By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

Austin Fosberg, 12, of Clay, recently attended a North Syracuse Village Board of Trustees meeting and asked how he could help the village. Fosberg is a member of Troop 157 and is working on his Citizenship in the Community merit badge.

DPW Superintendent Ed Ware had just the job for Fosberg — and the perfect colleagues to help him out.

The village recently acquired a Bombardier sidewalk snowplow machine in need of some maintenance. Ware arranged for Fosberg to visit the DPW garage Feb. 5 and apply decals bearing the village seal to the plow.

Ware connected Fosberg with Joel Klaisle and Scott Cooley, both of whom achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Klaisle is an alumnus of Troop 157 — Fosberg’s troop.

“It’s kind of nice that the older guys who did it before are helping out the younger kids,” Ware said.

Klaisle said helping out a fellow Scout “feels pretty good.”

Ware said his employees’ Scouting experiences have served them well as adults. He said he hopes Scouting will shape Fosberg’s character as it has Klaisle and Cooley.

“These two are my best employees, and I think Scouts had a lot to do with that,” he said. “It’s rare to have guys like these.”

Cooley said Scouting provided him with “a lot of fun experiences and a lot of memories.”

“I learned a lot of things most kids today don’t learn,” he said.

Andy Fosberg, Austin’s father, said Scouting has made his son more independent and taught him valuable skills.

“I think it grows personality and it helps him learn life skills, meet a lot of people, and help the community,” Andy Fosberg said.

Austin Fosberg, a sixth-grader at Roxboro Road Middle School, said meeting the village DPW employees showed him how people can make a difference in their community.

“You feel good about it, and there could be less problems if you help them,” he said.