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Trustee provides crew to construct pavilion
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - July 06, 2011)
Trustee provides crew to construct pavilion
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
As Chardon Township's new park has taken shape over the past two years, Chardon Township Trustees have taken the lead on much of the work needed there.
Trustees Charles Strazinsky, Steven Borawski and Michael Brown have given up their weekends or free time to spread mulch in the playground, demolish a house, put capping on outfield fences or stock a pond with fish.
Now, Mr. Strazinsky has taken that volunteer service to another level.
Mr. Strazinsky has enlisted his contracting crew to help provide the labor at no cost to the township to erect a pavilion at the park at the southwest corner of Auburn and Mentor roads.
"I told them, 'I'll build this if you want," Mr. Strazinksy said, recalling his discussion with trustees. "It's what I do every day."
Mr. Strazinsky said saving labor costs on the project means $5,000 to $7,000 in labor the township will not have to pay. He said he based that estimate on what his firm, Principle Enterprises, would charge.
Although the township is not paying the cost, Mr. Strazinsky said, he is still paying his employees their regular pay for the work.
It doesn't hurt to have friends in the trade, either. Mr. Strazinsky said his friend, Paul Molan, who runs M&M Home Improvement, provided use of a crane and two workers to help raise the trusses for the new pavilion. While Mr. Molan charged $600 to the township, Mr. Strazinsky said, the township saved in the neighborhood of $2,000 thanks to Mr. Molan's generosity.
Tools, such as an auger attachment, also were given freely for use by Mr. Molan, he said.
"The taxpayers of Chardon Township owe their thanks to Paul for his help," Mr. Strazinsky said.
Working in the trades also helped when it came to buying items such as decking and shingles. Mr. Strazinsky was able to get the items from his regular supplier, which turned out to be cheaper than if the township had bought the items from the company that provided the kit for the pavilion.
Mr. Strazinsky has been in the contracting business for 23 years, starting his own company in 1995.
Mr. Strazinsky said he found himself in the trades completely by accident. He said after finishing high school, he joined the U.S. Army to receive training as a military policeman. He said he thought he would become an officer with the Chardon Police Department or the Geauga County Sheriff's Department. Both departments, he said, offered to sponsor him in the police academy.
But, life can take strange turns. He decided to take time off and worked at a video store for awhile. The move turned out to be one of his best, he said, not in terms of a career, but life. It is there he met his wife, Carol, who was a friend of one of his co-workers.
Mr. Strazinsky said he would move from that job to one in a factory, but he wasn't satisfied. "I was always good with my hands and I enjoyed being outside."
One of his brother's friends, whose father worked in construction, offered him a part-time job. He would eventually become a full-time worker and years later would establish his own company.
Mr. Strazinsky said he has always emphasized quality work with his firm.
The workers from his crew and Mr. Molan's showed their dedication to doing the job right, despite the pouring rain that came as they began erecting it.
"I was surprised at the number of people who stopped to look at what we were doing," he said. "I don't know if they thought we were crazy. Everybody was covered in mud, but nobody stopped working."
And, while Mr. Strazinsky takes pride in the work his company does, there is a little extra incentive with the pavilion project.
"It doesn't matter whether it's volunteer or a paid job," he said. "Everybody is going to know I built it," he said. "It better be right."
But, Mr. Strazinsky said while the pressure is on to do it right, there is satisfaction in knowing he saved taxpayers money, which includes his own.
"Saving money is awesome, because that's my money," he said. "Since I'm a taxpayer and can save money, how much cooler can it get?"
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