Administrators Recognized For Contributions To Lawrence Hopewell Trail

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ — Community leaders, government officials and friends and family of Lawrence Township’s recently retired administrator, Rich Krawczun, and soon to retire Hopewell Township Administrator and Engineer Paul Pogorzelski recently accepted this year’s LHT Trailblazer Awards from the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Board of Trustees.

Krawczun and Pogorzelski were recognized for their leadership abilities, their commitment to their communities and their many years of support for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. They were recognized during a celebration at the D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center.

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail is a biking and walking trail that loops through Lawrence and Hopewell Townships, anchored by four Bristol-Myers Squibb campuses, Educational Testing Service and Mercer Meadows.

“The LHT benefitted from Rich Krawczun’s knowledge of the community, finance, government relations, and construction, as well as his superb problem solving skills,” LHT Co-President Eleanor V. Horne said.

She noted that most of the trail segments in Lawrence were completed during his tenure. LHT Co-President Becky Taylor praised Pogorzelski’s ability to capture the bird’s eye view of the terrain in Hopewell Township in the days before Google Maps’ aerial views were available. She said this was due to his passion for flying.

“Because of Paul’s avocation, we were able to establish the LHT route using a perspective that otherwise wouldn’t have been available to us,” Taylor said.

In fact, the caricature created by cartoonist Mike Scott – a signature of the LHT Trailblazer Awards – features Pogorzelski grinning wildly while flying in his Cessna. Krawczun is featured relaxing in a chair along the trail, thinking about his new life near the beaches of Florida, where he has lived since his retirement.

The LHT Board of Trustees created the LHT Trailblazer Awards to recognize organizations or individuals providing extraordinary support over three or more years. The nominee’s support can take the form of leadership, professional expertise, financial contributions, or advocacy without which the trail would not exist or would not exist in a manner that is consistent with the board’s vision.

Nineteen miles of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail’s planned 22-plus mile bicycle and pedestrian trail and transportation corridor through Lawrence and Hopewell townships in Mercer County - or 88 percent of the trail – are now complete.

The attached images were provided by the Lawrence Hopewell Trail:

Attached image: Lawrence Hopewell Trail Board of Trustees members join with this year's LHT Trailblazer Award winners, retiredLawrence Township Administrator Richard Krawczun and Hopewell Township Administrator and Engineer Paul Pogorzelski. From left, first row, are Mark Solomon, Jill Young, Lindsey Bohra, Administrator Krawczun, Eleanor Horne, Becky Taylor, Administrator Pogorzelski, Alan Hershey and Leslie Floyd. Second row, from left, Peter Kremer and Jay Watson. Photo by Jim Connolly.

Above image: Retired Lawrence Township Administrator Richard Krawczun, left, and Hopewell Township Administrator and Engineer Paul Pogorzelski chuckle over the caricatures the Lawrence Hopewell Trail presented them as part of their awards as the 2017 LHT Trailblazers. Photo by Jim Connolly.

Above image: Richard Krawczun, Lawrence Township Manager (retired). Caricature by: Mike Scott

Above image: Paul Pogorzelski, Hopewell Township Administrator/Engineer. Caricature by: Mike Scott