CRESTVIEW — Boy Scout Troop 773 has produced another Eagle Scout.
Austin Carrico, 15, completed his leadership service project with plenty of time before the age 18 deadline. It involved refurbishing facilities at Krul Lake State Recreation Area near Munson.
“He had noticed that the Krul memorial was neglected and had no sitting area, the shower area had rotting wood at the base so people would not stand on it to shower, and one of the three concrete picnic tables had a soil build up over the years that made it unusable,” Austin’s dad and assistant scout master Kelly Carrico said.
Under Austin’s direction and following his plans, fellow Troop 773 scouts and adult leaders sealed the memorial’s base and refurbished the plaque dedicating the park to Philip Krul, a forest supervisor in the Blackwater River State Forest.
They installed a weed barrier topped with white marble chips around the memorial, made a brick walkway to the memorial, and defined the memorial site with a white chain.
The crew built two concrete pads, one on each side of the memorial, and placed a concrete garden bench on each pad.
MORE REFURBISHMENTS
The scouts and adult leaders removed rotted wood from around the outdoor shower, installed a weed barrier and topped it with pea gravel to allow water to drain. They also painted the shower post.
Finally, they excavated built-up soil from around the partially buried picnic table, built a drain field to allow water to run off, and sealed the concrete table, and two others in the vicinity, with sealer paint.
“The project started on May 31 and was completed on June 1 with a total of 17 scouts and adults taking part with a combined total of 256 hours,” Kelly Carrico said.
Upon notification that his project was accepted, Austin set Dec. 20 for the Court of Honor at which his Eagle rank will be conferred.
Austin is Paulina and Kelly Carrico’s second Eagle Scout. His older brother, Thomas, a recently married Crestview High School alumnus and U.S. Navy sailor, attained his Eagle Scout rank in 2010.
Austin set a later Court of Honor to allow his brother, who will then be home on leave, to attend.
Austin is one of the founders and members of Troop 773’s jazz band, and is also the leader of his Sea Scout Ship 5151 unit in Fort Walton Beach.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Boy Scout leads Krul Lake park refurbishment