The Girl Scouts of Troop 51925 in Greenfield had to solve a problem.
Their Citizen Scientist Journey required them to take action on a problem in the community, and it had to be something sustainable.
“It’s not like picking up trash, where trash is going to be back on the side of the road in a month or so,” Troop Leader Andra Hall said.
The problem they decided to tackle? A drop in patronage at Stephenson Memorial Library since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The solution? A story walk around the perimeter of a field outside the library, located at 761 Forest Road. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting for the story walk is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.
“Our hope is by putting together this story walk, patronage to the library will increase,” Hall said.
For the first two months, the story will be “Around the Pond: Who’s Been Here?” by Lindsay Barrett George. The book is 20 pages long, so there will be 20 signs – built by Hall’s carpenter husband Jeremy – each with a page.
“You get to read the book as you walk,” Hall said.
The 12 girls in Troop 51925 range in age from first to ninth grade. Hall said they started talking about the project six months ago, with solid planning for the last couple months.
Hall said the story walk will be around a lot that was acquired with the intention of turning it into parking. However, she said the walk will likely remain around the edge of any parking lot that gets built, but if not, it was built so it could be moved.
“We’re very excited,” she said.