CLARK, NJ — Bienko Park was not a pretty sight.
It was run-down and the exercise equipment was covered in graffiti. The park isn’t one that’s popular such as Oak Ridge Park, but it was being used by residents who lived in the Lexington Village Apartments, where it was near.
Anthony Risoli, 18, is an Eagle Scout who lives in the apartment complex. He’d go to Bienko Park all the time to either walk his dog or to work out. He said, “When I would look around and see the exercise instructions, they weren’t legible. Scratch marks on the pictures, very weathered.”
Risoli thought about what the park meant to him when he was a Boy Scout, working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. He wanted to restore a part of his community. “It’s extremely vital for the apartment complex. It’s a nice little spot for them to enjoy in nature.”
He proposed the idea to Clark Recreation Director Ralph Bernardo and then the Department of Public Works, volunteers and other Scouts took the time to help restore the park last June. The team was composed of 18 Scout volunteers and about 10 adults. They had to get permits and get the whole property scoped out before proceeding. Risoli also had to attend board meetings and ask for fundraisings. There were a lot of donations, according to Risoli’s mom, Tara Novello.
“My project helped create awareness,” said Risoli. “It’s not as prevalent as the other parks, but it’s still very vital. It’s right here in the heart of our town, by the ACME.”
Risoli created a YouTube channel that would help assist people in using the exercise equipment, which they could access via their cell phone. There are also instructions on the sign post, in case someone doesn’t have their phone with them. The DPW had metal benches installed that blended perfectly with the exercise equipment. “It came out very nice,” said Risoli.
He also worked with the head of DPW, Scott McCabe, to get new mulch in the park. “All that new mulch is amazing,” said Risoli. “The project came out beautiful. I was so happy how it turned out.”
Bienko Park is dedicated to Benjamin Bienko, a veteran of World War II.
Risolo’s grandfather, Anthony, brought a blue spruce willow tree to the park and Risolo wanted to incorporate that into the project. “The tree turned out to be exactly what we needed,” he said. “We put it next to the American flag.”
But the flag was also torn. On the day of the park revitalization, everyone participated in a moment of silence as the old flag came down and a new one was put up.
Risolo and his grandfather dedicated the tree to his late grandmother, Susan Novello, known as Nona. “She passed when I was 8 or 9,” he said. “It was tough for me.”
Tara Novello spoke fondly of her mother, who was very close to Risolo. “She was very much in every way a part of what he is now,” she said. “She was a second mother in many ways. She was loving and kind. He’s a teenager but, for the most part, he embodies that. She was instrumental in his Scouting in every way. She was teaching him to be caring. She was 54 when she passed.”
The remembrance tree is not only for Risolo’s Nona, but for anybody who needs remembrance for loved ones. “It’s specific for us,” said Novello. “But for everyone it could be a symbol for their moment of silence.”
Benjamin “Bennie” Bienko, to whom the park is dedicated, was a seaman in World War II, lost at sea during the sinking of the destroyer USS Monssen at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on Nov. 13, 1942. Risolo also has a call to marine life and applied to US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. “My parents were a big part of that,” said Novello. “My dad and mom had a place in Forked River, on the water.”
Photos Courtesy of Tara Novello