Local Eagle Scout Renovates JJC Trail for Service Project

Nearly 300 screws and 60 pieces of wood helped Eagle Scout Jacob Schmidt of Life Scout Troop 175 transform 150 feet of a nature trail on Joliet Junior College’s Main Campus.

Originally, Schmidt wanted to provide recycled benches to the trails for his service project, but Cheryl Heeneman, JJC natural sciences professor, offered a different idea that would better improve the area. Schmidt met with Heeneman and Michael Brouillard, JJC road and grounds superintendent, to see the boardwalk on JJC’s forest and prairie trails, just outside the L-Building parking lot on Main Campus.

“Upon walking along that area, I saw it was in need of repair,” said Schmidt, an incoming JJC student for fall 2025. “What I found interesting was how replacing 150 feet of pressure treated lumber and raised supports would benefit the community that walks the trail when it is muddy or flooded.”

Following that initial meeting in June 2024, Schmidt and a group of volunteers began work on Labor Day. 

“I enjoyed being able to bring about 30 people (including current and former Troop 175 members) to work on the project,” the Eagle Scout shared. “We had to tear down, remove the old stuff and bring in the new.”

By mid-October, the renovation was complete. The wooden boardwalk along a section of the unpaved trail looked good as new.

The boardwalk renovation not only gave Schmidt the opportunity to serve his community, but it also taught him time management and adaptability. Due to costs and time, Schmidt shifted his goal of working on 240 feet to 110 feet to 150 feet. 

“When I completed the project, I felt satisfied knowing I finished a project I directed and managed for a couple of months,” Schmidt said. “By the fall, it was nice seeing hikers using that area.”

This story was originally published in the spring 2025 issue of Connections Magazine.