By Patrick Cooley
VOLANT — Nearly two dozen men and women carried boards, hammered away at nails, drilled pilot holes for screws, set planks in place.
One even fished through the water to find dropped nails over a half-finished fishing pier outside Volant in September.
The work on the banks of Neshannock Creek is part of the development of a park in Springfield Township that will be comfortably accessible to any disabled person, particularly those who use wheelchairs.
Jack Grimm III, a student at Grove City High School, organized the construction for a project he has to complete in order to become an Eagle Scout.
“I wanted to do something worthwhile,” he said.
Other builders included Jack’s friends, family, fellow Scouts and members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7465 in Springfield Township.
Although construction started in September, the idea developed over the summer when Jack’s troop was invited to plant trees in an area which the VFW is converting into a park.
Jack’s father, Jack Grimm II, said that got the Scouts involved and eventually led to Jack wanting to build the fishing pier.
Jack found a suitable site, came up with a plan for building it and recruited enough volunteer workers to get the job done.
Money to buy and transport materials was donated by local businesses and individuals.
The Grimms said that in order to help people get an idea of what the finished pier would look like, Jack built a scale model.
“We had to sell the idea,” Grimm said. “We took it to anybody who would listen, and once we had that model, that’s when things started to take off.”
“Once we had that model, it became something the average Joe could take part in,” he said.
Even after things had gotten under way, Jack and his father had to go back on the road asking for donations once they ran into unforeseen costs.
“We quickly learned some of the things we didn’t allow enough money for,” Grimm said. “There were delivery charges and materials, a lot of $25 incidentals that added up to hundreds of dollars.”
Grimm said they owe thanks to many people whose donations and encouragment were invaluable.
A plaque on the pier will thank all those who contributed to the project.
“It was fun but it was really time consuming,” Jack said about the construction work done over three consecutive Saturdays ending on Sept. 20.
“The first day we planted the telephone poles (that supported the pier over the water) in the ground and we put the stringers up,” he said. “The next day we did the substructure, and the day after that we put the decking on.”
He had to keep track of the hours that he and several other volunteers worked.
According to his records, he and dozens of volunteers logged more than 400 man hours.
It wasn’t Jack’s first experience with construction work.
“I’ve been working with my dad for a while,” he said.
His family has been building and adding on to the house they live in.
“Building a fishing pier, that is definitely new,” Jack said. It is awaiting final approval from local building inspectors.
“We’ll feel a lot better when the final inspection comes in the mail,” Grimm said, although he said the inspector called their home and told them everything was fine and that there was no reason why it wouldn’t be approved.
The pier is open to everyone but handicapped anglers will be given first preference.
Jack is a member of a Boy Scout Troop 71, which meets in the Leesburg Presbyterian Church, and has members from southeast Mercer county and the surrounding area.
