Spruced signs

Drivers entering Dunkirk along Indiana 167 are getting a more welcoming welcome.

The “Welcome to Dunkirk” signs at the north and south entrances to the city were spruced up as part of a local Boy Scout’s efforts to become an Eagle Scout.

Drew Powers, an Albany resident and a member of Boy Scout Troop 205 of Dunkirk, needed an Eagle Scout project. His mom suggested calling Dunkirk Mayor Jack Robbins for suggestions. Robbins immediately thought of the signs.

“We were in the process of getting ready to work on them and clean them up,” said Robbins. “They had great big bushes in front of them blocking the letters on them. …

“That’s how it got started. … He basically took over and did a heck of a job.”

When Powers took a good look at the signs hundreds pass by every day on Indiana 167, he saw why.

“I went and took a look, and it was just bad,” said Powers.

The large bushes on the far side of the road from each sign were overgrown. Weeds had overtaken the fronts of the signs, covering up large portions of the word “Dunkirk.”

So Drew came up with a plan.

The first step, with the help of a couple of city workers, was to clean out the area around the signs. That meant using a Bobcat and shovels to dig up not only the shrubs but also the glass pieces that had been placed at the base of the signs years ago.

“It took some time,” said Powers.

Then, a day later on July 25, he and some of his fellow Scouts got to work. They started with a layer of topsoil, then added a moisture layer, then more topsoil. They planted small plants so as to not block the sign, and finished it off with a layer of mulch.

The final touch was adding solar lights to keep the signs visible after the sun goes down.

“They are probably as good as they’ve looked since they were brand new,” said Robbins. “The smaller bushes they put in, which will stay down, and the flowers … he did it right.

“The homeowners around them, they think they look good. And the solar lights at night really light them up.”

Powers first joined Cub Scouts in Lafayette when he was in first grade. When his family moved to Albany a few years later, he joined the Dunkirk troop.

While none of the individual merit badges he earned en route to becoming an Eagle Scout stand out — “They’re all fun,” he said — Powers feels he’s learned a lot. He said Boy Scouts has taught him hands-on skills, prepared him for life and improved his leadership abilities.

What he enjoys most, though, is seeing others accomplish their goals.

“For me, I’m doing my work, but I’m also seeing younger kids doing their work,” Powers said. “I can see them progress, grow, do their work, become young men. And I like that a lot.

“After I reach Eagle, I plan on being a junior leader to help younger kids too.”

In addition to Boy Scouts, the Jay County High School senior plays baseball and football, is a member of the archery club and is involved in band. He also does some landscaping, and on Aug. 22 helped a fellow Scout with another Eagle project.

His own Eagle Scout project stands out as a milestone.

“It’s just emotions,” said Powers. “You’re just like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’ve reached this point.’ It’s just amazing.”