PARIS — Travis May, of Boy Scout Troop 130, recently completed a much needed carpentry restoration project at the First Congregational Church in Paris. The undertaking served two purposes. It was his high school senior project and his Eagle Scout project.

“I spackled the basement hallway and ceiling,” he said. “Then sealed the corners so they were flush and there were no gaps and then painted the entire hallway.”

That work, he said, was just one of three parts to the project.

“To qualify for an Eagle Scout project, I needed to show that I could lead others,” he added.

Earlier this year, he held a spaghetti dinner at the Paris Fire Department, where May is a volunteer firefighter. He led a group of 15 volunteers throughout the planning, prepping and serving process.

“Most of the materials I needed were donated but I was able to raise enough money to gather what I still needed for the project,” he said.

The third portion of the project involved insulating, painting, and paneling a stairway leading to the hallway.

“Heat was seeping out of some visible cracks,” he said. “It was not fuel efficient. It was costing the church money and causing it to be cold in that area of the building.”

May enjoys working with his hands but had limited construction experience. His uncle Lance Vigue offered advice, and material, along the way.

The project is complete, May said. “I am just fine-tuning the paperwork so I can submit it for review. I’ve been really lucky because most of the material was donated but I do have to itemize each screw, nail and paint roller I had to buy.”

May is a member of the church but said that was not why he decided to do this project.

“I really just saw this as something that needed to be done,” he said. “I am a trades person, so I decided to do something I knew I could do with my hands.”

May plans to continue in the trades. In the fall, he plans to pursue an auto collision degree at Northern Maine Community College.

“He received enough scholarship money so that his first year and part of his second year of college are paid for,” said May’s mother, Stacey Mitchell.

The career choice is a good fit. In June, he took part in the National SkillsUSA Championships. He placed fourth in the nation in his competition, Collision Damage Appraisal. He currently  works for Bessey Collision Center.

“Travis truly loves his community and wants to give back,” said Mitchell. “We have such a wonderful community to give back to. The support our community has for our kids is amazing.”