SALEM – Volunteers built a new playground at Hubbell Park on Thursday, Oct. 22, a project the City of Salem said was shaped by drawings and ideas from local children.
The build began at 8:30 a.m. at the park, 100 Hubbell Ave., and a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed that afternoon.
The City of Salem partnered with the CarMax Foundation and KABOOM!, a national nonprofit working to end what it calls “playspace inequity.” According to the city, the CarMax Foundation provided most of the funding through its partnership with KABOOM!, and CarMax employees volunteered on build day. The foundation says it has supported two playgrounds in New Jersey with KABOOM!, each with about 130 employee volunteers.
The city said the playground will serve more than 600 students and hundreds of other children in the community. Children in Salem shared ideas and drawings in August that helped shape the final design.
Councilmember Jamal Long, who serves on the city’s Neighborhood Initiatives/Parks and Recreation Committee, described it as the city’s first ADA-accessible playground.
“It will give children of all abilities an opportunity to play, connect, and enjoy their neighborhood together,” Long said in a statement provided by the city.
Mayor Dr. Jody Veler spoke first at the ribbon cutting and said the small community has never taken its playgrounds for granted. “While other communities take their playgrounds for granted, we never do, because we don’t always have the means to be able to replace equipment,” Veler said.
Veler said the city found the KABOOM! grant, worked with its grant writer to submit an application and “didn’t really think much of it” until a call came in August saying CarMax was willing to come to Salem and help build the playground.
She thanked the volunteers and credited city administrators and staff with tirelessly organizing the event. She also thanked Salem City Council members, the police department, the school district, which came out with the football team, and the city’s property maintenance crew. A neighboring education center was thanked for letting organizers use its parking lot.
A representative of the sponsors called the CarMax Foundation a longtime KABOOM! partner and said it is “always a great day” working with the CarMax team.
CarMax General Manager Wayne Wright also spoke. He thanked the CarMax volunteers, the City of Salem and the football team for their work on build day, and he led a round of applause.
The ceremony also included a surprise for the city. Deputy Clerk Maricia Chiarelli, who was credited with pulling the project together, was presented with a $5,000 check by CarMax General Manager Wayne Wright for the new Hubbell Park. A young girl then spoke. Their remarks are in the video below.
KABOOM! is marking its 30th anniversary this year. The organization says it has helped build or transform more than 17,000 playspaces since 1996.
See a photo gallery from the last Thursday October 22, 2026 by Zachary Ahl below:
