Scout launches into final project with tribute to favorite activity
As Lance Greicar’s time with the Boy Scouts comes to a close, his Eagle Scout project will ensure a new generation of scouts can enjoy one of his favorite activities in the organization — kayaking and canoeing.
For one of his final projects with Grafton Troop 840, and perhaps his most ambitious, Greicar constructed a kayak launch at Ehlers Park in Saukville.
“Being a scout has always been there for me, so to see that age out will be disappointing for sure, but knowing everything I put into it will still live on in the troop is great,” Greicar said.
The new launch will give scouts and members of the public a safe and easy place to launch kayaks and canoes.
As part of the project, Greicar researched other launches in the area, including the popular Tendick Nature Park launch in Saukville.
Lance’s mother Crystal Greicar said the wooden launch at Tendick can be difficult to lift kayaks or canoes in and out of because of a bank near the launch.
She said it was challenging for the troop to find a local launch where it could launch as many as 12 canoes in a timely manner.
The new launch at Ehlers Park provides a steady ramp to the water, making for an easy launch.
Crystal Greicar said that in her son’s almost 10 years with the Boy Scouts, kayaking and canoeing have been two of his favorite activities, and that he was determined to make the activity easier for future generations.
“He really wanted to carry on that tradition and leave something for the next generation of people who love to do canoeing and kayaking,” she said.
The project, which took a little more than a year, was not easily completed.
Before starting construction, Greicar needed to have the project sponsored by the Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department and then approved by a Troop Committee, according to Troop 840 leader Greg Matthews.
“Before they can do much of anything, they have to get all the right approvals,” Matthews said.
Then, because the launch involved work on the riverfront of the Milwaukee River, Greicar needed to secure a permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“The general permits from the DNR was definitely a lot more work than I thought it would be,” Greicar said.
Matthews said Eagle Scout projects can range in complexity, and that Greicar’s work had an additional layer of difficulty by requiring DNR approval.
“The whole point of an Eagle Scout project is for them to experience how to do something that requires planning, leadership, learning how to direct people and how to document it all,” he said.
Greicar said he is thankful for assistance from Tommy Albinger, the owner of T and C Service in Saukville, who donated his time, equipment and supplies to construct the launch. He also had help from family members, other scouts and the county parks department.
“Thank you to all the scouts, Troop 840, my family and the Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department,” he said.
Although this will be his last year as a scout, Greicar said he hopes to assist the troop later as an adult counselor.
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