In October, the City of Huntington Woods (HW) hired Melissa Prowse as the new Parks and Recreation Director. Upon joining the parks and rec team in October, Prowse served 19 years at Oakland County Parks and Recreation, where she oversaw the planning and development of the county park system and managed the natural resources department. Prior to working for the county, Prowse was a Program Associate at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
Prowse is replacing Tracy Shanley, who recently retired from leading the Huntington Woods Parks and Recreation department along with overseeing the summer fruit camp program, Teen Council, and serving as the staff contact for the Senior Advisory Committee. Prowse mentioned she’s thrilled to be working in Huntington Woods and proud to build upon Shanley’s great work and reputation.
“I had family that lived in Huntington Woods when my kids were younger,” said Prowse. “I’ve spent a lot of time here in the neighborhood and at the pool with my kids, and it’s always been a place I have really enjoyed. I know Tracy will be sorely missed and that I have big shoes to fill, but working in Huntington Woods is a really good opportunity for me to step into something new and exciting.”
Prowse has a bachelor of science in Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Urban Planning from Wayne State. She has two teenagers of her own, so when she’s not at their sporting events, she enjoys going on hikes, camping, doing yoga, meditating, and reading. Along with now serving as the director for the HW parks rec, Prowse lives in Clawson where she is currently serving as the chair of the Clawson Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.
Since starting in October, Prowse envisions both outdoor and indoor improvements to recreation spaces in Huntington Woods and has found inspiration in the kids she meets each day. “There are many projects that excite me including potentially modernizing the Rec Center, but I have been the most excited about all the kids that I now get to encounter on a daily basis,” said Prowse. “When I worked at the county, there were no real interactions with kids and families. So for me, coming here, watching kids run outside my office window all day and pop in and ask me for candy and getting to pop in on programs and seeing what they’re doing brightens my day, and I really love it.”
“It’s very clear to me that the Parks and Recreation in Huntington Woods is sort of a cherished organization,” said Prowse, “I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
Prowse is hopeful that the City of Huntington Woods will soon adopt a five-year master plan for all parks and rec resources, similar to the City of Berkley. “Hopefully in December, the city commission will approve a new five-year plan and that will kind of guide what we do over the next five years,” said Prowse. “There’s a lot of really cool stuff there, lots of park improvements, maybe some new playgrounds, new shade, new fun, and exciting things to do.”
Huntington Woods is unique in a way that is very special, it’s a small city with the rec center in the middle of the community. “Having such a wonderful rec center smack in the middle of the community really does make the home base for people, and people can tell that this is a very well-loved facility and a well-loved park system that people utilize heavily,” said Prowse. “I think that plays a huge role in why people want to live here, especially with little kids, there’s so much to do here.”
The city of Huntington Woods is full of little kids running around and playing at the parks, but there isn’t as much for the older kids to do. “I think little kids get to have fun because parks are mostly playgrounds,” said Prowse, “I think older kids want an outside place to hang out. I’m starting to see some really cool things that might attract older kids to want to come hang out in the park, like lounge areas, and just places for them to chill and hang out, so I’m looking forward to exploring that.”
Everything nowadays has big trends, even parks and rec. “I would be remiss if I didn’t say pickleball because everyone loves pickleball, which is awesome.” said Prowse, “I am also seeing lots of opportunities to incorporate older kids into park planning and development with some cool things. I’ve seen hammock parks, and places with cool kind of loungy hangout spaces to try and attract older kids to come hang out in the parks.”
Prowse would love to get Berkley students involved in park and rec and teen council as much as possible. “As we go forward and start to try to plan for revitalization and the renewal of some spaces, I would love to actively reach out to the school and maybe do some planning charrette and some design activities and really engage with folks.”
For anyone who is interested in pursuing a career like Prowse’s, the biggest thing she said is to just do it. Everybody with all kinds of degrees can work in parks and rec: “We [parks and rec] need HR professionals, finance people, planners, office staff, and maintenance workers, so any type of those jobs can apply to working in parks and recreation.”
As Prowse settles into her new role, she is eager to build on Huntington Woods’ strong community. With her experience, and love for connecting with families, she hopes to make the city’s parks and recreation spaces even more welcoming for residents. With a new five-year master plan in the near future and plenty of new ideas for engaging residents, Prowse is ready to help shape the next chapter of parks and rec in Huntington Woods.
