Woods Cross » Almost anything would have been easier than this.

Boy Scout Tom Smith could have built picnic tables, cleared hiking trails or even assembled wheelchair ramps to earn his fraternity's highest award. But he didn't.

Instead, this Davis County scout embarked on a far more ambitious path to earn his Eagle by leading a campaign to build a $35,000 monument to celebrate a century of scouting.

Yet the statue is meant as something more than a historical marker to a youth organization founded in 1907 by Robert Baden-Powell, a lieutenant general in the British army. It is meant to inspire, Smith explained.

"It is a constant reminder of what scouts do," the 16-year-old said. "If every boy in Woods Cross were an Eagle scout, it would reduce crime and everyone would be trustworthy. It would just be a great place."

The centerpiece of Smith's project is nearly finished: A 7-foot bronze statue of a uniformed scout crouched atop a ridge with one hand on his walking stick and the other shielding his eyes from the sun -- a replica of a scout sketched by Baden-Powell in the early 1900s.

Now comes the stone pedestal. That foundation -- inscribed with the scout oath, motto, law and slogan -- someday will complete the 17-foot monument that Smith hopes to place in Woods Cross' Hogan Memorial Park.

Smith already has devoted more than a year to the project, organizing fund-raising campaigns with fellow scouts in Troop 769 that have canvassed every neighborhood in Woods Cross. Now, with $13,000 toward his goal, the scout has taken his project to the streets soliciting donations from his community's businesses.

As of mid-December, Smith had logged 48 contributors (18 of which had provided more than $500, earning them an etching of their name on the monument's base).

It's been a lesson in patience and perseverance for the young scout. Varsity Coach Chris Preston says the teen has refused to let occasional discouragement from keeping him down.

"He's a focused and determined young man," added Stan Watts, the Kearns-based sculptor hired to design the scout statue. Watts' signature creations include the nationally recognized firefighter memorial that stands at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md.

Although little more than a third of the way toward his goal, Smith says he's convinced that his after-school and weekend fund-raising efforts someday will pay off.

"I'm feeling pretty good," he said, glancing at a checklist of donations that he's penciled in his scrapbook. "I'm pretty sure we'll get it."

So he continues day-after-day, mounting massive photos of his nearly finished clay statue on his bedroom wall and above the stairs. He shrugs at the thought of fellow scouts, who have taken on less time-consuming projects, advancing before him.

Even before the statue is finished, Preston says Smith is inspiring others through his example.

"It is a big project," he said. "It requires a lot of dedication. The other scouts have seen that in Tom. They see an opportunity to be involved in a project that will really benefit the community and inspire other boys to get involved in scouting."

jstettler@sltrib.com