Brown presents Eagle Scout nature trail project for her all-girl Boy Scout Troop
Cassie Brown walked away from Select Board Tuesday with an endorsement of her Eagle Scout project: a nature trail behind the Grafton Public Library, created with volunteer labor and sustainable materials.
She wasn’t expecting to get a wood chipper out of the deal, but Select Board member Ray Mead insisted on offering his own.
“I really want this to be a good place for everybody to come together,” said Brown, 14, a member of the all-girl Boy Scouts of America Troop 2019. “There aren’t a lot of trails in the center of town.”
The Eagle Scout is the highest honor given to a Boy Scout, bestowed on the completion of a well-planned community project. Brown’s proposal is a half-mile trail on town-owned land (Lot 89) to be used by the public and library patrons. She’s planning to make it completely sustainable: all brush taken out will be made into wood chips for the trail tread.
The spot also offers glimpses into local history, including an old stone-lined road, Brown said.
This isn’t the first time a nature trail was proposed for the property. A much larger trail was included in the Super Park project, voted down at the 2020 Town Meeting. This project would be at no cost to the town, use volunteer labor, and require minimal upkeep.
Brown has set up an email for the project, eagletrailgrafton@gmail.com, and is seeking volunteers, power equipment (in addition to Mead’s wood chipper, Select Board member Mat Often offered to come by with a chainsaw), and donations to offset the estimated $1,571 cost.
She was promised her first donations immediately after her presentation, with both state Sen. Michael Moore and state Rep. David Muradian offering funding.
Both Select Board members Colleen Roy and Doreen DeFazio praised Brown’s initiative in planning the trail. She also plans to meet with the Grafton Land Trust and the Board of Library Trustees on the plans.
Dates for the cutting of the trail have not been set.
Something went wrong!
Help support Grafton’s only independent source of news with a donation!
