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Marck Barahona Eagle Scout Project
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My Eagle Scout project had two main objectives: first, the demolition by the Scouts, leaders, and other supporting adults of Annandale's Troop 1146 of an old kiosk that was no longer very useful in achieving its purpose; and second, the construction of a new kiosk at the same location. Kiosks, which are popular in Fairfax County parks, are thick, column-like structures that allow the county, community organizations, and individuals to post advertisements of important events and issues of local concern. The kiosk I chose was one of two located about 200 yards from the Braddock Road entrance into Wakefield Park. It was located to the left of the access road leading to the Audrey Moore Recreation Center. The other kiosk, which was located even closer to Braddock Road, was still in excellent condition and became a model for how we would build the new one.
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Old kiosk was badly deteriorated.
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The replacement rises.
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I chose this project because successfully completing it would bring an immediate improvement to something important in the park. The new structure would be located right next to a park building used for meetings, classes, and other activities. Many citizens of the community could possibly see the kiosk and the notices within it. The information it contained could be of value to them. I also chose the project because of the excellent carpentry and construction skills of a select group of adults who are members of the church that charters Troop 1146, Varsity Team 1146, and Venturing Crew 1146. Still another reason I chose this project is that it would provide me with the opportunity to make a positive difference with something that affects me and my family directly. My home on the North Springfield side of Braddock Road is less than two miles from the project site.
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The work on my project involved two days. We had originally planned to begin the work on Thursday, February 13, but a massive snowstorm made this impossible. Exactly one week later, most of the snow had melted and the high temperature was more than 50 degrees that day. We were lucky that the previous week had brought a gradual warming trend. On the afternoon of February 20, six adults and two scouts gathered at the site to prepare it for the reconstruction effort that would occur two days later. We demolished the old kiosk with a huge metal bar and also a piece of wood. We then chopped it up into small pieces and loaded the pieces into a truck for proper disposal. We then used regular round shovels to deepen the two holes, preparing them also for cement. Since we needed water to mix the cement, we were presented with a problem since all of the area water had been turned off for the winter. It was necessary to ask the recreation center to allow us use of the water there. We poured the dry concrete into the holes and, little by little, added water while mixing it to get it to the correct concentration. Once the cement was ready, we installed the new poles into the holes. It was necessary to hold the poles in place for several minutes in order to keep them standing in total alignment. We then packed up, leaving behind the two new poles solidly in place with an opportunity to solidify and stabilize even more over the next 36 hours. At about the time it was it was becoming dark, I provided pizza and sodas to the group as a thank you for the progress that had been made.
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The crew of volunteers at work.
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Raising the roof.
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Two days later, after we had finishing picking up the remainder of the materials and had put together all of the necessary tools and supplies, we met again at the project site at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 22. The group this time consisted of four scouts and six adults. The adults began cutting the wood according to the proper measurements and we added the necessary additional wooden horizontal pieces to the poles, making it appear similar to the model kiosk on the other side of the parking lot. The adults showed us how to both drill and hammer the nails correctly. The structure itself was complete by about 12:30 but still lacked the addition of the Lexan Plexiglass (polycarbonate) cover and the shingles. A member of our Chartered Organization brought a roast chicken lunch to us from a fundraising activity, a "pollada" in Spanish. The pollada was being held for a worthy and needy cause at a home of one of our church members nearby. It felt good to be able to indirectly help someone else with a need totally unrelated to my project while we were working.
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After lunch we drilled and hammered a few more nails, laid shingles to the roof, and cleaned up around the foundation. We ran out of the shingles and found it necessary to send two of our adults to buy one more package of them at The Home Depot. At approximately 2:45 p.m., the adult who provided the greatest amount of technical skill and professionalism to my project had another obligation to attend to. After helping us the entire day and also on Thursday, he said he must leave but would return in one hour. I think he expected that we might be able to finish laying the shingles but none of my volunteers had the confidence to proceed without him. We waited until he returned at about 4:00 and then finished up the shingles and installation of the Lexan covers in less than 45 minutes.
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The finished product is looking good.
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Proud volunteers display the fruit of their labor.
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After almost eight hours of Saturday work on the kiosk, the structure stood firmly in the ground and it was enjoyable to look at. I thanked all of the volunteers for their willingness to share their knowledge, experience, and strength that made completion of the project possible. Our Chartered Organization Representative told me that the project was a miracle because the weather on February 22 was probably the most pleasant and the warmest we'd had in the area in about two months.
I hope the new kiosk will be a lasting positive addition to the park, the immediate area. I also hope it will be helpful to Friends of Accotink Creek and the Fairfax County Park Authority.
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