By BILL BARLOW /Special to the Sentinel
Andrew Lea of Boy Scout Troop 55 in Upper Township, who is a volunteer at Beacon Animal Rescue, has proposed building a walking trail at the shelter as his Eagle Scout project.
UPPER TOWNSHIP — Township Committee unanimously backed a plan to create a new walking path near Beacon Animal Rescue on Butter Road.
Andrew Lea, a volunteer at the animal shelter, has proposed creating the path as a service project, one of the steps toward attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. Lea is currently a Life Scout in Troop 55.
As proposed, the path would be near the former town dump, now long out of use since the creation of the county landfill. According to Mayor Richard Palombo, the path would create a safer route for volunteers to walk dogs and potentially other animals from the shelter.
He said the volunteers usually walk along Butter Road, which he sees as dangerous for the animals and people.
The project was a topic of discussion at the Feb. 10 committee meeting, during which township engineer Paul Dietrich reported that he had recently visited the site with Lea and Beacon staff. Plans are to make use of an old road that runs along the base of the landfill. Public works crews use the road a couple of times a year. Dietrich believes it would be a suitable site for an Eagle project.
“There are some areas that need attention,” he said.
Township attorney Dan Young suggested limiting the use of the path to Beacon volunteers, citing potential issues with the lease of the property. If it were open to the public, he foresees potential issues with parking and amenities.
“I think we should act on the Eagle Scout project,” Palombo said.
If the project has great success, he said, the township could look at expanding the use in the future.
“It’s pretty neat that an Eagle Scout can actually work on a project that he’s been involved with for a number of years,” Palombo said.
Lea attended the meeting, joined by family members and volunteers from Beacon.