Submitted photo Salem High School senior Reed Minto, 18, stands next to one of three map signs he designed and installed at Waterworth Memorial Park to earn his Eagle Scout rank. He’s a member of Troop 6 BSA at St. Paul Church.

SALEM — Visitors to Waterworth Memorial Park now have a large, colorful map to guide them to all the attractions.

Designed by Salem High School senior Reed Minto to earn his Eagle Scout rank, the signs were installed recently near the three entrances to the park. One is located near the duck pond off of South School Street, one is near the creek near the band shell off of Sunset and one is located next to the flag pole off of Superior.

“I thought it would be cool to make an impact on a park I’ve lived so close to all my life,” Reed said.

The 18-year-old son of Chris and Susan Minto is a member of Troop 6 BSA at St. Paul Church. When he was trying to think of what to do for his Eagle Scout project, the idea of drawing a map for the park came up and really fit with his art hobbies, which include painting and drawing.

He started designing the map in February with help from his father, who’s a professional graphic designer for McKinney’s Furniture in Calcutta. Reed wanted to feature some of the most important parts of the park, including the duck pond, the ball fields, the dog park, band shell, basketball courts, tennis courts, playgrounds, pollinator garden, nature trail and outdoor gym.

He also included the restrooms, the horseshoe pit, parking lots, pavilions and the wheelchair swing designed by his fellow Eagle Scout Sam Murray.

The map even shows the new Rotary Family Sports Area, which remains under construction in the park, and the Salem Community Center and CenterPlex. Each ball field is noted by its name, such as Headland Field or Metts Field, which will help visitors coming from out of town for games. The flag and flag pole are featured prominently, too.

“We wanted to be as detailed and accurate as we could,” Reed said, while also making the map easy to understand.

Each map includes a “you are here” spot coordinated to the sign’s location and also includes his name, the year, the Troop 6 emblem, the city website address and how to access information on the city parks and recreation department.

The map was printed out on aluminum sheets by Campbell Signs of East Liverpool. Reed was thankful for their quick turnaround time to help him reach his deadline. The sheets were mounted to wooden frames built by Reed and his helpers, then attached to posts which were placed in the ground on March 6. He received help from family members and his fellow Troop 6 scouts and scout leaders.

He also relied on both monetary donations from individuals and businesses and donations of materials from businesses to cover the $1,155 cost. He was grateful for all donations, noting that Butech donated the wood, Eichler Construction of Salem dug the holes for the posts and donated gravel, McKinney Furniture helped with transportation and delivery of the signs, True Value of Salem donated stain for the wood and paint brushes, and Berdine’s Outdoor Services of Salem made a monetary donation.

Reed thanked the parks department for allowing him to do the project at Waterworth Memorial Park.

“I think he did an excellent job. I think the signs will be a nice addition to the parks. I’m so proud,” his mom Susan said.

She’s hopeful that the signs will help people not familiar with the park to find out all the features the park has to offer. She also commented on how great a job the parks department does in caring for all the parks.

Reed’s dad was a scout and his mom serves as a scout leader for the troop. She said the files for the maps are going to be provided to the parks department or another entity to have them printed and available at the Salem Community Center and other locations.

“Thank you so much for this project. I think it came out wonderful, really nice. They just look great,” Salem Parks Director Shane Franks said.

He introduced Reed and his mom to the Parks Commission at the start of their meeting Wednesday. Commission members also praised the project. Franks said Troop 6 has been so good to the parks department and they owe all the scouts their thanks. Reed thanked the commission for the opportunity.

mgreier@salemnews.net