Marti Park

Marti Park is a public park located in the picturesque countryside of Wilmington Township

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Marti Park Board Members

• Debbie Kennedy (Chairperson)
• Andy Ryder (Vice Chairperson)
• Michelle Dulis (Secretary)
• Todd Wilson
• Emily Mortimer
• Jodi Dickinson
• John Starr 

Interested in sitting on the Marti Park Board? Contact us at 724-946-2560, leave your name and phone number, and someone will get back to you!

History of Marti Park

• Wilmington Township had the foresight to purchase the farm across the street from the township building in December of 1978 because someone had the idea to create a park on the land.  A few years later, several men started to solicit donors to make their idea come to life.   They wanted to put in a soccer field, since soccer popularity was on the  rise, along with a playground and a pavilion.   Once they secured what they thought would be enough money, they had to come up with a name.  John Drespling had received a rather large donation check from Jack Marti, who owned Farmer’s Cheese Co-op and Jacobo Marti & Sons. Mr. Marti  was also quite the soccer player in his native land of Switzerland, so John  convinced Jack to let him name the park after him.  Jacobo, (Jack) came from Switzerland in 1951 with the intention of making Swiss Cheese in the states.  He did, and the plant is still going strong after all these years, now called Dairy Farmers of America, or DFA as most people know it.
• In 1988, with the help of  a grant from the Department of Community Affairs, and many donations from local community members,  this recreation facility became a reality.  It was officially opened with swings, sliding board, rocker animals, a pavilion, a soccer and softball field, restroom, and a nature trail that winds along the creek and through the wooded area of the park.
• 1993 was another memorial year, as the first platform playground was installed after another fundraiser asking all township residents and businesses to donate once again.  Debbie and Dan Kennedy spearheaded this fundraiser and their longtime friend, Steve Schneider, installed the playground, along with their wives and children who were quite young. Needless to say, it was quite welcome from everyone.
• The Wilmington Area Soccer League was founded and is still going strong.  Currently, there are around 250 kids, ages 3-18, who participate in the league, in each of their spring and fall sessions. We have added soccer fields to 9, and participation could still grow, but we have run out of room for soccer fields.  We have added several additional soccer fields, and participation could still grow, but we have run out of room for more fields.
• Along the way, the township applied for another grant, and they were able to build two more pavilions, which we rent out for revenue for the park. There are two glider swings that many enjoy sitting on to enjoy the beautiful scenery we have. Dale Elder, a retired supervisor, installed a horseshoe pit.
• In 2017, Jane Marti (Jack’s wife) formed the Marti Park Foundation, where one can donate money to the tax-deductible foundation through the Community Foundation in Sharon, PA.  This enables the Marti Park Recreation Board to apply to other foundations and businesses for renovations. Anyone can donate at https://www.comm-foundation.org.
• Since the inception of this Foundation, approximately $750,000 has been raised for various additions and renovations to the park.  Some of these are:

• 2019 – A new playground to replace the old one
• 2019 – 8,000 feet of drainage on the soccer fields so there are no wet spots as before
• 2020 – Another playground and accessible restroom at the lower part of the park by the pavilion
• 2020 – Walking trail along the perimeter of the soccer fields that connects with the nature trail
• 2021 – Our Inclusive Playground with a toddler area so that all children and adults, no matter their ages or abilities, can play and have fun with others.  We are most proud of this, which helps everyone to enjoy the outdoors.
• 2022 – A kitchenette that is attached to the large pavilion, along with an accessible restroom that has a changing bench for those that have special needs’ loved ones.  This makes it much easier to change all that need it.

We are trying to make the park handicapped accessible for all as we want to make being outdoors safe, fun, and available, not only for Wilmington Township residents, but also for everyone that wants to be outside.

Bridge Closed for Repairs on Trail

The last bridge on the nature trail at the park is closed for repairs.  You can still walk the trail but at the third bridge you must either turn around and go back to the entrance of the park, or you can walk up the steep hill that comes out at the amphitheater.  You can access the trail from the front of the park, as the access trail near the large pavilion at the end of the parking lot, will be closed.  Thank you, and sorry for the inconvenience, but this is a needed repair to keep everyone safe.