Eagle Scout honored for project

Eagle Scout Charles Hillman, 19, of East Meadow, received a Certificate of Recognition from Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano at an awards ceremony in June at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola. Hillman was honored for his Eagle Scout service project, a seven-month-long reconstruction of the kayak storage area at the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick.

While visiting the park with his brother, cousin and grandmother in 2009, Hillman noticed that the facility’s kayaks were stored in a way that was damaging their handrails, which, he said, made it difficult to get in and out of the kayaks, especially for those with disabilities.

“The kayaks were being leaned up against the handrail vertically, causing it to warp,” Hillman explained.

With his Eagle Scout service project in mind, Hillman spoke to the Town of Hempstead’s deputy sanitation commissioner, Michael McConnell, about redesigning the kayak storage area. “Mr. McConnell, the Town of Hempstead and my Boy Scout troop” — Troop 189 in Wantagh — “helped me come up with the idea for the project and draw up the plan,” Hillman said.

He began by looking for donations for the materials he would need to build a new kayak rack. When he had raised enough money, Hillman built two kayak racks for horizontal storage. He started construction in June 2009 and finished the following January.

“The kayaks will now be stored horizontally instead of vertically,” Hillman said. “It’s easier storage, easier to get them in and out, and it doesn’t warp the handrail.”

With the completion of the project, Hillman earned his Eagle Scout badge. “I felt accomplished after completing this because it made me feel like I did my part in the community,” he said.

Hillman is now a student at SUNY Delhi, where he is studying culinary arts. He hopes to one day open a restaurant where friends can “come in, sit down and have a great meal.”