ATHOL – Visitors to Silver Lake Park in Athol will be able to get in a good workout along the trail, thanks to a local Scout intent on earning his Eagle badge.

Over the past several weeks, Athol High School senior Dylan Wornham has installed a series of fitness stations at various locations along the trail that circumnavigates the lake.

“I wanted to do it because I saw the town was putting more effort into fixing up Silver Lake. When I was younger, we used to have baseball games there every other weekend in the spring, and it always seemed like such a nice place to spend time with the community,” he said. “Over the years it sort of went downhill, but it was kind of inspiring to see them look at this place and say, ‘It’s time we get the park back to its former glory.’”

Athol’s Open Space and Recreation Commission has spent the last year devising plans to improve the park and make it more inviting to the community.

“I thought it would be really good to have a place in town where people could go and take advantage of a free exercise area that is safe and available year-round,” said Wornham.

To attain the status of Eagle Scout, Wornham, a member of Boy Scout Troop #40 in Orange, first had to submit his idea to the Heart of New England Council. A proposal was sent in October and six weeks later, he received word that he could begin the project.

In addition to installing the fitness stations at the park, Wornham also had to do some fundraising to help pay for materials.

“I got good support from local businesses; Hamshaw Lumber helped out a lot,” he said. “We only needed to raised about $500. Our original scope was much larger, but we found some ways to cut costs. The biggest expense was the piping for the bars for pull-ups and push-ups and the like, but (Athol’s Public Works Department) was actually able to donate everything we needed for free. That saved us several hundred dollars on the total cost.”

Wornham also had the support of more than a dozen volunteers and that the work “was a breeze.” Installation of the fitness stations began around March 22.

“There’s a little bit of wobble on the parallel bars,” he said. “They are safe to use, but we’ve already got some lumber to cut out and add some extra support on the base. But everything is installed, set up and complete.”

Scouting is a tradition that runs in the Wornham family. Dylan’s father has served as a Scoutmaster for several years.

“He’s still at it,” Dylan said, “but I think after I’m out of it he’s done for a while. He got me and both of my brothers into it at a young age, and it became a strong part of who we are.”

Wornham said he plans on going to college following his graduation from Athol High this year and plans to enroll at Mount Wachusett or Umass/Dartmouth to pursue creative writing.

He expects to receive his Eagle Scout badge at a ceremony later this summer.

“I think that it demonstrates the kind of character it takes to be a Boy Scout and have the determination to reach this level,” he said. “I loved the whole idea of this project, being able to have our community members see and hear that I’m with the Boy Scouts and working on this Eagle project. I can say, ‘I’m and Eagle Scout,’ and people can see who I am as a person.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.