First Posted: 11/15/2014

LUMBERTON — For Seth Harrington, fixing a trail at Luther Britt Park was more than just a project, it was about blazing a path to the future.

“I wanted to do something that would benefit the community for years to come,” said Harrington, an Eagle Scout for Troop 33 in Lumberton. “I think people will really enjoy what we did here.”

The 14-year-old led a group of 17 volunteers in a effort to repair the boardwalk at Luther Britt Park on Saturday. They replaced wood posts, picked up trash, erected a sign reading “The Trail at Jacob Swamp,” and placed plaques etched with nature-related quotes along the boardwalk.

The planning for the project started nearly a year ago when Harrington approached Tim Taylor, director of Lumberton Parks and Recreation, inquiring about service projects for his Eagle project. It culminated with six hours of work on Saturday in chilly and gusty weather.

“I went to Mr. Tim with ideas to see what we could do and he was a huge help in making this project happen,” said Harrington, a freshman at Lumberton High School. “The planning was key and he was the right person to talk with about it.”

Harrington, a member of the high school’s cross country team, said running factored into his decision on a project as well.

“We ran here for cross country,” he said. “This project will give us a better place to run next year.”

Steve Martin, scout master for Troop 33, said the boardwalk project was “all Seth.” Martin encourages his scouts to come up with service projects and present them to the group to help build leadership skills.

“Each scout has their own project and this time we’re here to help Seth,” he said. “My hope is that they will help each other along the way with each project.”

Cole Lewis, a scout member looking to follow in Harrington’s footsteps, said the 35-degree temps on Saturday morning weren’t going to stop him from helping with the boardwalk.

“It means a lot to be able to help Seth and help the community,” he said. “We always try to help each other.”

Nearly 50 plaques were spaced out along the boardwalk to inspire visitors to appreciate the environment. One, from Albert Einstein, read: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”.

“Seth came up with the idea to place plaques with nature quotes on the boardwalk to give it some personality,” said Allison Harrington, Seth’s mother. “These were made by friends and they turned out great.”

Friends and family members donated money, and the city of Lumberton donated building materials.

The scouts plan to create brochures for the community providing details about the upgrades to the trail and some information about the area.

“We had to do research to find out that the name of the swamp was Jacob,” Seth said. “That got me thinking about making brochures to help people find the trail easier and also give them information about the trail itself.”

The scouts began the two-day project on Friday afternoon, preparing materials for Saturday. They enjoyed food and drinks along the way.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys,” Martin said. “They’ve worked hard.”

Seth put in more than 120 hours from the beginning to the final nail on Saturday afternoon.

“Hopefully when I become a dad one day my kid will want to join the scouts because of the projects I helped with,” he said. “It’s pretty cool knowing what I’m doing today could encourage people in the future to help with service projects in their communities.”