Eagle Scout Candidate Constructs Flagpole for Park

Once again, an Eagle Scout candidate in Norton has shown that he will fulfill his oath of influencing citizens in his troop and community to follow in his footsteps of goodwill.

Currently a Life Scout, 17-year-old CJ Weber recently installed a flag pole and garden at Everett Leonard Park. Bill Seaver provided the electrical work so the flag could be illuminated at night. 

“I chose this for my project because I figured I would be able to visit it and it will be around for years,” Weber said.

He invested almost $1,000 and 130 hours on the project. Over 30 of those hours were spent on planning and gathering materials alone. Donations were gathered from family and friends to defray the cost.

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“I very much appreciate CJ and all the other Eagle Scouts who have decided to help make their community a better place,” said Sheri Cohen, chairwoman of Norton Parks and Recreation. “We are grateful to have them helping us to better our parks.”

About two months ago, Beck Gerritsen also chose to help out Norton Parks and Recreation for his Eagle Scout project. He built a shed used for the fish derby and ice skating party. However, it was recently kicked in by someone, the second act of vandalism the department has seen recently.

Everett Leonard Park was vandalized earlier this month. Weber’s flagpole and garden were not damaged. The Eagle Scout candidate said that he tried to make his project safe from vandals by placing the cleats high on the pole and using over 2,000 pounds of concrete to secure it in the ground.

“It's too bad that some people have nothing better to do than vandalize a park,” Weber said. “However, it is fantastic that there are cameras being put in so that these people will hopefully become deterred from vandalizing or even get caught.”