On May 21, Taylor Mabuni, completed his Eagle Scout Service Project, which is one of the steps to reaching Eagle Scout rank. Mabuni is a Life Scout and Eagle Scout candidate in Troop 26 from Holualoa.
Cpt. John Bertsch, a volunteer firefighter with the Hawaii County Fire Department, mentioned to Mabuni that his station was in need of a new paint job. Mabuni reached out to friend and former firefighter Joe Pries, owner of West Side Painting to help mentor him on the project. Mabuni contacted several businesses to request donations for the necessary supplies. HPM Building Supply of Kona donated almost $1,000 worth of paint and PPG Pittsburgh Paints of Kona donated brushes, rollers, primer and other supplies.
About two dozen volunteers, including, Boy Scouts of Troop 26, painters from West Side Painting, family and friends set to work on completely repainting the exterior of Volunteer Fire Station 7 Bravo at the bottom of Kona Palisades on Kaiminani Drive. Over the course of five hours, a group prepped, rolled and trimmed the entire side of the building in new paint.
The last phase of the project is to be completed in upcoming weeks. New signs, donated from Island Printing &Graphics will be added to replace the old signs which stand over the engine bays of the station.
“This project has really taught me a lot about planning for any and every single possibility and situation that could come up in a project like this,” said Mabuni. “It has taught me the skill and importance of communication and leadership.”
According to Boy Scouts statistics, only 4 percent of Boy Scouts complete their Eagle Scout rank.