MONKTON — A recent Saturday saw Monkton Ridge (and Monkton Boro) get a series of new welcome signs erected by Will Aldridge of Monkton Scout Troop 525 and his crew. The signs sport the Monkton flag and “Welcome to Monkton Ridge, Please Drive Safely.” Corresponding signs are also on the approaches to the Boro. This project was undertaken as an Eagle Scout service project and is the highest achievement award that a Scout can attain.
Will had the signs made by SB Signs of Williston, whose owner had himself been a Scout. Martin’s Hardware of Bristol was the source of the wooden posts and other hardware, all provided at discount. A big thanks for their generosity. Thanks go out also to those who provided their volunteer help in fabricating and installing the signs: Lee Mahoney, George Parker, Tristan Parker, and Bob and Liz Aldrich. Will financed the project through a bottle drive and donations.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank a Scout has to demonstrate leadership in his troop and must plan, develop and lead a project that benefits the community. Prerequisites are demonstrating proficiency in a number of other skills such as wilderness survival, lifesaving and first aid.
The Monkton Scout troop is currently led by Scout leaders Russ Baker and George Parker and is pretty active with some 30 scouts in the troop. Some of their annual camps have taken them down to Florida to the Florida Sea Base and out West to Yellowstone National Park in Montana.
Installing these signs is a part of the Complete Streets project (a law signed by Gov. Shumlin in 2011), part of which seeks to make town roads safer for all users, with attention to pedestrians and cyclists. The goal is to implement a series of traffic-calming methods as there has been a desire by residents to slow traffic passing along the Ridge and through the Boro.
The intent of the signs is to alert motorists to the fact they are entering the village area. Other additions have been the pedestrian crossing in front of the town hall and, still to be done, white fog lines on the right shoulders of the road.
The project was proposed and mentored by the Monkton Planning Commission, which decided that the Monkton flag designed by Monkton artist Linda Reynolds would make a good backdrop for the signs.
Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Ivor Hughes of the Monkton Planning Commission.
A WORK CREW, assisting Monkton Boy Scout Will Aldrich, erects one of the new welcome signs recently posted at the entrances to Monkton Ridge and Monkton Boro.