Category Archives: Friendship Park

Ground Breaking Ceremony for Friendship Park at Roberts Field

A ground breaking ceremony was held for the new Friendship Park playground at Roberts Field in Chelmsford with special guests in attendance including author and Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman.

The new accessible and inclusive designed playground is planned to open June 23, 2018 and will be a first of its kind in Chelmsford, with equipment, surfaces and pathways designed to all children and caregivers of all abilities to play together side by side.

The well attended event included remarks from Chelmsford native Jeff Bauman, who described Roberts Field as “the most special place in the world” as he discussed growing up in Chelmsford and playing baseball at the popular Town park. Bauman expressed his excitement about the new inclusive designed playground, saying that the playground’s technology and design would make it possible for parents and children of all abilities to enjoy and that he was looking forward to bringing his young daughter there to play when it was completed.

The event marked the beginning of construction for the new playground, which includes a volunteer staffed Community Build to be held June 2-3 from 7am-4pm. The Community Build will help defer project costs and provide the community the opportunity to take an active role in building the new inclusive designed playground. Volunteers are encouraged to signup at www.robertsfield.org/signup. A variety of jobs are available at the 15 and older weekend event. Any event questions can be emailed to volunteer@robertsfield.org.

Premier and Equipment sponsorships are now available at the new playground and include named recognition on the entryway sponsor plaque and at the playground’s website and social media accounts. More information about sponsorship opportunities can be found at www.RobertsField.org/donate.

DrumHill Pediatrics Sponsors New Friendship Park Playground

DrumHill Pediatrics, located at 20 Research Place Suite 200 in North Chelmsford is a Premier Sponsor – Silver Level, of the new inclusive Friendship Park playground at Roberts Field.

Regarding the sponsorship Dr. David Newman offered, “We at DrumHill Pediatrics are excited for the grand opening of the new Friendship Park.  Playgrounds are a wonderful community-based resource for families to connect with others while enjoying time outdoors. This new inclusive playground will offer all our children the opportunity to get physical exercise and practice their social skills while most of all having fun!”

For more information about DrumHill Pediatrics, please visit their website at drumhillpediatrics.com.

 

Aces Aquatics Sponsors New Friendship Park Playground

Aces Aquatics, a Chelmsford based year round competitive swim team offering high quality professional coaching and technique instruction for all ages and abilities is sponsoring the Belt Bridge at the new inclusive designed Friendship Park playground at Roberts Field in Chelmsford.

Matthew and Kristen Mulrooney of Aces Aquatics said, “Aces Aquatics is proud to be a sponsor of the new Friendship Park. Our family-run business has received tremendous support from the Chelmsford community on both the business and the family end. Aces is happy to help support the community in return, and we look forward to seeing our children and our swimmers enjoying the new park.”

For more information about Aces Aquatics and their elite swim team and instruction opportunities, please visit www.swimaces.com.   Also, please watch this interview by Tom Christiano of Chelmsford News where Matthew and Kristen discuss Aces Aquatics, their dedication to the community and their decision to sponsor the new playground.

For information about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities at the new Friendship Park playground please visit www.friendsofrobertsfield.org/donate.

 

LOCAL BUSINESSES HELP TO BRING INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUND TO CHELMSFORD

A new inclusive designed Friendship Park playground is opening this summer at Roberts Field in Chelmsford, and community businesses and organizations are stepping up to help build it.

A first of its kind in Chelmsford, the new Friendship Park playground will be a safe and fun place where children of all abilities can play together side by side. The Town of Chelmsford is building a new nature themed playground, which will be developmentally appropriate for children with and without disabilities, have a barrier free and open sensory rich environment, and encourage physical and social play for all.

The 501(c)(3) non-profit Friends of Roberts Field is helping with fundraising by reaching out to businesses with a variety of playground sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. Bill Askenburg, Friends of Roberts Field Chair, said, “Our community is joining together to raise funds, volunteer and work together to build the new Friendship Park. The community response has been tremendous and everyone is very appreciative of the effort to bring this new inclusive playground to Town.”

Sponsorship opportunities range from buying a $50 engraved brick, to sponsoring the playground’s new $26k inclusive ZipKrooz zipline. Premier and Equipment Sponsors receive public recognition and their names on playground signage. DrumHill Pediatrics of North Chelmsford recently committed to a Silver Level Premier Sponsorhip and Aces Aquatics, an elite swim team and coaching organization, committed to sponsoring the Belt Bridge in the new playground.

“We at DrumHill Pediatrics are excited for the grand opening of the new Friendship Park,” said Dr. David Newman of DrumHill Pediatrics.  “Playgrounds are a wonderful community-based resource for families to connect with others while enjoying time outdoors. This new inclusive playground will offer all our children the opportunity to get physical exercise and practice their social skills while most of all having fun!”

Askenburg added, “We are so appreciative of these generous donors and their commitment to supporting our community. It’s great to meet other community partners who are equally as excited about bringing inclusive play to Chelmsford. We encourage anyone interested in volunteer or sponsorship opportunities to contact us.”

The playground sponsorship and volunteer programs will continue through the summer, and more information can be found at www.robertsfield.org/donate.

The Friends of Roberts Field is a nonprofit organization committed to maintaining and improving Roberts Field in Chelmsford. The volunteer organization was found in 2013 and is working with the Town of Chelmsford Department of Public Works to provide community input and fundraising opportunities for the new inclusive designed Friendship Park at Roberts Field.

New Friendship Park Playground Presentation

Video of the February 27, 2018 Public Input Session and presentation of the new Friendship Park playground design and plan. The public input session was hosted by the Roberts Field Advisory Committee and Chelmsford Department of Public Works, and features a presentation by Meghan O’Brien, President of O’Brien and Sons and Landscape Structures representative, who is building the new inclusive nature themed playground.

Last Day To Play Event At Chelmsford Park

CHELMSFORD — Time to play at Roberts Field’s Friendship Park is dwindling before the playground is revamped this spring.

A “Last Day to Play” event will be held Saturday at the Old Westford Road park to give residents a chance to bid adieu to the current playground and celebrate its upcoming transformation.

“I think it’s important for the community to have an opportunity to enjoy it one last time, say good-bye and look forward to the playground that will be built in its place,” said Bill Askenburg, chairman of the Roberts Field Advisory Committee and founder of the Friends of Roberts Field.

The Department of Public Works is expected to begin removing the old playground equipment as early as next week.

In October, Town Meeting approved $450,000 in Community Preservation funds for the project, including design, surface work and equipment.

A request for proposals for the project closes Dec. 26, Askenburg said. He said Town Manager Paul Cohen, the DPW and Roberts Field Advisory Committee will review all of the proposals and make a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen, which is expected to award the bid in early January. Askenburg said he aims to get the community involved in the design and eventual build, which he hopes will occur in June.

The Friends of Roberts Field hope to raise as much as they can to offset the playground costs, Askenburg said.

Currently a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, the organization is seeking to change to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to allow donations to be tax deductible, he said.
After a long search for a treasurer with accounting experience to manage donations and corporate sponsorships, on Thursday the Friends of Roberts Field secured Anthony Kalil for the position, Askenburg said. Kalil, vice president/branch relationship manager for Enterprise Bank, also serves as treasurer of the Chelmsford Rotary Club.

The “Last Day to Play” will be held at the park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and will include games, snacks and hot cocoa. The Friends of Roberts Field will also distribute cedar bird ornaments residents of all ages can decorate and place on the elm tree by the skate shack. Additional blank ornaments will be available in the yellow box attached to the map kiosk behind the fire station.

Follow Alana Melanson at facebook.com/alana.lowellsun or on Twitter @alanamelanson.

Original Article found here.