Eagle Scout James Ares tests out one of the benches made for St. Rose of Lima.
By Liz Nolan, Contributing Writer
NORTHBOROUGH – Algonquin Regional High School sophomore and Northborough Troop 101 Scout James Ares is not just sitting around. In fact, for his Eagle Scout project he built four, 8-foot wooden benches for others to sit and be used around the fire pit located at St. Rose of Lima in Northborough.
The fire pit, also an Eagle Scout project by fellow scout Noah Long, is often used for church youth groups and activities. Although use was limited this past year due to gathering restrictions, the benches are already a welcomed addition.
St. Rose of Lima holds its 10 a.m. Sunday mass outdoors if weather permits, and the benches were installed to make their debut on Easter Sunday.
Building and creating have always been of interest to Ares.
“I always wanted to build something for my Eagle Scout project,” Ares said. “The idea of building some form of seating so people can enjoy the fire pit was suggested.”
Once the bench idea was established in October 2020, the process began. The project proposal, planning, fundraising and receiving approval from the Boy Scout Council are all part of the process. Once approved, he found easy-to-follow online construction directions and obtained the necessary tools for the project.
Ares said business donations were a crucial part of the project. Lowe’s Home Improvement donated supplies, and funds were donated by Central One Federal Credit Union and Moe’s Northborough Auto Service.
Leadership, communication and project and time management skills are all developed during the Eagle Scout project process.
The fundraising portion was new to Ares, and he is appreciative of the generosity.
“I never asked for money from big companies before,” he said.
Although fellow scouts Cameron Kane, Peter Wixted and Alex Nascimento volunteered time to assist Ares in the construction portion, the six month project entailed about 36 hours.
James Ares in bench construction mode
A full day alone was dedicated to creating the prototype and another half day was spent preparing materials for construction day.
“It took about four to five hours straight of working and a rented UHaul for transportation,” said Ares. “The actual building process was a lot faster than I thought it would be.”
The benches were completed and delivered to St. Rose on April 3.
Ares is relieved that the project is completed.
“It felt like an accomplishment the second the benches were delivered,” he said. “It will feel good to see people using them.”
Troop 101 has been holding some outdoor meetings, but Ares can’t think of a better way to celebrate his accomplishment than to have the next Troop meeting at St. Rose.
