Eagle Scout project adds to Veterans Memorial at Shelbyville park

The Veterans Memorial at Blue River Memorial Park is much more visible now thanks to an Eagle Scout project.

Seth Ferguson, age 15 and a member of Scout Troop 250 in Shelbyville, put together a proposal to add six flag poles to the memorial in the City of Shelbyville’s largest park.

With the fundraising and labor secured and the blessing of the Shelbyville Parks and Recreation Department, Ferguson went to work enhancing the memorial site.

“In early August I started getting donations from different companies,” said Ferguson Saturday morning following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new-look memorial. “There were no grants. It was raising about $3,400 which is the most our Scout troop has raised on its own.”

To earn his Eagle Scout rank, Ferguson had to be in charge of the project. He cited his improved leadership skills as well as public-speaking skills as much improved following the completion of the project.

“Every single day we came out here to work, I would be the person to tell them what to do, and not do the work,” said Ferguson (photo). “That was hard for me because I like to do the work and not tell them. I was basically the supervisor and I had to learn how to do that.”

Step by step, the project came to life under Ferguson’s direction.

“We finally got all the needs and the poles, we came out here and measured the holes to space them evenly,” he said. “Someone in our troop has an auger truck and he drove up here and drilled each hole. That same weekend, we came out here and laid the base for each one. The base had to set for about a week.

“The next weekend we came out here and put up the poles and let it set. This past week, we came out here and put the poles up. It looks good. It was a pretty good Eagle Scout project.”

Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson (photo), who spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, agreed.

“The Scouts have truly given to our community in a great way,” said the mayor. “All the people that go into helping them get their projects done, we want to thank everybody for that. Because truly giving back is what makes a community great, and we have a great community because of great people like Seth giving back to our community.”

The donors for the project include several businesses with Shelby County ties:

• Compass Insurance Group
• State Farm
• Stonebridge Trucking
• J&J Auto Care
• Bourbon and Brews
• Hicks Air
• Signature Property Group
• Lions Club
• Davis Towing
• Rushville Fire Department
• Pettit’s Recycling
• Shelbyville Rotary Club
• Capone’s Downtown Speakeasy
• Rural King
• Builders Lumber
• Lowe’s
• Crim and Sons
• Mathies Landscaping

Now that the project is complete, Ferguson will have it reviewed by a board to determine him earning the Eagle Scout designation.

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