By Vita Duva, Correspondent
Cranbury Township’s Village Park, located in the Village Center along the North Shore of Brainerd Lake, has Boy Scout Michael Frost to thank.
The Cranbury resident presented and discussed his proposed “Village Park Beautification Project” for his Eagle Scout Award before the Cranbury Township Committee in a work session during its bimonthly meeting Sept. 26.
“I knew that I wanted to help the town in some way,” Mr. Frost said of his inspiration for the three-part project. “So, then I thought about Village Park, where I’ve spent so much of my time over the years and it just made sense.”
For the first component of the project, the 17-year-old planted shade trees along the first base line of the C1 Baseball Field.
“I knew how brutal it was for baseball fans sitting in the bleachers during the heat of summer,” said Mr. Frost.
For the second component of the project, Mr. Frost made signs, which now clearly label the active recreational park’s three sports fields – one regulation Little League baseball field, a softball field and a t-ball/minors baseball field.
“Routinely, people from out of town are coming to these fields for sports games and it can be confusing without any signs,” Mr. Frost said. “You know, you might have an assignment for a game and oftentimes, you don’t know where you are going.”
For the third and final component of the project, Mr. Frost put together an official park map. He will be placing copies right at the park’s main entrance.
“These maps are there to help anyone who may be coming into the park not only to find their way around, but to also get a sense of what the park has to offer,” he explained.
After three years of hard-earned work, Mr. Frost is finally seeing his project and contribution to the Cranbury community pay off.
“It feels really good, now,“ he said. “It’s nice to see the approval process completed, and it’s good to see my progress after all this time.”
“I think it is very important to have groups like the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts involved in the community,” said Committee member David Cook. “Cranbury lives and breathes based on its residents and projects like Mike Frost’s in the Village Park gives life to a community like ours.”
Mr. Cook went on to add, “These projects also allow multiple generations to show pride in their hometown, which can give a young person a sense of belonging. I encourage that. I welcome this kind of contribution because it only makes our sense of community stronger.”
Mr. Frost has been a member of the Cranbury Boy Scout Troupe 52 for the past six years. He is currently a junior at Princeton High School, where he enjoys learning about math and business.
A dedicated athlete, Mr. Frost is likely to be spotted at Village Park playing a game of baseball in the near future.
In other news:
– The Township Committee passed a re-certification ordinance – upon second reading – re-appropriating $130,000 originally meant for the acquisition of the Water Tower property. Since this obligation is no longer necessary, $30,000 will be put toward Public Works’ vehicles and equipment, while $100,000 will be put toward sewer emergency costs.
– The Township Committee passed a capital ordinance – upon second reading – authorizing the architecture costs for the affordable housing family units on the Ingerman site, appropriating $100,000 from Cranbury Township’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to cover the cost.
– The next Township Committee meeting is slated for Monday, Oct. 10.
