WILMINGTON, MA — At their meeting last night, the Wilmington Board of Selectmen unanimously supported the construction of a playground at Silver Lake to celebrate the life of Sean Collier. The playground will be built by Where Angels Play Foundation in mid-to-late September.
Family Supports Project
“We’re very excited about it,” Kelley Rogers, Sean’s mom, told the Board of Selectmen. “There’s been a lot of stuff built for Sean, but this is something that will be in Wilmington where he grew up and help memorialize him.”
“We have grandchildren coming,” said Rogers. “We’re envisioning our grandchildren playing on this playground.”
Prior to Rogers speaking, it was clear the Selectmen would not support the project unless it had the family’s endorsement.
Why Locate The Playground At Silver Lake?
Initially, the town had considered including the playground as part of the Yentile Farm project, but the timeline wouldn’t have worked, as all parties involve want a memorial constructed as soon as possible. The Yentile Farm Recreational Facility is not slated to open until mid-2017.
“Between the trial and the 110 inches of snow and the focus – almost daily – on negativity, I think the family would greatly appreciate expediting this in a manner,” said Bill Lavin, founder of the “Where Angels Play” Foundation. “We need something to celebrate, to wrap our hearts and ours heads around. The area needs it… We’re ready to go.”
“Given the timing of this project and the fact that we won’t even have shovels in the ground [at Yentile’s] until the spring of next year, I asked the Director of Public Works to look at some of the other locations in town to identity potential spots for a playground in honor of Sean Collier,” reported Town Manager Jeff Hull.
Silver Lake was chosen, in large part, because its current playground, built approximately 12 years ago, was going to be replaced within 3-5 years anyway, noted Hull. “Over the years, some different elements of the play apparatus have been broken and require repair, but the manufacturer no longer provides replacement parts.”
View photos of the current playground at Silver Lake below. The Kiwanis Club fundraised for and constructed the playground about 12 years ago. The Kiwanis Club has given their blessing to replace the park.
What Might The Playground Include?
Now that the project has been approved, the next step in the process is for the Collier/Rogers family to speak with the Where Angels Play Foundation’s playground designers to discuss themes, colors and equipment.
While those discussions are beginning, one thing residents can expect is the inclusion of some red, white and blue.
“Everyone who knew Sean knows that the American flag was his favorite thing, from his time as a little boy to the time he died when we went to his apartment and there were American flags on his walls,” Rogers told the Selectmen.
Bill Lavin noted that Sean loved kids and was an advocate for them, making this playground a “perfect celebration of his life.”
“The difference between a regular memorial and this memorial is that there will be little children laughing and playing, and Sean will be the one who made that happen,” said Lavin. “That’s a pretty wonderful legacy and fits what Sean lived everyday.”
Watch the discussion below from the Wilmington Board of Selectmen Meeting, courtesy of Wilmington Community Television. Lavin begins by making a 20-minute presentation to the board, featuring photos and videos from his website. The discussion runs from 38:55 to 1:20:00.
Wilmington Apple 
Some of Sean’s friends and teammates from when he lived in Somerville would like to help fundraise and build this playground. How can we help?
I will email you the name and email address of the gentleman organizing it.