Reinke’s Eagle Scout project is child’s play

If this story seems familiar, there’s a reason.

Drew Reinke was just starting his sophomore year at Blooming Prairie High School when he completed the construction of a service project on his path toward becoming an Eagle Scout.

The local newspaper did a story about the work: a playground behind the new fifth- and sixth-grade wing at Blooming Prairie Intermediate School.

After moving from the elementary school, those students no longer had access to a playground.

Superintendent Chris Staloch pitched the idea to Reinke, and an Eagle Scout project was born.

Part of the requirement of earning the Eagle Rank is that the Scout must plan, develop and lead others in doing the project.

Reinke’s team of volunteers dug holes for the equipment to go into “on the hottest day of that summer,” he said last week. “That was rough.”

There was a hiccup in the equipment layout with the very first hole: “We ran into the PVC” drain line leading from the school.

“We didn’t break it – didn’t touch it,” Reinke said, “but we had to reconfigure the layout. We had to flip-flop it.”

The monkey bars run across the south end of the play area, instead of the north end. A tilt-a-whirl, using a single pole as a base, is on the north end. A swing set sits between the two pieces.

The volunteers built the equipment, leveled it all and filled the holes with cement.

The school district covered the cost of the equipment and the mulch; cement for the footings was donated by Fleet Farm, Lowe’s and B to Z Hardware in Blooming Prairie.

A foot of mulch was raked into place on the entire area, which Reinke called “the hardest part.”

He agreed with most potential Eagle Scouts, who consider the accompanying paperwork to be the worst – and most time-consuming – aspect of the process, with a caveat.

According to one of his leaders, “I was the first Scout that he’d ever had that he had to tell to get rid of some of the writing,” Reinke said. “I don’t know; I just had too much detail, I guess.”

In fact, it was the paperwork and documentation routing that delayed the finalization of the project.

“I officially became an Eagle Scout in August,” he said, two full years since that hot summer day of hole-digging, and untold hours of student enjoyment later.

It was a relief, but not a surprise: It was the goal Reinke had set for himself since he joined Scouts as an elementary schooler.

“I knew it was a big achievement,” he said, “and I wanted to see if I could get there.”

Staloch, too, was relieved, he admitted last week.

“Being able to have (a playground) ready for when our kids came back to school – you know how construction goes,” Staloch said. “It was just cool that we had the opportunity for our kids to have a playground.”

The goal is to continue to expand the playground as time, funding and space allow.

“We needed a start, and we got that start,” he said. “We’re very appreciative of that.”

Reinke credits his parents, his superintendent and his Scout leaders, who include Vince Reynolds and Jeff Beaver.

“You just learn so much from being in Scouts,” Reinke said, citing things like communication, safety and helping others. “It’s worth it even if you weren’t to get Eagle.”

After two years, does it ever get old, seeing kids out on a playground he created?

Reinke was smiling before the question was even complete.

“That’s probably my favorite part of the whole thing – seeing it be used.”