A former West Point Elementary School student headed an Eagle Scout project this spring that returned a pavilion at the school to its former glory.
Justin Finfrock, 16, who is going into his junior year at Hempfield Area High School, spent a weekend in April pressure-washing the structure, replacing boards, painting exposed block Hempfield blue and working with a company to replace the roof.
“For the years that I went to West Point, that pavilion looked as terrible as it did the day before we started the project,” said Finfrock, who is part of Boy Scout Troop 416 in Greensburg. “I’m just so happy to see it in its proper glory and, hopefully, able to be used by the school.”
Finfrock said the pavilion had several issues that needed to be fixed, including holes in the shingles, missing pieces of wood and general cleanup.
Finfrock, with the help of about 30 volunteers — a mix of troop members, family and friends — started the project by measuring the size needed for replacement boards and pressure-washing the wood and concrete that make up the pavilion.
After that, crews began prep work for painting the block as well as the walls of an indoor storage space.
Finfrock then worked to restore an original plaque that states the pavilion was dedicated in 1997. He is working to get a rededication plaque to thank those who donated and helped with the project. He noted the design of the plaque requires approval from the Hempfield Area School Board.
The Spartan logo and a sign saying “West Point Elementary” will be added to the pavilion.
Finfrock first proposed the project to school board members in September. At the time, Finfrock suggested the pavilion could be used by the school as an outdoor classroom or as a space to do outdoor learning activities to help students socially distance during the covid-19 pandemic.
He provided an update on the project to school board members this month.
“I’m superexcited about it,” Finfrock said. “It’s a lot better than I expected.”
