Bronson's Eagle Project

So I am VERY behind in my posts! Bronson's Eagle Project took place on May 12, 2012. The principal of his school, Hugh Hallman, is also the mayor of Tempe. The City is trying to renovate the Hayden Flour Mill on Mill Ave. 

The Hayden ferry was the first Tempe landmark, followed closely by the flour mill that sprung up next to it. Although it has burned down a number of times, it has always been built back in the same spot. But for years it has just been run down. The City is turning it into a park and museum. The park surrounding the mill needed gabbion walls built. So when Bronson talked to the mayor about an Eagle Scout project, he recommended building the gabbions.

A gabbion wall is a wall made from river rocks carefully placed in a wire form, like this:

So Bronson recruited over forty people to come on a hot Saturday morning and build walls with huge mounds of river rock.

Let me tell you, it is harder than it looks! To do it right, you have to place the rocks in like they were puzzle pieces. The flat sides of the rocks need to be against the wire facing out and there can't be any holes or the rocks will settle wrong and collapse parts of the wall.  The boys from his troop worked really hard alongside their parents and Bronson's other friends and family. They finished the entire first tier of the wall, which was 10 four foot by four foot cubes. That is a lot of rock!

This is Bronson with Bill Tonneson, the landscape architect that is donating his time to renovate the mill.

Even the mayor came to check out the project.

Everyone involved with the project was very impressed with Bronson's and the Boy Scouts' work.  Channel 3 came out and interviewed Bronson.  He was very honest and very Bronson.