Scout to attain Eagle rank

MARLBORO — A year after his efforts rehabilitated a pavilion at the YMCA of Western Monmouth County, Freehold Township, Evan Katzen will receive the honor of becoming an Eagle Scout.

Evan, a resident of the Morganville section of Marlboro, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 331 of Holmdel. The Eagle Board of Review has deemed his efforts complete and Evan will receive his Eagle Scout honor on Oct. 19 in Holmdel.

During two weekends in October 2007, Evan and 64 volunteers refurbished the summer pavilion at the YMCA's headquarters on East Freehold Road, Freehold Township.

The original structure was deteriorating so it was an opportunity for Evan to plan and perform a project that benefits members of the community who use the YMCA pool or the children who attend summer camp. The volunteers helped scrape away the old paint, sanded floors, applied a coat of fresh paint to rails, posts, rafters, joists and flooring, removed and replaced rotting steps with composite steps for easier maintenance, replaced a portion of the rain gutter system that was causing water damage, caulked areas of the roof that were leaking, reinforced a safety fence, installed new PVC lattice fencing, performed landscaping with new top soil, and planted mums.

The planning and completion of the project took 420 hours. The volunteers who helped Evan included friends, relations, Boy Scouts and adult leaders from Troop 331, Girl Scout Troop 1944, and students from the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Sandy Hook.

In order to complete the project Evan held a car wash fundraiser at Applebee's in Manalapan. There were many types of donations made to the project, including materials, supplies, water, lunch meals or discounts on items that had to be purchased. The value of materials and services donated was $1,566. The amount spent on the project was $912.