Eagle Scout project in Merrick remembers coronavirus pandemic victims

A Boy Scout’s long journey to achieve the Eagle Rank was recognized by several elected officials last week in Merrick at his creation — a Covid-19 memorial, that made in memory of residents who died during the coronavirus pandemic. The ambitious project also honors the devotion of frontliners and first responders in the community.

Nicholas Fauci, 18, of North Merrick, is a 2023 graduate of Wellington C. Mepham High School in Bellmore. He’s been a member of Boy Scouts since the first grade, changing troops a few times throughout the years. For the last few years, he’s been part of Troop 285 in Bellmore, which meets in the high school’s cafeteria.

In the fall, Fauci will study civil engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate Troy. Fauci told the Herald that he’s always wanted to become an Eagle Scout, the highest rank one can achieve in the Boy Scouts of America.

“I’ve always wanted to get the highest rank,” he said. “So, I’ve always worked towards getting my ranks done — I’ve gone on all the camping trips I needed to, and I’ve just done everything in the troop that I needed to do.”

Troop 285, he said, helped him become a Life Scout, the rank before Eagle. When it finally came time to figure out what to do for his Eagle Scout project, he thought about different possibilities.

“I didn’t want to be the same,” he said. “I wanted to do something different — something that stood out to me, for the community.”

Around August of 2020, as the world was emerging from the first wave of the pandemic, Fauci said he and his dad, Paul, thought about creating a memorial.

“We drew a lot of schematics of what we wanted it to be,” he said. “We had a lot of first renditions, second renditions — a lot of changes. Once we found our final way of how we wanted to do it, the first person we contacted (was County Legislator) Tom McKevitt.”

McKevitt directed them to the Town of Hempstead, and they eventually found a spot to put the memorial — right next to the Merrick train station, where there’s a small town square and gazebo.

“My dad and I came across this raised flower bed,” Fauci said. “It was in the middle of the sidewalk — there was benches nearby. It’s in a public area. A train station is next to it, it’s going to get a lot of attention.”

The Merrick Chamber of Commerce owned and maintained the plot of land, and after meeting with its president, Ira Reiter, who approved the project in the space, Fauci got right to work.

The first thing Fauci did, alongside members of his troop, was power wash the benches directly adjacent to the memorial. Other benches occupy the gazebo area in Merrick, but the ones further away from the memorial were actually refurbished by a different Eagle Scout.

By the spring of 2022, after fundraising efforts — which included a GoFundMe, as well as Fauci walking door-to-door and asking businesses in Merrick for donations — the memorial was finally ready to be laid into the ground.

As aspiring Eagle Scouts complete their projects, they compile a workbook throughout the duration. Completing it is a long process, Fauci explained, and once everything is done, it’s sent to the Theodore Roosevelt Council of the Boy Scouts in Massapequa.

After it goes through council, it goes to a district office. Soon, Fauci will undergo a final interview with Austin Cannon, the Eagle Board chair, a chairman from Troop 285 and a neutral party, who will either approve or deny the Eagle rank.

Fauci periodically comes back to the memorial with his dad to clean it, collect trash and keep the weeds under control.

Fauci thanked his parents, sister, Nicole, and other family members for their constant support throughout the project. He also thanked everyone who donated to his fundraisers, and his troop for all of their help throughout the process.

On Aug. 18, elected officials joined Fauci at the memorial, and they included Town Supervisor Don Clavin, Town Councilman Chris Carini, Town Clerk Kate Murray, State Assemblyman Dave McDonough and State Sen. Steve Rhoads, as well as representatives from the Merrick Chamber and South Merrick Community Civic Association. They presented Fauci with several citations for his efforts.

“Earlier today, I had the pleasure of recognizing Nicholas from Boy Scout Troop 285 on completing his Eagle Scout project at the Merrick train station near the gazebo,” Rhoads wrote on his Facebook page. “Nicholas built a Covid Memorial Garden, dedicated to the lives lost from the pandemic. Thank you for this beautiful addition to the Merrick community.”

Fauci said, “While doing this project, you definitely learn a lot of leadership skills. Everything doesn’t work the first time and there’s a lot of changing. You learn initiative and you have to take charge. This is my project — it has to look the way I want it. It’s an Eagle Scout project, and it’s for the community.”