Scout to Put Finishing Touches on Simonds Avenue Bus Shelter

Many in town have noticed a new addition to Simonds Avenue this week.

Across from the high school campus now sits the nearly completed bus shelter, the Eagle Scout project of Canton High School senior Drew Baugher.

This past weekend Drew and his father Jeff transported the shelter to the site across from school campus, and over the next month, Drew will install shingles, siding, windows and other finishing touches to the structure.

It was an ambitious project. In addition to numerous hours building the structure, Drew had to draft formal plans and go through the town approval process.

Baugher said Pay Maloy, president of the virtual Parent Teacher Organization at the high school, helped him come up with the idea last spring.

“I thought it would be a good idea,” Drew said.

Drew said the shelter will especially be helpful for those who wait for CT Transit buses, which are used heavily by Hartford students who attend Canton High and participate in sports or other after-school activities. It could also be useful for students who live in Canton but wait to be picked up by parents.

The project did present its challenges since it required town approvals. Drew spent time preparing plans and appearing before the Design Review Team and Zoning Commission. He also appeared before the Board of Selectmen for acceptance of the project.

Although it did require planning and time, Drew said the approval process was not as bad as he feared.

Everyone was “extremely helpful” during the process, Drew said.

He did make a few adjustments based on the requests of the boards. For example, he placed the shelter a little further away than planned from the stop signs outside the entrance of the high school.

Drew modeled the shelter after the DOT ones found in Farmington and will use the same siding the Friends of Football used for a press box at Canton High School.

With the help of family, friends and volunteers, Drew finished the basics of the shelter at home, an effort he coordinated as part of the project. This past weekend, he and his dad transported to the structure to its permanent home on a car trailer — which presented challenges due to its width.

“It’s been going well,” he said of the project, adding that there had been a few minor "speedbumps," such as the difficult transport.

It has been an expensive project as well.

David and Eric Miner at Miner Lumber provided materials at cost but in all the shelter will still run about $3,000. Some neighbors and others have helped but the project is still expensive, he said.

“It’s a little tight on money,” Drew said.

Anyone wanting to help with financial contributions can send them to East Hill Community Club – Troop 77, PO Box 383, Collinsville, CT 06019.

With the structure in place, Drew will now add siding, roofing, windows and other final details before presenting it to the town on behalf of Boy Scout Troop 77.

Baugher anticipates it will take about a month to complete.

And it’s been fun working with other scouts, Drew said.

Baugher is one of eight from Troops 77 and 177 working on Eagle projects. Several of them have been involved in Scouts since they were young and remain close friends. That helps keep the momentum going, Drew said.  

“We keep pushing each other further,” he said.