Roselle to mark Scout Lodge upgrades with ceremony

Roselle Park District officials plan to unveil improvements Aug. 29 to the recently completed Scout Lodge on Pine Street.

The lodge, which was created through a volunteer effort in the 1960s and later donated to the district, remained primarily in its original state until crews began upgrades early this year.

Changes included structural improvements to make the building more accessible to people with disabilities, such as adding larger doors and changing sink and mirror heights in the bathrooms. The lodge also now boasts new flooring, energy-saving lighting and fresh paint both inside and out.

Workers also aimed to retain the lodge’s cabin-style feel with features such as the old paneling and big fireplace.

Although the lodge has been available for use since spring, the official rededication flag-raising will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 29 at 304 E. Pine St. because park officials wanted to finish final touches such as landscaping. Much of the garden work was completed by Girl Scouts and the Roselle Garden Club, while Boy Scouts helped earlier with projects like painting and organizing.

The Scout troops put in the sweat equity in exchange for using the site for meetings and special events.

Although the park district initially budgeted $30,000 for the project, Executive Director Robert Ward said the total price tag came in at $19,000. And this isn’t the only financial bright side for the park district, he added, now that the site is better suited for birthday parties and other special events.

“In the past, it just was not in good repair and, therefore, not a desirable space for rental,” said Ward. “Now people are wanting to rent it for different events, we have some of our day camps and other programming there, and that allows more programs to happen at the Klauss Recreation Center too, which is a boost for revenue. As for the lodge, I’d say we’ve seen about a 40 percent increase in use.”