Tyler Denney, 17, used to ride his bike with friends along Sparks Boulevard but when construction work took over the area, the road wasn't so pretty. So when the opportunity came for him to help plant some trees along the boulevard, he was happy to help.

“(Boy Scout troop leaders) want to see you take charge of the planning process on your own, then execute it,” Denney said.

Denney and six other Eagle Scout candidates helped plant new trees and install an irrigation system on the east side of Sparks Boulevard from Prater Way to Springland Drive as part of their community service requirement to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. The project taught the students how to take initiative, learn leadership and benefit the community as well, said Wayne Teglia, a former member of the Sparks Parks and Recreation Commission who began the project and wants to continue the work.

“They did great,” Teglia said. “They problem they had is you don’t plant trees in July and August and we couldn’t get a break from the heat at all, but the trick was to water regularly.”

According to the most recent figures Teglia provided on Sept. 10, 160 donated trees have been planted. Sparks Parks provided 15 of those trees and 92 are medium-sized, between 6 and 15 feet in height. The rest are small evergreens, including cypress, juniper and white pines.

In addition to the planting, 90 existing trees that include mostly Poplar “volunteers” were pruned and shaped and other shrubs were removed.

The scouts helped with the preparation of the trees and the actual planting, making sure they were double staked and handwatered daily until the city of Sparks installed hard pipe that provides water from water treatment plants, not drinking water, Teglia said. City staff and scouts then installed and covered the drip lines on Aug. 29.

Topping off their work, Sparks parks and recreation staff have placed decorative rocks around the trees.

“We were real anxious to get the troops out there,” Teglia said.

What was supposed to be a small project turned out to be bigger than he expected. He bought most of the original 40 trees. But then, more boy scouts became excited, so Teglia was able to garner the support of individuals and businesses like Moana Nursery to supply more trees.

“These are all good kids,” Teglia said. “It’s just the fact they’re so enthusiastic. They really get in and go to town. This is hard work. There’s lots of digging and trenching, wiring and staking.”

He said each tree is its own project and the scouts all had their own trees to take care of in the nearly 3,900 feet of linear distance for the project, or .8 mile.

The project’s total cost for materials is about $4,000. The venture saved the city an additional $16,000, Teglia said, if it was to hire contractors.

Tyler Denney’s mother, Tamara Denney, said the project was good for her son, who started off as a cub scout in first grade.

“(He’s learning) what it takes to make it all come together,” she said. “Kids think it just happens.”

Tamara helped with providing food for the troops. She said they worked in 104-degree weather. Earning his merit badges for his various skills, including first aid and survival, are all important things for him to know, she said.

“It teaches them community involvement, to give to others and leadership,” she said. “It’s awesome. He’s 17 now and has started filling out resumes and it’s very impressive (to employers).”