Alexander Cain of Boy Scout Troop 79 recently finished his Eagle Scout project and is working to become an Eagle Scout candidate. His project entailed the clearing of land to allow for the entry into a town trail and the building of an informational kiosk.
To prepare, Alex went to the other kiosks around town, researched sturdy and solid designs, and met with the police department. The location of work was at a dangerous intersection of Chandler and River Road and he wanted to ensure safety for the volunteers. Orange cones were required so that part of the street would be blocked off.
Alex attended a town conservation meeting and gave a full presentation of his plan. The town Conservation Committee approved his plan and assigned a member, Robert Decelle, to work alongside Alex on the project. Alex also needed to meet with “Dig Safe” to mark the electric lines.
Once the team removed a steel fence at the site, the team discovered boulders that would be in the way of the kiosk piles. The next-door neighbor, George Henderson, came over with his large construction equipment. He once owned all the land in the area and his family had given this land and trail to the town. He gave a historical recount of the farmland that his family once owned, and removed the boulders and worked in the 100 degree heat alongside the volunteers, according to a release.
Another challenge was that the original location of the kiosk was noted to be in the middle of a water easement. The team dug new holes and moved the entire pre-assembled kiosk to the new location.
The project took a total of 475 man-hours to create a trail with easier access and a kiosk that will be used for years. Alex’s brother, Parker Cain, also a Scout with Troop 79 spent months working with him on the project. Alex thanked all the adult and Scout volunteers involved, including Mark Freni, Joseph Bonaventura and Greg Leighton.
“The planning, overseeing of the team and the project was the proudest moment of my life. This was a great way to culminate 11 years in Scouting,” Alex said in a statement.
Alex Cain is a senior at St John’s Preparatory School. He is a member of the National Honor Society member, the National French Honors Society, and is involved in many campus organizations. At the age of 15, Alex started a company called Always Tutoring to provide online tutoring for students regardless of location. Alex expects to major in business and computer science, according to his family.
To date, Alex has received college awards from the Massachusetts Elks Association and Best Buy Corp. He is a current semi-finalist in the GE/Reagan National and Young Entrepreneurs National Scholarship awards.
