Andrew Zalev, an upcoming Eagle Scout of Troop 1 Southborough, has completed his Eagle Scout project for the town of Southborough. His Eagle Scout project featured the World War II Memorial at the center of town. The World War II memorial has been needing repairs for some years, which Andrew found as a problem. There was much decay and rust found.

Earlier Plans

Some of his earlier ideas for the project included a gaga pit, which is a place/pit to play a ball game, for Finn and a clothes drive that involved people giving out brochures for a one-day collection. Andrew eventually went with the memorial renovation, which he just had to do.

Building Process

He started his Eagle Scout idea with a Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) meeting to explore how he could organize the project. He got started with getting high-quality flag poles, as the old ones were hard to remove. He had many Scouts to help him with the project. According to Zalev, the poles had to be perfect for them to fit into the holes.  Some poles would too heavy and could fall. Another problem was that the granite could not sustain the weight of some of the poles.

“Probably the best advice

is to plan the day to do the installation, plan

the building day, and have enough materials.”-said Andrew, with his advice for future Eagle Scouts

Partners/Volunteers

To help with the project, Andrew gathered many Scouts to help with the installation of the new poles. He also got help from Assabet Regional High School with the welding and metal parts. A local paint place provided the reflective white color for the poles. The poles themselves were donated by the Marlboro Steel Company.

Giving Back

“We always say thank you to the veterans, and that’s it. I wanted to do an even bigger thanks by doing this project for them,” said Andrew Zalev. Andrew wanted to say thank you in an even bigger way, most notably to Mr. Whynot for everything he has done for the community and to recognize his service.  For those who don’t know Mr.Whynot, he is a veteran that has served the town of Southborough for many years.  He has been involved in Veterans Day activities, Christmas tree pickup, and other community events. Eagle Scout projects are for the community.  Zalev wanted to express his gratitude for the veterans through his project.