BERNARDSTON — Leaders and members of Cub Scouts Pack 3 braved the heat Monday evening to install a new bench in Cushman Park.

The bench, made of brown composite with “Cub Scouts Pack 3 2025” inscribed on the front, was acquired by the Scouts through the completion of the NexTrex recycling challenge, a community recycling initiative created by a wood-alternative composite manufacturing firm based in Winchester, Virginia.

The challenge requires participants to collect 1,000 pounds of soft plastic, like plastic garbage bags, which then must be processed, cleaned, reported to the company and deposited at an accepted retailer. In exchange, Trex Co. Inc. donates a bench, which is partially made out of recycled plastic.

“The last couple of years, we’ve earned benches,” said Pack 3 Cubmaster Chris Fontaine. “Last year, we put one down in our Scout camp in Greenfield, and this year we wanted to donate to a community space that really kind of resonates with us as a pack.”

The pack’s connection to Cushman Park stems from the Cub Scouts’ assistance with the Scarecrow in the Park festival each October. The Cub Scouts camp out in the park, providing overnight security for the event’s vendors.

“We wanted to do something that people could enjoy here throughout the year, rather than just, you know, a couple of days in the fall,” Fontaine said.

Each Monday, the Cub Scouts came together with their own soft plastics to donate to the challenge. The pack set up collection bins at Bernardston Elementary School, Pioneer Valley Brewery in Turners Falls and the Greenfield Elks Lodge. Some local businesses donated excess plastic to the effort, including Our Family Farms.

Once they had cleaned and packed up the week’s collection of plastic — which would often overflow the 8-foot bed of Fontaine’s Ford F-250 — they deposited it at a collection center at a Stop & Shop.

It was not hard for Fontaine to get the Cub Scouts excited for another year of collecting plastic.

“The Scouts get really into it,” he said. “I ask every year, ‘Do we want to do the Trax thing again?’ and everyone’s like, ‘Heck yeah!’”

The Cub Scouts’ enthusiasm manifested into a record collection this year: 1,000 pounds of plastic in just two months.

Noah Breed of Deerfield and Holland Herzig of Colrain, former members of Cub Scout Pack 3 who, having finished fifth grade, have since transitioned to Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts), said they are proud of their work.

“We did a good job,” said 10-year-old Noah, admiring the bench in its spot next to a newly planted tree in Cushman Park.

“It feels like accomplishment,” 11-year-old Holland added.

Three members of the Cushman Hall Park Committee, Karen Fitzpatrick, Ingrid Skiff and Donna Eddy, attended the unveiling of the new bench.

“To see children do that kind of work, you know, it’s just so good to see,” Eddy said.

“It’s impressive that these kids are putting so much into their Scouting,” Fitzpatrick added. “We were just thrilled when we heard about the bench.”