Scouts contribute to revitalization/beautification efforts to earn Eagle Awards
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EAST LIVERPOOL - East Liverpool High School students and Troop 2012 Scouts Logan Cornell, 15, and Shawn Conrad, 16, worked to earn their Eagle Scout Award by helping with the ongoing revitalization and beautification efforts in downtown East Liverpool.
Logan and Shawn, who have worked their way up through the scouting ranks together since grade school when they joined Cub Scouts, spent a weekend in July working downtown to remove the storm grates across the city, clean them out and place weed barriers down before replacing the grates.
Logan said his originally planned project was to clean out the school's auditorium, specifically backstage and under the stage, but changed his plans when his Scout Master Mike McGowan came to him and Shawn and said that the East Liverpool Beautification Society reached out to their troop asking if any scouts needed a project who would be willing to remove the trash and leaves from the grates.
"He asked us and we both agreed it would be better to do that because it's a good project that gives back to the community," Logan said.
Shawn said he felt it would be a good project because of the overgrowth potential in damaging the concrete around the grates.
The duo divided up the days and the streets with Logan working on a Saturday focusing on Market Street, Fifth Street and some of the side streets, and Shawn took charge on Sunday focusing on Sixth Street and the remaining side streets. The two also solicited donations from downtown businesses to raise funds to purchase materials such as the weed barrier.
"This being my Eagle project, I feel very accomplished in completing my Eagle project, but I also feel very glad that I had the opportunity to help the city and be able to help the community," Logan said. "I'm proud of myself and of Shawn for being able to clean out all the grates and work to improve our city."
Shawn said the completion of the project left him feeling good and like he had given something back and that he hopes it sets an example for others to get out and help. He also said he is proud of himself and Logan for doing it and the work was hard and the grates were heavy, but they help in lifting them.
Logan said they took trash, overgrowth and dirt that could be hazardous or harmful to the health of the trees that are growing in the areas they cleaned out and it was also helpful in them being able to get rid of overgrowth that could push up the concrete and damage the sidewalks.
Shawn noted that the project lends itself to the leave no trace motto they learn throughout their scouting journey, by getting rid of the trash and leaving the area with a nicer cleaner look.
Shawn also said he feels he made a major contribution to the community with the completion of the project.
"It was pretty helpful for the environment," Logan said.
The two were assisted in the project by Clean Up East Liverpool and other community volunteers.
Logan and Shawn are currently waiting for their project to go before the review committee to give their final approval before being awarded their Eagle Scout Award.
Even though both boys will reach the highest level of Scouting when they receive their Eagle Award, they both intend to continue with Scouting until they age out at the age of 18 and mentor younger scouts and they both expressed a possible interest in continuing with a leadership role after that.
"I'm very proud of both of them," Logan's mother, Courtney Cornell, said. "They have been together since they were [5 or 6 years old] or something like that. To see how far they have come and all the hard work they put in and see them coming out of their shells a lot more, it's been great to see."
"I'm just proud that they finally got there; it's been a long road trying to prepare them for this and they did it," Shawn's mother Billie Conrad said. "I'm just proud of both of them."
East Liverpool Mayor Bobby Smith in his report during the July East Liverpool City Council meeting spoke on the project completed by the Scouts and how much he appreciated their willingness to take on the project.
Scouts who are seeking ideas for community service projects or projects to work on to earn their Eagle Scout Award can contact the East Liverpool Beautification Society through East Liverpool City Hall by sending an email to ssda@eastliverpool.com and it will be forwarded on to the East Liverpool Beautification Society.