Eagle Scout project brightens museum grounds

Photo by Susan Holland A new sidewalk was poured July 20 around the northwest corner of the Gravette Historical Museum. This section of sidewalk and other short sections replacing older walks behind the museum have made the grounds more easily accessible by museum patrons. The upgrades were all part of Eagle Scout projects by members of Boy Scout Troop 525 of Bentonville.
Photo by Susan Holland A new sidewalk was poured July 20 around the northwest corner of the Gravette Historical Museum. This section of sidewalk and other short sections replacing older walks behind the museum have made the grounds more easily accessible by museum patrons. The upgrades were all part of Eagle Scout projects by members of Boy Scout Troop 525 of Bentonville.

GRAVETTE -- When Gravette Day visitors come to the Gravette Historical Museum this weekend to attend the museum's annual Dutch oven cook-off, they will be greeted with grounds that have been beautified and updated. The improvements are the result of the efforts of Nicholas Herlevic and Jonathon Fischer, Boy Scout members of Troop 525 in Bentonville, and several of their fellow troop members.

Herlevic, the son of Matt and Sarah Herlevic of Bentonville, is a junior at Haas Hall Academy. Fischer, son of Al and Eileen Fischer of Rogers, is a junior at Shiloh Christian. They chose to do the upgrades as their Eagle Scout project.

The Scouts contacted the Museum Commission and asked what projects might be needed. They were provided with a list of several projects the museum hoped to carry out within the next several months. Commissioners thought the boys would pick out one or two to tackle as their project. They were both surprised and pleased when the two returned and said they would like to do all of them.

Several Scouts and parents held a work day in late May and began preliminary work. They dug out space for a sunken fire pit to replace the above-ground fire ring that had been formerly used and prepared to line it with rock, cleared areas for sidewalks and dug trenches for new plumbing and electrical pipes that would be needed. Completion of their projects was delayed for several weeks because of bad weather and trips to Scout camp.

The Scouts returned on July 20, when five yards of concrete were poured for new sidewalks and short sections replacing older sidewalks. They also poured a new pad near the annex building for the old hand pump and later added a water trough. These fixtures add authenticity to the rustic "barn" look of the annex building. That weekend, they came back to strip the forms and backfill along the sidewalks with dirt. They also trimmed trees, filled ditches and did much work cleaning up the grounds. The old farm implements were moved and new mulch added beneath them, and some landscaping was done. A flower bed was made using the old water tower base and top, fitting in with the Commission's desire to repurpose objects from Gravette's history.

Upon completion of the project, Steve Mitchael, Museum Commission chairman, praised the Scouts for their efforts. He said the sidewalks were a much needed improvement and really add a lot of value to the museum site since guests can now more easily navigate the grounds.

"These Scouts took on a monumental task at the Gravette Historical Museum for their Eagle Scout project. They chose to place five yards of concrete for new and replaced sidewalks around the museum grounds. They were very professional and attentive to the project and brought lots of help, including the professionals from Backus Concrete," Mitchael said. "The professionals guided Nicholas, Jonathon and their fellow Scouts through the project, and it ended in success on one of the hottest days of the year.

"The Museum and its commissioners would like to thank Nicholas, Jonathon, John Backus, Jesus and Fernando (both of Backus Concrete), and the Scouts and parents of Troop 525 who all made this project a reality."

Community on 08/09/2017