T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY KlowieAnn Smith, a senior at BCLUW High School, completed her Eagle Scout project last Saturday painting 52 fire hydrants around Conrad with help from a group of local volunteers.

CONRAD — When KlowieAnn Smith of Marshalltown, who is a senior at BCLUW High School, was considering options for her Eagle Scout project, she originally wanted to work on the old bandshell in Beaman like her uncle had previously done. But when she didn’t hear back from the city quickly, she looked elsewhere and found out that 52 fire hydrants in Conrad were in serious need of a fresh coat of paint.

Smith’s scoutmaster suggested that project instead, which another member of her troop who had aged out never got around to completing but already had city approval to proceed with. From there, she rounded up a group of volunteers and got to work last Saturday morning, meeting at 8 a.m. with coffee and donuts (donated by Casey’s) and wrapping up before noon.

In all, 16 other people contributed to the project in one way or another, with most helping out physically and a few others providing bars and serving food.

“It helps the community look more uniform and not look like it has dirty fire hydrants that have, like, mud caked onto them and dirt, and (it) makes them all look pretty and shiny and brand new,” she said.

Community members showed their appreciation as they noticed the crew giving up part of their Saturday to put in the work, and Smith is proud to have completed a meaningful project that will leave a positive impact on Conrad and make her an Eagle Scout.

“It means a lot to me because I’ve done this since fifth grade, and it’s like all my hard work has come together, and it’ll help me get jobs,” she said. “It was really fun.”

Smith plans to attend Marshalltown Community College in the fall to study welding and eventually get a job in the field.