Chelsea O’Brien and Steve Wyckoff discuss how to rebuild the hoophouse. Photo by Phil Custodio

BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Chelsea O’Brien of Independence Township was stunned to find Clarkston Community Farm’s greenhouse collapsed under the weight of last week’s record snowfall. The community’s response to her call for help was even more stunning.
“The response has been amazing,” said O’Brien, executive director of the farm. “I knew I loved Clarkston. This confirmed why.”
Friends, neighbors, and wellwishers have asked how to help the non-profit, educational farm with donations, tools, and labor. Steve Wyckoff, Clarkston Construction Tech teacher at Clarkston High School, visited on Monday to coordinate a project next week for his students to take down the damaged hoop house.
Jason and Melanie Haley, owners of Ace Hardware of Clarkston on Dixie Highway, donated a new $899 Weber E-325 propane grill with indigo finish to raffle, with all proceeds going to the farm. Buy raffle tickets for $5 at either Ace Hardware of Clarkston or Clarkston Family Farm, 6800 Hubbard Road off M-15. The raffle closes at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21. Winner will be announced Thursday night.
Architecture students at Clarkston High School will design the new, fully accessible hoophouse, and Community Disposal donated use of a dumpster, O’Brien said.
“I’m so sorry this has happened. The silver lining is our farm team is already working on a plan for a new hoophouse,” she said. “The new healing hoophouse will be better and stronger.”
The 8.5-inch snowfall at Detroit Metro Airport on Nov. 11 broke the one-day record for November, set in 1925 at 6.2 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Measured at 8.8 inches in Clarkston, the snow collapsed the hoophouse roof.
“I was just really heartbroken when I came to the farm this morning to take care of our animals and I noticed even though we were diligently trying to keep the snow off of the hoophouse, the amount of heavy snow we got in a short time was just too much for the structure,” O’Brien said.
No one was injured, including the animals living in there, she said.
“The bunnies are OK. They’re safe and have been moved to a new home,” she said.

She also saved a wooden post at the entrance, signed by Independence Elementary fifth graders who helped build it in 2016 as an academic service learning project. It will be accompanied by a new post bearing the names of this year’s fifth graders when they help rebuild it in the spring.
The six-acre Clarkston Family Farm next to Independence Elementary opened in 2017, offering workshops, field trips, and outreach with the mission of inspiring the next generation to learn about healthy food and the value of nature. For more information or to donate, go to Clarkstonfamilyfarm.givingfuel.com/raise-the-healing-hoophouse.