New Friendship Park Playground Ground Breaking on May 16th

The Town of Chelmsford is excited to announce that Jeff Bauman, author, Boston Strong icon and Chelmsford native, will be a special guest at the new Friendship Park Playground Ground Breaking Ceremony on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 4:00pm. The Town of Chelmsford is breaking ground on the 28,000+ square foot, universal designed Friendship Park Playground at Roberts Field located at 260 Old Westford Road in Chelmsford. This new nature-themed playground will be developmentally appropriate for children and caregivers with and without disabilities, have an open, sensory-rich environment, and encourage inclusive side-by-side physical and social play for all.

A first of its kind in Chelmsford, the inclusive designed playground has a "park within a park" layout, handicap accessible equipment, pathways and surfaces, and perimeter fencing. It features separate age-appropriate play areas, including swings, zip lines, and lots of opportunities for climbing, rocking, spinning, balancing, swinging and sliding. The Park will also feature sensory gardens and pathways, and a shaded picnic pavilion for families to enjoy.

“This new playground is for everyone, regardless of physical limitations and challenges,” said Paul Cohen, Chelmsford Town Manager. “We are proud to break ground on the new Friendship Park Playground at Roberts Field. This has been a true community effort across the board – Town residents, municipal employees, and local businesses all working together on this project.”

Earlier this year O’Brien and Sons, a Landscape Structures representative, was selected by the Town to help design the new playground. O’Brien and Sons will partner with the Chelmsford Department of Public Works (DPW) and community volunteers to build the new playground, scheduled to open June 2018. The DPW will be responsible for playground maintenance and upkeep.

“The new inclusive Friendship Park Playground will be a great addition to the Town of Chelmsford and a huge community asset,” said Bill Askenburg, Chairman of the Roberts Field Advisory Committee. “Meeting our accelerated building timetable took a real public - private partnership with a lot of public input, discussion and support. We are all very excited about the grand opening this summer.”

In a “fast tracked” process to replace existing aged and unsafe playground equipment at Roberts Field, Chelmsford’s Fall 2017 Town Meeting allocated up to $450,000 of Community Preservation Funds to build the new inclusive Friendship Park Playground. The nonprofit group Friends of Roberts Field is charged with playground fundraising to reduce the draw on Town funds and is offering Premier and Equipment Sponsorships as well as accepting donations towards the project. The group is also organizing volunteers for the playground’s Community Build on June 2-3. For more information on how you can help build Friendship Park please visit www.FriendsofRobertsField.org/donate