LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Troop 249: The Eagles Have Landed


Photos provided

Troop 249 of Moraga recently welcomed a convocation of new Eagles in a Court of Honor held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints. The six newest members of Troop 249's Eagle's Nest include recent Campo graduates Cameron Bell and Riley Stevenson of Moraga and Gregor Peirce of Lafayette, as well as Miramonte graduates James Dawson, Kurt Linderman and Rossin West of Orinda. In a separate Court of Honor, Geoffrey Winegar of Moraga also accepted this prestigious award. With projects ranging from new libraries to landscaping, the efforts of these seven boys represent over one thousand hours of service for the community.

Cameron Bell focused his project on collecting books to create a library at the Booker T. Anderson Community Center in Richmond. Cameron, along with many scouts in the troop, categorized over eighty boxes of donated books to fill the shelves of the newly-created library.

Geoffrey Winegar built a greenhouse for the vegetable garden at Camino Pablo Elementary School in Moraga. The greenhouse enables the children to get a head start on their planting so they can harvest some of the produce each spring before school lets out for summer.

Gregor Peirce built an information kiosk for the entrance of the garden at Burton Valley Elementary School with a hand-carved sign reading "BVE Garden Classroom." The kiosk has compartments for informative handouts and a bulletin board with information about the Garden Classroom.

The garden at Burton Valley Elementary School was the beneficiary of another one of Troop 249's Eagle efforts. Riley Stevenson built two trellises in the garden at the Burton Valley Elementary School and a memorial for long-time school janitor, Anthony Lucido.

James Dawson took on the task of re-landscaping the entrance to the LDS Church, just off Via Granada in Moraga. He worked with the Church's gardening specialists to develop a landscaping plan for the entrance, and implemented the plan by clearing the area, installing the irrigation system, and planting native vegetation.

The idea for Kurt Linderman's Eagle project was hatched while he was working on the construction of houses for families in need in rural Utah. Basic needs were being met through the building of the structures, but as the houses were un-landscaped. Kurt procured donations from local nurseries and was able to provide trees and shrubs for 10 homes.

Rossin West undertook the project of restoring the beautiful and historic hand-carved sign in front of the Orinda Community Park. The sign was erected in 1976 to commemorate the efforts of the citizens of Orinda in building the park during the bicentennial.