CHESTER – The blazing sun and extreme heat did not delay Boy Scouts from Troop 2837 based at Chester Baptist Church, working on a construction project for a fellow member and his Eagle Scout project at the Enon Fire Training Station.
A team of 12 Scouts and seven adults, working under extreme conditions, followed the directions of Scout Joseph Short, last Friday and Saturday to construct a 9/11 Memorial for the Chesterfield County Fire Department. This was a major undertaking for boys 10 and up. The center piece is a 4 foot by 5 foot, 500-pound section of steel from the World Trade Center. The memorial also features a flag pole, a fireman’s bell, pavers, and a 12-inch pentagon-shaped wall surrounding it, and two columns representing the Twin Towers at the entrance. Hoping to complete the project Saturday, Short said they would need to return for a couple of days this week, placing pavers and finishing the wall. “We competed 75 percent of it on Saturday,” he said. “Everyone was just worn out by the end of the day.”
Short, 15, was given the idea from fire captain Gerald Pruden, a good friend of the family. “I like the idea, but I was still a year away from being ready for my Eagle Scout project,” he said. “Captain Pruden told me about the steel section from the World Trade Center. They had obtained it in 2008, and it had been sitting in their warehouse. He said I should do my project with the piece of steel from September 11.”
Pruden received permission for Short to utilize a space located next to the existing flag pole at the Enon Fire Training Center. “I wanted to create an environment that pays respect, honor, and gratitude to fallen firefighters during the attacks of September 11, 2001, and for those who have died prior to and after those attacks,” he said. “This project will benefit over 10,000 trainees, firefighters, and EMS personnel yearly.”
Short’s mentor for his Eagle Scout badge, Jim Liss, began meeting with Pruden in April, planning the design and process. He said his toughest challenge in the initial stages was not getting questions that he did not know how to answer, but saying he knew the answers. But in the end, he felt they worked really well as a team.
Materials were obtained by Short and were mostly donated from Southern Builders Supply and Lowe’s. Food and drink for the boys were donated by Wawa, Chick-fil-A, and Olive Garden. The flagpole was donated by Woodman of the World.
Safety measures and preliminary designs were posted on the white board at the center and explained by Short serving as the Eagle project manager. His mentor, Liss, observed Short’s direction with the boys with confidence that he was leading well as project manager.
Most of the boys were prepared for the hard work and were glad to be helping.
“This is challenging for an Eagle Scout,” said Cooper LaParra. “We are lucky that he asked us to help.”
“Even with the massive heat wave, everybody is trying to survive with sprinklers and water breaks,” said Owen Wooton.
Short attends Thomas Dale High School and he is the son of Andrew and Patsy Short.
