"He’s done a wonderful job for us"

Franklin teen works building handicapped walkway

By By Heather McCarron, STAFF WRITER

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FRANKLIN - Growing up with a handicapped aunt, and spending time as a volunteer at a hospital, 17-year-old Andrew Turgeon has a pretty good idea about the challenges faced by the physically and mentally disabled.

So when he noticed a heavily traveled sidewalk at the Wrentham Developmental Center was showing some disrepair, and posing difficulty for the center’s handicapped residents, he decided to do something about it.

A member of Franklin Boy Scouts Troop 126, Turgeon spent the last couple of months planning and realizing a sidewalk repair project in his quest to attain Boy Scouting’s highest status, Eagle Scout.

And while he was at it, he decided he’d also build a walkway from the campus building out to an existing covered patio area, to make access to that favored warm-weather spot easier for the center’s clients and their caregivers.

The finishing touches were done on Monday — with winter approaching, good timing especially for the main sidewalk.

"The main walkway coming out of the (WDC) campus building was sunk in the middle, so all winter long it’s been covered with ice," explained Turgeon, who spent last Saturday morning overseeing fellow scouts in undertaking the work.

Read the full article in the Franklin Gazette here.