Whitehall student Maggie Derby leads construction of new walkway near library

WHITEHALL — Whitehall senior Maggie Derby didn't join the Scouts BSA until she was in high school, having previously been in the Girl Scouts. But once she was in it, she wasted no time getting things done.

The evidence can be found just outside the White Lake Community Library, where Derby recently led a project to build a walkway that acts as a shortcut from the parking lot to the nearby bike/walking trail. That project will earn her her Eagle Scout badge, and despite joining later than many others, she'll be among the first in Troop 1048 to do so.

"I am really proud of my achievement," Derby said. "I joined later than all of the other girls who are in my troop, and I'm finishing before most of them. I'm very proud of that."

Derby long knew she wanted to help the library with her Eagle Scout service project. She has been coming to the library from the time she was a baby, when her mom would bring her to the story time programs geared towards the youngest local residents, and it's a very special place for her.

"I've always been a really big reader, and it's just been a really comfortable place to come and read, come and check out a couple books, hang out, all that kind of stuff," Derby said.

Luckily for Derby, when she approached director Virginia DeMumbrum and asked what she could do for a project that would aid the library, DeMumbrum didn't have to think twice. She's wanted a walking shortcut to the bike path for years; in fact, 15 or so years ago, another Scout proposed such a project before it fell through. However, the thought never totally left DeMumbrum's mind, and she knew the project would be perfect for Derby.

"I'd seen a couple of those (projects), so I knew what they were going to be looking for," DeMumbrum said. "I thought this would help her check all the boxes, and she handled it beautifully. She came in and kept me informed, regularly provided updates, walked me through everything I had to sign. She did a really great job."

It was the first time in her memory, DeMumbrum said, that a youth-led project was completed that benefited the library. Several adult-led projects have occurred over the years, of course, but Derby was the first student she remembered to lead one.

Working on service projects is far from new for Derby; she said she and her parents have collaborated on several at the Owasippe Scout Reservation in Twin Lake. She enjoys being in Scouts and serving the community, and added that it gives her a chance to be around several school friends who are in her troop.

Derby spent a couple of months on the project, starting at the end of summer after the Scouts' summer camp was over. As is typical with Eagle Scout projects, Derby enlisted help from peers, getting nearly 20 hours' worth of assistance from classmates who are members of the National Honor Society. She also got a helping hand from her father, who has construction experience, and received a $200 donation from the library to purchase materials she would need, including the railroad ties that line the path.

"This is all recycled railroad ties," Derby said, noting the wooden borders of the path. "We got this from an auto parts store in Hart, transported it here and then used as much of it as we could."

Derby also had to solicit approval from the Whitehall city council to pursue the walkway, which the council enthusiastically gave her earlier this fall. The council even discussed helping pay for the project, though it was unnecessary as the library had already donated the money she needed.

Her efforts came off swimmingly, and the only real issue she said she faced was lining up communication with the adults and friends that helped her out.

"Getting to do all of that communication was hard, but having people come and donate the railroad ties, the rebar that holds everything in, the wood chips, everything like that, it was amazing to see how the community came together to help me," Derby said.

In a nifty final touch, Derby 'signed' the project with a vintage license plate. Her father collects them, and she placed one with the plate MD2024 near the bottom of the walking path.

It didn't take long for her new path to get used; Derby said while her group was packing up materials just after finishing the walkway, someone came by and used it to get to the bike path, expressing their approval.

The work also earned Derby a part-time job; the library needed a substitute clerk at the time she was working on the walkway, and one day as Derby was about to leave, DeMumbrum asked her on the spur of the moment if she was looking for work. The stars aligned, and Derby now works the front desk when she's needed.

DeMumbrum and library patrons alike are thrilled with the walkway and look forward to seeing Derby around regularly now that she's part of the family.

"We're just really happy with it and really proud of her," DeMumbrum said. "I can't wait to see what she does next."