Staff Writer
ISLAND FALLS – Island Falls now has signage on two historic buildings in the downtown area thanks to Richard Kimball, fellow Boy Scouts and volunteer mentors. Kimball wrote up the project and submitted it for review to plan and execute a task that would help him achieve the rank of Eagle Scout before he was 18.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
PRESERVING HISTORY— To earn his Eagle Scout status, Richard Kimball created signs for historic buildings in Island Falls. From left are Kimball, his mother Melanie Lainey, Jim Odgers of the Island Falls Historical Society with fellow Scouts Andrew Smith and Gabe Schenk.
Kimball, 17, enlisted the aid of Jim Odgers, past president of the Island Falls Historical Society, who acted as a mentor. “There was no signage on these buildings to show who had owned them. And these potato houses are part of our history,” said Odgers about the buildings. He added that the two buildings, now owned by the Historical Society, go back at least 50-60 years.
Clarke Nattress, a volunteer whose son assisted Kimball, said “the project has to have a lasting effect and the Scout has to write it up properly for the Eagle board or they won’t approve it.”
Kimball said it took him about 60 hours over two months working every Saturday and Sunday with his fellow Scouts using medium-density fibreboard (MDF). “I wanted to do something to help the Historical Society and I needed an Eagle project. A sign by the side of the road would have been destroyed by plow trucks. We used MDF because it lasts longer than plywood and we painted it using the John Deere colors.”
Fellow Scouts Andrew Smith, Gabe Schenk and Noah Nattress, all 17, assisted Kimball with cutting out letters, sanding them and painting the signs. Noah Nattress said when Kimball asked him to help, his reply was: “sure thing.”
Kimball’s mother, Melanie Lainey, said she “thought the project was great from the beginning. He wanted to use his talent as an artist and it’s very difficult to find an Eagle Scout project that would combine his artistic talents with a community service. It took over a year to figure something out.”
In addition to the community benefit, Lainey said “if the project requires money, they have to raise the money. They did bottle drives and they had some donations. And, he had to show leadership and delegate work.”
Kimball has more on his agenda these days, like going to the Scout Jamboree in Virginia this year where he will be eligible to earn more badges.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
HISTORIC BUILDING — Jim Odgers, past president of the Island Falls Historical Society, helps Richard Kimball put up a sign Kimball made to identify a potato house. Odgers was a mentor on Kimball’s project to become an Eagle Scout.
