Upper Freehold workers earn honors from county Employees, volunteers commended for work on Byron Johnson Park BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - John Swanekamp said he was "flabbergasted" at receiving the Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners Volunteer Service Award. The award was presented to him April 30 during the board's 38th annual awards dinner at the Sheraton Hotel in Eatontown. Ron Gafgen, Upper Freehold's construction official and liaison to parks and recreation, nominated Swanekamp for the award. Swanekamp is president of the Friends of Upper Freehold, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for the development and maintenance of township recreational facilities. He has been involved in local recreation since 1988, before the township had its own recreation programs and Allentown ran such programs for the township. The Swanekamp children are now grown, but when they participated in township recreational activities, Swanekamp served as a soccer coach while his wife, Diane, was a team mom. Swanekamp serves as secretary for the township's Recreation Commission. His family also helps plan the township's annual Community Day. At the May 3 Township Committee meeting, Mayor Stephen Fleischacker said that Swanekamp and his wife have provided tremendous services to Byron Johnson Park. He said the public does not realize that most of the plantings in the township park came from the Swanekamps, who own Kube-Park, a wholesale greenhouse. Several years ago, the township received an award from Monmouth County for the development of Byron Johnson Park. This year, the township received the Ross W. Maghan Award from Monmouth County for its "exemplary maintenance" of the facility. Deputy Mayor William Miscoski accepted the most recent award during the same dinner in which Swanekamp was honored. Miscoski noted the work Department of Public Works (DPW) employees do to maintain the park and commended foreman Gary Fullaway, Paul Runge and Eugene Swearingen. Because DPW employees could not attend the dinner due to having to work during the township's annual cleanup days, Fleischacker said they will be honored at the May 17 Township Committee meeting. Fleischacker said the award is a "credit to those gentlemen who work hard to keep the park maintained." Fleischacker said Byron Johnson Park is overused but is kept in excellent condition for kids to play in. For more information about the Friends of Upper Freehold, call Gail at the municipal building at (609) 758-7738, ext 212.