TOWNSEND — Thanks to an Eagle Scout project that was five years in the making, the trails behind Hawthorne Brook Middle School now have clearly marked signs.
Nathan Peloquin, who lives in Townsend but is a member of Pepperell’s Troop 26, celebrated his Eagle Scout ceremony Sept. 21 after the signs were installed last year.
State Rep. Sheila Harrington attended the ceremony, and a letter was presented from former Sen. Scott Brown.
“The whole day was kind of a blur to me. It was crazy. I had a great time, and it kind of felt like closure for me,” Peloquin said.
Peloquin got the idea to help revitalize the trails around 2007 because they were so important to him when he was younger.
“When I first moved to Townsend, I used to go on trails a lot. I loved the trails. I grew up on them, so it was a great closing kind of project for me,” he said.
All of the money for the project was raised by Peloquin and his friends, who stood outside the Pepperell Post Office with a collection tin, asking people for small contributions. He said they were able to raise about $500 over two weekends.
“My dad and I were both shocked at how much of a response we got from it,” Peloquin said. “I had no idea what I was going to do, standing outside a post office, but it didn’t take that much time.”
The money paid for the signs to be made, and then Peloquin and his fellow troop members installed them in July 2012. He worked with the Pepperell Cemetery & Parks Division throughout the process.
Peloquin said he hopes the signs provide a service to all those hoping to enjoy the trails.
Boy Scouts, he said at his ceremony, are true heroes for the work they do. He cited the Boy Scout uniform in order to make his own version of a familiar quote.
“Some people have heroes that wear capes and fly, while my heroes wear neckerchiefs, go camping and wear slides,” he said.
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