Logan Laughery (left) and his pals in Boy Scouts Troop 153 of Yale, with a pit toilet they are replacing with flush toilets

YALE, Iowa, June 24, 2007 – Thanks to the leadership of 15-year-old Logan Laughery and his pals in Boy Scout Troop 153 here, users of the Raccoon River Valley Trail will soon have permanent flush toilets and running water at the trailhead in this town.

Non-flushing pit toilets were built trailside in the southeast corner of the town about 1990, and have been used ever since. Many trail users over the years, while appreciating having any toilets along the way, have mentioned it’d be nice to have permanent flush toilets when possible. And after the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association was organized in 2006, the board of directors set a goal of having permanent flush restrooms, cold drinks and snacks available in every community along the trail, even in the smallest towns.

About the same time, Laughery was looking for a good project toward his Eagle Scout honor. You can read about that in a March 13, 2007, story in the RRVT News Archives on this Internet site.

After getting bids for a septic system, water pipes, toilets and other improvements for the existing restrooms building, Laughery determined he needed to raise about $5,000 for the project.

More than $4,600 of that amount is now in hand, work has started and the target date for completion is July 4, when Yale celebrates its Quasquicentennial and also has its traditional 4th of July celebration. That big day is expected to draw thousands of visitors to the community. And the number of people using the RRVT will be hitting early highs as bicyclists do their training for the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), sete for July 22-28.

Fundraising has included $3,300 the Scouts collected at a pancake breakfast they held on March 25, a $1,000 grant from the Guthrie County Community Foundation, $750 in individual contributions and, recently, a $300 donation from the estate of Melvin Clark, who died at the age of 85. The Yale Volunteer Fire Department made an additional donation of $50 in memory of Clark, who was a longtime member of the department.

“The way the community has supported this, with all the donations, has really surprised me,” said Laughery. “And the memorial money after Mr. Clark died was really something. I didn’t know him very well, but I’ve learned that he was always real active in the community and helped a lot of people. I never expected any contributions like that, though.”

The City of Yale is helping with additional resources and will install electricity in the restrooms for lights.

On a recent hot Saturday afternoon, the work crew included the Scout Troop’s adult leaders along with Scouts Logan Laughery, his younger brother Ethan Laughery, Nathan Seibert, Skylan Meinecke, Mason Bump, Dallas Larson, Sam Kenble, Wesley Lyons and Ben Larson.  Yale’s Mayor Steve Stanton stopped by to check on the project, and thanked the Scouts for helping the community with the project.

That prompted a question about who’d get to make the ceremonial “first flush” when the project is completed.

“I’m not getting into that,” said the mayor. Some in the crowd suggested a raffle for the “honor.”

Logan Laughery said he’d begin giving that some thought.

Article Published: 06-24-2007