LONGPORT – Five members of the Pennsylvania Amish community started building the gazebo in McGee Park early this morning assisted by one of their young sons. Although their journey was long, it was easy to find the open field where the McGee family home once stood. All they had to do was find the yellow brick road.
Backyard Showcase of Ronks, Pennsylvania send five men to build the 18-foot wide circular gazebo made of vinyl. Jesse Kauffman of Christiana, Pennsylvania said the crew would make quick work of it.
“We hoped it would take three weeks because we are working at the beach,” he said. “But it really will only take us a day and we’ll finish out tomorrow if we need to.”
When Mayor Patrick Armstrong took office in January, he announced that the borough would see three new parks built in town, including one along Beach Terrace at 15th Avenue, and a second at Longport Point, but the first would be McGee Park on 22nd Avenue.
The land was bequeathed to the borough through the generous spirit of longtime residents and School Board Secretary Dorothy McGee who passed away in November 2023. In her will, she stated she wanted to see a gazebo surrounded by gardens on the two lots behind her Atlantic Avenue home.
“I thought, where are we going to get a gazebo?” Armstrong said. “I just happened to be in Lancaster to attend a swim meet for my son and saw gazebos on the side of the road. I stopped, met Merv, the head guy, and discussed the project.”
Of course, the borough is required by state finance laws to obtain other quotes for the purchase, which was funded by a State of New Jersey Local Recreation Grant.
“He provided the lowest bid, and they were very easy to work with,” Armstrong said.
Alicia McGee, 47, of Galloway Township, attended the groundbreaking ceremony. She is one of Dorothy McGee’s two children, who along with the McGee Park Committee made up of residents and neighbors, ensured her mother’s wishes come true. The site of the gazebo is where her house once stood.
“All during my childhood, I woke up and looked out the window to this property,” she said. “It was the home my parents bought in 1972. It was a four-story historic home that I was told belonged to the first Longport mayor, although I cannot confirm that.”
Seeing the gazebo being build where her house once stood was “bittersweet,” she said.
She said the house was demolished in 2007 when her parents built a new house next door. After McGee’s death, the new house was sold, and it was torn down to make way for a new McMansion.
“That lot was once considered Longport’s recreation field. Every kid in Longport played ball there,” she said. “But seeing this park getting started fulfills my mother’s wishes in perpetuity.”
She said she hopes it will be called McGee Park instead of Dorothy McGee Park so the entire family, including her brother and her six children, can be remembered as well.
Before handing out gold shovels and doing a little dig for the cameras, Armstrong thanked all the volunteers on the committee for working hard and giving back to the community. He called their work “a great team effort.”
Armstrong said the borough would preserve the yellow brick sidewalk, using some of the bricks in the 2-foot fence lining the McGee property to replace some of the broken bricks in the sidewalk.
Alicia McGee said she took a few of the bricks home to use at her Galloway home for remembrance.
She mingled with residents who provided their memories of her mother and thanked her for her gift of open space and beauty.
“Your mom did such a nice thing for the borough,” resident Pat Murphy said.
Former Mayor Nicholas Russo, who was on the Board of Commissioners when Solicitor Michael Affanato advised the board about the bequeath, said the park would benefit residents and visitors for generations to come.
“It’s exciting to finally see visible progress,” he said. “It’s been a long road but from the outset the goal was to see Mrs. McGee’s vision and wish come to fruition, and now it finally is.”
Armstrong said the gazebo cost approximately $20,000 to manufacture and install.
“The committee is still doing some fundraising, and we are hoping that when people come to town for Easter, they will see the gazebo and it will spur some new donations,” he said.
Armstrong said the entire park project will cost about $200,000 to complete.
Horn Electric of Ventnor will install the electric next week. Due to the ongoing fundraising effort, a completion date has yet to be announced.
“I can’t wait for the dedication ceremony,” Armstrong said.
Copyright Access Network 2025
Longport broke ground on Dorothy McGee Park on 22nd Avenue, Thursday, April 10, 2025.
