Eagle Scout project brings new dock in The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- To achieve the Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts of America, a scout must complete an extensive service project that benefits his community. For Zachary Jaramillo, the ideal service project became clear when he first joined the crew team at the Rowing Club of The Woodlands and encountered the weathered, waterlogged docks at Northshore Park.

"I stepped on the dock and my foot almost went through," Jaramillo said. "I needed a project, and I asked if I could rebuild the dock or replace it."

Jaramillo and other club members celebrated the installation of the new dock on Friday afternoon with a ribbon cutting and barbecue. The new dock is a polyethylene material produced by Connect-A-Dock. It's a modular, low-profile, floating dock that is crafted to provide stability for boaters and to weather the elements.

"The biggest benefit is to the two rowing clubs that row here in Northshore Park," said Rowing Club of The Woodlands coach Dee Hotop. "The old docks that were there were beginning to show a bit of wear and tear and sag. The new dock that we've purchased and put in is actually a fully encased dock material, meaning it's not going to lose its buoyancy. It would be very difficult to damage it."

Read more from the The Courier of Montgomery County, a Houston Community Newspaper partner