Eagle Scout hopeful raises money to build footbridges at high school

Sept. 29, 2020 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

Adam Rossmeisl
Photo credit: Debra Rossmeisl

WEST SPRINGFIELD – A senior at West Springfield High School (WSHS) is raising money to build footbridges around the high school, a project that he hopes will help high school athletes and earn him the rank of eagle scout.

Adam Rossmeisl, a 17-year-old member of Troop 570 in West Springfield, began cub scouts in elementary school and boy scouts in the fifth grade.

“I just like learning new skills and being outdoors and camping,” Rossmeisl told Reminder Publishing.

Rossmeisl was trying to decide on a project to earn his eagle scout rank. A captain on the WSHS cross country team, he had a moment of inspiration during a practice.

"I realized that last year at one of our races, it was really muddy and I realized that I could kind of raise it up so nobody slips,” Rossmeisl said. He decided to raise money to build two footbridges, one at 45 feet long and another that is 24 feet long, around the high school.

Rossmeisl began a GoFundMe fundraiser. As of press time, he had raised $1,775 of his $2,000 goal. Funding hasn’t been the only hurdle to Rossmeisl faced.

To move forward on the project, Rossmeisl went before the town’s conservation commission. Conservation Agent and Assistant Planner Mark Noonan helped the teen fill out the necessary paperwork before attending a Zoom meeting with the commission.

“I’m going to get the other scouts involved and I’m going to ask my teammates,” Rossmeisl said of the actual footbridge construction. Rossmeisl wants to finish the work before the end of fall.

To donate to Rossmeisl’s project, visit www.gofundme.com/f/p5p3y-adam039s-eagle-project.

Share this: