Eagle Scout's Gazebo Project Unveiled in Association Park

By: Megan Malloy

Association Park in Hightstown is the home to a brand new gazebo concert stage all thanks to resident Ryan Lanphear who spearheaded the undertaking as his Eagle Scout Project. The gazebo, built by Lanphear and his Boy Scout troop, was unveiled last Thursday evening, kicking off the summer concert series with a performance by the Tone Rangers. 

The gazebo will play host to the summer concert series every Thursday between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. The concerts were previously held on a flat-bed truck that had to be rented and moved in every week, which originally motivated Lanphear to launch the project.

Lanphear worked closely with the Parks and Recreation Department to integrate the project with the borough’s existing plans. 

“A gazebo had been part of the master plan of this community from well before Ryan was a Cub Scout,  it just happened that nobody really had the wherewithal to get it done,” Parks and Recreation Department Chair Pat Duncan said. 

Lanphear contacted Duncan about the project two years ago, having already drawn up a number of different plans and venues. He had also identified an architect, Rick Pratt, who serves on the Historic Preservation Commission of Hightstown. 

“He had really, really done his homework,” Duncan said of Lanphear. 

The project gained approval from the Hightstown Borough Planning Board and the Borough Council amid concerns that the gazebo would create unwanted disturbances in the neighborhood. After clearing his plans with the Boy Scouts’ National Council, Lanphear recruited the help of community members like Hightstown Electric and Trenton Roofing to aid in the construction. 

“Once we finished my portion of the stage, it was amazing to see all these people come out and help with all the decorations,” said Lanphear. “It was really amazing and really gratifying to see all the help we received.”

Lanphear, who will be attending Drexel University in the fall, was presented with an award from the Hightstown Parks and Recreation Department at Thursday’s ribbon cutting for his service to the Borough.