The wooden Saugus “S” is being beautified with new paint, panels and cleared brush by a Saugus Senior for his Eagle Scout Project.

C.J. Westenhofer, captain of the Centurion cross country and track teams, began his Eagle Project Wednesday to beautify the Saugus “S” Hill, a 70-foot wooden “S” that has become a hallmark of Saugus High School and its neighboring community.

“The S is a symbol of Centurion Pride,” said Westenhofer, referring to the significance of the S to campus spirit. “To the (Saugus) community, it represents home.”

The last repair to the S took place in 2011, and since then, the structure has slowly been aging due to rain, sun and wind exposure .

The navy blue paint is faded out and several of the base boards are warped. The S has also been vandalized several times, most recently with the image of the “Chance the Rapper” third album cover.

“Running on the track everyday and looking up at (the S), I felt like it could be better than it currently is,” Westenhofer said.  His desire to improve the quality of the structure inspired him to take on the S as his service project, working towards the prestigious Eagle Scout award.

For his Eagle Project, C.J. organized a group of student and parent volunteers to remove overgrowth near the S, replace broken panels and repaint the structure.
The project will cost an estimated $2,200.

“I have raised a little under $2,100 so far (from my GoFundMe Page) which should be enough to cover all the supplies(tools, panels and paint),” Westenhofer said.

The tentative completion date of the refurbishment is July 3, following the drying of the paint job.

The project is being completed over the course of two days, Wednesday and Saturday.

This repair of the S is one of numerous repairs to the structure. This project will allow the S to last about 10 years before it needs to be refurbished again.  
The wooden letter has long been a part of the Saugus community, and likely will be going forward.