LYNNFIELD — Last Wednesday, 17-year-old Lynnfield resident Dan West held a fundraiser at Kelly’s Roast Beef in Saugus to raise funds for his Eagle Scout service project.
West is looking to construct a footbridge and mark the trails at the Bow Ridge and Kallenberg Quarry areas of the town’s conservation land. His family hopes that his Eagle Scout rank will follow shortly, thus continuing the West family tradition.
A community project is one of the last things a scout must do to attain their Eagle Scout rank, said West’s mother, Lauren. Those who aspire to get this position must also earn a total of 21 merit badges and have held leadership positions in their troops.
In 2019, only 8 percent of all Boy Scouts of America (BSA) achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, according to the official website for the Boy Scouts of America.
“An Eagle Scout is the very pinnacle — the very top rank within the scout organization,” said Lauren. “That’s the one they work towards for many years.”
West said that he decided to do this project because he hiked a lot in that area with his father, who also got his Eagle Scout rank as a young man.
“I joined the scouts 10 years back,” said West. “I think it was because my family members did it, and it seemed fun.”
He said that for him there are “a lot of funny moments and a lot of fun times.”
His project’s primary beneficiary is the Lynnfield Conservation Commission because they own the Bow Ridge and Kallenberg Quarry areas, where West will be marking the trails. West proposed the project to them and they gave approval for this work.
“The first part of the project will be cleaning and marking the trails,” said Lauren. She explained that a lot of hiking trails there don’t have markers, and that’s why people get lost.
After marking the trails, West will be mapping them; the map will be available online through the Lynnfield Conservation Commission’s website.
Building a bridge on the trail from the entrance near Lynnbrook Road is the second part of the proposed project. The footbridge will be built in the Bow Ridge section.
“There is a part that is very wet,” said Lauren. “Over the years, people have tried to put down scrap wood to cross that area, but it is not very safe.”
The bridge is going to be 15-feet long. West said he searched for designs online. To get funds to buy the materials necessary for the project, he organized a fundraiser within the local community.
Lauren said her son is responsible for buying the materials, trail markers and lumber needed for the project, which Dan estimates will cost about $1,000. Lauren said the fundraiser was a success, with Dan adding that more than 75 people came to the dinner.
And some of those who couldn’t make the fundraiser, sent money to support his project, said Lauren.
The work will start in April and it should take about two days to build the bridge and approximately 40-60 hours to mark the trails, West estimates.
Building a team for the project is another great part of the endeavor. West will not do all the work himself, Lauren said. He, instead, will organize the work days for the other scouts from his Troop 48 to come and help. The work crews will also include friends, family and community members.
“Dan will be the leader,” said Lauren, adding that the point is to build leadership skills.
Through this project, West will be able to continue his family tradition. Both his father and his older sibling are Eagle Scouts and both of his uncles from paternal and maternal sides are Eagle Scouts too.
“It’s an important milestone in life,” said Dan West.
