Recreation and Parks Commissioner Larry Simpson is spearheading an effort to bring new life — and new vision — to Marblehead’s public parks.
Working alongside local landscape architect Kathy Bradford, Simpson is forming a nonprofit, Friends of Marblehead Parks, with a mission to enhance the town’s green spaces through thoughtful design, native plantings and long-term sustainability.
“We’re concerned about the aesthetics of the parks as you drive by and walk by,” Simpson said. “There’s no design intent. There’s nothing. And there’s just one layer for most of the parks, which is trees.”
The proposed nonprofit is in the early stages of applying for 501(c)(3) status. An ad hoc committee of eight volunteers — including master gardeners, garden club members and landscape professionals — has begun meeting in recent months to lay the groundwork.
Their goal is twofold: improve the beauty and integrity of parks under the Recreation and Parks Commission’s purview while also increasing biodiversity and reducing long-term maintenance.
“No one goes in and says, ‘What birds are nesting here, or what invertebrates are living here?’” Simpson said. “I think we’re remiss in not being more proactive that way.”
Learning from other communities
The group points to successful models elsewhere, including the Friends of the Public Garden in Boston and community-driven efforts in Gloucester.
In Boston, spaces like the Public Garden and the Rose Kennedy Greenway demonstrate what’s possible when professional design and sustained fundraising support public landscapes.
“Boston has some really beautiful parks,” Simpson said. “They’re designed; they’re thought out. There are people with master’s degrees, Ph.Ds, who have worked on landscapes for 40 years saying, ‘What do we do with this quarter-acre, half-acre?’ We, on the other hand, just stumble through things.”
Bradford said Marblehead has many private gardens but few public spaces designed primarily for beauty and reflection.
“Marblehead has a lot of inward gardens,” she said. “But there are no gardens — like the Public Garden in Boston or the Rose Kennedy garden — places to go and enjoy beauty as well as being outdoors. They’re all recreational. So, what we’re trying to do is add another layer to the parks, another reason to come to them.”
From grass to gardens
The group hopes to begin with an audit of existing parks, assessing conditions, plant life and opportunities for improvement. Parks under the commission’s jurisdiction include Crocker Park, Fort Sewall, Chandler Hovey Park, Castle Rock, Fountain Park, Hammond Park, Seaside Park and the Bike Park at Green Street.
Rather than eliminating recreational uses, organizers say they want to enhance the perimeters and underused areas.
“At Glabicky Field (at the intersection of Lafayette and Maple streets), there’s a big central space, and we’re just talking about the edges — the perimeter,” Simpson said. “We’re not stripping away anything. We’re adding.”
Plans include planting beds along park edges to reduce lawn areas and mowing needs while introducing native species that support pollinators and birds. Ideas under discussion include rain gardens, butterfly gardens and even sensory plantings designed for touch and scent.
The long-term vision, organizers say, is expansive — potentially spanning decades.
“It’s the rest of our life, for sure,” Simpson said with a smile.
Fundraising and volunteers
To support the effort, the Friends group is planning a fundraising garden tour and a native plant sale on the third weekend in June, the weekend of Father’s Day and two weeks before the Fourth of July.
Organizers hope the timing will attract residents sprucing up their gardens for summer gatherings. The plant sale will focus exclusively on native species.
“We don’t want to step on anybody’s toes,” Simpson said, noting other local plant sales. “We decided to do it after everybody else, and we’re going to just focus exclusively on native plants.”
Potential private donors have already expressed interest in contributing significant sums, though organizers emphasize the initiative will rely primarily on private fundraising and volunteer labor.
The group also hopes to partner with local organizations such as the Marblehead Conservancy and area garden clubs, both for expertise and potential cost-sharing on plant purchases.
In addition to raising money, organizers say they need volunteers.
“We’re only eight members now,” Simpson said. “In order to accomplish everything that we are setting our sights on, we’re going to need more members, more volunteers. We need bodies.”
Organizers envision seasonal volunteer days, similar to Earth Day cleanups, where residents can help plant, weed and maintain new garden areas.
A new chapter for public space
The group’s broader aim is to rethink how Marblehead’s parks function — not just as athletic fields or scenic overlooks, but as ecologically rich, intentionally designed public gardens.
“Our parks are not gorgeous, and they’re not really giving much ecological service,” Simpson said. “They’re not providing habitat. They’re not providing pollination.”
For Bradford, the vision is simple: create public spaces that invite people to stop, sit and engage.
“It’s a different type of garden park than anything you’ve seen before in the town,” she said.
Residents interested in learning more or volunteering can contact the organizers at lasimp33@gmail.com or bradford_design@comcast.net.
