Being a Boy Scout is all about "being prepared."

Troop 109 of Sharon Baptist Church is prepared to help the Ironton Business Association maintain a section of land to the right of U.S. 52 that is home to city signs and flower beds.

This will help keep the area, located between the Coal Grove and

State Route 141 exits, looking nice and give the kids some opportunities to do some community service to earn their merit badges, IBA President Mark Compston said.

"Now that we have someone to maintain it, maybe we can make improvements to it," he said.

A possible idea for improvement is to look into solar powered lighting and see what it would cost to keep the area lit at night, Betty Adams, IBA secretary, said.

Gary Moritz, troop leader of 109, didn't hesitate to agree to have the troop to maintain the property.

"It is a community service," he said. "A lot of people go by there and I have noticed it has kind of gone downhill."

As the boys progress and leave the troop, there will always be new scouts to continue the work. The scouts are required to do community service to increase ranks and this can help fulfill those requirements. However, this was really secondary to just being able to help out, Moritz said.

They are proud to know they helped clean up the area and didn't even know how many signs were there because many of them were covered with weeds, said Jonathan Kelly, 12, senior troop leader.

The troop will keep the grass trimmed, make sure the proper signs are displayed and do any painting or anything else required, Moritz said.

"This is something we can do for the community," he said. "It is a win-win situation for everybody." Michael Caldwell/The Ironton Tribune