By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
East Troy Boy Scout Rogelio Hayes is asking the community for help with his Eagle Scout project. He wants to build a playground by Booth Lake Memorial Park’s upper pavilion.
Hayes, who is a member of Boy Scout Troop 92 out of East Troy, said he wants to give the kids a place to play instead of them playing on the tank that is on display in the park.
“I see the tank up there as more of a memorial shrine instead of a playground,” he said.
“I played there when I was a kid,” he continued. “My friend Joey Stephan build a playground at the lower pavilion as part of his Eagle Scout project and it game me the idea to do it on the upper pavilion.”
Hayes said honoring the country’s veterans is important to him and he’s spent his “whole scouting career giving honor where honor is due – specifically to the veterans.”
His plan for the park includes a play set with two or three slides with a soft surface. He will dedicate the playground to the local veterans with a plaque that will have the emblems of all of the U.S. Armed Forces on it. The plaque will also list the names of anyone who donated $100 or more.
Donors who contribute more than $1,000 will also receive a plaque to keep.
“I have not chosen the play set yet, I am working with several companies and what I pick is determined by how much I raise,” Hayes said.
Hayes is hoping to buy the needed materials for the playground in March and start building it in April. He estimates he will need $15,000 to complete the project. To date, he’s raised about $1,600.
“I need the funds to purchase the equipment and building materials,” he said. “I just got wood chips donated by Complete Piers in East Troy, and now I’m raising money for the rest.”
Hayes has been a scout since 2007 and said it was his goal to become an Eagle Scout from the time he signed up.
“I have seen many people come and go over the years but my drive to achieve my dream has kept me going,” he said. “This project is my final obstacle to achieving this goal.”
Hayes can be reached at (262) 894-7392, bsatreasurer92@gmail.com or Rogelio’s Eagle Project on Facebook. He has also set up a GoFundMe account at www.gofundme.com/rogelios-eagle-scout-project.
