Benching project
Eagle Scout project adds more seating for M.R. Davis Public Library
Brandon Coates, 15, has grown up at the M.R. Davis Public Library in Southaven. He considers it his second home and Nettie Moore, the library’s children and youth specialist, his second mom.
So when he had to choose a project to earn the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America, no one was surprised he wanted to do something that involved the library.
“I’ve known him for about eight years,” Moore said. “It’s been since he was little, and he would come to story time, and I’ve watched him grow up and develop and the past few years been a summer library volunteer.”
Last fall, Coates and Moore decided what the library needed most was more places outside to sit and read a book or sit and rest while enjoying the adjacent grounds. Coates’ original plan was to build 12 sturdy wood benches with backs that would surround the library, however the project grew much bigger when he noticed nearby public benches were in a
sorry state.
“There are 29 other benches, and the old wood was broken and the metal bases had all rusted. It had never been treated properly for the climate and needed refurbishing,” Coates said.
Using his leadership skills, Coates recruited 12 of his peers from scouting, church and his circle of friends to repair these benches as well. The team disassembled the existing benches, built new seats, removed rust and repainted and treated both parts to resist the elements.
Coates admits the entire project was much harder than he’d imagined. To start, Coates had no building or carpentry experience and the project had just more than tripled in size.
“I think what I’ve learned the most is that there will be people that will say you should just give up. But, there are other people that will help you and work with you and really encourage you,” Coates said.
Among those people were Coates’ parents, Derek and Mary Coates, who could not be any more proud of what their son has accomplished.
“My dad helped me a lot with the refurbishing. He helped me make a wooden jig so all the bench seats would look exactly the same,” Coates said.
So many people inspired Coates that he dedicated each of the 12 new benches to them. One of the benches is dedicated to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, another is dedicated to a childhood friend, Connor Ahlstrom, who battled and later died of leukemia.
The bench closest to the staff entrance of the library is dedicated to Moore.
In addition to securing donations of materials, Coates raised funds by giving away free hot dogs in front of Sportsman’s Warehouse in Southaven while encouraging people to donate to the project.
The new benches and refurbished benches were done just in time for one of the library’s most popular annual events. “At our annual Easter Egg Hunt, parents were so glad to have places to sit down. It was really wonderful to see all the benches being occupied,” Moore said. “I’m very proud of Brandon and the way he represents the Scouts and the way he represents our community.”