Last week Scout Taso Bakatsias presented his Eagle Scout Project to the Lloyd Town Board - a canoe and kayak kiosk that he built beside the Black Creek off Route 299. Each member of the board received a packet with the specifications of the project along with pictures documenting his progress through to completion.

In March 2023 the Town Board gave their support for the project and in April 2023 Taso attended a Highland Rotary Club meeting and got his fundraising plan approved.

“We had started purchasing materials at this point because we knew there was going to be a some complications with the hardware and everything as we decided what was going to be best for the sign to be mounted,” he said. “Then we put out an advertisement on Venmo for any donations through the town’s Environmental Conservation Council.”

Taso, along with help from his family, friends and fellow scouts, began by pulling two gigantic boulders out of the ground to get ready for the foundation. He had been emailing the John Burroughs Association, Central Hudson and the manufacturer as they all wanted something a bit different on the sign, but all wanted it to depict the history of the Black Creek. After that was settled it took about four weeks to manufacture the actual sign.

Taso said on the day the concrete was delivered for the foundation, “I enjoyed smoothing out the concrete because it was like icing a cake, that was my favorite part.”

Taso said while the concrete to curing, he was in the shop working on the sign and staining the kiosk a, “nice chocolate color.” The sign was also assembled to see how it would fit on the concrete pad and mapped out how it would be mounted.

Taso said on October 3, 2024 the Kiosk was finally installed.

“We began with the mounting system and slowly, one frame by one, we began to insert it into the mounting holders and screwed the sign in,” he said. “And now we are here and I am waiting for my Eagle Scout application to be returned to me.”

Supervisor Dave Plavchak said after learning the project was completed, went out to look at the finished project, “and I thought it looked like a very professional job and I was very impressed. We as a town appreciate the contribution you made and I am sure people who use the kiosk launch will appreciate it.”

All of the board members thanked Taso, with Councilman Lenny Auchmoody adding, “You will be extremely proud of it for a long, long time.”