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.

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Scout goes Gaga over Eagle project

Eric Katzen, a newly minted Eagle Scout from Morganville and a freshman at Marlboro High School, officially earned the highest rank in scouting May 5 after building a Gaga pit at the YMCA of Western Monmouth County.

The octagonal shaped enclosure is a playing field for a form of dodge ball that originated in Israel, according to a Boy Scouts press release.

Over the course of two weekends in April and May, Eric completed the project with the help of 29 volunteers. The estimated value of the work was $2,800, which Eric collected via donations and materials from area residents and businesses.

Eric is a member of Troop 331 based in Holmdel. He started as a Tiger Scout in Pack 86 in Marlboro. This summer he will be working as a counselor- in-training at Monmouth Council’s Quail Hill Reservation and will be playing on the District 3 All-star Team for the Marlboro Little League.

He and his brother, Evan, an Eagle Scout from Troop 331 and a junior at Colts Neck High School, were recently recognized by the YMCA’s Board of Directors for their work on the project.