Hunter Jorgenson, 17, of Egg Harbor Township is working to receive his Eagle Scout badge by sprucing up Thomas B. Reed Memorial Park in Longport.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
LONGPORT – The Thomas B. Reed Memorial Park at the foot of the Longport bridge got a makeover Saturday ahead of the borough’s annual Memorial Day program being held Monday, May 30.
Hunter Jorgenson, 17, a junior at Atlantic Christian School, is working to obtain his Eagle Scout Badge by supporting the Longport American Legion Post 469 and making the area surrounding the veteran’s monument presentable for Memorial Day services honoring veterans who died during wartime.
Jorgenson, who who lives in Egg Harbor Township, has been a Boy Scout since he was in the second grade, and Boy Scouts of America Troop 389, which meets at the school, has been involved with the American Legion Post for some time, he said.
“My granddad is a member of the VFW, and Longport Legionnaire Tom Schnepp was the one who got our troop involved,” he said. “We worked here before to level the bricks around the monument, so it was a natural fit for me to support the Post and this park for my Eagle Scout project.”
Jorgenson organized the effort to spruce up the park, but his first attempt at obtaining the Review Committee’s approval was rejected because his original plan only featured maintenance of the park, he said.
“I revised my plan to include the addition of a memorial bench and solar lighting around the monument, and they approved it,” he said.
Jorgenson’s parents supported their son by purchasing a small statue of a veteran kneeling in prayer to install in the park.
He recruited members of his troop and a few parents to help get the project completed. The team spent several hours on Saturday, May 21 planting flowers in concrete flowerpots, working sand to grout the memorial bricks and pathways, painting and staining components of the memorial bench. They also polished the markers on Longport’s unique sun dial memorial monument.
Jorgenson’s father, Michael, approached his employer to obtain the use of the company’s mini-dump truck to haul the sand to the park. Assistant Scout Master Jeffrey Campsmith assisted the team of Scouts, along with parents, “Mr. Guevara” and Dr. James Wurzer, among others.
Funding the project was “miraculous,” Jorgenson said.
The Home Depot donated $150, and Lowe’s donated $200, and the load of sand was donated by a local recycling center. The only thing not covered through fundraising was the cost of a plaque for the memorial bench, which Longport Mayor Nicholas Russo agreed to provide.
The bench, which will be inscribed to recognize the American Legion Post, was donated by Laura Mills, a teacher at Atlantic Christian School. It was formerly used on the boardwalk, he said.
On Saturday, Scouts were spray painting the metal parts with black Rust-Oleum paint while other Scouts stained the wooden slats that make up the seat and backrest.
Jorgenson said he plans to stay involved with the Scouts as long as he can. His future plans include finishing high school and going to college – most likely to Stockton University, where he will pursue a degree in exercise physiology.
“It’s a solid plan, but if things change, I will adapt to it,” he said.
American Legion Post 569 will honor members of the U.S. military who died defending the nation on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, starting with a parade at 11 a.m., followed by a ceremony in Thomas B. Reed Park at 11:30 a.m. Military guest speaker will be the Legion’s 2021 Wounded Warrior Week recipient U.S. Army Major Todd Berrios.
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