Norfolk Benefits from Eagle Scout Project

By David Beers

Only 4 percent of scouts ever achieve the highest rank—Eagle Scout. Ethan Perlman is now part of this select group by completing his community service project: a new Tobey Pond lifeguard shed.

A year ago, Perlman had hit a roadblock in getting town wetlands and zoning permits for the new shed. The problem was that the old shed was thought to be within the 30-foot boundary line setback. Russell Russ of Great Mountain Forest determined that the line was actually much further out, and the permits were granted to build a new shed in the footprint of the old one. 

The old red shed has been a cherished hang-out for Norfolk’s young lifeguards for over 40 years. It became a social focal point for more than 200 young men and women lifeguards, many of whom signed their names inside. In addition to signatures, the guard shack graffiti includes all sorts of insider jokes, making it quite an historical artifact and a Norfolk cultural touchstone. 

The new shed is now in place and the old shed sits in the beach parking lot, where it will be photographed for posterity. Perlman crafted the new shed twice as large, to properly accommodate storage needs and provide ample space for lifeguards to get out of sudden rainstorms. It has two long storage shelves, making it look like a bunkhouse. Like its predecessor, the new shed is hooked up to the underground phone cable and houses an old-style rotary phone. The large, treated wood beams supporting it rest on a level crushed stone base, with treated wood flooring above. The interior is plywood, and the exterior is rustic knotty pine planking with a clear oil finish that will naturally weather. Perlman wanted to give it a woodsy natural look that would pair well with the woods of Great Mountain Forest.

Perlman began designing the shed using online computer aided design (CAD) software last winter. In June, construction began in the driveway of local builder and scout leader, Dan Green. Perlman put in about 80 volunteer hours and Green volunteered another 70 hours on the project. Friends, family and other lifeguards also helped out. The total cost of the shed was $6,000, all for supplies. The town contributed $200, with the remainder coming from private donations. Perlman set up a very successful Go-Fund-Me website as part of his fundraising efforts.

On August 10th, the brand-new shed was trailered to the beach. The town road crew used their front-end loader to install it and remove the old shed. Many beachgoers are wide-eyed when they see it and immediately check it out before settling down into their usual beach spot. 

Perlman graduated from Northwestern Regional High School this past June. At Northwestern, he was on the swim and tennis teams. He and his dad are ambulance volunteers, and he also helps his parents with running the Manor House Bed and Breakfast on Maple Avenue. Perlman is off to his first year of college now, studying engineering at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. 

This shed will likely last another 40 years and will eventually acquire its own unique interior lifeguard graffiti from current Northwestern and Botelle students destined for the lifeguard chair, and even Norfolkians yet to be born. Perlman and Green should feel proud of their contribution to this legacy of Tobey Pond.