GREEN RIVER — Green River Eagle Scout David Ross built a fence between Hutton Park and the street for his Eagle Scout project to help keep children safe as they play.

Ross has been part of Troop 312 for about eight months, and for his Eagle Scout project, he found an issue that is important to him and also benefits the community. This project was important to Ross, as his own nieces would play at Hutton Park, and he always had concerns for their safety.

“I came up with this idea because my little nieces would go to that park but I never felt they were safe since people always took that street really fast. So I wanted something to prevent children from running into the street,” he said.

He initially came up with the idea for the project in the fall, and he was excited to see it completed a few weeks ago.

The actual construction of the fence, with the help of 23 volunteers, took about four hours. However, Ross said the total man hours were about 92 hours. Many of the volunteers who helped him were fellow troop members from Troop 312.

He said The Home Depot was also very helpful by lowering the cost of supplies by about $250. The original cost was $1,200.

In a show of support for the project, the residents who live near the park chipped in some money to help Ross.

“The people in the neighborhood around the park were very generous since they ended up donating the rest of the money,” he said.

There were complications along the way such as issues getting materials due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. He said he also originally intended to build a fence around the entire park, rather than between the park and the street, but was unable to do so due to service lines.

However, given the complications, the project will benefit children and families in the community in helping to ensure kids are safe while playing at Hutton Park. And now, Ross can have a bit of peace of mind as well.

“I just wanted to make sure that my family would be safe at the park they love,” Ross said.