Scout restores curb identifiers in Valley Stream

In pursuit of Eagle Scout rank, Daniel Bosko recently spearheaded a project to repaint address numbers on curbs in front of 213 homes in Valley Stream.

Bosko, 17, led a group of 19 youths ages 12 and older — and six adults — on Nov. 5 in painting the curbs from East Maple Street across to East Euclid Street and from Cornwell Avenue to Emerson Place. He said the address numbers on the curbs have faded over time.

“The village isn’t repainting those numbers anytime soon,” Bosko said. “So the reason why I’m doing it is to not only make the neighborhood look uniform, but also to help first responders find houses in emergencies.”

Bosko, who attends Holy Cross High School in Queens, said the group worked for six hours. He returned on Nov. 25 to complete the handful of houses his crew wasn’t able to get to and inspect the other curbs to make sure the numbers remained legible.

The project was funded through $385 Bosko made through donations and a gig he put on at Sip This with his band, the Troop 109 Jazz Quartet, in which he plays bass. The funds went toward paint, brass stencils, paint rollers and safety vests. He said the leftover money would be donated to the Valley Stream Fire Department. The curb idea came to Bosko because his older brother, Anthony, did the same project when he was pledging to become an Eagle Scout two years ago.

Since the curbs are the property of the Village of Valley Stream, Bosko had to receive approval from Mayor Ed Fare’s office prior to starting the work. He said he then handed out flyers to all of the houses to let them know what his plans were.

Bosko, who has been a scout since age 11, said he learned a lot about communication during the project and he received positive reviews from his troop.

“The biggest benefit I’ve gotten from scouting is learning how to be a productive person in the world,” Bosko said. “The biggest thing I’ve taken away from it all is leadership.”