By Drew Butler
dbutler@cherryroad.com

Campers and visitors to Mountain Lake can now enjoy a meal at one of 10 new picnic tables, courtesy of a local young man’s Eagle Scout project.

Scott Batson, a senior at Dickson High School, brought the completed tables to the lake on Oct. 11, and set them up with the help of his fellow Scouts in Troop 5. It marked the end close to two months and over 30 hours of working on the project in his spare time.

Batson said he struggled a bit with coming up with a project until his Scoutmaster suggested the picnic tables.

“This was a project that was already there and open for whoever wanted to do it,” he said. “So after I looked into it, I decided to go for it.”

Batson said he had little experience with carpentry prior to building the tables.

“A couple years ago our troop built birdhouses for our carpentry merit badges, but other than that I hadn’t done much of it,” he said. “But I think the project turned out really well, and people will be able to enjoy it for years to come.”

Now that project is completed, all Batson needs to do is draft an after-project report and meet with the Scout Board of Review to officially earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Fewer than 10% of all Scouts earn this distinction.

“When I brought those tables to the lake, it felt like I was one step closer to getting my Eagle Scout because it’s one of the last hurdles,” he said.

This has been his goal for many years.

“When I joined the Cub Scouts, I basically just wanted something to do,” he said. “But then when I switched over to Boy Scouts, I decided to take it as far as I could.”

Batson said he is extremely thankful to Ardmore Parks and Recreation for giving him the opportunity and to County Building Center and Cook Paint for donating all of the necessary supplies.

After graduating, Batson plans to join the United States Air Force then go to college and major in either business or engineering.