Joseph Ciniglio, a senior at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, is working towards earning the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievable rank in the Boy Scouts of America.
Ciniglio, 17, of Merrick, has been involved with Boy Scouts since he was in the fifth grade, bridging over to his current troop, Troop 225, when he was around the age of 12. His troop, he said, is involved in various community-oriented projects, and regularly runs food drives for local pantries. The troop has around 40 active scouts, ranging in age from 12 to 17. Since he’s bridged over, he said he has assisted his fellow troop members complete their Eagle Scout projects, whether it be during the fundraising portion, or actual execution of the project.
His planned project will bring exterior renovations to the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ hall on Bedford Avenue in Bellmore. “My project, I kind of like it, because it’s a good alliteration,” he said. “I am going to power wash, plant, and paint around the facility.”
The façade of the building is tall and white, with large columns that extend upward and attach to an overhang. The building, and some of the rust that has accumulated on the columns, will be power washed, and repainted. Additionally, some of the yellow lines that indicate parking spaces as well as directional arrows in the VFW’s parking lot will also get a fresh coat of paint.
Outside of the building, some older shrubs will be dug up, especially the ones that surround a headstone, and new plantings, as well as some limestone rocks, will be laid down. In more ways than one, the building’s exterior will get a facelift. The process of planning a project, and figuring out what you want to do, is one of the hardest parts, Ciniglio said.
“One thing I was told, was make sure to log everything — write it down, write it down, write it down,” he said. “There’s a workbook online, and there’s some things to fill out as you go. The hardest part is you actually figuring out what you want to do.”
He said it can be tricky to plan a project, and start making contact with potential beneficiaries. Ciniglio knew people at the VFW Hall through a family connection, which helped get the momentum for his project started. Planning the project, and going through many stages of approval, also takes a lot of time, and a lot of work.
“There is definitely some wait time,” he said. “You have to wait for emails, or even for getting supplies.”
Every project that gets proposed must go through someone at the Theodore Roosevelt Council of the BSA, which is the council that Cingilio’s troop is overseen by. Ciniglio’s father, Pasquale Ciniglio, a Uniform Leader for Troop 225, said that person is Austin Cannon, on the Eagle Board Chair.
“Every project that has to be reviewed goes through Cannon,” Pasqaule said. “Every scout has to write up a proposal, and he tells (Cannon) what his ideas are.”
“They can totally recommend you to change stuff,” Ciniglio added. “But in my experience, I got approved, and the one thing he told me to do was just specify a little more detail.”
Ciniglio’s project is set to take place on Sept. 24, outside of the VFW Hall. Before then, he needs to fundraise, and a car wash for the purpose of doing just that, will take place at Advanced Auto Parts, located at 209 Sunrise Highway, Merrick on Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The funds raised will be used for getting materials needed to accomplish the project, his dad explained. Ciniglio will also accept donations of supplies or tools.
After the project is finished, there is still a lot of work to be done.
“From my knowledge, I know it does take a while,” Cingilio said. “I haven’t gone through it myself yet, but we’ll see.”
All of the work for the project gets compiled into an Eagle Binder.
“He has to bring it back to Cannon,” Pasquale explained. “He overlooks everything. And then they send it to Phoenix, the main place where they send all their paperwork. (In Phoenix), they’re the ones that determine if it’s approved or not.”
For Ciniglio, he said he’s really excited to see the work get done, and for people in the community to benefit from the project. “It’s weird, but (I want) to get it done, because I am a senior now, and if I leave it for later, it’s going to be very stressful doing it,” he explained. “It’s definitely something to look forward to.”
To see the renovations made to the building after Ciniglio’s project is complete, the VFW Hall is at 2400 Bedford Ave. in Bellmore.
