Kids credited with park’s extreme makeover

Committeewoman Michelle Roth, Mayor Richard Klauber and local Scouts unveil Scout Lake's new sign. Photo by Andy Kazmierski.

Holiday Lake in Manalapan is now Scout Lake, named after about 20 area Boy, Girl and Cub Scout troops who helped breathe new life into the surrounding Holiday Park.

The 13-acre park and lake, off Pease Road, were rededicated at a ceremony Saturday.

Scouts since March have been hard at work building benches and picnic tables for the dog-friendly park. The children and other local volunteers came out a week before the rededication for a cleanup that netted some 25 bags of trash.

The township with the help of the county dredged the lake in September, and the Public Works Department cleared a walking path, set up pet stations and installed a solar aerator and an illuminated fountain aerator last week. The entire project cost the township about $285,000, Committeewoman Michelle Roth said.

"This is a perfect example of a public-private partnership working towards the betterment of our community,'' Roth said.

New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife also stocked the lake with 1,100 bass, catfish and black crappie for fishing.

Kimberly Fitzgerald, 12, of Girl Scout Troop #532 of Manalapan, who helped build benches and plant daffodils expected to bloom in spring, said she'll get a new sense of pride when she sees the lake, named after her and her fellow Scout volunteers.

"I liked the name before - it fits,'' Kimberly said. "But at least Scout Lake helps acknowledge some of the people who put the work in to make it beautiful.''