A SCOUT’S HONOR at Mill Creek Park

Eagle Scout Service Project

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Jordan Vigorito,a memberTroop 40 Girard, at work on his Eagle service project at the Lily pond in Mill Creek Park

By ASHLEY LUTHERN

Girard teen vows to improve ‘eyesore’ area of Lily Pond

1Vigorito, 16, of Girard, began working on his Eagle Scout project at the Lily Pond in Mill Creek Park two weeks ago. He plans to revamp a section of the trail surrounding the pond by fixing exposed drainage pipes and spreading pea gravel on the surface.

“I have been at Mill Creek Park a majority of my life, and I’ve really grown up here,” Vigorito said, adding that his mother has been a naturalist at the park’s Ford Nature Center for 12 years.

As a park volunteer and a Boy Scout since age 7, Vigorito said he knew of several locations within the park that needed improvements, but he decided to work on the trail around the pond after a comment someone made.

“Originally, I wanted to repair a trail that leads to the Lily Pond, but then someone said why would you want to lead people to an eyesore?” Vigorito said. “And I thought, well yeah, I guess it is an eyesore in its current state.”

Hillside soil has eroded down to the trail, and at some points along the path, the water level is even with the path.

“It’s one of the most-visited areas in the park, and due to the number of people and the erosion, the trail’s become awfully rough,” said Tom Brusco, Mill Creek Metroparks director.

During an Eagle Scout project, the Scout is expected to demonstrate leadership skills while executing a project that will benefit his community. All the work on the project must be completed before the Scout’s 18th birthday, Vigorito said.

“I’m hoping to have this completed by the end of summer,” he said. “It’s a warm-weather project, and we’re going to be getting in the pond and getting dirty.”

Nationally, only about 2 percent of the boys who enter the Boy Scouts of America will achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, said Jack Irgang, who is a Merit Badge Counselor in Boy Scout Troop 40 in Girard and project mentor to Vigorito.

“It’s to be admired that he’s working toward the rank of Eagle Scout, especially when the project’s not easy and takes a lot of time and work,” Irgang said.

In addition to the physical effort of building the trail, Vigorito has had to secure volunteers and materials to complete the project.

“The pea gravel was donated, and we’re going to go into the pond and pull out the stones that have fallen in and use them to rebuild the retaining wall,” Vigorito said. “The park is paying for the replacement of a cracked drainage pipe, but all the other pipes will be reused.

This is not the first time a Boy Scout has chosen to better the community by improving Mill Creek Park.

“We have had a number of very successful Eagle Scout projects, from the picnic tables at Morley Pavilion to a brand new trail that was created at the Metroparks farm,” Brusco said. “The Scouts have a strong reputation for doing quality projects here.”

Vigorito hopes that his work will inspire other Boy Scouts to continue doing projects at the park.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the project can contact Vigorito through the Ford Nature Center at (330) 740-7107.