The Department of Parks and Recreation is proud of the many partnerships it has developed over the years. Some of those partnerships are with organizations and some are with individuals. This week we highlight the partnership of two young men, who independently, are helping to provide a much needed facelift to the New Albany Recreation Center.
The New Albany Recreation Center is located at the Jeff Young Memorial Park and Fields at the intersection of New Albany and Lenola Roads. The building serves as a classroom, a meeting room and the site for the Summer Parks Day Camp. Over the years, due to heavy use the building has come to need some tender, loving care. Knowing how important this facility is to many groups and community members, two young men are providing that care as they rehabilitate both the interior and the exterior of the facility. Both young men are working on the Recreation Center as their Eagle Scout project — both are from Troop #44 — and each one came independently to ask if he could help.
For those who are not familiar with the way an Eagle Scout project works, the Scouts are responsible for the development, implementation and completion of the project. They are allowed to use other volunteers from their troops, but are responsible for the project coordination themselves. Tackling something like the New Albany Recreation Center takes planning and manpower, and these young men have both.
Ian Millstein is working on the interior of the center. Securing donations of paint and repair materials, as well as the guidance and assistance of a professional painter, Millstein has been hard at work in the Center. The ceiling and some area of the walls have been spackled and repaired where needed. Once the ceiling is done Millstein will clean the walls and surfaces and paint the walls. The completion of the project should take approximately two weeks and will make the interior meeting rooms fresh and clean.
Simultaneously, Jim Twomey is tackling the landscaping outside of the center. Weeding and pruning will just be the tip of the spear with this project. New plantings and a full beautification plan is part of Twomey’s project. Developing a landscaping plan that is sustainable and manageable is a large undertaking. He is working with other scouts and leaders to make the center welcoming and beautiful on the outside.
When not working on his individual project, each Eagle Scout candidate has been assisting the other. The two Eagle Scouts are working together to complete the renovation of this community facility which illustrates perfectly the idea of collaboration that makes this community successful. The Department of Parks and Recreation thanks Ian Millstein, Jim Twomey and Troop #44 for their contributions to the Moorestown community. Be sure to stop by the New Albany Recreation Center to see the progress.
