As the summer of the Silver Award continues, two more Girl Scouts completed their project last week. Like their two peers prior, Ashley Garcia and Kayla Bacher’s project also has to do with animals, but rather than assist an animal shelter they decided to upgrade the pavilion at the Cornwall Bark Park.
“When we came here for the [first] dog park birthday party we noticed how it had just rained the day before and the pavilion was covered with mud making it impossible to walk on without falling,” Bacher said. “We started thinking we should do something to stop that. That’s how we came up with the gutters.”
Garcia said the two had originally planned on planting trees at the park, but after seeing the hazards caused by the mud they realized the gutters were more important.
They started by writing essays and answering questions about the project, and they found a mentor and project advisor. They submitted their paperwork in September 2013, but they had to wait for approval from Scenic Hudson, which oversees the area, and the Cornwall Town Board, which owns the property.
Approval from Scenic Hudson came in July and the Town Board followed suit in August.
“They were excited about it,” Garcia said of both groups. “[Town Supervisor] Randy Clark helps out a lot with the park and he said it was an issue and that this is a good way to solve it.”
As the girls waited for project approval, they began raising money by holding cookie sales, with the assistance of their fellow Scouts, and saving money they earned by doing chores around the house.
“It was work, but I felt good doing it because I knew it was going for a good cause,” said Bacher.
The Scouts were able to raise enough money to purchase the $250 gutters from Lowe’s, which offered a discount on materials.
On Aug. 25, the Scouts employed the help of family to put the gutters together and install them on the two sides of the pavilion running parallel with the dog park. Drain spouts were added at the end to guide the water away from the pavilion.
With the project complete, the town’s Buildings and Grounds Department will be responsible for the gutters and will monitor the site to ensure mud does not flow onto the pavilion floor.
“I think it’s nice to help out our community,” Garcia said. “That’s what we need, more people to step up and make a difference and help.”
