Eagle Scout Harris Royer went the extra mile and gave the inside of the garden shed a long overdue makeover

Scout Harris Royer of Camas Scout Troop 562 chose to do his Eagle Scout project in Parker’s Landing Historical Park. His goal was to protect the park’s Heritage Apple Tree Grove by enlarging the bark ring that surrounds the trees, giving them greater access to water. Harris also chose to encourage park volunteers by refinishing their garden shed that houses hoses, nozzles, gardening tools and supplies for park watering, gardening needs, and beautification. But wait there’s more.

Not only did Harris water the park on the days he was working on his projects, when his projects were done, he wanted to go the extra mile and give the inside of the garden shed a long overdue makeover. The three 100-foot hoses purchased by the Port for volunteer use were heavy lifting and stored in a pile on the bottom of the shed. Shorter 50-foot hoses hung by two old, fragile mounted metal brackets. Other tools in the shed purchased and used by the Community Garden Club since the 1970s hung individually on hooks, taking up limited interior wall space.

Watering and gardening volunteers had become limited to those who could manage the hoses. Not anymore! Volunteers will now see a new and improved shed interior! Thanks to Harris, assisted by PAC (Parkersville National Historic Site Advisory Committee to the Port) member Jeff Carlson, the indoor space is now solid and organized. Carlson supervised Royer in the fabrication and installation of new brackets and shelves which required welding, drilling and careful measuring, done inside Carlson’s home workshop. Carlson, a retired IronWorker, has a long resume of working on large projects including Bonneville Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. He seized the opportunity to assist Harris meet his vision for a larger Eagle Scout project. Harris put in countless hours this summer working on his Eagle Scout projects that are now completed.

The park relies on volunteers for year-round gardening, April and May park beautification days, and summer and fall watering. Summers have been warming annually and lasting into the fall. High temperatures without enough water is the biggest threat to the park trees.

The park has three sections. Section A is the parking lot. Section B is an archeological site without a sprinkler system. Section C has sprinklers and provides a circular walk and tribute to Camas and Washougal veterans who lost their lives serving their country.

The Port funds the additional water and volunteers apply it to protect trees and keep the park green for the public’s greater enjoyment. The Rose Arbor requires weekly deep watering and volunteers also keep the flowers looking their best with pruning, feeding, and insect control.

Susan Tripp, PAC member and volunteer organizer of the park gardening and watering volunteers invites the public who enjoy meeting in the park to consider helping by watering when they are there. Email her at SusanLTripp@gmail.com or text 562-805-5189.

For more information, email ParkersvilleHeritageFoundation@gmail.com or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ParkersLandingHistoricalPark