New Alexandria teen creates flag monument, soars to Eagle Scout rank

Motorists driving along Route 22 after dark may notice something new in the air if they glance up as they pass through New Alexandria.

Three patriotic flags, illuminated at night, now stand tall at the west end of town — thanks to New Alexandria teen Lachlan McKlveen.

McKlveen, who will turn 18 on Dec. 28, created the flag memorial at the borough’s Gray Wing Park as an Eagle Scout project. The U.S. flag flies atop a 25-foot pole, flanked by the Pennsylvania and POW flags, each 20 feet high.

A senior at The Kiski School near Saltsburg, McKlveen has volunteered at the park to help participants pull their kayaks out of the Loyalhanna Creek at the end of the annual Loyalhanna Sojourn that begins upstream in Latrobe.

“More and more people are coming to use the park,” said McKlveen. “I wanted to do something to honor the veterans in the area.”

Members of the New Alexandria American Legion color guard helped dedicate the flag memorial during a recent fall festival at the park.

After the flag project won approval from borough officials, McKlveen approached area businesses for contributions, raising more than $5,400 to fund the effort.

“There were numerous, very generous companies in New Alexandria that donated monetarily or with services and supplies,” he said.

Organizations and businesses that provided resources or services included the New Alexandria Lions, Country Farms Garden Center and Landscape Service, Cleveland Brothers, Dom’s Specialty Concrete and Gary Sterrett Electric.

Construction began in July and involved extending electric power to the site and working around an old foundation that was unexpectedly uncovered.

“We moved some rocks that we dug out of the area,” McKlveen said. To finish the monument, he said, “We put some river rock around it.”

The borough, which will maintain the monument, assisted with a work crew as needed. On the final work day, McKlveen said, about 20 people came out to help, including family, friends, fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 211 of Delmont and New Alexandria residents.

McKlveen was “a pleasure to work with, very professional in his demeanor,” said Tim Ruane, New Alexandria’s mayor and a former borough councilman. “He had a plan and he executed it. He did everything according to proper flag etiquette,” with the inclusion of nighttime lighting.

The completed monument “looks awesome,” Ruane said.”It’s a really nice addition. It provides a focal point for that end of town.”

He noted it coincides with other improvements planned at the park, including an outdoor kitchen to supplement an existing pavilion that can be reserved.

The dedication of the monument was particularly meaningful for Ruane, a Marine Corps Air Wing veteran who volunteered with the Coast Guard Auxiliary from 2014 to 2018.

“I get excited and emotional about those types of events,” he said.

With his Eagle Scout project completed, McKlveen is looking forward to finishing his studies at The Kiski School, where he is a prefect and a member of the swim team.

He looks to pursue a post-secondary education in aerospace engineering.

Now that he’s achieved the highest rank in Scouting, he said he is considering a future role with the organization, possibly as an adult leader.

“It depends what course my life takes,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to give back to the organization that’s done so much for me.”