Ward 2 City Councilor Bill Trahant Jr. (third from left, back to camera) oversees the playground equipment installation project at the Henry Avenue Playground. At far right is Lynn Classical student Damien Earp, one of the volunteers.
The Henry Avenue Playground in the Highlands section of Lynn is alive again.
Ward 2 Councilor Bill Trahant, the Highlands Coalition, and the city have combined forces to give the playground a new look and new equipment.
“This is something that we’ve been working on for five years putting this project together with Community Development, the whole neighborhood, and the Highlands Coalition,” said Trahant. “We got some grant money and here we are today getting it done.”
On Saturday Trahant and workers from his roofing and construction firm donated their services and machines to install the playground equipment, saving the city thousands of dollars in expenses.
Other volunteers, including Classical student Damien Earp, also assisted in the installation and clean-up work.
Leslie Greenberg, a leader of the Highlands Coalition, said Trahant has been a valuable contributor to the project, culminating with his generous donation of labor and equipment.
“Mr. Trahant has been amazing since we first started this project,” said Greenberg. “This has been a five-year project to raise funding and to get a really nice playground structure for this park. It’s been a great partnership between Mr. Trahant and the Coalition.”
Greenberg lives one street away from the playground, which had fallen into disrepair and was being used infrequently by neighborhood children. She called the park “a lost gem.”
“This is my neighborhood and it’s wonderful to see kids coming here and they’re starting to use the playground and feeling safer again in the neighborhood,” said Greenberg. “It’s all about the community.”
Greenberg said there are approximately 200 members of the Highland Coalition.
Volunteers from Rally Sound, a non-profit organization started by the band, Adam Ezra Group, also participated in Saturday’s event. Proceeds from the band’s annual benefit concert, The Ramble, went toward the Henry Avenue Playground project.
1 comment for “A Lost Gem is Restored: Bill Trahant Joins Highlands Coalition In Rebuilding Henry Ave. Playground”