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  • Boy Scout Leland Ferguson applies primer to a section of the Veterans Park Bandshell Friday morning. Ferguson, 15, will become an Eagle Scout in his final days with Mt. Vernon’s Troop 103 for completing a fresh painting of the structure, a project he organized with Parks Director George Bryant. DEREK BEIGH/REGISTER-NEWS

    Local scout organizes bandshell painting
July 20, 2011

Local scout organizes bandshell painting

By DEREK BEIGH derek.beigh@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — After Leland Ferguson’s ten years as a member of Cub and Boy Scouts in Jefferson County, Troop 103 was happy to give the future Glen Carbon resident an impressive sendoff.

This is probably the biggest project Troop 103 has ever had,” Ferguson said. “I always pictured what (the bandshell) would look like with a nice paint job instead of an old, cheap one, so I decided to do something.”

Ferguson is the leader of the effort to repaint the bandshell at Veterans Park, a two-week project that saw Boy Scouts and Parks personnel working side by side to give the structure a complete makeover. Parks Director George Bryant, who coordinated the project with Ferguson, said he was impressed by the scout’s initative.

“I’m not aware of a project to this extent being done here at the park in the past,” Parks Director George Bryant said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to partner with the scouts to improve the park.”

Ferguson began looking for a civic project in June to help him finish his progression through scouting all the way to Eagle Scout, a distinction awarded to scouts who finish many hours of community service and a host of merit badges.

“The biggest part of becoming an Eagle Scout is the project. That’s the kick in the butt,” he said. “It’s something you organize that helps community, church or school.

Ferguson said he was poised to become an Eagle Scout at 12 — by his account, he would have been the youngest in America — but stalled on the project, to his own peril.

“I had everything except the project done at 12. I decided to drag my feet and be lazy. I wish I would have done it sooner,” Ferguson said. “But really, it’s not about you doing the work, it’s about you controlling it, leading it, doing it properly, planning it. That leadership kicks in later.”

Dylan Glowicki, a 17-year-old scout, said he thought Ferguson was better off waiting.

“The most important part of an Eagle Scout project is displaying leadership, and when you’re 12 you don’t know what that is yet,” Glowicki said. “If you become an Eagle Scout at 13, you have no idea what it represents.”

Glowicki was one of several volunteers joined who joined Ferguson to help with the farewell project, which began July 11 with chipping away the old paint on the shell. The team began applying primer Friday and expects to apply the final coat of yellow paint Thursday.

For Ferguson, the effort was worth it simply to get together with the troop and put a bow on his time scouting in Mt. Vernon.

“It’s been fun; except for the heat, we’ve all had a good time (with the project). Dylan’s my right-hand man, and he’s been here since day one. Without all of them this wouldn’t have been possible,” Ferguson said. “I hope this makes people think of what Boy Scouts does for the community. I’m very satisfied with my time with them, and I think everyone who joins eventually will be satisfied.”

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