How did the Reilly Project originate? – The Beginning – The first of a two part series - Part 1

The Salem Board of Education Approached the Salem Preservation Society

The Salem Board of Education had known for some time that the stadium wall was going to need repaired or replaced. Early proposals that were considered did not maintain the historic appearance of the stadium.  The Board of Education (BOE) approached the Salem Preservation Society (SPS) and explained that they needed to repair or replace the Reilly Wall because it was deteriorating.  The BOE recognized that there might be an opportunity to work with the Preservation Society on this project. Since the stadium needs repairs, they could do the basic repairs that would fit in their budget or, with the help of the SPS, concerned residents and alumni, they could take the project to another level of restoration and enhancement.  The members of the Preservation Society were immediately interested in helping restore the stadium, although they recognized that this project was a larger fundraiser than we any they had previously attempted.

A small SPS committee was formed and this committee met with BOE representatives and architects several times during the summer months of 2010. They did a thorough assessment of the needed repairs. The SPS and Salem BOE worked on a memorandum of agreement to clarify the expectations of each party in this project. After consideration, the SPS Board of Trustees voted to approve the $5,000 expenditure to hire an architect to make an estimate of the cost of the project and create the original renderings of the project. The areas to be emphasized in these renderings were the North wall, wrought iron fencing, a historically correct ticket booth, and a new donor garden. SPS members worked to locate old photos of the stadium. They found that over the years many of the stadium’s original features had been lost, stripping the stadium of much of its character. They gave the architect pictures of the original ticket booths, wrought iron gates, and finials that had been on the stadium walls.

Accomplishments by December of 2010:

1. Architect, David Sommers, SHS class of 67, had worked on the preliminary plans for the Reilly Wall Project and had met with the committee to review and explain them.

2. Roger Hack had agreed to act as the accountant for the project.

3. Atty. Barbara Plummer had provided legal services for preparation of the memorandum of agreement.

4. Beverly Berger, the SPS treasurer, and Karen Carter opened a separate account for the Reilly Project, so these donations will be kept separate from other SPS funds.

5. Kristina Danklef designed the SPS Website and had most of it live. (salempreservationsociety.org). This is a tool for SPS to keep people informed of the progress of this project and share other news related to the organization.

6. Forms for donations and forms to purchase commemorative bricks and other items that will be part of the memorial garden were made available on the Website. *Since SPS is a 501C3 organization, all donations to this project or the organization are tax deductible.