By John Tredrea, Special Writer
Alliger Park, which Hopewell Township opened years ago, had until recently been largely undeveloped as a place for hikers and runners. That changed with the completion of Andrew Lauricella’s Eagle Scout project.
A member of Boy Scout Troop 1776, based in Titusville, Andrew’s Eagle project included a mile-long loop trail around Alliger Park, located off the northern side of Washington Crossing Road (county Route 546), about a quarter mile west of Scotch Road.
His project also included construction of a seven-foot-high kiosk.
"The kiosk has a wood frame and a metal roof and a board that shows a map of the trail in the park," Andrew said.
He said the kiosk’s message board also is expected to be used by the Hopewell Valley Veterans Association, which built a veteran’s memorial in the park.
The trail Andrew built crosses Woolsey Brook, located in the northern end of the park.
"The trail crosses the brook twice," Andrew said. "I didn’t build wooden bridges — there’s a pretty elaborate permitting process you need to go through to be able to do that. I made natural crossings out of stones that were in the area."
Located at the bottom of a shallow wooded ravine, Woolsey Brook in Alliger Park is in a very picturesque area.
As with any Eagle project, Andrew was required to form and lead a team that helped him plan and do the work in the park.
"A big point of Eagle projects is to show organizational, administrative and leadership skills," he said. "So I had to manage a group of other scouts and adults."
He also worked with the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, a nonprofit organization that has helped permanently preserve many tracts of open space during the past 30 years.
A 17-year-old senior at Hopewell Valley Central High School, Andrew plans to attend college next year.
"I’m looking at environmental science and environmental engineering as possible majors," he said.
Asked how he felt about making Eagle, Andrew said: "Really good. One cool thing about it is that my Dad is an Eagle Scout, too. It’s nice to be able to carry on that family tradition. That makes me feel good."
Andrew’s father, Vince Lauricella, also is Scoutmaster of Troop 1776 to which his son belongs.
