Fairfield – Andrew Carter, an Eagle Scout from Lancaster Boy Scout Troop 165, built a wheelchair-accessible bridge at Alley Park in Lancaster, Ohio. This is the first trail of its kind at Alley Park and it will make nature education and exploration accessible to people of any ability. This walkway will provide new opportunities for park visitors to get under the canopy of the trees, enjoy the unique view of Lake Loretta created by the bridge, and experience nature like never before at Alley Park. This walkway connects to a multi-sensory nature education trail being installed by a Girl Scout as a separate project.
This project took Andrew two years of planning, six months of construction, and over 1500 volunteer hours from 25 volunteers. Project cost is estimated at $75,000. Andrew raised over $10,000 from service organizations including VFW, American Legion, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis and Rotary, a grant from South Central Power Foundation, and from friends and family. The remainder of the project budget was donated in-kind from construction companies, suppliers, and skilled individuals. This project was made possible through the generous support of equipment from Columbus Equipment Company, materials from The Shelly Company and Igel Construction, paving by AJ Asphalt, engineering by Sands Decker Surveyors and Engineers, and countless hours from volunteer equipment operators.
The Eagle project is an opportunity for a Scout to demonstrate leadership while completing a project to benefit the community. Carter shared, “The most rewarding part of being the leader was seeing the project from start to finish. This project will be a large milestone in my high school career and one I will carry with me the rest of my life.”
The skills are so demanding and the challenges so great, that only six percent of Scouts attain the rank of Eagle. Andrew is the son of Joe and Shannon Carter of Carroll, Ohio and recently celebrated achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor held at Alley Park Lodge. The ceremony was attended by special guests including Lancaster Mayor Don McDaniel, Fairfield County Commissioners Steve Davis and Dave Levacy, Ohio Representative Kevin D. Miller, and Ohio Senator Tim Schaffer. For all their help and volunteer hours on his Eagle Project, Andrew recognized three project mentors: Noah Akers, Alley Park Caretaker; Bill Catte of Catz Excavating, Inc.; and Jerrod George of Igel Construction.
To learn more about this project, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/eagleprojectalleypark
