HARRISON – Ron St. John was raised in Harrison, where his father, Richard, was a selectman and his mother, Melissa, spearheaded the drive to get a new playground at Crystal Lake Park in 2000 after Ron was bashed in the head with a dangerous swing when he was 10.

“I had a lump for several weeks,” said St. John, 18, as he looked over at the playground near the Crystal Lake beach next to Route 117 in the village.

This week, the member of Troop 196 in Oxford showed off his own contribution to the park – three recreational sites that he hopes will keep young and old occupied and active throughout the warm season.

The new horseshoe, tether-ball and volleyball courts were part of his Eagle Scout Award project and will be the highlight of his endeavor to complete 21 merit badges and the project by November when he turns 18 and will be eligible to become an Eagle Scout.

St. John said the most important thing he learned through his years in scouting, beginning in third grade as a Wolf scout, was planning, preparation and stepping out of his shell, as he put it – all attributes that were put to the test as he raised money for the project and asked for donations of materials.

The project took almost three years to complete after the first two attempts failed. Finally, Recreation Director Paula Holt suggested construction of the recreational facilities at the Crystal Lake Park beside Route 117 .

“Ron did an outstanding job in a very mature, professional manner,” Holt said Wednesday. “I was very impressed with how he went about it. We’re very proud of him.”

The goal was to build something that would last and to encourage residents and summer visitors to get into healthy activities while being with friends and family, Holt said. “We want them to get out and get moving.”

With permission from Town Manager Mike Thorne and the Board of Selectmen, St. John, who will attend Eastern Maine Community College in the fall to earn a degree in civil engineering, set about making the improvements to Crystal Lake Park.

Despite a downpour, 15 people turned out to help St. John construct his first project – a horseshoe court.

It was about 10 feet longer than intended. “I got my references crossed,” he said laughing as he pointed to the 50-foot tract. The court also has safety wooden barriers behind each metal pole to keep the horseshoes from hitting anyone.

“I don’t want them getting their shins broken,” he said of any overthrown horseshoe.

St. John also built a tetherball court and a beach volleyball court, which necessitated heavy equipment and plenty of sand.

The most impressive part of the project and the one that was the biggest challenge was the beach volleyball court, he said.

“It was very difficult,” said St. John, who spent more than 40 hours planning and working on it including four hours of digging to drop the site 10 feet back.

The project was finally completed with the help of Sam Cousins and the town crew, who provided sand and loam on a Sunday to help grow grass around the volleyball court; the Harrison Youth Boosters; the Lions Club; True Value, who donated to the project; and Dyer Excavation, who also donated sand to fill the volleyball court; Tuomi Electric for the use of its front-end loader; and 151 Boy Scouts of Troop 196.

St. John said he was somewhat concerned about vandalism, something that occurred occasionally several years ago but has been stifled with the help of security measures at the park. However, Holt said the tetherball, netting and horseshoes will be taken in each night and she expects no problems.

“This project was done to benefit the residents of Harrison. I hope they will use and enjoy the new activities this summer,” St. John said.