A Wrentham Boy Scout is hoping the community will support his goal to light up the WW1 Memorial flagpole on the common for his Eagle Scout project. He needs to raise $6,000 to purchase and install the seven state-of-the-art light fixtures necessary for the project.
Kevin Duduch of Boy Scout Troop 131 was driving through town one night with his father when he noticed the flag in the common was unlit.
“When the flag is out 24/7 it should technically have a light on it,” said Duduch, citing the U.S. Flag Code.
He had been looking for a service project to help him achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, so the youth decided lighting the flag would be a fitting way to give back to the town of Wrentham.
“It’s right in the center of town and it would be a long-lasting contribution,” noted Duduch. “A lot of people see the flag every day. It seemed like a good idea.”
An Eagle Scout project must be developed, planned, and led by a Boy Scout, and benefit a religious, school, or community organization. Nationally, only about 7% of Boy Scouts achieve the Eagle rank.
Duduch said the project has involved many hours of research to become educated about floodlighting, and also to determine the best lighting fixtures for the WW1 Memorial flagpole. The most popular type of light fixture available, he says, is slowly being replaced by LED lighting, which presented an obstacle.
“That flagpole is so tall that trying to find an LED fixture that can hit the flag was one of my biggest struggles,” he said. LED fixtures consume less electricity and are more resistant to breakage. They are also more expensive, added Duduch.
Duduch is also favoring solid bronze fixtures, which are aesthetically pleasing as well as durable.
He says the lighting will probably be on a photocell system, which he prefers over a timer. Photocells sense ambient light levels and automatically adjust to seasonal changes in the day/night cycle.
Duduch believes he has honed his presentation and negotiation skills while getting the project off the ground. He met with the town’s electrical inspector and town administrator to discuss the project, and then went before the Board of Selectmen for approval.
The final step was to get the project approved by a regional Boy Scout authority.
The rising KP High School senior says the project is teaching him time management and communication skills, too. He’s had to contact and discuss the project with lighting companies, and interact with authorities in a professional and business-like way.
He hopes to complete the Eagle Scout project this fall, and has set up a Facebook page with a PayPal link for donations. He is also planning a carwash fundraiser, tentatively scheduled for sometime in August, to be held in the parking lot of St. Mary Catholic Church in Wrentham.
Bill Ketcham, Wrentham’s town administrator, said Duduch has undertaken a complex and long-needed project for the town. The flag was installed with a memorial plaque on its base to honor Wrentham’s World War I veterans, he explained.
“It is fitting that the lighting will be installed on the one hundredth anniversary of America’s entry into that war,” added Ketchum. “I hope that the community will be generous in their support of Kevin’s project. The Selectmen and I thank him for stepping up to do this.”
For more information or to donate to Duduch’s Eagle Scout project, visit www.facebook.com/LightupWrenthamWW1Memorial.
Issue Date:
August, 2017
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