By Kathy Chaffin
Salisbury Post
MOUNT ULLA ó Students at West Rowan High School will soon be able to observe the wetlands in the woods behind campus on a brand new observation platform.
Daniel Cohen, a senior at the school, organized and directed construction of the platform as his community service project for the Eagle Scout Award. Cohen got the idea from the school’s Future Farmers of America advisor, Jason Chester.
Another Boy Scout and a junior at the high school, Marco Gupton, had created a nature trail in the same area for his Eagle Scout Award.
Before getting started, Cohen presented his idea for the observation platform to the Boy Scouts’ district board for approval. After that, he started trying to raise funds to pay for the 12-by-24-foot platform and 16-foot ramp.
Mike Agee, one of the assistant scoutmasters for Troop 448, told Cohen what he needed to do to apply for a grant from Duke Energy, which ended up awarding him $1,000. After that, Cohen talked to officials at Chandler Concrete, who agreed to sell him the materials at cost.
“That way, the $1,000 would cover all the lumber and everything I needed,” he said.
After purchasing the materials, Cohen arranged for 13 fellow Boy Scouts, Scoutmaster Alfred Wilson and Assistant Scoutmasters Mike Agee, Charles Oster, Matt Shorter and Tony Cohen, his father, to start work on the project Dec. 22.
They started working around 7 a.m. and didn’t stop until about 4:30 p.m. “It was a pretty big project,” Cohen said. “We had a couple of tractors down there to dig the holes and stuff. We got a lot done that day.”
Cohen and his father returned later and worked five more hours. “We still have to put the banisters up and build the ramp up to the platform,” he said.
Though the platform is about 4 feet off the ground, Cohen said recent rains have raised the water level around the posts by 8 inches.
Combined, his fellow Scouts have put in about 75 hours on the project. “I’ve gotten a lot of support from my troop,” he said.
Cohen said he’s put in about 30 hours himself. “When I first started, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I have to do this,’ ” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be this much fun to work on it.”
Another day of work, Cohen said, and he should be finished. “I’d like to have my Eagle Award by the end of January,” he said.
After he graduates this spring, Cohen said he plans to go to N.C. State University and pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. His sister, Laurel, is a junior at the university.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249 or kchaffin@salisburypost.com.