LINN  — Shane Greer of Linn recently completed his Eagle Scout project by placing a sign with a flower planter at the Linn City Park baseball field.

Greer noted he developed the idea for a sign after talking to Linn City Park Board Chairman Neil Loethen in the fall of 2022. “Neil said he wanted to put a sign at the baseball field, and I needed a project, so I set out to do it for him,” said Greer, noting Linn aldermen and the Eagle Scout Board approved the project in September 2022. “After that, we started working on a plan and got it all mapped out.”

Loethen provided the dimensions he wanted for the sign. Then, the planning began to have it custom-made by Osage Ambulances in Linn. The company developed an aluminum-plastic composite for the sign and added sticker wrap to it.

Greer said he knew Dawn Seiling through the National Youth Leadership Conference he attended while in Scouts, and her husband was employed by Midwest Block & Brick in Jefferson City. “I emailed Dawn’s husband Tony Seiling, and Midwest Brick & Block donated the blocks for the sign,” he added. “And then my mom and other people bought the mulch and stuff for the flower planter, as well as other supplies for the sign.”

Greer’s parents, Travis and Lori, helped from the beginning. Armed with materials, Greer also secured assistance from fellow Troop 17 Scouts to develop the project in stages.

“A bunch of people from the troop and a couple of my buddies came out and dug out the ground,” said Greer. “We got it all laid out and ready to put the concrete footer in for the bricks to sit on.”

That digging began on Oct. 2, 2022, and other stages took place when the crew had an opportunity.

As the concrete was curing, Greer retrieved the bricks and took them to the park. He also organized erecting the signpost so it would be ready for the sign from Osage Ambulances.

When the concrete was ready, Greer and his helpers stacked the bricks using caulk to keep them from moving around.

Greer also made a topper for the signposts that looks like a baseball. He and his friends completed the project in stages because they were very busy with life. Greer was active in FFA, participated in other activities, and had a job.

“I am very grateful to my parents, my brother, Jason, and Troop 17 as a whole,” said Greer. “Everyone in the troop was very helpful.”

Greer said the biggest challenge was time management. “It’s kind of hard to work and complete projects on the side and do all my other stuff,” he said. “I always kind of work toward trying to manage everything I can. I try to get the most out of every day.”

Greer, who graduated from Linn in May, participated as a Sentinel in FFA and was a member of NHS and FCCLA.

Seeing the sign at the park is rewarding. “Going to the park, seeing what I built, and seeing how everyone else reacts to it was pretty cool,” he said.

To attain Eagle rank, a scout must earn 21 merit badges, and Greer earned 47. For every five merit badges earned beyond the 21 required, Scouts acquired Eagle Palms; Greer earned five.

He earned the following merit badges: Swimming, First Aid, Citizenship in Community, Wilderness Survival, Citizenship in the World, Digital Technology, Engineering, Canoeing, Kayaking, Life Saving, Inventing, Rowing, Music, Chess, Electronics, Citizenship in Nation, Personal Fitness, Weather, Robotics, Camping, Environmental Science, Communication, Family Life, Safety, Art, Architecture, Search and Rescue, Crime Prevention, Salesmanship, Mining in society, Indian Lore, Bird Study, Soil and Water conservation, American Cultures, Graphic Arts, Climbing, Animation, Model Design, Painting, Emergency Preparedness, Disability Awareness, Welding, Archaeology, Personal Management, Cooking, Medicine, Citizenship in the Society.

Shane also earned Order of the Arrow (OA) Ordeal and Brotherhood rank advancements. He was a summer camp lifeguard, completed the mile swim at Lake of the Ozarks twice, and was accepted into and participated in the BSA NYLT-National Youth Leadership Training.

Having been in Scouting since the first grade, Greer is happy to have earned the highest rank. “It means a lot to me,” he said of earning Eagle. “It means that I’ve succeeded in something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. It opened up a lot of career opportunities for me. It gave me a lot of experiences that I never would have had without joining Boy Scouts. Scouting showed me how to be a leader and allowed me to kind of do my own thing.”

Greer recommends scouting to others and plans to remain close to the troop. He will be in Linn for at least a while, as he plans to attend State Tech and study Electrical Distribution Systems (EDS). “I’ll help by doing whatever they need,” he said.