TOWN OF VAN BUREN – Josh Armpriester, a scout with Troop 107 from Baldwinsville, recently finished his Eagle Project, which consisted of placing a monument at Van Buren Park dedicated to those who fought in Operation Enduring Freedom. Throughout his project he had a great amount of support, including his troop members, who helped him put this project together.
“Without their help this project would have been a lot harder,” Armpriester said.
In addition, he said the town of Van Buren, Supervisor Richard Zaccaria and the twon parks were instrumental in helping the project move forward.
“ The staff at the parks were so nice and helped me through everything. Between the meetings and all the messages, we were able to work everything out to make this happen,” Armpriester said. “I would like to say a big thank you to Chris Ordway and Heidi Anders. They were so supportive and did so much to help me with my project. They were always eager to help and I wouldn’t have gotten this done without them.”
Part of Armpriester’s project featured red, white, and blue flowers donated by Chuck Hafners in Liverpool, placed around the monument sitting in a rock bed.
“ Judy Joss was an amazing help guiding me through what would be best for this project,” he said. “Hafner’s has everything you can imagine landscaping wise and they have a great staff.”
In addition, Home Depot in Camillus contributed to the project, with Andrea Wilsey organizing the donations, which included supplying the concrete and framework to set the monument.
The monument itself was made by Barnes’ Memorials, in Baldwinsville, with Luke Boshart, the memorial specialist, “keeping tabs with me and making the monument look spectacular.”
“None of this project would have been able to happen without the support from these companies,” Armpriester said. “Finally, I would like to say thank you to the CPL. Kyle Schneider foundation with Lorie and Rick. They were there with me the whole way giving, suggestions and offering help through the whole process. I encourage everyone to stop by the monument, at the park, to reflect on the grave sacrifices of these soldiers and their families.”
Local scout places monument to veterans
