Akshith Ambekar, Eagle Scout
Total Volunteer Hours Worked: 126
I planned and oversaw the construction and installation of a 50-ft wooden boardwalk on a section of the Bluebell loop at Bull Run Regional Park. The project was completed in one day, with the first main phase being building the boardwalk in five sections, and the second main phase being transporting the sections and placing it on the trail as final assembly.
Because this part of the Bluebell trail tends to stay damp/muddy even if a few days have passed without rain, people walking on the trail have formed an alternate path around this section. Building this boardwalk protected the wildlife around that section of the trail by providing a designated walking path so that soil is not disturbed and plants around the trail are not damaged or destroyed. The boardwalk also created a stable path for hikers by reducing the chances of slipping or falling in muddy or wet conditions. This project overall made the Bluebell trail safer and improved the quality-of-life for both wildlife and users.
Observations and Challenges
The project started on schedule after I re-planned the original timings due to the delays. Volunteers showed up on time as expected, and the project briefing was streamlined, allowing for a strong start to the project. There was more than enough space at both sites: at my house, I was able to have multiple stations for the boardwalk section frames, and there was enough space for drilling the walkway planks into the frames at the site. There were no issues with transporting the frames to the site on the truck, with good pace being made. The weather was consistent throughout the day, so volunteers were able to work in comfort, and we were able to finish the project right before heavy rain was scheduled to begin. Volunteers also remembered to sign in and sign out so that I could accurately track their service hours.
The most challenging part of the project were late deliveries, specifically for the lumber. The lumber for the project was supposed to arrive on Saturday on the morning before the project. However, the truck that was in charge of the delivery experienced a flat tire in Spotsylvania, so the lumber delivery was cancelled. Fortunately, I was able to go to my local Home Depot to sort this out, and they offered me a rental truck so that we could take the delivery by ourselves. They also allowed us to keep the truck for the duration of the project free of charge.
Another challenge was transporting the boardwalk sections from the truck to the trail site. Because the walkway planks were nailed onto the boardwalk frame before taking them to the park, the sections were extremely heavy and required at least six people to carry it. To solve this problem, I decided to change the design such that the use for a nailer gun was eliminated, substituting it for just using power drills. This made it much easier for my volunteers to move the boardwalk frames and complete the boardwalk comfortably.
Changes (from Original Proposal)
After my proposal was approved, I changed the design, as per my District Eagle Representative’s suggestion, to make the boardwalk more structurally intact by adding another bottom support beam in between each boardwalk section.
During the project, the initial plan was to nail the walkway planks onto the frame using a nailer gun, and transport the completed section to the trail. This became too heavy to lift and unload onto the trail, requiring at least six people to carry safely, so I decided to have the frames itself transported to the site and have the walkway planks drilled onto the frames using deck screws. This reduced the physical load on the volunteers and allowed them to continue building the boardwalk comfortably.
Leadership
During the planning of the project, I communicated with members of my troop and friends to recruit volunteers, appoint roles, and borrow tools and supplies for the project. I regularly communicated with the project beneficiary to keep them updated on the status and plan for the project, and directed questions I had about the project towards them as well. I also delegated smaller supervision roles to certain volunteers so that I could monitor the construction of some sections of the boardwalk while they monitored the others.
During the execution of the project, I demonstrated leadership mostly through example. When volunteers arrived at the beginning of the project, I showed them how to drill the brackets to the wood, assemble the boardwalk section frame, and how to do any other needed tasks during my project briefing. I would then have the volunteers take over while I observed their work, and I provided assistance whenever they needed it. I also gave constructive feedback to my volunteers and answered any questions they had along the way.
The most difficult part about being the leader was to make sure that the volunteers fully understood their tasks and making sure that they stayed on task towards the latter hours of the project, as those who stayed for the entire project had become tired. It was challenging to delegate tasks or remind volunteers to continue working without coming across as being bossy.
The most rewarding part was seeing the satisfaction on the faces of each volunteer after they completed each section of the boardwalk, especially when they tried walking on it to test it for themselves. I also felt happy knowing that I was contributing to the park’s wellbeing, and that many people will be using the boardwalk we built day-in and day-out.
Through this project, I learned that being a leader means explaining the knowledge of your work effectively and teaching through example instead of simply assigning and supervising tasks. I learned that it is also important to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the team as a whole and as individual members. By doing this, I was able to assign certain tasks to certain people who were able to complete them comfortably and effectively, and I got to know more about my volunteers and form a stronger bond with them.
Construction and assembling of the boardwalk
Completed Work