Eagle Scout Constructs Benches In Belvedere Park

Eric Heisch, a senior at Broadneck High School and member of Boy Scout Troop 382, was taking a walk around his community in search of an Eagle Scout project idea when he noticed that Belvedere Park lacked a place to sit. Thanks to Heisch’s hard work, the park now has two newly built benches.

“I actually live really close to Belvedere, so this is like my community park,” Heisch said. “So I figured that by building actual park benches, that would really improve my community.”

Heisch noted that while the park had a paved trail and sports fields, it did not have a seating area.

However, before Heisch could begin building, he had to plan his course of action, get approval from scoutmasters, and acquire the materials and tools needed to create the benches.

“I had to go through blueprints and rough drafts, and I had to fix the blueprints,” said Heisch, who added that it took a long time to plan the benches, so it was a relief when the time came to build them.

Scouts and adults gathered at Belvedere Park in November to assist Heisch in building the benches, but the construction didn’t come without its fair share of challenges as well. Heisch said that he faced the difficulties of managing a large group and ensuring his project would be completed before his 18th birthday when he would age out of the troop.

“That was the weekend I was able to do it, so I had to make sure this project was completed,” Heisch said. “I had to make sure that everything moved smoothly, that the project happened, because if I didn't complete it in time, I probably wouldn't have a second chance.”

Thanks to the help of volunteers, Heisch was able to overcome these challenges and left the park that day having built two benches.

“I had a lot of great guys who were willing to do the work … it really just helped the project move really smoothly,” Heisch said.

While the benches have only been at the park for just over a month, the impact they’ve had on the community has been noticeable.

“Park benches are a pretty basic project, but they do help a lot with the community,” Heisch said. “Elderly can have a place to sit … people can watch the games, they can watch their kids.”

Heisch added that several members of the nearby community have reached out to him and his family to tell him how great the benches are.

“It's not just a project that will go off and sit there, but they're kind of impacting people already and just making the park livelier,” Heisch said. “People can actually enjoy the park much better by having these benches.”

Heisch also attributes the success of his project to years of leadership experience in scouting. The teen first began his journey in Cub Scouts, as early as he could be involved, before bridging over to Boy Scouts. Completing his Eagle Scout project was one of the final steps on his path toward the Eagle rank.

“I really felt almost obligated, having put so much time into believing in the values of scouting, that I should pursue Eagle Scout,” Heisch said. “I almost felt that by doing Eagle Scout, it was not just for myself, but a kind of payback on all my leaders, and everybody that pushed me forward through scouting.”