The park currently located at the site of the former Gerry School is outdated, unsafe and in desperate need of repair. We are a group of Marblehead families working together with the town of Marblehead to raise awareness and critical funding to create a new park at the current site. We need your help to accomplish this goal!
THE PARK ON ELM
Anything thoughtful is better than what we have now.
Mission Statement: To renew, care, and advocate for the park on Elm Street commonly known as the old Gerry School playground. Through fundraising, advocacy, and community engagement we aim to revitalize this park to create a safe, inclusive, and vibrant open space in a densely populated neighborhood, and ensure the park remains an accessible community asset for generations to come.
SAFE AND INCLUSIVE
0-99+
Ages welcome!
500+
Neighborhood children
We want to create a fun and inviting space for people of all ages to come together and enjoy outdoor activities. Our goal is to raise enough funds to provide a unique, naturalistic park that fits in Old Town. With intentional play experiences that incorporates sustainable elements, promotes physical activity, mental wellness and socialization while also accommodating people who are differently abled. This is one of the only safe areas for children to play in the historic district.
LOCAL INVOLVEMENT
100+
Families Involved
100%
Cooperation with the Town
This project is not possible without the efforts of our community. We are grateful to the many community members who advocated for the park to remain town property. We believe we can make this park into something special - and while we are working closely with the town and the Landscape Architect - we need the advocacy and support of local families to bring this project to life.
Progress
- The town of Marblehead appointed Crowley + Cotrell as the landscape architect on this project. They have hosted three community meetings to gather residents’feedback on how the space is currently used and explore ideas for its improvement.
- The Town of Marblehead has allocated $234,000 from American Rescue Plan Act
(ARPA) funding to this project.
- Friends of the Park on Elm has raised over $500,000 in charitable contributions from the Marblehead community in the past two years.
-Friends of the Park on Elm has paid $433,000 to Belco Construction to complete our park by the end of 2026!
PROGRESS
Meet the new park.
Beautiful
Our playground is designed to harmoniously blend into the stunning natural landscape that surrounds it, creating a serene environment for children to play and explore.
Safe
Safety is not just a goal but an absolute priority. The new park will keep that in mind with not just the equipment but the overall design elements as well.
Inclusive
The new park will feature design elements that keep everyone involved. There will be something for everyone at the Park on Elm!
Many thanks to our major sponsors!
Park Champions 🌿 $50,000 +
The Colcord Family
Anonymous
Guardians 🌿 $25,000 +
James Family Foundation
Jean-Jacques & Louise Yarmoff in honor of Anne Bullis
Conservationists 🌿 $10,000 +
Stephanie Andrews & Marc White
Anonymous
Richard & Gabrielle Coffman
Krista Finigan
Lyon-Waugh Auto Group
National Grand Bank
William Park
The Sherman Family
Kathy & Chris Stafford
Kathy & Ted Truscott
Jean Verbridge
Rosemarie & Eijk Van Otterloo
Naturalists 🌿 $5,000 +
Jenn & Hobie Boeschenstein
Linda Crane
The Garrard Family in memory of Jeannine Garrard
The Flynn Family
Elizabeth & Ulf Heide
Rebecca Kucera & Peter Hartline
Terrie & Chris Leake
Debbie & Mike Powell
Liz & Paul Pruett
The Rose Family
Anthony & JoAnn Silva
Mary Stewart & Heather Kasnoski
Explorers 🌿 $2,500 +
Jennifer & Michael Armini
The Richard Armstrong Family
Margaret Bacon
Jac & Doreen Bentley
Kritsen & Chase Bibby
Margaret & Richard Bowen
Chris & Kristen Buchanan
Michael & Diane Christian
John Diamont Jr.
Gayle Dublin
Alex Finigan & Julia Calzonetti
Laurie & Jeff Flowers
Ariel & Will Gardner
Rory & Julie Gaunt
Pete & Mimi Hart
Susan & John Hassett
Laura & Peter Jalbert
Diehl & Patricia Jenkins
Cheryl & Scott Kerns
Ronan & Sloane Maguire
Maeve & Matt Maguire
Marblehead Bank
John McCarthy
Jess & Ryan Murphy
Christine Nuccio
Caran Page
Doug & Eliza Park
In Memory of Peter L. Phillips
Leah & Adam Questad
Lindsay & Adam Smith
Thomas Stantial
Lisa Suydam
Greg Swalwell & Terry Connor
The Tatelman Family Foundation
Stanton & Matt Weaver Yuwono
Trailblazers 🌿 $1,000 +
Tannas & George Abatjoglou
The Ackerman Family
Emma & Felix Amsler
Cory & Frank Arabia
Gene Arnould
Milicent Armstrong & Brian Gault
Grace Bacon & Ezra Haggerty
Susan Barnard
Sarah Bell
John Benning
Starr Campbell
John & Susan Caselli
The Caselli Family
The Chamberlain Family
The Clarke Family
Corine Barone Cognata, DMD
Edward Colbert & Beverly Simpson
Peter and Suzanne Conway
Madeline & Will Danforth
Ryan DeLisle
Sam & Meaghan Deluca
Dr. & Mrs. James Demetroulakos
Robert & Jane Frey
French + Italian
Patrice Fox & Dan Dilts
Anonymous
Curt & Kristin Gendron
Ronald & Sheila Geraty
Suan & Charles Gessner
Lauren Goglick & Alex Silbergleit
Gayle & Moses Grader
Paige & Doug Hamilton
Robert Harold Hammond
Beth & Brad Hecht
Kathy Homenda
Brooke & Matt Hooks
Robert and Shannon Horvath
Jean Howe
Walter & Gina Jacob
Daniel & Gloria Kearney
Michael & Mary Kennedy
Martha & Kenneth Knowles
Brook & Mariel Lane
William & Julie Larkin
Rebecca & Doug LaRose
Sean and Katie Leake
Jed & Lisa Lewis
Jacquelyn Liddell
Fiona & Geoff Lubbock
Skip & Claudia Macomber
Heather & Roy Martin
Veronica Massey
Tom & Michele Mathers
Paul and Marion McCauly
Kate & Paul Melanson
Christian & Nicole Melton
Faxon, Helena & Biff Michaud
Blair & Samantha Nelson
Beckett & Ashton Noyes
Old Marblehead Improvement Association
Bianca & Matt Olson
Ellen Petersen & Tom Peckham
Maleah Piazza & Vinnie Stancato
Dylan & Rebecca Quait
Gareth & Chris Randall
The Reiley Family
Katrina Reiser & Patrick Gault
Sam & Kari Richardson
Alex & Maddy Roberts
Richard & Tonya Rockett
Joan & Steven Rosenthal
Brittany & Ryan Ross
Tony Sasso & Nora Palermo
Peggy & Michael Schrage
Michael H. Shanahan
Jane Smith
Bob Tavares
Meredith & Jamie Tedford
Erin Trahan
Barry & Ellen Turkanis
Allison Williams
Martha & Bill Willis
Erin Trahan
Barry & Ellen Turkanis
Martha & Bill Willis
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Help us preserve the past while building the future for generations to come...
The Park on Elm is a community-driven project that aims to provide our town with state-of-the-art play facilities, green space and opportunities to explore and relax. Our goal is to create a warm and welcoming space that children of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy and take pride in; a place where memories are made and connections are strengthened. But we can't do this alone. We need your help to make this park a reality. Whether it's through a monetary donation or an in-kind contribution, every little bit counts towards creating a vibrant park.
How you can help right now!
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Collect drawings from your children of anything park related so we can include them in our donor correspondence.
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Ask friends and family to consider making contributions to the park in lieu of presents for a birthday party or celebration.
-
Host a lemonade stand to collect donations for the park.
-
Consider hosting a small fundraising event to raise awareness and support for the project.
Please email theparkonelm@gmail.com to learn more.
TEAMWORK
The Park on Elm in Numbers
$500K
100+
Families within 1/2 Mile
270+
School Age Children
$400K
Money Secured
Total Goal
The Board
Friends of the Park on Elm Street is a non-profit organization and we are entirely volunteer driven.
Any contribution made to the Park on Elm Street will be directly applied towards improving the Park. Friends of the Park on Elm Street board members' personal contributions to this project have paid for our general operating costs like website fees, marketing and fundraising materials, postage, etc.
We have been incredibly fortunate to benefit from tremendous in-kind donations from the community - like Rubin & Rudman who provided their services pro-bono to help us establish our 501c3 status and KingFish who built our website, and Gus & Ruby who donated their services for our mailed materials.
We are doing our best to keep our operating costs as low as possible so that 100% of the funds raised can go directly towards improving the park.
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Maeve Maguire - President
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Jessica Murphy - Vice President
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Kate Melanson - Secretary
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Krista Finigan - Treasurer
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Jenn Boeschenstein
-
Naomi Caselli
-
Sam DeLuca
-
Will Gardner
-
Mariel & Brook Lane
-
Doug LaRose
-
Nicole Melton
-
Eliza Park
-
Maleah Piazza & Vinnie Stancato
-
Leah Questad
-
Adam Smith
-
Debbie Powell
-
Liz & Paul Pruett
-
Mary Stewart
-
Jean Verbringe
Budget & Timeline
March 2025 updates
Key Updates:
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Infrastructure Approved & Funded: The electrical and water conduits have been officially approved! This was a critical need that our Board heavily advocated for, and this is possible because Friends of the Park is covering the full cost.
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Fundraising Milestone: To date, we have raised more than $380,000 toward our $450,000 goal. Thank you for your continued generosity and support!
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Construction Update: Rafaelle has completed the demolition of the site and has prepared most of the area for the next phase of construction.
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Rec & Park Department: This project will be maintained by the Rec and Park Department once completed. We are working with them and the Town planners to ensure that their input is part of the planning process moving forward.
Phase Two Begins!!!!
We have engaged Crowley + Cottrell in another contract to complete the park design. As we move into spring, Phase Two will start to take shape, bringing us closer to our vision for this space.
Looking Ahead: We Need Your Help! We still have $75,000 left to raise to fully fund the park.