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Scout proposes Fredonia trail work

OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Eagle Scout Matthew Brown presents his plan for a trail in Russell Joy Park at the Fredonia Board of Trustees meeting Feb. 10.

Life Scout Matthew Brown wants to fix a nagging problem at Russell Joy Park for his Eagle Scout service project.

Brown proposed to the Fredonia Board of Trustees the creation of a walking trail from the park’s parking lot off Hamlet Street to a bridge just inside the woods. Covering a notoriously muddy area of the park, the trail would be about 155 yards long and four feet wide, according to a handout he provided.

Brown wants to stabilize a particularly wet spot in the area with a geotextile barrier beneath the surface. He plans to get a hold of some lumber to edge the trail, which he intends to build with about 1,000 square feet of pea gravel or fractured stone. He also would add 1-inch landscaping spikes to the lumber to keep it in place.

“It sounds fabulous,” said Trustee Kara Christina.

“I’ve talked with the highway superintendent (Pomfret’s Jude Gardner) and Fredonia Rec(reation) and DPW about it, and they all said it was a good idea, and I just need approval from the Board of Trustees to move on,” Brown said. The town of Pomfret and village of Fredonia co-administer the park.

Trustee Roger Britz asked him if the officials he talked to were OK with his design specifications. “I didn’t run the exact design through,” he said. “I can talk with them and double-check to make sure there aren’t any issues.” Britz said that was a good idea.

Britz also asked Brown how he was going to acquire the lumber, which can be expensive. “For most Eagle Scout projects, I know other kids that have done stuff that requires lumber, they go to different companies … and ask for donations,” he replied. “Sometimes they’ll donate lumber, sometimes they’ll donate money.”

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