Volunteers Make for 'Perfect' First Day

They came by themselves and they came in groups. And by the end of the day almost 300 people volunteered on the first day of the Frank Fullerton Memorial Park Playground rebuild.

Leather and Associates, who designed the original playground for 1992’s community build, designed the park.

There were carpenters from Carpenters Local 1489 in Burlington, employees from Beneficial, Cornerstone and Liberty Bell banks, teams from the Moorestown Lacrosse Club, including the boys’ 7th Gold and Black teams and the seventh-grade girls and 5/6 girls’ Gold teams; Boy Scout Troop 61 and Paul Fullerton, grandson of Frank Fullerton for whom the park was named.

Paul, an eighth-grader at Harrington Middle School in Mt. Laurel, learned about the build from his language arts teacher Jennifer Uibel.

“I’m very happy to be able to be part of this project,” Paul, 13, said. “It’s very nice of them to do this.”

Paul came with six of his classmates and teacher Steve Beyer, who worked on the first park in 1992.

“I thought it would be a good idea,” said Beyer. “My wife and I helped build the first park. It’s a mile from my house. We had two young kids at the time. It’s a terrific park.”

The volunteers made a lot of progress on Wednesday, the first day of the five-day build. Volunteers are split into three time slots beginning at 8 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

“I was really surprised by the number of groups that came today,” said Dee Bertino, the volunteer coordinator.

For Marc Leathers, owner and construction consultant for Leathers and Associates, was happy with the first day’s progress.

“We’re having a good day,” Leathers said. “They did a good job getting organized. It’s literally a perfect day. Now we’ve got to have five more.”

Leathers said his company does 40 to 50 builds per year.

“I am surprised at how much we accomplished,” said Keith Omlor, chair of Friends of Fullerton. “You go from a bunch of holes and dirt to a bunch of structures up. “

The playground rebuild has been in the works for a year when the original playground was taken down because it was unsafe.

“It’s cool seeing all the kids out here,” said Omlor. “People on opposite side of opposing issues are working side by side here. It’s why I never left Moorestown and why I’m raising my kids here.”