Eagle Scout Scores A Grand Slam With Batting Cage Project In Newtown

NEWTOWN, PA — A pair of brand new disability-accessible batting cages have opened at Veterans Park in Newtown Township thanks to an ambitious project undertaken by a township Eagle Scout.

As his Eagle Scout project, Mahin Hardaway, an 11th grader at Council Rock High School North, oversaw the planning and construction of the cages, which opened in March.

The more than two year project involved building two baseball/softball batting cages and a walkway to provide patrons with disabilities easy access to the cages.

An Eagle Scout project challenges a scout to apply all the skills and knowledge they have gained throughout their scouting career such as leadership, communication, and organization skills.

Mahin said it was his passion for baseball that inspired him to partner with the Council Rock Newtown Athletic Association (CRNAA), Newtown’s Little League organization, to take on the project.

The new batting cages at Veterans Park in Newtown Township.

After discussing ideas with the CRNAA, he learned that there were no batting cages in the park and only one public batting cage in the entire township. So he decided he wanted to help the town's baseball and softball community by providing a free place to practice batting and pitching along with making the first disability-accessible batting cages in the area.

The project took more than two years of planning, working with the Newtown Township Parks and Recreation Department, approval from the township's Board of Supervisors, fundraising, and construction.

Although Mahin faced many challenges and setbacks over the course of the ambitious project, he completed it through hard work and determination with the support of his family, friends, scouts, scout leaders, and the community.

Mahin expressed gratitude to everyone who donated their time, funds, and materials to make the project a reality: Dumack Engineering, The Green Alliance, SiteOne Landscape Supply, Shady Brook Farms, Briarwood Day Camp, Sureseal, Quikrete, Toll Brothers, Davis Acura, Service First, and Beaudee Lash Bar.

The batting cages are now open at Veterans Park at 357 Durham Road in Newtown behind the red barn and next to the roundabout.

"I'm proud of what we accomplished and I hope that the batting cages will provide a valuable resource for the community for years to come," said Mahin.

(Contributed)