Dexter Eagle Scouts continue tradition of community service

Observer photo/Mike Lange
    DEXTER EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT — A set of stairs will soon make it easier for fans and players to access the Dexter Regional High School field hockey facilities. Pictured, from left, are Jeff Belanger; his son, Eagle Scout candidate Hunter Belanger; and Ken Kimball, Scoutmaster of Troop 51 in Parkman.

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer
    DEXTER — You can hardly drive a half-mile through Dexter without seeing at least one improvement that’s been made through an Eagle Scout community project.
    The latest one is a set of stairs at the Dexter Regional High School athletic field complex that will make it much easier for fans and players to access the field hockey area. “This is something that I felt was needed for a long, long time,” said Eagle Scout candidate Hunter Belanger, who graduated from DRHS in June. “My sister, Grace, has played field hockey since she was in kindergarten.”

    So Belanger brought his idea to Scoutmaster Andy Mitchell, the field hockey coaching staff and the school administration, and they all were in favor of the project. The spectator’s area is a steep, grassy incline which can be challenging to navigate for senior citizens and fans of all ages when the surface is wet.
    Scoutmaster Andy Mitchell explained that a prospective Eagle Scout has to basically run the whole project, including budgeting and recruiting help. “You’re not allowed to solicit money, but you can ask for donation of materials,” Mitchell said. “In this case, the lumber was donated by the Shirley B. Carter VFW Post; and a local service member, Airman 1st Class Alexis Mitchell, donated the concrete posts.”
    The athletic field stairs are the latest in a long list of Eagle Scout community service project, Mitchell said. These include a pedestrian bridge in Wayside Park (Kyle Wilson), re-decking three ITS bridges (Mike Pepin), insulating the Wayside Grange attic (Ellsworth Bell), building the kiosk at the Abbott Hill Museum (Ian Grover), constructing the announcer’s booth at the North Country Riding Club (Casey Wilson), building the Hal Wilkins Memorial Snowmobile Bridge (James McDonald) and rebuilding the football bleachers at the high school (Carl Snow).
    If all goes as planned, Bryce Greaves — another Eagle Scout candidate — will begin work on refurbishing the town’s ice skating rink as a future project.
    “In our troop, we have a tendency to have older candidates, so they seem to be more focused and organized. We’re really proud of what they’ve accomplished,” Mitchell said.
    Belanger, who turns 18 next month, will begin his studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. this fall. “I’ve got a lot of help on this project,” he said, “and it’s going to look great when its finished.”