WAPAKONETA — Riverside Art Center, on 3 W. Auglaize St., held a member’s art show Friday night and used a patio remodeled by a Boy Scout for his Eagle Scout project.
Ezekiel “Zeke” Arnett, of Boy Scouts of America Troop 106 of Shawnee Township and a sophomore at Wapakoneta High School, spent the last few months working on the patio.
His aunt, Laura Hadding, is a member of the center. The building’s interior was being remodeled, but the patio was not in the project.
“She knew I was looking for an Eagle Scout project and asked if I wanted to help,” Zeke Arnett said. “We came out and looked at it, and I knew it had potential.”
Walls with wooden siding were rotting, and the red block tiles on the ground were falling apart.
“I drew a picture and said, ‘This is what I want,’” Hadding said.
Work began on March 30 with the removal of the tiles, which took an entire day, said Charlie Arnett, Zeke’s father and Scout Master of Troop 106. The project was completed at about 1 p.m. Friday with the installation of a power outlet, Zeke Arnett said.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 106, family members and members of the art center volunteered their time to help with the project.
Charlie Arnett explained an Eagle Scout project is difficult, from seeking approval, doing paperwork and presenting plans. And that’s before the project can start.
“The scout is expected to oversee the project,” Charlie Arnett said. “He has to come up with the idea, plan and gather funding and oversee the project itself, but he can get other people to help. It’s not a small task to achieve.”
Since 1912 only 2 million Boy Scouts, 5 percent of all scouts, have earned the Eagle Scout rank, Charlie Arnett said.
“I feel really happy,” Zeke Arnett said. “I’m happy to help out the community.”
Art center member Hadding is thrilled at the transformation.
“It’s just so different than what it used to look like,” Hadding said. “It was almost unusable.”
“We’re very happy with the outcome,” said Deb Fischer, trustee for Riverside Art Center.
Boy Scout Troop 106 has five other Eagle Scout projects in process now, Charlie Arnett said.
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