A Berks County Boy Scout was recognized Friday for designing and building a new accessible fishing pier at Blue Marsh Lake, a project officials say will serve the community for years to come.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 24 at the lake’s Stilling Basin, honoring Gavin Wanner for his volunteer service during National Volunteer Week.
Wanner, a senior in the Exeter School District and member of Troop 377, led the effort to replace an aging fishing pier with a new structure designed to improve access for visitors.
“Through his unwavering drive and leadership he’s working towards finalizing his Eagle Scout and more importantly, he’s given a lasting and meaningful gift to Blue Marsh and to this community,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Baum, commander of the Philadelphia District of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Baum said the project will allow more people to fish and access the lake, including those who may not have been able to do so previously.
During the ceremony, Wanner received a Volunteer Excellence Coin from the Corps Foundation in recognition of his work. Officials noted the scale of the project, which included designing the pier, coordinating volunteers, and managing construction.
According to remarks during the event, Wanner dedicated hundreds of hours to the effort and helped raise funds for materials while organizing a team of volunteers to complete the build.
In an interview following the ceremony, Wanner said he chose the project because of his personal connection to the lake.
“I wanted to do something that would last,” he said. “My family and I spend a lot of time here at Blue Marsh… fishing, hiking, all that stuff. So just something here was the original goal.”
The project had been identified as a need for several years before Wanner took it on. He said the planning phase alone lasted about six months, followed by months of construction that wrapped up recently.
“We started planning about a little over a year ago,” Wanner said. “We were in the planning phase for… about six months… and then we started construction… and then we just recently finished… last month.”
Wanner said the process required him to learn new skills, including working with concrete and installing structural components for the pier.
“I’ve never actually worked with concrete,” he said. “So pouring this walkway was something new.”
He also acknowledged the challenges of managing such a large project, including moments of hesitation during the process.
“There was a lot going on with it… a lot of paperwork that I really was not looking forward to,” Wanner said.
Despite those challenges, he said completing the project made the effort worthwhile.
For Wanner, the experience reinforced the importance of choosing a project with personal meaning.
“Having something that means something to you helps a lot with the motivation of getting it done,” he said.
Officials said volunteer contributions like Wanner’s are critical to maintaining public recreation areas. Nationally, tens of thousands of volunteers contribute millions of hours annually to Army Corps of Engineers sites, saving taxpayers millions of dollars each year.
At Blue Marsh Lake, those efforts include trail maintenance, habitat protection, and projects like the newly completed fishing pier — now open for public use following Friday’s ribbon cutting.