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A local Boy Scout is looking to earn the rank of Eagle Scout by helping restore some historical symbols of Tomball.

Dawson Duerer, a 13-year-old member of Boy Scout Troop 471 at St. Anne's Catholic Church, was searching for an idea to help him earn the Eagle Scout rank. He sought the assistance of Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan, who guided him to Tomball's Public Works Director David Kauffman. After speaking with public works officials, Duerer decided to come up with a plan to restore the concrete street markers found in various locations within the city.

"These are a part of history and I think they need to be preserved," Duerer said.

These markers are a unique feature to Tomball, as the boy’s father said he knew of no other city in the area with them. Many of them are located in the downtown Tomball area.

"There used to be a lot more, like around 50 of them," Duerer said. "Now there are just 14 of them."

Dawson then presented his idea to the city council last month and received high praise for the project. Several people went up to Duerer following the meeting and donated to the project.

"I appreciate you doing this," Councilman Mark Stoll said to Duerer as he donated money towards the project.

Duerer said his first step will be to hold fundraisers to raise the estimated $1,000 he will need to complete the project. Once that is finished, he said he will purchase all the tools and materials needed to strip the old paint from the markers, level the surface of the markers with new mortar and straighten the leaning markers back to a level position. The final step will be repainting the markers white and then stenciling the street name back onto the marker.

With several man hours required to complete the project, Duerer will be seeking help from his family, friends and community members, in order to complete his goal of finishing the project by August.

Once the project is completed, he will begin work on a map and history of the markers.

Duerer said that he wants to keep advancing in scouts, because it has helped to mold him into a young man that cares about his family, friends and community.

"It's helped me grow up," he said. "The things I've learned to do are great."

"It's taught me a lot of responsibility and how to help others."