Spearheaded by Sean Kallapos, 18, Boy Scout Troop 577 completed an Eagle Scout service project on May 19 by removing four tons of loose asphalt along the Little Rocky Run stream.
“This project was very well organized and executed,” said Ned Foster, who heads up the Friends of Little Rocky Run. “Sean did a superb job of planing, organizing, and motivating the volunteers.”
SOME OF THE 24 volunteers included his parents, Keith and Kathy Kallapos, John Bowden, Lance Bowden, Andew McLenigan, Mike McLenigan, Brian McLenigan, David Hahn, Ned Foster, Chip Helme, Christopher Helme, Brian Bierwirth, Scott Bierwirth, JB Bierwirth, Greg Spitzer, Robert Kistner, Andre Hon, Joe Scott, Jim Scott, James Ritchey, Peter Smith, Eric Carlstrom, and brother Brian and sister Kelsey Kallapos.
“We didn’t have much help early in the morning, but we thoroughly enjoyed breaking apart the asphalt,” said Sean Kallapos who spent two months planning the project. “Getting involved in this project felt great.”
Originally, there had been a paved trail that ran along the path on the west side of Little Rocky Run. However, due to a flood that occurred last June, the creek cutting between the west and east developments of Little Rocky Run overflowed and caused the asphalt to break.
Overflowing of the banks resulted in the erosion of the trail’s basin. Dirt and gravel were washed underneath, which eventually broke the asphalt. The loose broken pieces of asphalt would have wound up in the creek itself and created an environmental concern.
THE VOLUNTEERS rigorously began breaking apart the debris left from the flood at 7:30 a.m. with the tools and wheelbarrows that the volunteers supplied. The smaller pieces were then hauled to a rental cart by noon.
“We had about six pickaxes, a few mauls, along with a few other tools to break the asphalt apart,” said Kallapos, whose Court of Honor will be next month.
After the volunteers finished breaking up the asphalt, it was transported to the landfill near Lorton, the only Fairfax County facility that accepts asphalt.
“When we got there they had a big open field,” said Kallapos. “We unloaded all the asphalt and started throwing it out onto the field.”
With teamwork and muscle power, the volunteers were able to finish the job by 3 p.m.
Preparations that were made for the project and the actual work totaled 100 man-hours. Although the work was physically demanding, Kallapos said the pleasant weather was perfect for doing manual labor and the project itself went more smoothly than he and the members had anticipated.
With the help of Sequoia Management, the volunteers were able to complete the project for about $200. The funding covered meals that were provided by Papa John’s Pizza, along with dump fees. It cost $57 per ton of asphalt.
Sean just graduated from Centreville High School where he maintained a 3.23 GPA and was involved in JV Lacrosse, cross country, wrestling and Odyssey of the Mind. He hopes to attend Penn State where he will study nuclear engineering.