Cool kids: Tanner Goodhue to earn Eagle Scout

At the age of 14, Tanner Goodhue is about to retire and reap the rewards of years of hard work but instead of being handed a gold watch at a retirement party, he will be given the title of Eagle Scout, a sort of golden key to the future.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure that being an Eagle Scout will look good on a résumè,” Goodhue said.

Twenty-one merit badges must be earned to qualify for Eagle Scout; 12 of those are required and include first aid, citizenship in the community, the nation, and the world, communications, environmental science, personal fitness, personal management, camping and family life. Nationally the average age of boys who achieve the level of Eagle Scout is 17 and is only achieved by five percent of the scouts. Goodhue stuck with it. “I’m proud to be an Eagle Scout,” he said.

His latest and final public service Eagle Scout project has greatly benefited his community and saved taxpayers at least $4,000. Goodhue headed the project that turned the pale, shabby looking Newman Lake Firehouse No. 1 into the bright red building it was meant to be.

“There’s a lot more to painting than I originally thought,” Goodhue said, “Like cleaning and priming the different surfaces.” The building needed more than one coat of paint and took 225 man hours to complete.

Other projects Goodhue worked on include rebuilding the reader board at East Farms Elementary and putting a covered entryway over the door to Fire Station No. 2.

Goodhue is on a roll. He has four more merit badges than required to be an Eagle Scout and he plans on getting more. He is most proud of his “Citizenship in the World” badge. “I got to meet a Scout from another country, and I learned a lot,” he said.

Goodhue, an eighth-grader at Mountain View Middle School, enjoys reading, video games, archery and geocaching. He plays the flute and is learning the piano. He suggests to his peers, “If you enjoy something, stick with it. There’s a good chance it will pay off in the future.”