Completes his project in eight months
On the road to earning his Eagle Scout Badge last month, Ryan Kilgore faced a couple of minor complications, but that didn’t deter him from reaching his final destination.
The first setback the Cornwall High School junior faced was the nature of the project itself.
Originally he wanted to improve the area around a monument in Salisbury Mills, but when he went to investigate the site, he learned someone else had already beaten him to it. During a service day at Lake Frederick, located in Highland Mills and maintained by West Point, Kilgore spoke to one of the beneficiaries and inquired about any projects they were looking to complete.
It was suggested he construct a kiosk to house a map and other property information vital to hikers and other visitors.
Kilgore set to work in late August/early September and had his project approved by the Boy Scout Council in late September. The project remained unchanged from how it was presented, but the council members did suggest if pressure treated wood is used to apply a weather protective coating.
Getting to work quickly, Kilgore and his volunteers poured cement before it got too cold. While the cement set, the plan was to use the time to obtain all the materials needed to complete the project. This is where Kilgore faced his second obstacle.
Having obtained approval from West Point’s Department of Events, materials were originally supposed to be procured from the government, but in December, Kilgore received word the Pentagon was not spending money on non-essential items, including his project.
To raise money, Kilgore went around asking for donations.
“I do have to commend the community for funding my project,” he said. “If they didn’t, it would have taken a lot longer.”
Kilgore was successfully able to raise $754 and ended up having more than what he needed. The extra funds were donated to the beneficiary to use on future projects.
From hereafter, the project went fairly smoothly and was completed by the end of May. The one-sided kiosk took about 10 hours to construct and measures about eight to nine feet in height and six or seven feet wide. Rather than use pressure treated wood, Kilgore purchased different cuts of lumber from a hardware store, so it didn’t need to be treated.
To spruce up the site, a couple of bushes were planted on either side of the kiosk. Not wanting to plant trees which would grow and obstruct the information booth, Kilgore chose shrubs which would mature and form a cylindrical shape.
“It was a good experience all around,” Kilgore said. “In Scouting you don’t get the opportunity to put together all the things you learned about leadership and that’s a big reason we do a project like this. I’ve planned Scouting events, but never the complete planning and execution of a big event. Usually with Scouting events you have adult leaders and other Scouts bouncing ideas off of you. The Eagle Scout project is the test to see if, by yourself, you can plan and execute a project.”
There were times when Kilgore thought he wouldn’t attain the rank of Eagle, but with support from others he was able to put in the effort and achieve his goal. Kilgore officially received his Eagle during a ceremony on Sept. 26.
Looking ahead, Kilgore said he’d like to be an assistant Scout master or even lead a troop one day. He said he’d like to stay involved in the meantime, considering where he ends up going to college and his future profession.
