual budget of $3 million plus – 6.2 percent of the city budget – that equates to $60,750 per city park.

With annual budget dollars designated to city infrastructure, police, fire and more, monies for the parks have been hard to come by. But one nonprofit, The Memorial Park Improvement Corporation, was created by the Royal Oak Leprechauns summer collegiate baseball team to help.

General Manager Mark Sackett put together a board, filed the necessary paperwork with the state and Internal Revenue Service in the summer of 2023 and set up a bank account at Our Credit Union on Normandy. Now he just needs to find donors to help with fundraising for needed updates at the city’s “Premier Park.”

“We came to Royal Oak to partner with the city and the area,” Sackett said. “Our first year, we poured in more than half a million dollars with the infield turf, new dugouts and new scoreboard at Field Number Three. There is so much more to get done throughout the park to truly make it a premier park. We’re dedicated to help partner and raise funds for the entire park, from the playing fields, grandstands and press boxes to the playground area, picnic area and endless trees. We want to help preserve and maintain and improve the entire 24-plus acre park. It’s our home but we are just a small part of this grand story at Memorial Park.”

Memorial Park is filled with three baseball/softball diamonds that serve as home to the Royal Oak Sandlot League and the summer collegiate Northwoods League team, the Royal Oak Leprechauns, countless high school and college team matchups, and a World War II Memorial. Century-old oak trees outline the play structure area for children and serve as a backdrop to events such as the Royal Oak Art Fair and the Woodward Dream Cruise.

The park also includes a concession stand and restrooms as well as storage space and a picnic area. But the premier park’s infrastructure and amenities have worn down with constant use.

Memorial Park was dedicated in 1939 and many of its amenities were built shortly thereafter. Today’s park patrons need an ADA-level updated facility that welcomes the residents of Royal Oak and its surrounding communities.

The reason for so many parks in the nearly 12-square mile city with 58,000 residents – the late Myron Zucker and other tree committee members set a goal that no child should have to walk more than a half-mile or cross a major road to reach a park.

Sackett and the city are dedicated to bringing the standards of Memorial Park up to date for generations to come.

“We want to invest in this park for future generations just as Myron Zucker initially did for the city,” Sackett said. “Our goal every day is ‘what can we do to make Memorial Park better for everyone?’”

Tax deductible donations by check can be made to: The Memorial Park Improvement Corporation or MPIC and mailed to 1933 Wickham Street, Royal Oak, MI 48073. The MPIC also has a CashApp account, $MemParkIC.