Duff Park Project Seeks More Resources

When George Sullivan of the Stoneham Police Department walked away from the Albert J. Duff, Jr. Memorial Park dedication festivities on June 21, 1996, he could not possibly think he would be standing in the same spot almost 26 years later. But here he was, organizing repairs and restorations to the same basketball court by cajoling Stoneham townspeople to pony up donations to the Albert J. Duff, Jr. Memorial Park fund.

Now living on the Cape, Sullivan has again assumed the role of provocateur to pay honor to Officer Duff, a revered member of the Stoneham Police Department who served as the town’s safety officer for 18 years before passing in December 1992.

The following specific repairs are needed, prioritized in descending order:

• Asphalt basketball court
• Lighting
• Fence
• Swing set
• Rims

Rob Surabian took the initiative, donating his labor to work his magic to restore the beautiful sign for the park which displayed the marks of time and had also been defaced.

So far, Sullivan has found the most difficult repair to be the large Y-shaped crack running across the middle of the court. Contractor bids have been discouragingly high but he continues to explore a variety of repair scenarios.

Progress on the others has been encouraging with a few services being donated by local contractors. Labor to assess and fix the lighting system will be donated by the original electrician; use of a bucket truck has also been offered by Stoneham Ford.

Two local fence companies have agreed to collaborate in repairing and/replacing the damaged chain link fence materials. Two local landscaping companies have also agreed to work together to provide the mulch and retaining barriers needed to make the swing set area safe and viable again.

Sullivan, with his usual persistence and determination, has enlisted these local businesses to do what we all have seen Stoneham people do in the past; collaborate and communicate to preserve the rich history of this town.

But even with all of his efforts, donations have dwindled to a trickle so the project is in danger of falling short of the goals. All he wants is for the park to be fully functional and safe for the kids of Stoneham.

Please consider sending a check (of any size) to:

StonehamBank
Albert J. Duff, Jr. Memorial Park
80 Montvale Ave.
Stoneham, MA 02180