Ryan Layman supervises assembly of a bench in September. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

As Davidson grows, so does its list of greenways, neighborhood parks and other public spaces. This is the first in an occasional series about new and old public spaces in Davidson.

Davidson high school student Ryan Layman was hunting around earlier this year for a service project that might help him qualify for Eagle Scout at his Charlotte Boy Scout troop. After talking to Davidson Parks & Recreation officials, he settled on the area at the end of South Street, at the head of the Southeast Greenway. This summer, he led a volunteer effort to build an amphitheater behind the old pumping station at the trail’s start.

The amphitheater, or outdoor classroom, was part of an old master plan developed by the town of Davidson, but never funded. The town had applied for a state grant, and when that failed to come through, the plan was put on a shelf.

Until Ryan showed up. He talked to former Parks & Recreation chief Steve Fraher, who suggested the project. Over a period of several weeks in August and September, he led a crew of fellow students and adults to complete the project.

Ryan Layman examines benches at the newly constructed amphitheater. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

“It took a lot of planning,” said Ryan,  Davidson Day School junior and member of Troop 13 at University City United Methodist Church in Charlotte. The work started with lots of sketches of the site and the proposed improvements, including benches and a small stage. He had to write a plan for constructing the project, including how he would clear the land and install the wooden fixtures.

Ryan Layman

In September, Ryan and his crew completed the job. He’ll but for Eagle Scout at a board of review next Wednesday, Dec. 15.

“It has been a learning experience, a good experience in how to lead a group, and how to oversee a project and see it through to completion, and work through all the problems that come up,” said Ryan, who is 16, and the son of Roger and Rhonda Layman.

The project is one of about two dozen in local parks and open spaces that Boy Scouts and other volunteers have completed in recent years. “They serve the public good and they’re done at little or mostly no cost to the Town of Davidson, other than some staff time to do basic clearing at the site,” Mr. Fraher said.

Other noteworthy Eagle projects that now grace local parks include a footbridge on a hiking trail at Fisher Farm, off Shearer Road; trees planted around McEver Fields off South Street; a footbridge over a stream in the St. Alban’s neighborhood; and picnic sites at Fisher Farm.

Mr. Fraher, who recently moved to California to become a district park administrator in Sacramento, said before he left Davidson that the town keeps a list of projects for volunteers like Ryan. “Having been a former scoutmaster myself, I have a pretty good understanding of how much work they need to put in to earn earn their Eagle rank. But it’s their projects, they get to choose,” Mr. Fraher said.

The outdoor classroom is off in a wooded area off South Street, just south of Davidson Elementary School. It can seat 60 people for classes or programs.

“I hope it will serve the community for a long time,” Ryan said.

The amphitheater, off South Street behind the old pumping station, can seat about 60. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)