One bridge, many lessons: Eagle Scout project shapes Belchertown teen

BELCHERTOWN — On the only rainy day of a historically dry November, Zachary Restucci sloshed through a muddy parking lot toward a weathered footbridge at the Scarborough Brook Conservation Area.

Years of foot traffic had worn down the structure to match the decaying leaves below it. The decking underneath a layer of horizontal wood boards was rotted. Simple handrails built by a group of college students provided some stability, but their handiwork likely would not last.

Yet as cold rain dripped from his clothes and hair, Restucci felt a spark.

“When I first saw it, I fell in love with it,” he said of the footbridge. “My brain just started going on different things I could do to fix it up and make it good again.”

Over the next 19 months, the 17-year-old took on the role of project manager for the bridge repair as his Eagle Scout project. He could not actually build the bridge — Boy Scouts are prohibited from using power tools — but Restucci was responsible for the design, wetland permitting, fundraising and construction oversight. In the process, he not only helped create a structure that visitors will enjoy for years to come, but also gained a stronger sense of himself.

“I wouldn’t want another project,” he said. “It was a perfect balance of like how much effort I put in, and how much I learned along the way.”

Restucci decided he wanted to become an Eagle Scout when he was 5 years old. He joined Cub Scouts Pack 500 in Amherst before moving to Troop 507 in Belchertown. As older Scouts aged out of the troop, he sometimes worried he had lost important mentors for his own path. But Scoutmaster Bob Walzh and Walzh’s father, both seasoned Scouts and project managers, provided the support and guidance he needed.

“When I went to them, they were like, ‘This is a hard project. This is gonna be a lot of work, but you can do it,'” Restucci said. “To hear it from these guys that have put me through trial after trial through Scouts, and … for them to also believe in me, that meant a lot to me.”

Soon after starting the project, Restucci hit a roadblock. The two telephone poles supporting the bridge needed to be replaced with materials sturdy enough to handle the soft wetland soil. Five engineers and contractors offered their input, tossing around terms Restucci had never heard before. The advice only added stress and muddied his direction.

Though he had an interest in mechanical engineering, this was the first time Restucci was responsible for every major decision.

“Now that I look back, it taught me how to be decisive,” Restucci said. “This is my project, this is my bridge. I can discuss with people, but I need to make the final call.”

In November 2025, Restucci learned the telephone poles could stay in the ground. That news lifted a huge weight off his shoulders, allowing the design to finally come together. The 25-foot bridge would rest on the poles. Two long, skinny boards would support a level deck, topped by two layers of decking boards. Five braces would support the handrails, which were angled at 30 degrees to discourage people from sitting on them and prevent snow accumulation.

Finishing the design was just the beginning. Restucci, who dislikes asking for donations, had to find companies to donate $4,000 worth of materials. The project also required a wetlands permit. The town’s Conservation Commission asked Restucci to present the design at a January meeting for their approval

“Wetlands permitting can be complicated to people when it’s new to them, but he was fantastic to work with,” said Stephanie Sansoucy, Belchertown’s assistant conservation administrator. “He got the gist pretty quickly and was respectful to the area.”

But once a construction date was set, Restucci had “boots on the ground,” his mother, Jennifer Restucci, said. Dinner-table conversations revolved around making lists, contacting donors and finalizing schedules. One by one, the boxes on his to-do list were checked off.

During one of their dinnertime meetings, Jennifer asked Restucci if he would do anything differently. He instantly responded, “nothing.”

“It was just a surprise to me to hear him say I wouldn’t do anything different because I’m where I am, and I’ve gotten where I am based on what I’ve done,” Jennifer said.

Rain drizzled down as Restucci led a group of 24 volunteers to the construction site on May 30, but he was a far different person than when he first arrived at the bridge six months earlier. Project management is not something Restucci enjoys, so his career path pivoted from engineering to automobile maintenance. He developed effective systems for time management, communication and organization that will follow him after high school. Most of all, he walks a little taller and more confidently after overcoming hurdles.

“It’s a lifelong skill, and it’s not just a bridge,” Restucci said.