Casey Van Zant is racing against time to finish the final project he needs to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.
With help from friends, family and fellow Scouts, the Ardmore High School senior is refurbishing benches for Ardmore’s Main Street Authority.
Van Zant said they are disassembling the benches and sanding and staining the wooden slats.
The Scouts will then repaint the benches their historical colors of black and green before reassembling them.
Van Zant said after the benches are finished, he and his supporters will work on refurbishing the downtown trash cans.
He has until Aug. 6 to finish his project. He turns 18 then and will become ineligible to attain the Eagle Scout rank.
James Lamey, executive director of the Ardmore Main Street Authority, said the Boy Scouts contacted him to see if he had any projects Van Zant could do as his final project.
“We’ve been working on downtown beautification for a year now, and the last thing on the schedule was to get the benches repainted and refurbished,” Lamey said.
He said Van Zant and his crew have been working diligently for two days.
“The only thing they’ve come in and asked us for is water,” Lamey said. “They are getting the job done, very quickly actually. Quicker than I thought they would.”
Van Zant said he has been working towards his goal of being an Eagle Scout since he was in second grade.
“It’s something I’ve always looked forward to doing,” he said. “It’s one of the goals I’ve had set, something that will help me later on in life.”
In addition to completing his project, Van Zant also has to have earned 21 merit badges and will have to pass a Eagle Scout board of review.
Billy Wall, assistant Scout master, said Van Zant’s earning his Eagle Scout rank is vital.
“It opens up all kinds of avenues for new jobs,” Wall said. “They figure if you stuck with Scouts long enough to become an Eagle, you’ll stick with any job they put you in.”
Phil Banker 221-6542
