By Michael BRUER

The property at the corner of Rosemont and Orange avenues continues to be underutilized as Life Scout Rhys Teff and other residents of La Crescenta determine  a rescheduled construction date for Crescenta Commons.

Hailing from Troop 288 and currently attending Crescenta Valley High School, Teff is looking forward to seeing the project come to fruition and its ultimate completion.

“It’s been kind of frustrating, with school starting again and other activities ramping up, I’ve been busy – but it will all be worth it,” he said.

The plans to build Crescenta Commons were originally scheduled to break ground on Dec.  20. However, Teff had decided to allow more time for fundraising to ensure the inclusion of a monument that will prominently display the names of the businesses and individuals that were more significant contributors to the project.

“Right now I’m working with some people in the town to get some plans done for the landscaping and the monument,” Teff explained. “The plans need to be fleshed out to build the monument.” His fundraising has included dining nights (the most recent on Feb. 19 at Joselito’s). In addition, Teff is working closely with a local sign maker to develop an 8 x 4 sign that will show the names of the principal contributors to the Crescenta Commons. The signs will be prominently displayed at the site to raise interest in the community.

Construction is set to begin on Sunday, March 9, with the clearing of the ivy. Completion of the project is expected during spring break in March, the culmination of a number of months of arduous work on Teff’s part.

“It seems like most people are very excited about it happening and are willing to help,” explained Teff. “Generally most people are anxious to know when they can come to help out.”

The entirety of the process is one that has been a learning experience for the Scout.

“I’m interested in being a mechanical engineer. Working on projects seems relatively fun and interesting to me,” he said.

The experience has taught him lessons that will help in his future.

“It’s good to keep organized with all your plans, so you can mentally go through it and make sure you get everything done that you planned to do,” he said. “I have a lot of lists with things I needed to get done, and a lot of them had the same items, on a different list, that needed to get done.”

Unfortunately, not enough funds were raised to have the monument as part of Teff’s Eagle project. It is hoped that someone will decide to do that at a later date. But there will be a bulletin board with a donors’ plaque and boulders set as a sundial where the monument may some day be installed. Teff is looking for the donation of a large boulder as the centerpiece; anyone who might have this is asked to contact him.

Anyone interested in donating to the cause may do so by sending money to the Crescenta Valley Town Council, which serves as the fiduciary of this project, at P.O. Box 8676, La Crescenta, CA 91224-0676. Interested parties can also visit the Commons website for more information and to see what the current site looks like www.crescentacommons.weebly.com.

The Crescenta Commons website also contains a donation form and an alternative website to donate
www.gofundme.com/5ajkos.

  Michael BRUER