 | | | Ted Kessler works on his Eagle Scout fence project. Photo provided
| | | | | | Ted Kessler, a 17-year-old senior at Acalanes High School, recently finished an ambitious Eagle Scout project to make the Lafayette Community Park just a little safer.
Calling it, "a lot of work," Kessler, a member of Scout Troop 241, had to jump through a number of administrative hoops and get a green light from Scout Leadership to bring his plan for a 35-foot long fence to fruition. Kessler had found a trail within the park that led right up to the unseen edge of a steep embankment in a remote area of the park.
The process involved making several presentations to various committees to get the project approved. Pitching the plan, figuring out a design, making a budget, coordinating workers, getting funding for supplies, even accommodating a wildlife right of way under the fence were all components of the task that took an estimated 170 hours to complete. "It was cool organizing everything," he said.
Kessler just received his Eagle rank at a recent Board of Review on October 19. The project needed to be complete by his eighteenth birthday. Not easy to do considering Kessler is also in the midst of applying to a number of colleges.
"This is a rare chance to learn project management," said Laura Kaufman, Kessler's mother, noting the need to coordinate a myriad of details. The average high school senior is usually not thinking about durability, efficiency and Community Park fencing requirements. She said the Scout Leaders, Phil Chernin, Blake Rothfuss and Brad Prescott, M.D., were great about stepping back and leaving room for Ted to figure it out.
"I was impressed that he came up with the idea of a protection fence near Las Trampas Creek on his own," said Jennifer Russell, Parks and Recreation Director. Usually Eagle Scout candidates come to her looking for a task.
Kessler describes it as a great learning opportunity, "Nothing compares with doing the entire thing - it's the best experience a teenager could have." The project was completed just in a nick of time, as Kessler turned 18 on October 18.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA