Quarry Lane Park and Gardens, next to Busy Bees Preschool, is a special place in nature nestled in the densely populated Cleghorn neighborhood of Fitchburg. North County Land Trust conserved this last remaining house lot at 5 Quarry Lane in 2019, saving it from development, with strong support from Busy Bees Preschool, the neighborhood, and the city. With help from many partners listed below, this property was conserved, and has since been transformed from a vacant, overgrown lot to a pocket park, community gardens, and nature loop trail for all to enjoy.
The opening party may have been rainy, but it didn’t rain on our parade. Neighbors, city officials, volunteers, Busy Bees students and families, and friends of North County Land Trust came out to celebrate the day and the opening of this special place.
To see pictures of the project, process, and opening party, check out the photo gallery below. But first, there are some folks we need to thank.
Bear with us, the list of those who we owe much gratitude is long, but each group, grant, and person has been integral in the success of this project!
Thank you to:
- Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts
- Rollstone Charitable Foundation
- North County Land Trust’s Burnham Fund
- And The Parents Committee at Busy Bees Preschool
For helping us acquire the land.
Thank you to:
- Amelia Peabody Foundation who funded the Community Garden and for Growing Places who helped set up the garden and garden programming with Busy Bees Preschool students
- Keeping Fitchburg Beautiful who funded a portion of the plantings of native plants for pollinators
- The Dream It, Create It grant program which funded the completion of the pocket park. This program is funded by MassDevelopment/TDI and the Barr Foundation. This program is one component of a broader TDI creative cities initiative to boost arts-based economic development.
For support with funding for the community gardens and park creation.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who contributed to this project, including:
- Brandon Corey and his Family for helping build the entryway arbor.
- Bemis Executive Group for taking a day out of their busy schedule to help initially clear the land.
- Busy Bees Parents and Students, and, Alumni Parents and Students for building the community Garden, helping build the park and serving as THE most energetic volunteers to work with!
- Angela Kearney, NCLT Board Director and landscape designer who drew the design for the pocket park and gave helpful guidance throughout the build.
- NCLT stewardship volunteers who did land clearing, native plant planting, spreading wood chips, and more.
- Eagle Scout Timothy Johnson, Fitchburg Troop 17 for building the nature loop trail as his Eagle Scout project, and his brother Walter Johnson for building a bench for the park.
- Max Lutz, NCLT’s summer intern (2023) for working all summer with the team helping to pull this together.
- Last but not least, Maria Paulino, owner of Busy Bees Preschool, who has been this project’s number one champion, the heart and inspiration for this garden and space and a true community member.
From the beginning to the opening day, this property and project have been filled with joy, hope, and love of nature. We hope you enjoy looking through the photo gallery and seeing how much energy and spirit went into creating this beautiful park for all to enjoy nature!
