As senior Scott McCuen walked along the bike trails during his college visits, he decided on what to do for his Eagle Scout project.

“I saw these bike repair stalls along the trails of these colleges and I remembered our very own bike trail along the river,” said McCuen.

Scott McCuen is a Boy Scout and is currently working towards becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest attainable rank.

“I have to do an Eagle Scout Service Project which is a big part of the process of becoming an Eagle Scout,” said McCuen. “It’s where you come up with a project to benefit the community and the best place to do my project would be the American River, a major component of our community environment.”

McCuen is installing bike repair stalls, three along the bike trail, along with bike pumps.

McCuen thought it was beneficial for the community to have bike repair stalls installed along the river, a popular biking route, to assist would-be stranded bikers who find themselves with a broken bike or flat tire.

The Eagle Scout Service Project requires the scout to plan, develop, and lead others in doing the project.

A plan must be written and submitted using the BSA Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook and be pre-approved by the benefiting organization, the unit committee, the Scout Leader, and a district representative, before work on the project can begin.

About 2% of everyone in the Boy Scout program earns the Eagle Scout title.

The key to a successful project is leadership and resourcefulness.

“The whole project costs around $4,500 and I had to fundraise for all the money,” said McCuen.

By using websites like Indiegogo, a crowdfunding site to raise money, and asking around the community, McCuen was able to raise enough to fund his project.

“I was surprised at how effective online fundraising was,” said McCuen. “I got a $1,000 donation just by going online.”

This was a lucky break for McCuen, seeing as how each stand costs around $942 and each tire pump around $200.

“I put the last pump up already so I’m finished with that aspect of the project” said McCuen.

To finish the process, McCuen needs only to finish two more merit badges and to write the report required describing everything that went on during the project.

“It was a really good learning experience and it was definitely a lot of hard work, but it did pay off in the end,” said McCuen. “I’ll be glad to wrap it up.”

In addition to earning his Eagle Scout rank, McCuen also got admitted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a prestigious university.