Pendleton scout restoring buoy boat for Erie Canal's bicentennial
Kennedy, 15, will make a formal presentation to the Pendleton Town Board on Monday. What he'll propose is his service project in pursuit of Eagle Scout status, that is, the highest rank in Scouting America.
The buoy boat was donated to the town by the state Canal Corporation a couple of years ago, and recently Pendleton resident Jim Sobczyk, who helped facilitate the donation, reached out to Good Shepherd church-sponsored Troop 47 inquiring whether the troop would take on restoration as a service project for the bicentennial.
Mike Kennedy, past Troop 47 scoutmaster, current troop committee chair, and Carter's dad and Eagle project coordinator, said the restoration challenge appealed to Carter personally as the Starpoint High School sophomore was looking for a project with 'a bit more substance.'
The buoy boat, which has been stored at the town highway garage, does appear to require some TLC to make it fit for permanent display in Canal Park near Ship 'N Shore bridge.
Carter said the boat needs patching, window repairs and replacement of some parts before it's painted. The requisite color scheme is blue and gold and the paint must be oil-based, he said. After the boat is hauled to Canal Park and set on a cement pad, which is to be poured by the town, Carter will oversee planting of a flower garden around the boat.
Before any of that can happen, Carter has to get formal permission from the town board. Once given the green light, he'll finish fundraising and coordinate his cadre of volunteers — adults in the community and his fellow scouts — to get the job done. When he was interviewed he said he was still working up a final cost estimate, for the necessary construction and landscaping materials, but he expects it'll come in between $2,000 and $3,000.
Assuming all goes as planned, Carter said, his project should be completed by August-September.
So, what is it about a banged-up old canal boat that called out to a teenager in 2025?
It's a symbol of Pendleton, Carter said. The Kennedy family home is situated across from the Erie Canal, he and his troop do a lot with it, including running a flotilla every spring, and when the canal was constructed his great-grandpa's farm had to be moved.
'It's a reminder of the history of the canal, why it's there and how it shaped the town,' he said.
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