LYNNFIELD — Like many things over the past year, most local Boy Scouts programs came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, five members of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 48 — Cole Trainor, Jacob MacPherson, Lucas Williams, Paul Wehle and Michael Madden — all managed to move ahead on the trail to Eagle, completing their Eagle Scout projects in spite of unique challenges presented by the pandemic.
“They have interesting stories. One of the young men had to get an extension because he was going to bump up against his 18th birthday — which is the deadline — but, because of the pandemic, the national office approved an extension,” said Gordon Forrest, assistant scoutmaster for BSA Troop 48. “He was working with the town government, and obviously in Lynnfield the town government shut down as well, so it was kind of hard to communicate the issues with the town.”
Cole Trainor’s Eagle Scout service project was to develop, fund and install a new entryway sign and landscaping concept for St. Joseph’s Church on Union Street in Lynn, Forrest said. Cole, a senior at Lynnfield High School who will attend Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the fall, led a team that raised over $4,000 to develop the new church entrance.
For Jacob MacPherson’s project, the Lynnfield High School junior created a comprehensive survey of trees in the town common and surrounding areas, including identification, condition and geographical information system (GIS) data. Forrest said this information will be used by the Town of Lynnfield to plan for future tree restoration and planting programs.
Lucas Williams, also a junior at Lynnfield High School, wanted his project to benefit the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) in Methuen. As winter approached last year, his team built 15 feral cat houses that the MSPCA provides to local communities.
Paul Wehle worked with Lynnfield’s Conservation Commission to plan and deliver improvements to the town’s Partridge Island Trail. A new trail gateway sign was created and installed, and trail maintenance was performed on this popular recreational path. Wehle, a senior at St. John’s Prep, plans to attend the University of Rochester in the fall.
A Lynnfield High School senior, Michael Madden developed a project in conjunction with the Lynnfield High School Athletic Department, the town’s Conservation Commission, and the Department of Public Works.
As part of his project, a new public access walking and jogging path was developed in the town-owned Pine Hill Lot off of Durham Drive. His goal was to provide an off-road training course for the high school cross-country team, as well as recreational opportunities on this previously-unused lot. Michael will attend the University of Massachusetts – Amherst in the fall.
“Despite the pandemic, we’ve had (five) scouts who earned the rank of Eagle during 2020 into 2021,” Forrest said. “I think that’s pretty impressive.”
BSA Troop 48 is chartered to the Centre Congregational Church in Lynnfield and has graduated a total of 134 Eagle Scouts in its 68-year history.
