Whether it was for love, or to have a good time working alongside friends, Eagle Scout candidate Fionn Pianetto wanted to give back to the community by placing not one but two handmade wooden benches on the links at Springbrook Golf Course. Each bench gives golfers a chance to sit back while waiting to tee off or to just watch a good round of golf. As a member of Troop 75, Pianetto wanted to make his mark on a course he’s taken swings on for a long time.
“From the beginning I was always like yeah, I’m gonna make an Eagle Project and I decided, hey why not give back to a place that I’ve gone to for years and years. I’ve been thinking of doing something here for a long time and it just kind of came naturally to me that I should do a bench for the first and tenth hole,” said Pianetto.
What is an Eagle Project
An Eagle Project is an opportunity for a scout to showcase leadership of others while performing a project to better the community. So the idea to guide his fellow scouts in constructing benches for Springbrook was the perfect fit.
“There were not a lot of good places to sit if you were doing casual rounds of golf. I’ve been here since I was three so I’ve picked up on that stuff, you’d have to sit on the grass or something and I really wanted a place for people to sit and be able to watch their friends tee off and have a place where they can sit and have fun,” said Pianetto.
Once the inspiration struck, Pianetto reached out to the Naperville Park District to pitch the idea of building the new benches. The previous benches on holes one and ten were on their last run. Following a two-week process of constructing the benches with his other Troop members, the Park District was impressed with the work ethic.
“We were really pleased that Fionn reached out to us and said he was interested in helping us out and producing these benches through his Eagle Scout project. I was really surprised when we got the finished product about how impressive the craftsmanship is on these benches. They’re beautiful and they look like they’re gonna last us an incredibly long time,” Naperville Park District Director of Golf Kevin Carlson.
Creative Future
After a successful project, the Park District is grateful for scouts like Fionn or other community members who take the extra step to help the city’s facilities.
“I think that’s great to be able to work with local scout troops, not necessarily benches but other little Eagle Scout projects. To be able to get that volunteer work in our community for our golf courses is definitely something that we would welcome,” said Carlson.
Naperville News 17 Patrick Codo Reports
