To our Cohasset families and neighbors, 

The Beechwood Ballpark playground needs our help. The playground was last restored 15 years ago in 2007 with playground equipment acquired from Norwell-based Wearguard. For those who have visited recently, the playground is in desperate need of repair. Key issues include: 

• Rusted playground structures with sharp edges
• Broken gate latches leading to Beechwood Street
• Warped benches  
• Depleted loose-fill (wood chips) - in order to meet the MA disability accessibility standard the wood chips need to maintain a depth of 9-10 inches, periodically refilled 
• Overgrown landscaping and weeds 

It’s critical to the wellbeing of our neighborhood and town to create safe, inclusive, and fun places for our children to play, and for our community to gather. The Beechwood Ballpark playground is a wonderful place for this. The playground is occupied daily with dozens of children ranging from toddlers to teens and their parents. Our vibrant community thrives off of connection at spaces like the Beechwood Ballpark Playground. 

Local mom, Sarah McMorris Crossen, has met with Cohasset’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC), the Assistant Town Manager, Michelle Leary, and town Selectman, Corey Evans, to share concerns about the state of the playground and outline a plan for restoration. The next steps involve the Town Manager preparing an application with a funding request, followed by a presentation again at the Community Preservation Committee’s next meeting on Monday, November 7th, 2022. 

This is a critical moment to raise awareness of the need for a new playground to the Town and to engender support in funding these repairs. The initial numbers that Michelle Leary presented were between $200,000 and $250,000. The CPC indicated a willingness to fund 50% of the cost. Our group needs to build support for fundraising as well as encouraging the Town to fund as much of the other 50% as it can.

Your signature on this petition will indicate your support to improve the safety and utility of the Beechwood Ballpark playground and push the Town of Cohasset to fund as much of the repair expenses as possible.  

All the best,

Beechwood Moms