Columbia Falls scout right on target with Eagle badge

Columbia Falls High School sophomore Trey Spalding recently finished an Eagle Scout project that was just so “metal.”

Spalding, 16, welded and constructed 10 target stands at the local range, where the Columbia Falls Police Department practices shooting.

He chose the project because it was local, useful, and uncomplicated.

“It was very, very simple and it helped out some people that I knew,” Spalding said.

All the materials were donated by Pacific Steel, so it didn’t cost him anything but time. The project took Spalding and others — about 20 people total — a combined 72 hours of labor.

He was born in Los Angeles and raised in Columbia Falls, attending school here since kindergarten. He is a rising junior at the high school.

After graduating from high school, he hopes to eventually get a degree in economics and business. He’d like to start his own real estate firm someday.

A sportsman as well as a scout, he plays football and track. He also cited the school band and trombone playing among his interests.

When asked about his free time and hobbies, Spalding laughed.

“I don’t know; I don’t have fun,” he joked. “I like to eat food and hang out with friends.”

For his project, the biggest skill he learned was the welding, and was especially thankful for the local help and encouragement he received.

“I got a lot of support from my community,” he noted.