With the elevation of Hunter Lord, left, to Eagle Scout, Lebanon Boy Scout Troop 369 now has three: Lord, Larry Abbiatti, center, and Colby Amidon. COURTESY PHOTO
LEBANON — Young people who will live at The Ryan Home Project in North Berwick will have a comfortable, outside space in which to sit and chat, study or just read a book in the sunshine, thanks to an Eagle Scout project recently completed by Hunter Lord.
Lord, 14, planned the project, and then along with family and friends, completed it. In all, 225.5 hours were devoted to the pergola and accompanying benches.
Lord is a member of Lebanon Boy Scout Troop 369. Lebanon is part of MSAD 60, which also includes Berwick and North Berwick.
The Ryan Home Project is a program to support youth who lack stable housing in the MSAD 60 school system. It is privately funded.
Lord said he started the project by printing plans and then made a list of materials that would be needed. He said he reached out to Scoutmaster Norman Sirois, who was able to get the lumber for the project wholesale.
Lord planned a couple of fundraisers for the project, but the first, a bake sale, was so successful, raising $1,000, that the others weren’t necessary.
The project included Adirondack benches, as well as the pergola itself.
“I had to gather family and friends to help me build the Adirondack benches, which we completed before we built the pergola,” said Lord. “Then, the following weeks we had to gather tools with the help of my family. Then the next step was to outline where we wanted to put the pergola on the property as well as bring a packet to the code enforcement officer in North Berwick, who approved the plan in a little over a week.”
“After we got the packet approved, we broke ground with the help and support of family and friends. Then we mixed and poured the concrete into the holes and waited for them to set overnight. The next day we drilled the holes for the brackets that would hold the posts. Then we cut the supports and the overhead lattice and we put the main frame up, then all the supports followed as well as some lattice work that went on two of the four sides of the pergola.”
Lord achieved Eagle Scout on Nov. 28. His Court of Honor was held at the Ryan Home in January.
“Hunter enjoys being outdoors and he wanted the residents to have a space where they can enjoy the outdoors too,” said his mother, Sherry Lord.
To become an Eagle Scout, applicants must have earned 21 badges, among other achievements, and undertake a project that showcases leadership.
According to the Boy Scouts of America, the Eagle Scout achievement is not just an award; “it is a state of being that continues on.”
With Lord’s achievement, Lebanon Boy Scout Troop 369 has three Eagle Scouts – Lord, Larry Abbiatti and Colby Amidon.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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