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Teen provides KC Hall with facelift

Logan Halvorson, Knights of Columbus, Owatonna
Logan Halvorson has obtained his Eagle Scout ranking after coordinating a massive landscaping project at the Knights of Columbus in Owatonna. Staff photo by Rick Bussler
By
Rick Bussler, Publisher
“I really wanted to find a way to give back to them.”
-Logan Halvorson,
Owatonna Scout

When Logan Halverson decided to do an Eagle Scout project, he didn’t just settle for something mediocre. He went big, and it’s going to benefit the community for years to come.

The Owatonna teenager is responsible for the major landscaping project that brought an entirely new look to the front of the Knights of Columbus Hall in Owatonna. Halverson took a badly eroded hill and turned it into smooth surface with a 75-foot retaining wall accented with shrubs, rocks, sod and new trees.

“It’s on the bigger end of Eagle Scout projects,” said Halvorson with a smile.

In all, Halverson rounded up 30 friends, family and KC members to help him with the project that took about 400 hours to complete. He said the average Eagle Scout project generally takes around 100 hours. Construction began in August and the finishing touches were made within the past week.

Previously, the KCs faced a big problem with mulch as a sharp hill caused the mulch to slide down. There were also overgrown evergreen trees to remove.

While the labor was given as volunteer work, the KCs donated all the materials estimated at about $12,000, Halverson said.

Ever since Halvorson joined the Boy Scouts as a young child, his troop has been utilizing the KC Hall as its meeting spot. And Halverson found himself forever grateful for the generosity of the KC members in helping them financially over the years and letting them utilize their building.

“I really wanted to find a way to give back to them,” he says. “They have always shown kindness and respect. We are so grateful to them.”

Halverson also had some big expectations to live up to. His father, Josh Halverson, was a boy scout who also completed some landscaping projects for his Eagle Scout honor. But both Logan and his mother, Mara, agree what Logan has done doesn’t come close to comparing to what Josh did.

Logan admits he really didn’t know for sure what he was getting himself into when he decided to take on the KC project. “I didn’t expect it to be as hard as it was,” he said.

For Halverson, the most challenging part was getting the beginning layer of the retaining wall just right. “Getting it perfect was difficult and tedious,” he said. “It took a really long time to get that first layer set,” he added.

Another challenge was removing a 1-ton boulder that they came across while digging a trench. “We had to use a block cutter to remove it,” said Halverson, who is a junior at Owatonna High School.

He received some guidance from Turtle Creek Nursery in Owatonna as to what the wall should look like. Many others came to his aid as well, including James Excavating, D&M Construction, Cemstone, Steele-Rice Supplies, Lowes, TCN and Nagel’s Sod. He also received help from Scott Wolff, Jeremy Parpart, Brian Cook, Mike Saufferer and Dan Wolfe.

The response Halverson received from everyone left him with such a favorable impression of the community he calls home. “This is why someone would want to move to Owatonna,” he said. “Businesses gave donations and equipment for this project. This is a great reason why you would pick Owatonna out of other places to live.”

Halverson, who will turn 17 next week, said the Eagle Scout project has taught him many valuable life skills. Among them are leadership, work ethic and overall character.

“The work you put in is what you get out of it,” he said, noting he hopes to pass on some of these skills to his kids someday.

Besides scouting, Halverson is also involved in SHOC, National Honor Society, DECA, band, choir, fall orchestra, jazz band, soccer and swimming. He is also a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Mara Halverson is obviously proud of what her son has accomplished.

“I feel it has brought pride into their building,” she said, adding it has received many positive comments from people in the community.

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