Marin teen’s Eagle Scout project focuses on flooding
PUBLISHED: November 26, 2023
A Corte Madera teen has developed a unique method to help property owners fill sandbags during the winter storm season.
Rory McLean, a student at Redwood High School, built two sandbag filling stations to be installed at sand pits in Heatherwood and Piper parks in Larkspur. The city will maintain the sand pits while the two stations, built as part of his Eagle Scout service project, will remain for community use.
McLean said he was inspired by all the times he and his father would come to the sand pits. His father owns an apartment building in the area and McLean would often be recruited to help fill sandbags — one person would hold the bag open and the other would shovel.
He wondered how someone who does not have an extra set of hands would be able to complete the task. The city is no stranger to seasonal flooding thanks to overflow from Corte Madera Creek.
“It’s not very user-friendly,” McLean said. “It’s a big hassle, and we do this every year.”
McLean said did some research to come up with the design, including checking out the sandbag filling stations in the nearby areas. The A-frame structure was inspired by stations in Corte Madera. Still, he wanted to design the structure so one person could do the job alone.
