Eagle Scout Project Maintenance

[witai]

Has anyone had any experience with a unit or organization requiring a Scout to provide maintenance on his project after completion?

 

I had a mother ask me about it. She said that her son was told that he would have to maintain his project after completion.

 

Looks like that is adding to the requirements.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

I would not consider that to even be in the category of "adding to the requirements," as whatever organization he is serving would have no authority over seeing that he has or has not met the requirements.

 

As a leader (and father), I would strongly suggest that the project be taken a different direction. Such an expectation, on bahalf of the benefitting organization is outside the scope of such a project. I may have to confer with our district's advancement chair (were I in that position), but I feel that the committee might not approve such a project if that were a stipulation of the benefitting organization.

[click23]

From the 2009 revision of "Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures" http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf

 

"These projects, of course,must conform to the wishes and regulations of those for whom the project is undertaken"

 

The benefiting organization may put on any restriction or requirement they wish, but the unit/district/council may not

[Basementdweller]

Not enough information to draw a conclusion.

 

 

I don't think it would be unreasonable.......He would just need to include it in plan.

 

I have seen too many eagle projects that a year or so after completion looked horrible.

 

A state park lake near us had an eagle scout added hand rails to a bridge and one year later they are in horrible shape, warped from not being constructed correctly and not protected from the weather.

 

An embarrassment. too many of these projects end this way

[dewASM]

This must be one of those urban legends. I have had some people tell me the same thing. That an Eagle Scout is required to maintain their project. When I asked what happens when they leave the area, I was told they were required to appoint someone else to maintain the project. Didn't really understand how this could be enforced.

 

But I have to say it is a nice idea for an Eagle Scout to make sure their projects are maintained, if necessary.

[JFL49]

An Eagle Project should have a definite start date and a definite completion date. The Scout needs to know when he is done with the project and the benefiting organization must also know when the project is completed. How else would the Scout get a final sign-off?

 

If the completion date is open-ended due to the maintenance requirements of the benefiting organization, then it is a poor choice for an Eagle Project. Were I the Scoutmaster, the project proposal would never make it to the District Advancement Chair - I would reject the project.

 

 

[Bando]

This just makes me think about a friend of mine and what happened to his Eagle Project. He built pilings for barbecues, planted a bunch of trees, and built some picnic tables for a park next to a local elementary school. All with the consent and cooperation of the school district and school administration. Great project.

 

Then, I kid you not, less than one year later it was ALL bulldozed over to build an addition to the school.

 

Benefited the community as a pretty nice parking spot for half a new school.

[Basementdweller]

No one said the Eagle would actually be doing the work, but he could contact the Parks and rec people or TWP people to maintain the project. Make the effort is all.

[evmori]

This is why I don't like web sites being built as Eagle projects.

 

If the organization the project is benefiting wants maintenance, they should get that maintenance.

[gcnphkr]

evmori: "This is why I don't like web sites being built as Eagle projects."

 

My first would be: How are you demonstrating leadership?

 

 

 

[artjrk]

Jet

 

I have never seen building a website as an Eagle Project before. But as a designer and web developer I know that it is not a one man job. It takes a full team to do it right, Designer, Programmer, Writer, Editor, Photographer. A Scout doesn't have to be any of these. To show leadership he would need to assemble such team and coordinate and direct each of these parts. Actually this is similar to a Scout I just signed of his SMC where he coordinated the publication of an information booklet for the town council. He had to coordinate the interviews and writeups as well as the design and production of the piece.

 

To tie this back to the OP, I don't think the scout should be required to provide the maintenance of these projects. But he should have delivered it in a manner which would allow others to do so in the future.

[evmori]

My first would be: How are you demonstrating leadership?

 

A lot easier than most other projects. artjrk hit the nail on the head.

[oldsm]

My youngest son's ESLSP involved arranging for and guiding the work of others to rehabilitate a piece town property into a conservation area. It involved construction of 2 bridges, clearing and re-blazing a trail, installation of post/rail fence and bollards to prohibit ATV access to the trail, remediation of vehicle-damaged areas, and creation of permanent signage. That was all done 2 years ago. The town was delighted. No mention was made of future maintenance. We know from cars parked there that the trail is used frequently.

 

Since then, son (and an occasional friend) have gone back to trim overgrowth and remove downed trees. Both bridges washed about 100' downstream about a year ago during a week of very heavy rain and flooding. Son got a crew together, disassembled the bridges, reconstructed them where they were supposed to be, and improved the anchoring so they can't float away again.

 

Recently, someone pulled out a post that restricted ATV access. Son located the removed post and reinstalled it (now anchored securely in rocks and cement.

 

He was under no obligation to do any maintenance, nor did anyone suggest that he should. But he said "It's a reflection on the troop, on the town, and me. It was my project, and I want to be sure it stays in good shape."

[gcnphkr]

If the scout is the project manager on a website development project and is managing a design team then factors like maintenance, domain registration renewal, etc. would be part of the project and should be included. Not that he has to maintain it himself, but the provision should be built into the project.

 

But there are a lot of websites that are one man shows. I don't see how that would qualify.

[witai]

Thanks for all of the responses. I will pass them along to the scout and his mother.

 

Last word from them was that the maintenance was a requirement added by the unit. While admirable, it is still an addition, which is not allowed by National.