FREEHOLD – A rededication ceremony at Veterans Park, Schanck Street, Freehold Borough, has been scheduled for Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
During the ceremony, the pavilion at the park will be named in honor of the Lewis brothers, six siblings from Freehold Borough who fought in World War II.
Improvements at Veterans Park, which were conceptualized by young adults in the borough, have been completed and the park is open to the public, according to municipal officials.
The project came from the Freehold Borough Youth Government Council, which offers students in seventh through 12th grade a chance to learn about all levels of government and to participate at the local level. The improvements at Veterans Park were the Youth Government Council’s first project.
Improvements included playground equipment, an activity trail, upgraded lighting and making the park more user-friendly. The project took six years to come to fruition, in part because certain approvals had to be obtained from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
As previously reported, the Borough Council pursued a Monmouth County open space grant and received $135,000 in 2013. The remaining costs will be covered by funds from the borough.
On Sept. 4, the council approved a $5,624 change order to the original $304,950 contract that was awarded to Down to Earth Landscaping for the improvements. The change order increased the contract to $310,574.
In other business that evening, council members authorized the purchase of self-contained breathing apparatus for the Freehold Fire Department. The purchase of the equipment will be made from Mine Safety Appliance (Witmer Public Safety Group) and is not to exceed $38,070, according to a resolution.
And, the council passed a resolution honoring resident Theresa Shwahla on the occasion of her 80th birthday.
Shwahla attended Freehold Borough schools and has worked for the J.J. Newberry five and dime store, the A&M Karagheusian Rug Mill, Brockway Glass Company, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the Freehold Regional High School District, Pilcher Bus Company, Manalapan Township, the Central Jersey Registrar Association and Six Flags Great Adventure.
She is a communicant of St. Rose of Lima and served as president of the Rosary Alter Society and the VFW Auxiliary.
