Green High senior goes extra mile

Becky Carman hopes to improve park safety by building trail markers

By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009

GREEN: Green High School senior Becky Carman always has had a penchant for thinking about others.

And as a member of the team that finished 12th in the recent high school Division I state cross-country championships, she has spent a lot of time running - and thinking - in Southgate and Boettler parks.

That combination has proven to be a great benefit to the thousands of people who walk and jog the parks' trails each year.

Carman recently completed a five-month project in which she has, according to Green Parks and Recreation Superintendent Mike Elkins, ''enhanced the parks and improved the safety for area residents'' at Southgate and Boettler.

As a major part of finishing her Gold Award for Girl Scout Troop No. 43, Carman designed, acquired, built and installed 29 milepost markers
throughout the two parks, which together cover nearly 270 acres and include more than 6 miles of trails.

''I just thought it would be a great idea for people to know exactly where they are if they get hurt on the trails,'' Carman said.

Elkins agreed.

''We'd often wondered what would happen if somebody fell and got hurt in the woods,'' Elkins said. ''The trails are off the beaten path, and we were concerned about how they would tell the fire department exactly where they were on a 911 call.

''It's only two parks, but put together they cover a lot of territory. This way, we won't waste the fire department's time trying to find the injured person. They'll be able to go to almost precisely where they are. It will greatly increase our ability to respond quickly.''

Each of 29 posts is 4 feet tall. The designated location numbers are routered into the wood and painted white. The top 14 inches of each post are painted red.

The GIS [geographic information system] position for each post is registered with the Green Fire Department.

Carman said she spent about $300 for posts, paint and concrete.

''I did some fundraising work by sewing on patches and badges for other members of my Girl Scout troop,'' Carman said. ''The rest I just paid for.''

Carman said her father, Phil Carman, helped her cut angles at the top of each post and router the numbers into the wood.

She said her family, which includes mother Marty and brother Zack, along with some friends helped her to install the posts over two weekends in September.

''We used a manual post-hole digger for the first eight,'' Carman said, ''and then the Green Parks and Recreation Department brought in a hydraulic auger, and that really helped.''

Carman said she spent about 67 hours on the project, including 35 hours in creating the posts and numbers.

She said her immediate reward for the project, which she started in May, was receiving her Gold Award on Oct. 16.

The long-term benefits, she believes, will be even more rewarding.

''It was really kind of neat when we ran practices for cross country and my teammates complimented me on the posts,'' said Carman, who has a grade-point average greater than 4.0 and is ranked fourth in Green's senior class.

''It's really nice to see it completed and to know that I did it. And I know that it will always be there to help somebody if they get hurt on the trails. That really gives me a great feeling of satisfaction.''

Carman's project is just one of many that Green High students completed this year.

''We usually have a couple projects each year,'' said Green Director of Communications Valerie Wolford. ''This was an exceptional year.''

Lauren Buser also worked to enhance the hiking trails at Boettler Park. She constructed a foot bridge and continued with a mulch trail to a parking lot.

Brandon Tate designed, made and installed nine tee-box signs at the Disc Golf Course in Southgate Park. The signs identify the hole number and distance.

Nick Kozak constructed nine concrete tee-box pads for the Disc Golf Course.

Matt Hillman designed, constructed and installed a trailhead marker, constructed a park bench and cleared more than 200 feet of trail at East Liberty Park.

''These are great kids,'' Elkins said. ''They see their parents give back to the community in so many ways and that inspires them to follow in their footsteps.

''It's just great to see it with the young kids.