Tag Archives: Friends of Roberts Field

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.

Community Build

Assembly and Support jobs now available. Morning and evening shifts, or work 1-3 hours – all help is appreciated!

Because its a very busy worksite, the Community Build is an 18+ event (15+ with adult supervision).

New Friendship Park Project Design and Sponsorships

Click here to download a pdf of the New Friendship Park Project or interact with the pdf below.

New Friendship Park Project

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.

Cut the Bittersweet to Save the Trees

The Park needs your help. This fallen oak tree near the walking trail is an otherwise healthy tree killed by the invasive Oriental Bittersweet plant. There’s a lot of Bittersweet at Roberts Field, and it’s a fast growing vine that quickly grows into the tree canopy and either chokes or topples the trees.

To help, contact Katie Messer, Town Conservation Agent (978-250-5248) or me and we will meet you at Roberts Field and point out the affected trees and vines, and show you the right way to cut them. Or bring your loppers to a Work Event at the Park on Saturday, Jan 28th from 10am – noon, and we can work on it together. Snow date Sat, Feb 4th, 10am – noon.

Now is a great time to cut Bittersweet because the vines are easy to see. Just contact us to meet (or comment below), or join us Saturday, January 28th and help save the trees at Roberts Field..

For more information please comment below, contact Bill Askenburg at bill@friendsofrobertsfield.org, or call the Town Conservation Agent’s office at (978)250-5248. 😀 Thank you!

Please share this message and help spread the word!

Chelmsford Selectmen Unanimously Vote No Cell Towers at Roberts Field

Concerned residents in attendance of the January 9, 2017 Chelmsford Board of Selectmen meeting, were cheerfully happy to hear the Board unanimously vote to “not entertain a proposal to construct a cell tower at Roberts Field”. Choosing to word their meeting motion carefully, the Board wanted to send a clear message about the placement of cell towers at Roberts Field. “We’re not going there” said Selectman Bob Joyce regarding placing cell towers at the Chelmsford neighborhood Park.

In the days leading up to the Selectmen’s meeting, No Cell Towers at Roberts Field was the talk of the Park and neighborhood, as word spread of the proposal to locate a T Mobile Wireless Communication tower at the Park. Facebook lit up with posts, comments and reactions about the proposed plan, some originating from the Friends of Roberts Field Facebook page.

The proposal brought forth by T Mobile Wireless Communications, offered a plan to build a 190 foot tall mono pole cellular antennae tower with stadium lighting near the Park’s pond shore. The proposal was met with stiff opposition from Park users, neighbors and residents, some of who testified at the meeting that the T Mobile Wireless Communications cellular tower would negatively and significantly alter the Park’s character and create safety hazards at the Park and neighborhood.

Roberts Field is a family-friendly, neighborhood recreational park, located at 260 Old Westford Road, adjacent to the Town’s East Fire Station, and currently features baseball and soccer fields, ice skating area, Friendship Park Playground and a managed wildlife habitat including Pollinator Park and nature walking trails.

The video of the full meeting discussion and vote is below.

A Hoot at Roberts Field

After patiently searching the woods at Roberts Field over the past two years, I finally found a Barred Owl. The natural areas of Roberts Field are maintained as a wildlife habitat, and include two Barred Owl nesting boxes with plans to add more within the year.

Barred Owl at Roberts Field in Chelmsford MA

Author: Bill Askenburg

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Scouts Work to Save Trees At Roberts Field

Early Saturday morning at Roberts Field, Chelmsford Boy Scouts from Troop 81 were busy cutting and pulling vines from trees, as they kicked off their Conservation Project to remove the invasive plants from the natural areas of the Park. This morning Scouts were targeting Oriental bittersweet, a particularly damaging invasive plant to trees that grows and climbs into the tree canopy, crowding and choking out tree growth, and raining down scores of berries and seeds to the forest floor to dramatically spread the plants’ creep.

Before starting work on the Conservation Project, the Scouts met with Wetlands Scientist Cori Rose to learn about the damage invasive plants can cause, how to identify them, and the best methods for their removal. Rose’s presentation included a hands-on lesson about invasive plant identification at the Park, and warnings about onsite plants to avoid like Poison ivy and Wild mustard, whose orange sap can cause skin blisters and irritation. After the presentation, Damien Gould, Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 81, led the Scouts to three hard hit areas of the Park, where invasive plants had been marked by Friends of Roberts Field Volunteers earlier in the week. Gould said that Troop 81 took on the project “because invasive species are destroying the Park’s natural environment, and it’s important to make sure that this environment can last.”

Following the day’s work, the Scouts pitched tents and set up a campsite to stay overnight at the Park, providing them an opportunity to earn their camping merit badges. Adult Scout Leaders, including Troop 81 Scoutmaster Kirby Nichols, supported the Scouts by delivering the Troop’s trailer of camping supplies and food. While preparing grilled cheese sandwiches for the Troop’s lunch, Scoutmaster Nichols said that the Conservation Project and overnight stay at the Park was a good opportunity for the Scouts to work as a team and build camaraderie, while being in such a close and familiar location.

Chelmsford Boy Scout Troop 81 was established in 1976, and has a long history of successful service projects in the community including many Eagle Projects. Senior Patrol Leader Gould said that he had been a Scout since first grade and especially enjoyed these types of scouting activities. Gould encouraged those interested in joining Boy Scouts to visit a Troop 81 meeting at Aldersgate Methodist Church, 242 Boston Road in Chelmsford any Wednesday during the spring, fall, and winter between 7:15-8:45 PM, or to visit www.bsatroop81.org for more information.

Troop 81 became aware of the need for the invasive removal project after seeing a Chelmsford Telemedia TV bulletin board message asking for Volunteers to take on the project. The project message was posted by the Friends of Roberts Field, a Volunteer organization committed to improving the neighborhood park. The invasive removal project is part of the group’s Habitat and Trail Maintenance Plan that was enacted with the Town of Chelmsford to improve the natural areas of the Park.