Portsmouth teen builds a bridge over muddied water
John Weiderman’s Eagle Scout project improves trail at Melville Park
PORTSMOUTH — Thanks to John Weiderman, you’ll no longer lose your shoes on a certain trail at Melville Park.
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Portsmouth teen builds a bridge over muddied water
John Weiderman’s Eagle Scout project improves trail at Melville Park
PORTSMOUTH — Thanks to John Weiderman, you’ll no longer lose your shoes on a certain trail at Melville Park.
That’s what happened to a couple of fellow Boy Scouts who were helping John build a small wooden bridge over a particularly muddy start of the Green Trail off Bradford Avenue.
“Two kids lost their shoes, and they had muddy socks afterwards,” said John, who organized the job for his Eagle Scout project. He’s a senior at Portsmouth High School and a member of Troop 82.
John got the idea for the pedestrian bridge after seeing something on social media about volunteers being needed to make improvements at the town-owned 153‐acre tract that’s devoted to passive recreation.
“I went to the Melville Park (Committee) after seeing a post on Facebook, saying they needed some help,” said John. “I sent an e-mail to (committee member) Dr. Ed Rizy, and he got back to me with a whole bunch of options. I chose this because I felt it was a better representation of the leadership that I could do, and the planning and all the skills that I’ve learned.”
Justin Mostert, a former Scoutmaster and John’s Eagle mentor on the project, was impressed by the teenager’s determination.
“He had several projects to choose from, and he picked this one, which was really difficult,” Mr. Mostert said. “Behind the scenes I don’t know whether I’m clapping because I’m proud of him, or I’m going, ‘Boy, this is going to be a lot of work.’ But it really is one of the top five or six (Eagle Scout projects) going back to 2007, when I started with the troop. It’s very beneficial to Melville.”
The bridge can be found at the start of the Green Trail directly across from Thurston Grey Pond, formerly known as Upper Pond. John and a few other Scouts worked in the area for two days.
“The first day we trimmed back most of the vegetation, and we also dug the trench to help water flow through,” he said.
John said he was grateful for the assistance he received from Mr. Mostert, his fellow Scouts, and Home Depot in Middletown, which donated all the materials.
