Eagle Scout project creates new enclosed area for Kingsford K-9
Jacob Marotz and his family stand near the Kingsford Public Safety K-9 exercise/training area that was constructed this summer as Jacob's Eagle Scout project. From left are Jacob's sister, Emma; mother Kristi; Jacob's brother, Maxwell; and father Jeremy. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
Jacob Marotz, 16, screws in a support board for his Eagle Scout project, an exercise/training area at the Kingsford Public Safety building for K-9 Scout. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
An interior photo of Jacob Marotz' completed Eagle Scout project at the Kingsford Public Safety building — an exercise/training area for K-9 Scout. (Kristi Marotz photo)
Kingsford Public Safety K-9 Officer Scout and his handler, Officer Rodney Woodward, in January. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo, file)
Those who helped on Jacob Marotz's Eagle Scout project — building an exercise/training area for K-9 Scout at the Kingsford Public Safety building — included, from left, Tristan Stanchina, Issac Sage, Charlie Verity, Max Marotz, Tom Gaucher, Jacob Marotz, Kristi Marotz, Jeremy Marotz and Sean Verity. Not shown were Emma Marotz, Gene Peterson, Evan Rice, Elise Rice, Valentin Rodriguez, Laura Doney, Lucas Doney, Arlo Maki, Jerry Sanders, Sue Sanders, Chris Gardner, Lydia Gardner, Nolan Hall and Bryce Hall. This is outside the enclosure, showing the high wooden walls. (Emma Marotz photo)
Jacob Marotz and his family stand near the Kingsford Public Safety K-9 exercise/training area that was constructed this summer as Jacob's Eagle Scout project. From left are Jacob's sister, Emma; mother Kristi; Jacob's brother, Maxwell; and father Jeremy. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
Jacob Marotz, 16, screws in a support board for his Eagle Scout project, an exercise/training area at the Kingsford Public Safety building for K-9 Scout. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
An interior photo of Jacob Marotz' completed Eagle Scout project at the Kingsford Public Safety building — an exercise/training area for K-9 Scout. (Kristi Marotz photo)
Kingsford Public Safety K-9 Officer Scout and his handler, Officer Rodney Woodward, in January. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo, file)
Those who helped on Jacob Marotz's Eagle Scout project — building an exercise/training area for K-9 Scout at the Kingsford Public Safety building — included, from left, Tristan Stanchina, Issac Sage, Charlie Verity, Max Marotz, Tom Gaucher, Jacob Marotz, Kristi Marotz, Jeremy Marotz and Sean Verity. Not shown were Emma Marotz, Gene Peterson, Evan Rice, Elise Rice, Valentin Rodriguez, Laura Doney, Lucas Doney, Arlo Maki, Jerry Sanders, Sue Sanders, Chris Gardner, Lydia Gardner, Nolan Hall and Bryce Hall. This is outside the enclosure, showing the high wooden walls. (Emma Marotz photo)
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KINGSFORD -- The Kingsford Public Safety Department has a new exercise/training area for its K-9, “Scout,” thanks to the efforts of a local Boy Scout.
Sixteen-year-old Jacob Marotz, a member of Troop 510, completed the Eagle Scout project this past weekend. The exercise area is 81-by-53-feet and has 8-feet-tall wooden slab walls that are tightly spaced to allow Scout to be free from distractions when training.
The work was finished with the help of Marotz’s family and volunteers. It extends off the back of the building and features an exit that is two doors wide, as well as a single-door exit.
Marotz began developing his project in January. His original plan was to build a gazebo at a local park, but city officials asked instead if he would consider making the workout area.
“They’re like, ‘Hey, we have this kind of project idea, and if you want to run with it, you can,’ which was building this canine fitness and training facility here at the Kingsford Police Department,” Marotz said. “This project is going to allow me to get my Eagle rank, but it’s going to really help more the police department in our community … they’re going to use this facility to help train their canine units and give the canine units a place to exercise, because the canine unit does not get a lot of exercise, since they’re sitting in a car most of the days.”
Kingsford Public Safety Director Brandon Rutter said they appreciated the work Marotz and others put into the new area.
“It’s a great space for our K9 and it will be an excellent space for our K-9 for years to come,” Rutter said. “It’s great to see a young person giving back to community. We’re very grateful.”
The Eagle Scout candidate is the son of Jeremy and Kristi Marotz, with an older sister, 20-year-old Emma, and a younger brother, Maxwell, 13, who is also a Scout. His father is a volunteer troop leader.
“I am so proud of him, so proud of him,” his mother said. “He’s worked so hard, and, you know, he’s 16, he has job this summer, and football, and just doing everything that teenagers do, and he’s like, ‘We gotta do this, we gotta do that.’ So I’m proud to support him and proud to support the Boy Scouts, and I’m very happy that it’s gonna also then help the community with the canine unit. I don’t think I could stay ‘proud’ enough.”
Marotz started in Scouts while in kindergarten after someone came to Woodland Elementary School to talk about scouting. He was interested, so he asked his parents. But when he went to register, he found out you had to be in first grade to participate. Fortunately, that year they were creating a pilot program for younger children called the Lions. He is the only member of his troop that started in the Lions pilot program.
He didn’t originally aim to reach Eagle Scout. “After Cub Scouting in fourth grade going into fifth grade, I found out that you can become like an Eagle Scout and it would be a very beneficial for you in the future. And I was like ‘I should, I should do that,'” he said.
Marotz said his own experience with construction comes from helping his father with various projects around the house throughout the years.
“I really like working on this,” he said. “It’s been really fun. I’ve been kind of like the foreman of this. I’ve been giving everyone jobs and they’ve been really cooperative with me.”
He believes he’s benefited from being in scouting. “I’ve been able to experience a lot of things that most people won’t, like a lot of like survival training. There’s a lot of things that I know how to do … because of scouting. I’ve been able to become a better leader because of it, because of our leadership trainings and a lot of cooperative things we’ve done.”
Less than 10% of Scouts reach Eagle status, which is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the program. To earn this rank, they must complete leadership requirements, earn 21 merit badges and execute a comprehensive community service project, including all planning and fundraising.
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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.