Neater for the greeters

Eagle Scout candidate refurbishes Visitor Center

By Ashley M. Casey

The Baldwinsville Visitor Center is one of B’ville’s hidden gems. If you’re strolling alongside Lock 24, you might walk right by the charming but modest gray structure. But one young man is hoping you’ll notice the Visitor Center’s new look.

Spencer Randolph, a member of Boy Scout Troop 114, spruced up the Visitor Center for his Eagle Scout Award.

“I didn’t know it was there until he did this project,” Drew Randolph said.

The Baldwinsville Visitor Center, located along Lock 24, has been refurbished by Eagle Scout candidate Spencer Randolph. With the help of his fellow Scouts and his dad, Spencer repainted the walls and floors, installed shelving and new brochure racks, and updated the furniture and decor. (Submitted photo)

Spencer Randolph of Boy Scout Troop 114 refurbished the Baldwinsville Visitor Center for his Eagle Scout project. The ribbon cutting was held Oct. 28. (Submitted photo)

Created in 2002 by the Greater Baldwinsville Economic Development Agency and now owned by the Greater Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce, the Visitor Center is staffed by volunteers for a few hours each week over the summer. The volunteers chat up tourists, boaters and passers-by, distributing information about the village and area events.

“Refurbishing the Visitor Center was a big project, and we are so grateful that Spencer was willing to accept the challenge,” said MaryAnne Williams, executive director of the Greater Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce, which manages the Visitor Center.

Williams said she had floated the idea of revamping the Visitor Center to the local councils of both the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts, but three years passed before someone took her up on the offer.

Melanie Randolph, who is active in the chamber, passed the idea onto her son, who is a sophomore at Baker High School.

Spencer presented his plan the the Baldwinsville Village Board of Trustees, the Baldwinsville Rotary Club and GBCC members. The village gave him the green light, and Rotary and several local businesses donated $2,000 toward the project.

Then, Spencer and his crew got to work. Over the course of several months, Spencer — with the help of his fellow Scouts and his dad — installed new shelving and brochure rack, repainted the walls and floors and updated the interior design.

“People had donated a lot of things, so it was quite the mismatched menagerie,” Randolph said.

Spencer cleared out the old furniture, replacing it with a more coordinated scheme. He tied the room together with an area rug, and he reframed the prints hanging on the walls of the Visitor Center.

“Visitors to our wonderful village can now get the information they want and need in a tidy, pretty Visitor Center, and will enjoy Spencer’s work for many years to come,” Williams said.

With a bit of money left to spare, Spencer added a few perks for the volunteers, who staff the Visitor Center between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. He bought a mini-fridge and a Keurig machine.

“I am also pleased that our Visitor Center volunteer greeters have a space that is comfortable and lovely,” Williams said.

Randolph said his son has been active in Scouts since first grade. While two to four boys in Troop 114 achieve the rank of Eagle Scout each year, it’s quite a bit of work.

“The first step is you’ve got to participate a lot and then you have to take some leadership positions,” Randolph said.

Randolph said his son is humble about the achievement — Spencer declined to be interviewed.

“It was a good project and I think he did some good work,” he said.