After months of planning, Luke Fisher, with Boy Scout Troop 2, had the help of several scouts in installing signs reserving parking spaces throughout Columbus for veterans.
The Heritage Academy student, who will be a senior next school year, installed the signs as his Eagle Scout project. The community-service project is among the requirements needed to achieve the highest rank in the BSA, formerly Boy Scouts of America.
The signs were installed in Columbus at the Lowndes County courthouse, tax office, sheriff’s office, driver’s license office, Columbus-Lowndes County Public Library and Frank P. Phillips Memorial YMCA.
“They are, if not right next to a handicap spot, they’re close to it,” Fisher said.
He said he came up with the inspiration for his project while visiting his grandmother in Corinth. A sign reserving a parking spot for veterans is near the city’s library.
“We have so many veterans here, either through the Air Force base or National Guard,” Fisher said. “I knew (the parking spots) would get a lot of use and I wanted to reach as many people as possible.
“These spaces are something that will be used over and over again by veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in giving up freedom to fight for us,” he continued. “This will show how much Scouts and the community appreciates them.”
To put up the signs, Fisher went to the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors in July 2021 to get permission to have the county’s street department make the signs. He also asked permission to be able to install them with help of other Scouts.
“After that, I reached out to the head of operations at the YMCA and the library,” he said. “I laid out my plan and asked for permission to put up the signs and they gladly gave it to me.”
On May 14, Fisher and about six scouts and four adult leaders installed the signs.
After completing the project, Fisher had to fill out paperwork and will participate in several conferences to make sure he meets the Eagle Scout requirements.
When speaking about the project, the multi-sport athlete said putting up the signs was relatively easy. The hard part was planning, asking permission and waiting.
“The planning was definitely super, super important,” he said.
BSA Troop 2’s charter organization is First United Methodist Church in Columbus.
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