11/1/2003 (two days before my 18th)
My project was sort of convoluted from the start. At first, I had planned to make and install some trail signs at the local public park observatory that had nature trails. Some research led me to what was considered the "norm" for federal public parks, which was somewhat more than I had planned.
In order to complete my project, I actually had to write a grant proposal for the park commission to create a wood shop (intended for use by senior citizens in a local public housing to make things they could sell) that was "in the works" for the last 4 years. I budgeted a little over $10,000 for this shop adventure, and ended up with almost $40,000 in grants (some interesting federal grants I proposed on a pipe dream apparently came through in full).
So after picking the equipment, safety equipment, and waiting for the building to be readied, we opened the shop and made the signs. Ended up with not only about 25 seniors helping, but almost 50 other volunteer family members from the local community who wanted to help (they just heard about it through the grapevine somehow *shrug*). The signs were made of traded 2x12 and 4x4 posts, and the lettering was burned into the signs in 4" letters.
After 100 people doing the work to physically craft the signs, I had an installation day. I figured I would get a handful of seniors to come out and about 15 scouts. I ended up with over 40 people out hammering in steel pipe segments into the ground and screwing signs into place. After about 6 hours we installed well over what we planned to install that day (we made over 200, but only planned to install 40).
Years later I checked in on what had become of "my" shop and work. Sadly the shop was closed and torn down several years later (I don't know of what became of the very expensive Delta and Jet floor-mounted tools we purchased). Proudly, the observatory is STILL making those signs and installing them on new trails and updating the old ones almost a decade after I started the project. Really the immensity of the project I undertook never fully hit me until years later when I looked back and realized exactly how many different fronts I fought on to bring together a simple project into reality.
Still makes me smile
