One of Five Benches Built in the Meadows

Jon Winter, Eagle Scout Candidate on Right; Steve Barnes, Environmental Commission on Left

The benches are located on the middle plateau on the improved part of the trail.

Benches on the Meadows Trail are marked by red X's. Click on map to enlarge.

Eagle scouts are required to perform a public service leadership project as one of several requirements to reach the Eagle Scout rank. Jon has worked with his scout council and two members of the Environmental Commission (EC) on his project. Jon selected building five wooden benches in the HP Meadows.

Jon had to design the benches, provide a written plan on how he would build the benches, obtain the appropriate materials and tools, organize volunteers to carry out the project,  and obtain agreement on his plan from his boy scout council and the EC.

His next steps were to actually obtain the materials and tools to build the benches, organize a number of fellow scouts and other volunteers to build and to install the benches in the Meadows. In July and August , Jon and his fellow boys scout executed his plan and built the five benches.  Below are a number of images of the various step in the construction process

Cutting Lumber for Bench to Appropriate Lengths

Drilling holes in lumber

Assembling the Bench Top

Assembling a Bench Top; Note the Energy Conservation T-Shirt

Digging hole in ground using yyyy bar to break up shale- this may have been most difficult part of project

Transporting Bench Top on Utility Vehicle

Adding bench base to support post cemented in ground.

Assembling bench top and bench bases and posts.

Spreading wood chips beneath the bench.

Demonstration of the robustness of bench design.

Boy scouts, who assisted Jon with project in front, EC members in rear.

As shown in the image above, the bench design is very robustness. Also the design is such that various parts of the bench can be easily replaced due to damage or wear.

Lumber for this project was donated by Stelton Lumber; Loews and Home Depot also supplied support. Friends provided Jon with additional items and cash donations. The utility vehicle was loaned to the Environmental Commission by the Middlesex County Park System. Wood chips and water were provided by the Department of Public Works.

The Environmental Commission would like to thank Jon Winter, his scout associates and all of the vendors and friends who provided support to the project.

The Environmental Commission has received a number of very positive comments about the addition of these five benches to the Meadows.

NOTE: Jon Winter became an Eagle Scout on September 27, 2010.

Volunteers in Front of Meadow Message Board Before Starting Work

On a sunny Sunday morning (September 13), the Environmental Committee of Congregation Ahavas Achim (216 1^st Avenue) and members of the Environmental Commission had a work session at the Meadows. We had a total of 24 volunteers including members of Boy Scouts from Troop 55 and Girls Scouts from Troop 81455. The volunteer worked on the restoration of the Meadows by removing significant amounts of  invasive Mugwort from both sides of the bicycle path and from the Meadows trail, and the removal of invasive grape vines overgrowing several trees.

Girl Scout in Gloves About to Start Work

Bicycle Path Next To Meadows

Couple Cutting Mugwort

Cutting More Mugwort

Girl Scout Carrying Away Cut Mugwort

Adult Volunteer Carrying Away Cut Mugwort

Volunteers Cutting Wild Grape Vines Over Running Tree

Mike Rosenberg, HP Environmental Commission, Cutting Mugwort

Girl Scouts Pulling Up 1st Year Mugwort on Meadows Trail

The photographs of the happy and productive volunteers were taken by Mason Resnick.

The Environmental Commission thanks the EC Committee of Congregation Ahavas Achim and the scouts for their assistance in the effort to restore the Meadows to a more native state,  for their interest in the environment, and for their public service activities.