MARGATE – “Take a book, leave a book” is the theme for Little Libraries popping up in communities all across the country. Margate now has its own Little Library thanks to the efforts of a future Eagle Scout.
A “dear friend” of an Ocean City family, Margate resident and former English teacher and library instructor Kathy Heitzman, who maintains her presence at Board of Commissioners meetings, has long dreamed of having a Little Library in Margate.
During a dinner with friends last spring, Matthew Morrill, 16, of Ocean City, who has been in the Boy Scouts for the last five years, mentioned that he needed to come up with an Eagle Scout project.
“She said she wanted a Little Library in Margate, and I thought that was a great idea,” Matthew said.
Afterward, Heitzman introduced the Scout to the city’s Planning and Zoning Officer, Roger McLarnon, to come up with an accessible site for Margate’s Little Library. McLarnon recommended the courtyard next to the Sustainable Margate Native Plant Demonstration Garden on the corner of Winchester and Vendome avenues. The site was ideal because there is playground equipment for children and it’s around the corner from the pickleball courts.
Once the site was identified, Matthew started planning and executing his Eagle Scout project.
A member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 32 that meets at First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City, Matthew said he still has two more badges to go to qualify to apply for Eagle Scout status, the highest rank in Scouting.
“I still have to get badges for Personal Fitness and Citizenship in Community,” he said in a telephone interview Friday morning.
While he works to obtain Badges 20 sand 21, Matthew jumped at the opportunity to start working on his Eagle Scout project, which he is required to document and present to the Eagle Scout Board of Review for approval before he is recommended to attend an Eagle Scout Court of Honor.
“I’d like to do that in early 2025 before the school year ends,” the Ocean City High School junior said.
Matthew’s dad, Bill Morrill stepped up to fund the project, which included purchasing a Little Library kiosk online.
“Scouting has a rule that parents can donate up to $500 for a project. If it goes past that, then the Scout has to do a fundraiser,” Morrill said.
Margate's Little Library is located in the municipal courtyard on Vendome Avenue.Matthew said the cost of the kiosk was only $335. In addition, he had to purchase the post it’s attached to.
“I had to buy the materials, then I stained the kiosk with weather-resistant stain, so it holds up in the weather,” he said.
An Eagle Scout project must be completed before a candidate turns 18, and demonstrate leadership, service and impact on the community. It must be planned and executed with support from Scouting leadership and the community.
To demonstrate leadership, Matthew recruited fellow-Scout Clifford Dirkes, who is a senior at OCHS.
“He is also working on his badge, and members of the Troop are encouraged to help each other,” said Matthew, who is a member of the Red Raiders Wrestling Team. “We worked together to dig the hole and set the post about 2-feet deep. Then we attached the Little Library on top.”
Eagle Scout candidates Matthew Morrill Clifford Dirkes of Ocean City.Matthew said he started planning the project in March and found time to work on it during summer while also working at the Ocean City waterpark.
He finally got to install it last week, and it’s already stocked with books.
Heitzman said she visits the Little Library every couple of days and restocks the books as needed. A shelf on top is for children, and adult books are on the bottom, she said.
“It’s lovely. I’m so happy Margate now has a Little Library of its own,” she said. “Anytime we can encourage books and reading is the best time. We will continue to refill the library with books that help everyone grow.”
Morrill called Heitzman “a gift from God.”
“Not only because she is a close friend, but because her life as an educator has impacted so many children,” he said. “Her passion for reading will help sustain this project.”
Matthew said the next step in the process is to prepare a storyboard of photographs documenting the project from start to finish. He will put photos in plastic sleeves and insert them in a binder for the presentation to the Board of Review at the appropriate time.
Morrill said his son learned a lot of “adulting” during his project.
“It was a great adult learning opportunity and required a lot of planning to get the idea realized,” he said. “If there are changes, they have to go back to the drawing board. For a Scout, it’s a huge learning lesson that teaches them a lot about life, which has its ups and downs. It’s not easy like sticking a card in a machine and getting cash back.”
Morrill said only five out of 100 Scouts ever achieve the coveted Eagle Scout designation.
“Becoming an Eagle Scout is tough these days, especially with all the distractions these kids have today – like cell phones,” he said.
Matthew said what he learned about leadership and responsibility will take him a long way into the future.
He plans to follow in the footsteps of his entire immediate family and serve in the military. Although he said he would investigate all branches of service, he is hoping the U.S. Navy will be his career path.
Both of his parents are retired Navy veterans – his father was a pilot who flew commercial airplanes after he left the military, and his mother, Barbara, was an intelligence officer in the Navy. His older brothers are also in the military – his oldest brother is in the U.S. Marine Corps currently studying at Quantico to become a pilot, and his next oldest brother is a Navy air crewman.
“My career choice would be to fly too,” Matthew said.
Residents are encouraged to visit the Little Library and take a book. If they can restock a book, that’s great too.
Copyright Access Network 2024
