Riley Nordahl’s uncle is a Rochester police officer, so he is fairly familiar with the police station. One day, he noticed the outside of the building could use a little sprucing up and saw the perfect opportunity for his Eagle Scout project.

Nordahl, 17, is a student at Old Rochester Regional and a member of Troop 31 in Rochester. He reached out to police and asked if they’d be interested in his help. After getting the go-ahead from them, Nordahl began making his plan.

He decided to clean up and extend the existing flower beds and to install a bench and a plaque to honor fallen officers.

The hardest part for a project like this is all the planning that has to go into it, said the scout.

“I went to Olson’s [in Wareham] and discussed how to plan a garden,” Nordahl said. “They gave me ideas.”

Proving that you’re capable of planning and executing a project of this size is a big part of becoming an Eagle Scout, according to assistant scout leader Ron Reed.

The Rochester Police Department decided to help Nordahl as well, and donated money for the plants and supplies. The budgeting involved was another important part of the project.

To become an Eagle Scout, projects like this have to be done entirely by the scout.

“We can’t really help at all,” Reed said. “They write up a whole plan, do a bunch of pre-planning. He does it all by himself.”

The projects also have to be submitted to and approved by the troop’s council, and one of the major guidelines is that it has to be a project that benefits the community in some way.