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A local Boy Scout is looking to become an Eagle Scout and he needs your help in getting there.

Kenneth Standish Jr. goes to Bartlesville High School and he has planned to build a bridge that leads to Lake Look Out at Osage Hills State Park for his Eagle Scout project. Standish Jr. said there are three culverts with gravel covering them currently. When there is heavy rainfall, the gravel washes out around the culvert, which causes the roadway to be dangerous for travel at times.

This is just one reason as to why Standish Jr. wants to work on this for his Eagle Scout project. The constant erosion of the road when rain hits not only causes dangerous road conditions, it also hits the checkbook. Money has to be spent to replace the gravel, and Standish Jr. said a more stable bridge will save Osage Hills State Park funds for more park maintenance in other areas.

The inter-local agreement between Osage County and the State of Oklahoma has been signed to have this project completed. Osage County will provide the labor and oversee the professional construction of the bridge. The proposed bridge will be 28-feet long and 18-feet wide. It is also expected to allow approximately 320-percent more water flow through with less of a possibility of overflow. Washouts will also be prevented.

All that is needed now is donations of materials and funds so the project can be completed. Approximately $10,000 will need to be raised for materials. Some materials that are needed and their approximate prices are listed below:

• 5, 28-foot I-Beams ($820 each)
• 2, 28-foot by 8-inch C-Channel Iron ($45 each)
• 2, 18-foot by 8-inch C-Channel Iron ($38 each)
• 1,944-foot #4 Rebar ($3,402)
• 1,008-foot #36 rebar ($1,978.04)
• 250, 2-inch chairs for rebar ($130.55)
• 6, 20-foot by 4-foot sheets of corrugated decking ($96.18 each)
• 2 concrete headers poured 24-inches deep, 18-inches wide and 28-feet long = 5 cubic yards ($TBD)
• Concrete for top of deck = 13 cubic yards ($TBD)

All donations will be handled by the Bartlesville Community Foundation. There are three ways you can donate today. The three ways to donate are:

• Visit bartlesvillecf.org. From there type in "Look Out Lake Bridge Project" in the search bar. Click on "Add to Cart" or "Learn More/Donate Now." Instructions will follow if you choose to donate.
• Call the Bartlesville Community Foundation at 918.337.2287.
• Email questions about making donations or receiving a tax write-off letter to laura@bartlesvillecf.org.

Standish Jr. asks for your help with this project. He said his great, great grandfather, James Otis Fortney, was a mason who helped build some of the rock structures that are still standing today. Fortney also worked for the Civilian Conservation Corporation, which was part of the New Deal Program in the1930's.

For Standish Jr., he wants to follow in his great, great grandfather's footsteps. He said he also wants to add to his family legacy by building a lasting structure of significance with the bridge that leads to Lake Look Out at Osage Hills State Park.

We will have more on this project as it progresses. Standish Jr. said he would love donations by December 2019 so work can begin in the summer of 2020.