Photo courtesy of Kimberly Cook.
Will Cook stands beside his Meadowlawn Park pavilion.
On Jan. 7, Eagle Scout Will Cook, Troop 76, and his crew of volunteers nailed the last shingle on the roof of a new pavilion at Meadowlawn Park in Cahaba Heights.
Will is the son of Greg and Kimberly Cook and a Boy Scout from Troop 76, Liberty Crossings UMC. He is a junior at Vestavia Hills High School.
Cook first became interested in designing an Eagle project to benefit Meadowlawn Park because it was a new park, without many amenities, and also because his mother, Kimberly Cook, is a councilor for the city of Vestavia Hills. When he approached the city with idea of building a park bench or installing some additional landscaping, City Manager Jeff Downes suggested that Cook build a pavilion so neighbors would have a cool place to sit and enjoy the shade.
Cook engaged the support of a local businessman — Raymond Gotlieb, owner of The Heights Village Shopping Center — to pay for the $2000 in materials. Will also raised $900 in additional funds to cover incidental expenses such as food for his workers and a placard. After a long period of gaining the necessary approvals and developing his plans, Cook recruited workers from his troop and the local community to build a 14-foot by 14-foot pavilion that will serve the residents of Cahaba Heights for many years to come. Instead of building from a kit, Cook designed his own plans, using resources from the internet and the help of Richard Pace, his construction adviser.
Cook’s project took a total of 325 man-hours, cost almost $3,000 and took five work days to build. Cook donated his leftover funds to the Vestavia Hills Parks and Recreation Foundation.
– Submitted by Kimberly Cook.
