Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Eagle Scout Adam Strandburg of Troop 13 of North Warren poses at the Betts Park Bocce Court site of his Eagle Project — the restoration and refurbishment of the courts and pavilion.

When Adam Strandburg looks at his Eagle Project, he should see confirmation that he was living up to the Scout Oath – “I will do my best … to help others.”

The bocce court at Betts Park in Warren is a frequently-used spot. And, thanks to Strandburg, of Troop 13 of North Warren, that facility has received a major upgrade.

The project started in the pavilion next to the court.

“We disassembled the picnic tables, planed and sanded them,” he said. “We also installed fascia around the exterior of the pavilion.”

Part of the project was a simplification. The City of Warren Department of Public Works removed the second bocce court at the location.

“We decided to remove it,” Strandburg said. “It wasn’t getting much use.”

He didn’t make that decision on his own.

“I met with Mike Holtz at the city, my scout leaders, and Pete Carnovale” of the Warren Bocce Group, Strandburg said.

While the group uses the main court every week, the second one was infrequently used, Carnovale told Strandburg.

So, that court was removed. “We filled in that area with new topsoil,” he said. At the end of the project, the Scout seeded the area – which is already grassy.

The primary court was refurbished. The paint on its boundary was cracked and peeling.

“We power-washed the frame of the bocce court to remove the old paint,” Strandburg said. “We restained the existing court.”

The facility also needed and received a new limestone playing surface.

There are posts at each corner of the court. Those who need a little help can hold or lean on those posts. But, a bare metal post is not that comfortable. “We put pool noodles on the bars so the people that play can lean on them,” Strandburg said.

“The DPW installed new benches around the court,” he said.

The club approved of the work.

“They called my mom,” Strandburg said. “They wanted me to come down to a picnic.”

Good food and thankful people made him feel even better about his project.

“That made me feel grateful that I helped a group of people,” he said.

The project took Strandburg about two months. “I started it in the end of May 2020,” he said. “I completed it in July 2020.”

The pandemic did push the work back, but it made the work a little more manageable.

“We didn’t have to deal with as many people as I usually would have,” Strandburg said.

The labor was the easy part of the job.

“The hard part was organizing each session,” he said.

There were about 20 people at each of the work sessions.

Strandburg credits his troop, his Scout leaders, and his parents. “My mom and dad helped a lot,” he said.

“I was excited to achieve Eagle Scout because it’s something I’ve been working toward for a while,” Strandburg said. “I’ve been a Scout for six years. I feel great about this project because it helps out a group of people that use this area frequently.”