Friday, September 14, 2012

Boy Scouts of Troop 76 to the Rescue

Senior Boy Scouts, as a requirement to earn their Eagle Scout rank, must design, fund, and execute a project that benefits the community. HPV has been the lucky benefactor of several Boy Scout projects this past year.

In December 2008, Waikele Stream overflowed its banks and flooded the parking lot of Waipahu Cultural Garden Park. After the waters had receded, we found that the foundation underneath the railroad tracks had been severly eroded. Boy Scout Jayme undertook a project to repair the damage and rebuild the foundation. On October 2nd, Jayme and his fellow scouts and parents from Troop 76 worked most of the day to restore the foundation. As can be seen in the picture to the left, they used gravel to fill gaps under and around the tracks, and also replaced and remounted the ties. Not only are the tracks more attractive but are also safer for the school children when they walk the tracks. Many thanks to Jayme for thinking about HPV!

Boy Scout Vien had noticed during our annual Bon Dance that our picnic tables had been neglected and were in need of repair. His Eagle project proposed repairing and repainting all of the picnic tables and benches. As he writes, “I will restore these picnic tables for everybody to enjoy the outdoor environment and have a meaningful experience throughout their visit at this historical place.”

In mid-October, Vien and some parents and Scouts from Troop 76, removed the rotting wood from the picnic tables and benches, replaced it with all new wood, and repainted everything. Some of the Scouts even stenciled designs onto the picnic tables to make the area a more pleasant place to sit and rest comfortably.
Thanks to Vien, schools and the general public now have a safer, more comfortble place to enjoy the park and its surroundings.

Hawaii’s Plantation Village would like to thank the Scouts and parents of Troop 76, and welcome any Boy or Girl Scouts looking for community service projects to contact us at 677-0110.