Scouts Cameron Szish, above, and Parker Meyers, at right, check their work at Clinton Township Spring Valley Park. Both are members of Troop 58.

Cameron Szish, 18, of Evans City and Parker Myers, 17, of Mars both completed their Eagle Scout projects this year in the Clinton Township Spring Valley Park.

Cameron, a senior at Seneca Valley High School, of Troop 58 of Middlesex, spent 35 hours making and placing trail markers with wooden posts and plaques, two markers denoting special locations and four that count off the mile walk to the trail's other entrance.

The special markers explain the history and significance of the spots.

“I thought the trail markers would look nice,” he said. “It definitely makes the trail look nicer.”

Cameron said the project only cost him $25. He said it would have cost $300, but he was able to get discounted prices for his materials.

Parker, a senior at Mars High School, of Troop 58 in Cooperstown, tried to beat the weather in building a deck overlooking a pond along the trail.

He first cleared brush around the pond to make it more scenic, before he built the deck measuring 192 square feet. It features composite deck boards and a plastic railing system for durability and longevity.

Parker finished the deck before the winter weather returned, but waited for a nicer day in February to install the railing.

“The winter came in and it just got too cold to work outside,” he said. “We had to wait it out.”

Now finished, Parker said the deck is something that could draw people to the pond and its now visible scenery.

“This is another step to get more people out here,” he said.

Parker estimated the cost of the project at $3,500.

“It was a bigger project,” he said. “I had a lot of time before I turned 18, so I picked a bigger project.”

Leroy Zacherl of Clinton Township, former president of the Friends of Spring Valley Park, said the scouts added more than monetary value to the park.“The more projects we do like this, the more people get interested,” Zacherl said. “It's a value to the community.”Zacherl praised the efforts, and he said scouts have been good to the park in previous years too. He said the park tends to draw the interest of eager scouts by offering a lot of possible improvements and a lot of available opportunities.“Every time (any scouts) come, they're great,” he said. “We always have future projects to keep working on.”Zacherl said the work by all the scouts who've completed projects has been appreciated, and he hopes the park continues to receive their attention.“It all makes it nicer,” Zacherl said.

Parker Myers of Troop 58 in Cooperstown stands on the deck he built at the Clinton Township Spring Valley Park.