Girl Scouts Park Project Unites A Neighborhood
A Girl Scouts park project and a missing gazebo bring together a community in Rahway.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
At a recent Girl Scouts meeting, a group of junior scouts brainstormed ideas for a new project. The girls needed to complete 20 hours of work on a sustainable initiative to earn their Bronze Award and advance in October. With summer winding down and the school year fast approaching, their troop leader encouraged them to act quickly.
Over the next few days, what started as a simple Girl Scouts park project idea took an unexpected turn and ultimately brought the Rahway community closer together.
“A lot of the stuff we do is girl-initiated,” said troop leader Robyn Koenig in a phone interview on Tuesday. “So as they get older, their voice comes out more.”
For their Bronze Award, the scouts chose to beautify and restore Girl Scout Park on Milton Avenue.
One major part of the plan included painting the park’s gazebo. But when they arrived, the gazebo was gone.
Without the gazebo, their project plans were suddenly in flux.
Koenig turned to the neighborhood Facebook group to ask if anyone knew what happened, but no one seemed to have answers.
Undeterred, the troop carried on. This week, the girls built two picnic tables for the park. Equipped with wood planks, tools, and determination, several scouts and adult volunteers gathered on site and got to work.
Scouts Juliet, Madison, and Crystal carry planks and prepare materials for a full day of hands-on work at Girl Scout Park. (Robyn Koenig)
Koenig posted photos of the girls hammering nails and drilling screws. The images spread quickly online and sparked positive reactions from residents.
At the same time, the mystery of the missing gazebo began to unravel. Koenig heard from the city. A municipal official explained that the gazebo had been removed due to safety concerns and would soon be replaced.
“The old structure posed safety concerns, so we replaced it entirely,” Mayor Raymond Giacobbe said in a statement to The Central Jerseyan.
He confirmed that a crew plans to build and paint the new gazebo on Wednesday, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony later that afternoon.
“This ribbon-cutting is not only about celebrating a new gazebo with the Girl Scouts and our residents,” the mayor added, “but also about showing the city’s commitment to being proactive in keeping our parks and municipal buildings safe and vibrant for the community.”
Rahway Girl Scouts rolled up their sleeves to design, haul, drill, and build their own park bench as part of a Bronze Award project that brought the community together. (Robyn Koenig)
It was Mayor Giacobbe who gave Girl Scout Park its name back in 2019, in recognition of a prior restoration project also led by Koenig and her troop. That effort included painting the old gazebo.
“It was really amazing how the community came together,” Koenig said.
For Koenig, the park project represents more than just a community effort. It’s part of a long-running commitment.
Koenig has been involved with the Girl Scouts for more than 15 years. She began volunteering as a troop leader in 2009, when her daughters were scouts. At that time, many of the scouts were from nearby towns.
“I always called it the misfits because we had all the Girl Scouts who couldn’t find a troop elsewhere,” she said.
Now, Rahway is home to six Girl Scouts troops, mostly comprised of local girls. And while they may be smaller than other troops in the region, Koenig said they’ve carved out a strong and lasting presence.
“We have less than 100 girls, but we make it work,” she said.
Their next milestone is just around the corner. The new picnic table still needs to be sanded and stained. Koenig said the scouts also plan to add to the new gazebo as part of their Bronze Award.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new gazebo is tentatively scheduled for 3:00 PM on Wednesday, August 27.
Anyone interested in learning more about the Girl Scouts can visit GSHNJ.org.
Girl Scout Park was named in 2019 by Mayor Giacobbe to honor the troop’s earlier restoration work. (Robyn Koenig)