VENTURA : Scout Puts Up Wall Along Hiking Trail

Aaron Serr, 17, of Ventura didn’t relax much during his spring vacation from school. He built a 190-foot-long retaining wall to keep rocks and dirt in place on the Ojai Valley Trail.

A Boy Scout since he was 8, Aaron tackled the project to earn his Eagle Scout badge, the organization’s highest honor. He had some help from friends in his Boy Scout Explorer Post 6116 and Boy Scout Troop 116, both sponsored by a Mormon church in Ventura.

Aaron got the idea for the project from a family friend, Andrew M. Oshita, manager of the Ventura County Parks Department. During the March rains, dirt and rocks had fallen onto the trail near Foster Park on the outskirts of Ventura where the trail begins. The bike and horse trail ends in Ojai.

“The trail had to be shut down until the Parks Department could get heavy equipment in to clear off the debris,” Oshita said. “This new retaining wall will prevent the debris from becoming a hazard to trail users and will save the county valuable man-hours.”

Aaron estimated that the project took about 150 boy-hours of labor, counting all workers. He had some engineering help from his father, Steve Serr, a general contractor.

“It would have cost the county $5,000 to have it professionally contracted and done,” Aaron said.

The county paid only $1,000 for the materials, he said. Ventura Rental Center, where he works part time, donated a cement mixer and other equipment.

“I hope it will do the job,” Aaron said. “I felt it was a project I could take on with the help of others and be a leader. I’ll be able to show my children someday how I helped out the county.”