Troop 567 Scout makes Eagle grade

Ellen McCarty

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Mayor John Collins and other City Council

members will salute Remington Craig Richards, 15, when he receives the

highest rank of Scouting, the Eagle Scout Award, Friday at the United

Methodist Church of Fountain Valley.

The first member of Troop 567 to earn the award in six years, Richards

volunteered 102 hours of his own time and recruited about 35 volunteers

to help him build a new patio cover at Ellis Park.

The old wooden cover had been in place about 30 years. Remington

replaced it with a new 20-by-80 curved structure that is wide enough to

shade six picnic tables, said his mother, Kim.

With the help of his parents, who work at Reliable Wholesale Lumber in

Huntington Beach, Remington planned the project last September and

completed it in January 1999.

“It takes a lot of planning and hard work,” he said. “You can’t slack

off and expect to be successful.”

The Fountain Valley High School sophomore, who spent a good chunk of

his volunteer time soliciting donations for the project, said it felt

good to give back to the park.

“I used to play there so I wanted to make it nice for everyone else,”

he said.

Remington discovered that the best way to recruit volunteers was to

make weekly phone calls and offer free pizza. He plans to share his

expertise with younger Scouts who pursue the award next year.