Project Campaigns

At any given time, Greenbelt is working on dozens of land conservation and land stewardship projects. Here is a sample of the projects we are currently working on that require financial and/or in-kind support:

Help Build Support for the Chadwick Lead Mills Project

Greenbelt is partnering with the Marblehead Conservancy to build public awareness and support for a one-time opportunity to permanently protect the Chadwick Lead Mills site as a conservation area and gateway park for Marblehead residents. Acquisition of the Lead Mills property will fulfill a long-standing goal of Marblehead’s Open Space and Recreation Plan, and it will address citizen calls for more conservation land that were gathered in a public survey conducted earlier this year.

The nearly 5-acre Lead Mill parcel is located off Lafayette Street, with most of the property falling within the Town of Marblehead and 1.4-acres located in Salem. Both municipalities have had a long-standing interest in acquiring the property for conservation. The landowner has agreed to sell the parcel, appraised at $2 million, at a bargain sale price of $1.6 million. The Town of Marblehead and the City of Salem are cooperating to acquire and maintain the property as open space, offering passive recreation and providing access and parking for the highly used trails that connect Salem, Marblehead and Swampscott. Greenbelt is in the latter stages of negotiating a one-year option to purchase the property, which will be assigned to the Town of Marblehead and City of Salem, and is providing technical assistance to facilitate the acquisition, allowing all partners the time needed to the put pieces of this creative collaboration together.

Through a series of town initiatives, Marblehead voters will be asked to authorize an expenditure of $1.5MM, while the City of Salem prepares a joint grant request to the State for a Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC,) grant that would help reduce the overall cost. Once approved, Greenbelt and the Conservancy will conduct a public fundraising campaign for the $100,000 needed to close the gap on the acquisition.

Please show your support for this project with a tax deductable financial donation.