Sometimes when a Boy Scout presents his Eagle project, the first, or even the second attempt, doesn’t make it off the drawing board. Such was the experience of Brendan Gonyo who is seeking to attain the highest rank in scouts.
Over the last two weekends, Gonyo and his crew of volunteers have been sprucing up the exterior of the American Legion cabin, but it wasn’t the only project he had proposed.
One idea entailed visiting area gravesites to find the names of the deceased who received the Purple Heart during their military career. His intention was to make sure the names were included on the Purple Heart Hall of Honor’s database.
The second idea also involved the cabin and entailed painting the exterior and some beautification work on a much smaller scale. The Legion already had someone lined up to paint the building.
Even Gonyo’s final offering required some revision. The final project included the extension of the patio, surrounding the flag pole, to the parking lot. This meant adding about 18 feet to the walkway. The mulch around the patio was expanded and deer resistant plants were included on the sides. Grass seed was laid on both sides of the walkway. Two benches were donated by local veteran groups in honor of the fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mulch was also added to the front of the Legion building, with four sets of grasses added between the existing plants.
After removing some options from the project, Gonyo presented the final version to his scout master, the American Legion, the Cornwall Town Board, and the Boy Scouts local council.
Other challenges Gonyo faced were working out a schedule with the volunteers – his fellow scouts and members of the Cornwall High School National Honor Society – and following up with potential donors for materials needed to complete the project.
Donations came from Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Devitt’s, as well as Terra Firma Landscape. Whatever supplies weren’t donated Gonyo was able to obtain through the $300 budget provided by the American Legion.
“I think it looks a lot better with the additions,” Gonyo said of the project. “ I was happy to help out the Legion.”
