Daniel Pitts is well aware of the Boy Scout motto to always “be prepared.”

But nothing could have prepared him for this.

“We have a mosquito infestation,” Pitts told Richard Nash between scratches as the two worked together in a damp garden bed Thursday morning at Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor.

“Hopefully, they’ll attack the box and not us,” Nash replied.

Pitts, a senior to be at Oak Harbor High School, is using his Eagle Scout project with the Boy Scouts to leave a long-lasting stamp on the city’s waterfront park.

In the garden not far from a sculpture that Nash created will be a small steel box that serves as a tiny free neighborhood library for the community, following the “take a book, leave a book” concept that has grown in popularity over the years.

Leading the effort is Pitts, 17, who came to the city earlier this year looking for a community-service project to fulfill his goal to become an Eagle Scout, the Boy Scouts’ highest rank.

The idea was conceived at the site last summer during a dedication for Nash’s sculpture, which was placed in the park to pay tribute to four Oak Harbor English teachers —- Pat Hawley, Tom Carroll, Mary Ann Funk and Trudy Sundberg.

Carl Funk spoke at the gathering and placed a book in the garden in honor of his mother.

City Councilman Bob Severns and his wife, Rhonda, attended that day and came up with the idea of placing a permanent tiny neighborhood library there.

When Pitts came to the city looking for a community service project, Nash was consulted and a plan was set in motion.

Nash, a retired high school art teacher, agreed to help. He designed the box and platform using similar style and materials that will blend well with the sculpture and landscape.

“We wanted to keep it Zen like,” Nash said.

Greg Ennis, a recent graduate of Oak Harbor High School and Bellingham Technical College, also got involved. From his dad’s shop at Ennis Construction Services, he took Nash’s plans and cut and welded sheets of weathered Corten steel to create the box.

Ennis donated his labor. The Severns paid for the materials.

“It’s fun,” Ennis said. “It’s always cool to give back and be a part of something like that.”

The steel box will be supported by a concrete pedestal, which was poured Thursday by Nash, Pitts and others who are helping with the project.

Nash wanted to allow the concrete to cure for at least a week before installing the steel box.

“Most neighborhood libraries are made of wood,” Bob Severns said. “This is going to be pretty special.”

Bert Wagner, leader of Troop 4063 in Oak Harbor, was on hand Thursday serving as a project mentor. A big part of Pitts’ role is to handle the planning and supervision of the Eagle Scout project, not necessarily get his hands dirty. But he managed to do that, too.

“I guide the workers here and show what needs to be done,” Pitts said.

Among those he guided were adults, which, in this case, involved instructing a former high school educator, among others.

There were many teaching moments back and forth between Pitts and Nash as they did their work in front of a statue dedicated to teachers.

Wagner said that only about 7 percent of Boy Scouts worldwide attain the rank of Eagle Scout.

“These are our future adult leaders,” Wagner said. “This is getting them ready for that transition to occur. It’s a great way for Boy Scouts to give to this community and a great way to practice leadership skills.”