Marcellus scout earns Eagle rank
By Jason Gabak
Editor
For Scott Mathieson of Marcellus, his promotion to Eagle Scout is the culmination of more than 11 years in the scouts.
Mathieson said when he was growing up he wasn’t drawn to sports, but with scouts he found an activity that appealed to his interests.
“I was never really big into sports but I wanted to do something to keep busy,” Mathieson, 18, said. “For me that was scouts.”
Mathieson said one of the biggest draws to scouting was camping and being outdoors.
“Thos weekend trips were a lot of fun,” Mathieson said. “You got to be sort of on your own a little bit and away from home for a few days. That was a good experience to be out and doing things like that on your own.”
Beginning in May and working through June, Mathieson was engaged in the project that would lead to him earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
Mathieson worked at Baltimore Woods.
Mathieson said he was offered the opportunity to work on a project involving a deteriorating bid blind that was in need of repairs and upgrades as well as being moved to a more desirable location.
“They approached me about doing it,” Mathieson said. “It needed to be moved and it needed some repairs to make it stronger and look better.”
Initially, Mathieson thought this would be a relatively simple project, but as he got into the work he realized it was a larger task than he initially anticipated.
“At first I thought this was going to be a simple project,” Mathieson said. “As I got into it I realized it needed more time and more supplies and it was a lot more involved. My dad, Tim, is pretty knowledgeable about that kind of stuff and he helped me.”
Mathieson said he also had help from his troop, 532.
Mathieson said he was at Baltimore Woods working on the blind about three times a week, putting in more than 80 hours total into the refurbished blind.
Mathieson also spent time fundraising and getting donations of supplies from Mathieson Septic Service, Nightingale Mills True Value and Moran Safety Marketing.
He said the entire project was a large undertaking from taking the old blind apart, replacing studs, the end walls and the roof, finishing with a fresh coat of paint.
“It came together really well,” Mathieson said. “We replaced some of it and reused some of the old parts. I think it came out well and everyone seemed to be really happy with it.”
The blind now overlooks Phillips Pond, where Mathieson said he hopes the blind will be a useful part of Baltimore Woods for many years to come.
Mathieson was pleased with the outcome of the project, but his new rank as an Eagle Scout is the capstone of his scouting career.
This is a rare honor that is only attained by a handful of scouts.
“Only about four percent of scouts make Eagle,” Mathieson said. “This is pretty cool. It is something not a lot of kids get to do. That is a real honor.”
Mathieson, who graduated high school last year is currently studying welding and has not had as much time for scouting as he once did, but there is always the possibility that in the future he may be more involved again.
“Maybe if I have kids some day I’d like to become a scout master and get involved on that side of things,” Mathieson said.
