Eagle project is close to Scout's heart

When Logan Krebs, 14, was searching for an Eagle Scout project this summer, he wasn't looking for one that touched on a family tragedy, but that's what he found.

Logan's mother, Melanie Krebs, died of alcoholism 18 months ago.

Now, Logan is giving back by building an outdoor patio for a Salt Lake City rehab center, the exact sort of place that could have saved his mom's life.

And while Logan doesn't like to talk about his mother's death, his father Rick J. Krebs, also the Scoutmaster of Troop No. 1013, said the project will definitely have a secondary benefit for his son.

"Losing his mom to alcoholism, now he gets to help others in that situation," Krebs said. "It's cool he can benefit other addicts."

Logan is building the patio at the Valley Mental Health facility at 460 E. 240 South. A behavioral health-care provider for Salt Lake County residents, the facility specializes in mental-health, substance-abuse and prevention services for adults, children, youth and seniors.

Logan's late mother went to a rehabilitation center, but not one like Valley Mental Health's program. Logan said he found a reference on a Scout Web site to Valley Mental Health needing Eagle project help. He contacted the agency and started the project on Sept. 5.

"This is a big undertaking, for sure," he said, stressing that it turned into a much lengthier project than expected, with lots of back-breaking manual labor.

First, he and other Scouts had to move a big pile of dirt from an 18-by-18-foot plot. Once the area was cleared, they began building the patio, which when completed will be used by the facility for group-therapy sessions. The project should be done by Sept. 26.

"This will be a place of solace," Rebecca Brown, a program coordinator for Valley Mental Health's CORE program, said. "We're very grateful."

She said it would have been difficult to raise the thousands of dollars needed to build the patio.

Logan's father said Anderson Development, developers of the old Geneva Steel site, donated bricks for the project. Logan, a ninth-grader at Indian Hills Middle School, also bought some used patio furniture, with money he earned from his part-time elementary-school custodial job. This will provide seating for patients.

He's also hoping to add a small water feature on the patio, to enhance it as a therapeutic garden-like area.

Many other Scouts from the troop sponsored by the Dimple Dell LDS Ward — as many as 20 ?— have helped on the project. Some patients have also been helping to install the bricks.

"I chose this project because it's really about giving others a second chance," Logan said. "I was way glad to find this one."

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com