By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Thursday, Sept. 17, members of Cazenovia’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 18 gathered at the Lewis Loyster Memorial Lodge on Riverside Dr. to help Cazenovia High School senior Jake Tobin complete his Eagle Scout Service Project.

Sponsored by the Village of Cazenovia, Tobin’s project involves building benches and picnic tables for a new park across the creek from the Willow Patch.

Tobin joined the Scouts BSA (previously Boy Scouts) in fourth grade as a Webelo Cub Scout.

“I joined for the social aspects, and I stuck with it because I enjoy the year-round camping and adventure activities the troop offers,” Tobin said. “I have gained leadership and follow-through skills that help me in school and sports outside of Scouts BSA. I am motivated to advance through the ranks to achieve my Eagle Scout.”

Since 1912, Eagle Scout has been the highest achievement or rank attainable in scouting.

According to Tobin, the rank may be earned by a scout who has been a Life Scout rank for at least six months, has earned a minimum of 21 merit badges (13 specific to the Eagle rank), has demonstrated scout spirit and leadership within their troop, and has completed a service project.

The Eagle Scout Service Project, or “Eagle Project,” is an opportunity for a scout to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of any religious institution, any school, or their community.

The project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, the scout’s unit leader and unit committee, and the council or district.

Tobin expects to fulfill all of the Eagle Scout requirements by the end of the year.

“Only four to eight percent of Scouts BSA earn their Eagle rank in any given year,” he said. “This is the culmination of many years of dedication and perseverance. I will feel proud to be a part of a small group of people who stick to their commitments and achieve this honored rank.”

As part of his Eagle Project, Tobin completed two picnic tables that are currently on loan to Cazenovia Public Library. The tables will eventually reside at the new park.

“I had asked the village if they had any picnic tables they could loan us because people using the WiFi outside didn’t have a good place to sit,” said Library Director Betsy Kennedy. “They didn’t have any, but Mayor Wheeler knew [Jake] was making them for the new park. Since the park isn’t ready yet, he suggested the tables come here for the time being. They’ve been quite popular and we are pleased to have an outdoor spot for everyone.”

According to Mayor Kurt Wheeler, the village plans to continue working on the park this fall with an anticipated official grand opening in Spring 2021.

“We had hoped for this fall, but the complexities of COVID-19 slowed us down,” said Wheeler

On Sept. 17, seven scouts — three from Troop 18-Girls and four from Troop 18-Boys — helped Tobin construct additional furniture for the park.

Tobin said he learned his carpentry skills from his father.

“He and I worked together to create a plan and he taught me how to think about the construction of the pieces,” he added. “I have never made something to this scale before, so I made some mistakes and had to fix them. Now I am happy with how they are coming out.”

The scout is currently accepting donation to install memorial plaques on each piece of furniture.

“[The plaques started as a way] to honor my grandfathers, and then I got the idea to offer it up to others who may want to memorialize their loved one in this way,” Tobin said.

To inquire about memorial plaque availability and donation levels, contact Tobin at [email protected].

Other donations to support Tobin’s project can be sent via Venmo to Megomcd or via PayPal to [email protected] with the subject “Eagle Scout.”

For more information on the Scouts BSA program, visit scouting.org.