Eagle Scout project improves WPAFB youth campground

A local Boy Scout troop flexed its muscles this past summer, making needed improvements to Wright-Patterson’s youth campground. Members of Troop 162 laid gravel paths, built a backdrop and repaired benches around the campfire ring. They also restored the catch basin around the campground’s sole potable water source.

These improvements will enhance the camping experience for visiting Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops and other youth groups who will use the campground for years to come.

The project was the consummation of several months of planning by Eagle Scout candidate Connor Meyer. To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, in addition to serving in troop leadership positions and earning 21 merit badges, a Boy Scout is required to plan and lead a service project that will be helpful to their community. Including planning, Connor’s project took more than 120 manhours to complete. Connor has been a Boy Scout since 2012 and is now just steps away from completing his Eagle Scout requirements.

“I am very happy with the great turnout we had for the actual day of work,” Connor said. “It was really a lot of work to complete in a single day. I was worried it might take two days, but we worked really hard and finished it.

“We made countless wheelbarrow trips as we moved three cubic yards of gravel around to different parts of the campground where it was going to be needed,” he added.

Connor worked with members of the 88th Force Support Squadron to conceive the idea and plan its execution. It took a couple of meetings before they were able to define exactly what could be done, define the quantities and types of materials that would be needed and then ensure the materials would be in place for the work day. Finally, on June 10, Connor gathered his fellow Scouts and several parent helpers to actually carry out the work.

“I thought the most fun part was coming up with a design for the new backdrop,” Connor said. “I even determined a way to save nearly 50 percent in material costs for it, by using two vertical fence slats instead of one continuous slat. I’m really thankful for all the parents who came out to support me that day and provided construction guidance.

“I also really appreciate Brandon Dixon at Outdoor Recreation at the 88th Force Support Squadron who helped me narrow in on this project idea and then also provided materials. It took a lot of planning, but when the day arrived, everything was ready to go. Our troop just had to provide the manpower and tools.”

Connor, 16, attends Stebbins High School. He is the son of Angela and Stephen Meyer of Riverside. Angela is a child care assistant in Wright Patterson’s Child Development Program and Stephen is an acquisition logistician at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. Stephen is also a career Airman who spent 22 years in the Air Force before retiring to the Dayton area in 2011.

Connor is a member of Troop 162, which includes scouts who live in Fairborn, Riverside and other surrounding communities and also on Wright-Patterson AFB. The troop is chartered by Fairborn’s American Legion Post 526. The troop meets Monday evenings at Wright-Patterson’s Chapel Family Life Center in the Prairies Housing Area.

For more information about the troop, visit the troop’s website at http://Troop162.weebly.com/. This troop, as well as other Boy Scout troops in the area are welcoming new members. Reflecting on the work that Troop 162 accomplished this summer, Connor said, “There are a lot of visiting scouts and other organizations who camp at the youth campground while visiting local sites like the Museum of the United States Air Force and Huffman Prairie, and I hope we have made it a nicer place to stay.”

About the Author