VISION
Create a safe, inclusive and vibrant community park.
The park currently located at the site of the former Gerry School is outdated, unsafe and in desperate need of repair.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 initial park’s concept design is enclosed. This will be developed and refined for phased construction as fundraising progresses.
- The Town of Marblehead has allocated $234,000 from American Rescue Plan Act
(ARPA) funding to this project.
- Alex Eitler was hired as the new Town Planner and he is working in tandem with
Becky Curran on project management to bring this project to reality.
- Friends of the Park on Elm has raised $300,000 in charitable contributions from the Marblehead community in the past few months.
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!
Town of Marblehead ARPA Funds | $100,000
Anonymous | $25,000
Anonymous | $10,000
Richard & Gabrielle Coffman | $10,000
Kathy & Ted Truscott | $10,000
Jean Verbridge | $10,000
Anonymous | $5,000
Linda Crane | $5,000
Krista Finigan | $5,000
The Flynn Family | $5,000
The Garrard Family | $5,000
Elizabeth & Ulf Heide | $5,000
Paul & Liz Pruett | $5,000
The Rose Family | $5,000
Mary Stewart & Heather Kaznoski | $5,000
Jennifer & Michael Armini | $2,500
Margaret Bacon | $2,500
Kristen & Chase Bibby | $2,500
Jenn & Hobie Boeschenstein | $2,500
Margaret & Richard Bowen | $2,500
Chris & Kristen Buchanan | $2,500
Michael & Diane Christian | $2,500
Gayle Dublin | $2,500
Laurie Flowers | $2,500
Fusco/Murphy Grandparents | $2,500
Pete & Mimi Hart | $2,500
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Jalbert | $2,500
Diehl & Patricia Jenkins | $2,500
Chris & Terrie Leake | $2,500
John & Kate Maguire | $2,500
John McCarthy | $2,500
Doug & Liza Park | $2,500
In Memory of Peter L. Phillips | $2,500
Debbie & Mike Powell | $2,500
Lisa Suydam | $2,500
Deborah & Jack Tatelman | $2,500
John & Susan Hassett | $2,000
Finigan Calzonetti Family | $2,000
Cheryl & Scott Kerns | $2,000
Rebecca & Doug LaRose | $1,500
Tannas & George Abatjoglou | $1,000
Emma & Felix Amsler | $1,000
Stephanie Andrews & Marc White | $1,000
Cory & Frank Arabia | $1,000
Jane & Arthur Arnold | $1,000
Grace Bacon & Ezra Haggerty | $1,000
John Benning | $1,000
Jac & Doreen Bentley | $1,000
John A Caselli Jr | $1,000
Mike & Naomi Caselli | $1,000
Madeline & Will Danforth | $1,000
Dr. & Mrs. James Demetroulakos | $1,000
Patrice Fox | $1,000
Will & Ariel Gardner | $1,000
Brian Gault & Millicent Armstrong | $1,000
Curt & Kristin Gendron | $1,000
Donald/Ronald Geraty | $1,000
Charles Gessner | $1,000
Lauren Goglick | $1,000
Gayle & Moses Grader | $1,000
Beth & Brad Hecht | $1,000
Brooke & Matt Hooks | $1,000
Robert & Shannon Horvath | $1,000
Jean Howe | $1,000
Daniel & Gloria Kearney | $1,000
William & Julie Larkin | $1,000
Jacquelyn Liddell | $1,000
Fiona & Geoff Lubbock | $1,000
Skip & Claudia Macomber | $1,000
Matt & Maeve Maguire | $1,000
Veronica Massey | $1,000
Tom & Michele Mathers | $1,000
Paul & Katie Melanson | $1,000
Christian & Nicole Melton | $1,000
Faxon, Helena & Biff Michaud | $1,000
Ryan & Jessica Murphy | $1,000
Blair & Samantha Nelson | $1,000
Christine Nuccio | $1,000
Bianca & Matt Olson | $1,000
Adam & Leah Questad | $1,000
Caran Page | $1,000
Gareth & Chris Randall | $1,000
Katrina Reiser & Patrick Gault | $1,000
Sam & Kari Richardson | $1,000
Richard & Tonya Rockett | $1,000
Joan & Steven Rosenthal | $1,000
Peggy & Michael Schrage | $1,000
Adam & Lindsay Smith | $1,000
Vinnie Stancato & Maleah Piazza | $1,000
Greg Swalwell & Terry Connor | $1,000
Bob Tavares | $1,000
Erin Trahan | $1,000
Barry & Ellen Turkanis | $1,000
Martha Willis | $1,000
Thank you to our generous major sponsors of $1,000+
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!
-
Collect drawings from your children of anything park related so we can include them in our donor correspondence.
-
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
100+
Families within 1/2 Mile
270+
School Age Children
$180K
Money Secured
$400K
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.
-
Maeve Maguire - President
-
Jessica Murphy - Vice President
-
Kate Melanson - Secretary
-
Krista Finigan - Treasurer
-
Naomi Caselli
-
Sam DeLuca
-
Will Gardner
-
Leah Questad
-
Adam Smith
-
Debbie Powell
-
Liz & Paul Pruett
-
Mary Stewart
-
Jean Verbringe
Budget & Timeline
January 2025 Update: The first phase of construction went out to bid to multiple contractors in November 2024 and in December 2024the town accepted a bid with Raffaele Construction Corporation -- GROUND HAS BROKEN!
This phase includes removing the existing asphalt paved area, and all of the hardscaping on site to prepare to build, including repaving the parking area, basketball and pathways. This first phase of construction will be covered with
funding from the town.
- The second phase of construction will be to build the playground space including
equipment, planting new trees, shrubs and a perennial garden, a large grass area, and
site amenities like a new basketball hoop, benches, picnic tables, etc. Crowley +
Cotrell will again be tasked to create a set of plans that will be sent out to bid. At this
point, we will begin to see how much the project will cost as a whole. Based on the
expenses of similar playgrounds and parks in the area, we anticipate this will cost
$400,000+.
- Friends of the Park on Elm hopes to raise an additional $100,000+ over the next few
months so that we have the necessary funding available for phase two of construction
to begin as soon as possible and the park can be completed efficiently.
- Once the park is completed it will be maintained by the Parks and Recreation
Department.
- Friends of the Park on Elm is hopeful to raise additional funds for ongoing
maintenance, annual plantings for the garden beds indicated in purple on the design
plan.
- We are happy to provide more detailed budgetary information if requested.