By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
For many years, the property at the end of Johnson Avenue that is now known as Heritage Park — in the Eggerts Crossing neighborhood — lay dormant.
But a concerted effort by Eggerts Crossing neighborhood residents over the past half dozen years has turned the lot into a small park, adjacent to the Eggerts Crossing Village affordable housing development.
Hoping to use Heritage Park as a model, Mayor Pam Mount said she would like to launch a new program called Park Pals that would encourage township residents to adopt some of the township’s many small parks.
A townwide meeting is set for April 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Lawrence Nature Center to discuss the fledgling Park Pals program. Harold Vereen, the president of the Eggerts Crossing Civic League, has been invited to outline his community’s project. The Lawrence Nature Center is located at the end of Drexel Avenue.
There are more than 1,000 acres of parks in Lawrence, Mayor Mount said. About half of the parks are for active recreation and include athletic fields and tennis courts, and the rest are geared toward passive recreation — mostly located in residential neighborhoods, she said.
At the same time, Lawrence Township is facing a budget crunch, and officials expect to discontinue the practice of hiring summer help for the Public Works Department, Mayor Mount said. Many of those workers are involved in park maintenance.
“So we are in a dilemma,” she said. “At the same time, we are getting calls from people — ‘How can I get involved.’ At the Lawrence Nature Center, they are getting more volunteers. Maybe we need to get people more engaged in their parks and to see their parks as neighborhood resources.”
And that is what led to the formation of the Park Pals program, Mayor Mount said.
Several parks have been identified as likely candidates for the Park Pals program — Hamnett Park, on Ohio Avenue, Eldridge Park, on Greenfield Avenue, Gilpin Park, on Short Johnson Avenue, and Veterans Park, on Berwyn Place.
The other parks include Stonicker Park, on Stonicker Drive, Colonial Lake Park, adjacent to Colonial Lake, the “dog park,” at Village Park, the Loveless Nature Preserve, off Eggerts Crossing Road, the Lawrence Nature Center and the Carson Road Woods.
It is not necessary for a volunteer to live near a park, Mayor Mount said. Anyone can volunteer to help out a park. Students at The Lewis School in Princeton Borough have signed up to help out at the Lawrence Nature Center, for example, she said.
Public Works Director Greg Whitehead said volunteers could spread mulch in the parks or plant trees and shrubs. They could watch the park and report any incidents of vandalism. They could refinish park benches and picnic tables.
“In my view, we want to encourage people to use the parks,” Mayor Mount said. “We want the children to be involved. This is a family town, and this can be a family operation. Maybe the Recreation Department could have some activities (for the children) while their parents are helping out.”
Mayor Mount suggested the “park pals” could identify species of trees in the parks and put up plaques or they could maintain trails such as those in the Loveless Nature Preserve. Senior citizens could spend time in a park, keeping an eye on the park and serving as a visible presence that might make it seem like a friendly place where children could play, she said.
“The parks have been preserved for the people in the neighborhood. We want them to feel it is their park to enjoy, but also to take responsibility to take care of it,” Mayor Mount said.
Anyone who would like more information about the Park Pals program may contact Mr. Whitehead at 587-1894 or Superintendent of Recreation Steven Groeger at 844-7067.

