The Cole Project Still Going Strong
When Cole Phillips was a nine-year-old boy, he dreamed of having a slide in Newcastle Park. He put action behind his dream by raising money for more than two years to fund “The Cole Project” along with then-mayor Gina Maxwell, Olney Advocate Publisher, Kurt McCord and others. Newcastle and the surrounding communities contributed more than $23,000 to make Phillips’ dream a reality for the 2016 “Christmas in the Park” event. During the event, they unveiled a monument with the names of people who donated to the project. Also, a special memorial and dedication plaque was made to honor McCord, who died before seeing the project’s completion.
While reminiscing about McCord, Maxwell reflected on how he became involved with the project and his willingness to assist with fundraising.
“Kurt attended our City Council meeting. He was a handsome man with a million-dollar smile, trying to sell his papers and bouncing all over the place. He looked at the counter and noticed the Cole Project listed on our calendar. We had searched for grants to assist with funding the project, but the smallest grant we found was a $50,000 grant, which would have been great, but it was a 50/50 match. That would have given us more money than we actually needed for the size of playground equipment we wanted. So, we chose to do it on our own. That is when Kurt pitched in,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell recalled how eager Phillips was when he first approached her about equipment for the park.
“Cole approached me a couple of days before one of my very first council meetings. I was still scared to death that the council people were going to eat me. I had never been on the city government side of anything. I had always just been active in school with my children. When my youngest child was getting ready to graduate, I had to find something to do. I realized that this project was my time to find my own identity again, but I was nervous,” Maxwell said. So, this little boy came in and asked if he could talk to me. He said he wanted a slide at the park.
I asked him to tell me more. He said, ‘I just want to be able to go to the park and eat ice cream, ride bikes and hang out with my friends.’ When he told me that he wanted to put donation jars out, I told him he needed to talk to the City Council. I asked him if he was ready to do that. So, he came into the next meeting, and he stood up and talked to the City Council. He shared his vision and what he was willing to do,” Maxwell said.
Four years later, Phillips, who is now a teenager attending Newcastle High School, is still proud of his efforts to equip a barren park. Because of Phillips’s proactiveness, many families have spent more time together at the park. He shared how he feels about the continued use of the park along with the resident’s involvement with maintenance.
“It’s kind of crazy when I think about the magnitude of the Cole Project. I was proud of everyone who helped and everyone who donated. The community residents always use the park. Anytime there is an event in Newcastle, it is usually at the park. I think that really says something. The park is a central place for the town where everybody can go,” Phillips said.
Phillips’ call to action is for the community to stay involved because it makes a difference. Gina Maxwell said the residents are invested in maintaining and expanding the park.
“Since the initial playground equipment was added to the park, we have added a merry-go-round, and every year, the Methodist Church does a missions project in the park. Last summer, the church painted everything and added more gravel underneath the equipment. It has been wonderful to see that more families have been coming out to the park,” Maxwell said.
If you would like to make a donation or receive more information about the Cole Project/Newcastle City Park, reach out to Lynn Robinson who is the part-time City Secretary, or Denise Cyr, First Lady of the Newcastle Methodist Church and councilwoman who oversees the park. There are several new projects underway for the Newcastle City Park.