School Board Chairman Kathy Ray cut the ribbon to officially dedicate Hannaford Field, located behind Cape Elizabeth High School, during ceremonies May 16.
Approximately 200 people attended the ceremony, which included a flag raising by the National Guard, singing of the national anthem by Lauren Yokabaskas, and brief remarks by benefactors Jessie Timberlake, sister of the late Rey Moulton; John Brady on behalf of the Kevin Brady fund; and by Omar Khalidi to thank his parents.
Hannaford Field Dedication
May 16, 2008
Thank you so much for the invitation to participate in the Hannaford Field
dedication. It's an honor to be with so many people who worked so hard to
make this field a reality.
There are many people to thank. Indeed, 689 individuals, families, or
organizations made contributions to the field, and contributions to the bleachers
are still coming in. Although we are unable to recognize all 689 contributors
this afternoon, a heartfelt thanks to all of them. We deeply appreciate every
contribution. That said, there are some people whose contributions clearly
deserve special recognition.
First, there is Hannaford. The property we are on was once Hannaford family
farm land. In 1883, Arthur Hannaford began selling his Cape Elizabeth produce
in Portland. He was later joined by his brothers and formed Hannaford Bros.
in 1902. Today, the Hannaford name is a household name throughout New England
and New York, with over 150 supermarkets and combination food and drug stores
serving the public
Had it not been for Hannaford stepping forward, I don't think we would have
a turf field to be dedicating this afternoon. Hannaford also arranged for
the donation of the state-of-the-art scoreboard bearing the name "Hannaford
Field." So we want to thank Hannaford so very much for its generosity to
the community.
There are two official Hannaford representatives here today for the field
dedication and I'd like to recognize them:
Alan Cardinal, vice president of compensation and associate wellness, and
Laurie Roberts, manager of sampling.
Alan Cardinal's team supports Hannaford's award-winning health and wellness
programs for Hannaford associates. And just this week, Hannaford received
national recognition as one the "Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles."
Hannaford's commitment to health and wellness in the greater Portland community
is exemplified by Hannaford's financial support for this field.
Laurie Roberts lives in Cape and is an active member of the Cape Youth Football
Board.
There are other Hannaford employees who live here in the Cape who made
contributions, as well, and I want to take this opportunity to thank them
as a group.
In addition, there are the three other major contributors that also deserve our
recognition and thanks for making this field possible. Each of them has a
representative here today that will say a few words on their behalf. These
three are: Imad and Hulda Khalidi, The Kevin Brady Fund and Rey Moulton, Jr.
I also want to thank The Maine National Guard for their time which was donated
to install the lights. By the way, the original wooden pole lights were installed
by the National Guard back in the 1950s.
Lt. Brian Camire, Master Sergeant Chris Gillies, and Tech Sergeant Lisa Meard
are here today representing the guard. The guardsmen who actually did the
work are, unfortunately, in Bangor today, and are unable to receive our thanks
in person. Lt. Camire, please convey our gratitude to the Guard, not just
for the light installation, but for all that they do to serve our state and
country.
Like a lot of things in town, this "field of dreams" all started with a few
citizens having an idea three years ago. The Cape Lights committee was formed:
Graham Smith, Doug Courier, Jay Evans, Martha Palmer, Jim Croft, Mark Tinkham
and John Brady, to name a few, started to talk about lighting the field.
That good idea soon became a vision. They decided to make the field a premier,
multi-sport turf field and commenced fundraising to make it happen. The Cape
Lights committee became Kids' Turf, which was a larger committee headed by
Michael Ott and Graham Smith. Graham and Michael and the entire committee
gave most generously of their time in the ensuing three years.
And I want to say a special word about Mike Ott
Michael Ott took on the Kids' Turf project with a passion and enthusiasm
that is simply remarkable. Mike envisioned a sports field that would become
a centerpiece of what defines a community, a field where people of all ages
could and would gather.
Mike has been involved in every step of the process from permitting, site
preparations, vendor selection and negotiations, and lobbying the Town Council
and School Board. Mike never gave up. Mike has been a tireless fund-raiser
for Kids' Turf and I think we all know that this dedication would not be
taking place without Mike's leadership. On behalf of the Town of Cape Elizabeth,
I'd like to say thank you to Mike, and his lovely wife, Grace.
In closing, I'd like to thank everyone involved. Although I've singled out
some people and organizations today, because of the magnitude of their individual
contributions, the reality is that more than anything, this field was a community
endeavor, without peer in Cape Elizabeth.
It was an amazing partnership: leveraging private resources with a relatively
small amount of tax dollars. Over 600 contributions, each one, no matter
how big or small, was instrumental to reaching the final goal. After the
field was completed with all private funds, the Town built the fence in order
to protect the field. In the final phase, after seeing the success of the
field last fall, when, on average, 1,100 people attended each football game,
the Town agreed to contribute $150,000 towards approximately half the cost
of the bleachers. A small amount remains to be raised privately, and I encourage
anyone who can to make an additional contribution today, online at
www.kidsturf.org
This field exemplifies the wonderful civic and community spirit that exists
in Cape Elizabeth. Let's celebrate what a great town this is, what a wonderful
field we have here, and let's say thanks, again, to all of the many people
and organizations who worked hard to make this happen.
Mary Ann Lynch
Town Council Chairman
Hannaford Field Dedication
May 16, 2008
