Cranberry Nonprofit Unveils Fishing Lake, Monument, as 2011 Community Project

On Wednesday, Cranberry Township's community project for 2011 was unveiled: a fishing lake and monument at built to mark the centennial of scouting in America.

Work already has started on the lake, which for now is just a muddy body of water with a man-made peninsula jutting into its center.

By summer of 2012, it will be a fully stocked lake dedicated to the area’s Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The money for the community project will be raised though a variety of organizations, including the township, the Scouts, and the Cranberry Township Community Chest, an organization that partners with local nonprofit organizations and civic causes to raise funds for projects that benefit the Cranberry community.

Township Supervisor Bruce Mazzoni, who also is treasurer of the Community Chest, estimated the plaza would cost $50,000-$80,000.

He said Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc., an engineering group in Cranberry, donated engineering and design for the project. Dan Storrs, a volunteer with Boy Scouts of America, said has agreed to donate construction materials. Both were hopeful other organizations and businesses would donate their time or service to the project.

Besides the lake, Scouts may use the 3-acre property for group activities, Mazzoni said.

“There are lots of reasons why the Scouts can really get behind this project and be a part of it,” he said.

This is the township's second community project.

In 2010, the Community Chest partnered with The Chamber of Commerce Inc., which serves the North Hills and the Cranberry Area; the Cranberry Rotary Club; and the township government to raise $120,000 for an electronic sign that will advertise community events.

“It worked out so well we decided we would do it again in the future,” Mazzoni said

The state-of-the-art sign at the corner of routes 228 and 19 in front of UPMC Passavant is scheduled to go live on May 9.

As for this year’s project, Storrs said he’s pulling for that area of the park to be called “Scout Fishing Lake.”

The lake’s peninsula will allow people who use wheelchairs to access the middle of the lake for fishing.

“I don’t know of another fishing lake in America that is handicap-accessible,” Storrs said.

The 15-foot-tall monument will be a three-sided structure featuring the different phases of a scout’s life. The first panel of the three-sided memorial will depict a mother holding her young daughter’s hand and a father holding his young son.  The next shows the son becoming a Boy Scout and the daughter a Girl Scout, both saluting the American Flag. The third panel shows the boy and girl as young adults in graduation caps and gowns.  

“You walk around it, and it’s the cycle of life,” Storrs said.

The monument is similar to one overlooking the Sydney Harbor in Australia, Storrs said.

“That is a very dignified monument that we are copying outrageously,” he joked.

To donate to this year’s community project, visit the Community Chest website or email Storrs at cdstorrs@gmail.com.