Local Boy Scout Troop 22, Bloomfield Township Beautification Project Near Morris Greenway Canal Finished
BLOOMFIELD, NJ -- A beautification project along the Morris Canal Greenway that began in November has been completed, and a commemoration ceremony scheduled for next week. The improvements to the triangular plot of land at the intersection of John F. Kennedy Drive and Liberty Street will make the already popular destination along the Morris Canal Greenway even more attractive.
The project was spearheaded by Brendan Somers, an Eagle Scout Candidate from Boy Scout Troop 22, Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, which has a healthy mix of scouts from Bloomfield and Nutley. Flower beds with decorative flowers, a paver walkway and informational kiosk have been placed in the triangle. A plaque has been added to the back of the existing monument to commemorate the current improvements.
The brief commemorative ceremony will be held on Monday, September 23 at 6:00pm at the corners of Liberty Street/JFK Drive South to rededicate the Morris Canal Greenway monument in recognition of the Eagle Scout Project that took place there.
“The Morris Canal Greenway is a Bloomfield landmark, and enjoyed on Historical Society walks and private events. It is important to take care of our precious open space so that it can be enjoyed by more people for years to come, and I would like to commend the young Scouts in Troop 22, and their scout leaders for their vision and hard work making this a reality,” said Mayor Michael Venezia. “In addition to the Boy Scouts, many people have brought the Morris Canal Greenway beautification from concept to reality: our DPW and Parks crew, Councilman Rich Rockwell and Freeholder Carlos Pomares have been instrumental in its success.”
“It is inspiring to see young people take an active role in improving their community. We are very fortunate to have a tremendous asset like the Morris Canal Greenway in Bloomfield and it’s great that the Boy Scouts have taken an active role in its creation, implementation and improvements,” said Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Michael Sceurman. “I would encourage all residents to walk along our Canal Greenway, and utilize our mobile app to see all that the Greenway has to offer!”
The informational kiosk commemorates the history of the canal, which was built from 1825 to 1831 to transport Pennsylvania coal to markets in New Jersey and New York. Known as the “Mountain Climbing Canal,” it overcame an elevation change of 1,674 feet over the entire northern part of New Jersey through the use of inclined planes. This feature alone makes the Morris Canal a national engineering marvel. It stretches 102 miles across six counties: Warren, Sussex, Morris, Passaic, Essex and Hudson.