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When beneficiary destroys Eagle Project


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Knowing how much work can go into an Eagle project, I'm sure that this was very discouraging.  However, we must keep in mind that the project belongs to the beneficiary.  While we always hope that it will provide a long lasting legacy to the Scout who completed it, the needs of the beneficiaries change over time.  I have a relative who has a really hard time with this concept as well.  This relative will give a gift, but will get quite upset if the recipient does not keep and use the gift.  Once that gift is given, it belongs to the recipient/ beneficiary to keep, regift, or otherwise dispose of as they desire. It would have been great if the state had reached out to the Scout first and maybe they could have helped to resolve the issue without destroying it though. 

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I'm not surprised.  Long-term quality is hit and miss with Eagle projects.  Often an Eagle project is fixing short comings with an Eagle project from previous years.  

IMHO, it should have been anticipated that wet, shady areas can cause the boards to get slick.  They can become a falling hazard. 

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From the article, it appears that the scout built the walkways only 2 years ago.  That seems like a mighty short time for the walkways to have deteriorated to the point that they couldn't be maintained to a safe condition. Though yeah, in the woods, leaves drop, wetness happens, things get slick....maybe the state park guys were right in thinking there was a problem. Ya never know!

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The state says that they weren't deteriorating but becoming dangerously slippery from rain or fallen leaves.  This is one of the issues with doing work for a government agency.  If it had slowly needed repair, then someone might have thought to get in touch with the scouts to get it fixed.  If someone thought it was a safety issue, then I imagine that order probably took less than 24hrs to issue. Someone said it was unsafe, a ranger went and determined it wasn't really necessary and a supervisor ordered it demolished. 

It wouldn't surprise me if someone actually slipped and got hurt.

In contrast, there are other eagle projects in various TN state parks around me that pose no safety hazard that have long since needed repair. 

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There is a bridge on  a historic trail nearby.  It has steel frame and wood slat deck. The deck can be slick in rain, but it has a slight curve and dries quickly.  I think the type of wood , the chemical used in it's treatment, has a great deal with it's slickness when wet.  That's like saying the muddy trail should be marked "slippery when wet".  Duh.  

That said, any surface can be slick when wet.  This was a sad occurrence.   The State authorities could have contacted the Scout, they knew who he was..... 

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I think what's likely is one of two things.  Either someone did the following calculation:

1. If someone falls on a wood boardwalk we allowed to be installed, they might sue us for permitting it to be slippery or a tripping/falling hazard.

2. If someone falls on a natural trail, they can't sue us because "hey, it's the ground!"

or

Someone with some clout was out there and saw the leaf covered boardwalk and thought it was ugly because they just "wanted to enjoy the pristine wilderness in it's natural state".

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I think, sometimes,  the beneficiary isn't really so keen on the project, but gives the scout the OK so that he can earn his eagle. They see themselves as helping out the scout rather than being the beneficiary of the scout's project. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 8/7/2019 at 9:46 PM, awanatech said:

That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

Yes, it would, because I very much doubt that most (or maybe any) councils have the appropriate level of expertise or resources to appropriately evaluate the risks for every Eagle project, and it should be up to the beneficiary to determine if the risks are acceptable to them.

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