By Khalida Sarwari
When residents and dignitaries gathered on Halloween to “ooh” and “ahh” at the sight of Saratoga’s newest park, few likely realized that five boys in the crowd in particular were instrumental in the park’s opening.
The boys, all members of Saratoga Troop 566, put in dozens of volunteer hours to spruce up Saratoga Quarry Park ahead of its Oct. 31 opening, from clearing brush to planting flowers to building fences. Inspired by a talk to the troop by Mayor Howard Miller earlier this year, the boys each committed to doing their part in restoring the 64-acre park as part of their Eagle Scout service project, an assignment where scouts are asked to demonstrate leadership while performing a project for the benefit of their community.
For his project, 14-year-old Westmont High School freshman Scott McIntyre created a flagstone viewing area in front of a historical tunnel at the park. To do so, he had to first level the terrain to make it safer and then place boulders around the area to prevent erosion. He used base rock and flagstone to finish the job.
“When I first walked into the park, it was a lot more overgrown,” the Saratoga resident said. But in just four months Scott and his fellow volunteers helped create a viewing area in a park that he said he finds “breathtakingly beautiful.”
Fellow Saratoga resident Tim Sireci, 17, built a viewing platform for the water pond and creek at the bottom of the hill next to the parking lot with the objective of keeping visitors from going down an old, hazardous staircase while giving them a view of the creek and water pump below. The six-week venture also included the installment of two benches where visitors can stop and enjoy the scenery.
“It was just really cool to see how different it was from the first day I walked on there to opening day; it was completely different,” Tim said. “It was amazing, the transformation that the park went through.”
At the grand opening ceremony, Tim was in the color guard flag procession, playing the part of announcer. Later, upon hearing speeches by people who have been involved in the project for many years, the Lynbrook High School senior said he couldn’t help but feel proud of his role in helping make those dreams a reality.
Another Lynbrook student, 15-year-old Michael Gloner of Saratoga, helped build a fence around a 70-year-old water tower and developed a picnic area at Quarry Park. The task involved laying down mulch, clearing brush and rebuilding a decorative bridge that crosses a stream.
Michael worked on the project throughout July and August with the help of 30 volunteers. His goal was to showcase the water tower in a safe way, he said.
“It was nice to be helpful,” he said, adding that he’s glad the community has a new park that “not only lets you go out and exercise, but also it’s more of a hiking area so people can enjoy the outdoors and just get away from the bustle of the city.”
Los Gatos resident Lazare Herzi, 17, built a drought-tolerant California native garden at the front of the park. Dubbing his project “very design-oriented,” Lazare noted that he especially enjoyed making the garden flow in terms of color and shape and accentuating the plants that were already there. In the process, the Los Gatos High School senior stumbled upon an old horseshoe and large nails, remnants he believes that appear to have been left over from the park’s past. In the end, he said he was pleased with the final outcome of his project, which took him about two months to complete.
“The most important thing for me–and what surprised me profoundly–was the show of community support,” said Lazare. “Without the help of the community, this thing wouldn’t have even gotten off the ground. I greatly appreciate the support I received.”
Troop 566 chairwoman Joan Holland’s 15-year-old son, Cameron Holland of Saratoga, led a team that built an elaborate boardwalk leading to a platform near one of the park’s tunnels. The scout, who is a sophomore at Lynbrook, built the boardwalk in five days with the help of his team. As part of their project, Cameron’s team also spread wood chips in the picnic area and the city later added a gravel path leading to the boardwalk. Since then, the city has put in a few picnic tables and a bench, according to Joan Holland.
“My friends and I had a picnic there already as it was my birthday last week,” she said.
The boys worked closely with Saratoga’s public works director, John Cherbone. Most of the funding for the scouts’ projects was provided by the city. Troop 566’s scoutmaster is David Okumura.
