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Staffing issues cost vendor a spot at fair
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - September 07, 2012)
Staffing issues cost vendor a spot at fair
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
BURTON – For more than 30 years, Ronyak Paving has been a good neighbor of the Great Geauga County Fair.
The paving company, located across the fairgrounds in Burton, has lent its equipment, materials and manpower, often on short notice, whenever the need arose at the fairgrounds. All the work was done at no charge to the fair.
“We always provided them with graders or rollers or gravel, whatever was needed,” said Craig Ronyak, an estimator for the family-owned company. “We always got the main grandstand track ready.”
The company, however, is not feeling so neighborly this year.
For the first time in 30 years, maybe longer, Ronyak Paving was left out in the cold by fair officials who terminated their contract for a space at the fair. That space had been occupied by the Ronyak company for 30 years, maybe longer, Mr. Ronyak said, as his family’s company was established in the 1950s.
Fair officials denied the Ronyak family its traditional space after it received complaints from other vendors. “After all my brothers had done for those people, it’s just wrong,” Mr. Ronyak said.
Fair officials said they had no choice.
“They didn’t follow the rules,” said Howard Call, concessions manager. All vendors are required to monitor their spaces, and the Ronyak company failed to do that.
Mr. Ronyak indicated that people to monitor the space were in and out, but not always present. He said the company provided free bottled water and hand sanitizers for fair visitors and a sand pile for kids to play in. Benches also were provided for the weary.
William Plants, who heads the concessions committee for the fair, said there is no doubt that the Ronyaks have been great supporters of the fair, but officials had to consider the complaints lodged by other vendors who did man their booths. He said the committee voted unanimously to terminate the contract.
“It’s nothing personal, but the rules are the rules,” Mr. Plants said.
The rule, number 4 in general rules for concessions, states, “All concessionaires are required to staff booths and provide services per their contract during the duration of the fair.”
“It was not something we did lightly,” Mr. Plants said.
Packets are sent out every January to refresh the memories of the concessionaires so there is no confusion on their responsibilities while at the fair, Mr. Call said, adding he was surprised that the Ronyaks never appealed in the two to three months they were given after the committee’s decision.
Mr. Ronyak said he spoke with a concessions committee member who told him that no specific vendor was mentioned when the vote was taken. He said he believed members may have voted differently had they known.
Officials seemed to care less for all the help Mr. Ronyak and his brothers have given over the years. As a result, he said, his family’s company, which always purchased livestock, this year decided to spend its money at the Portage County Fair.
“It’s going to hurt the 4-H kids and the fairgrounds,” he said. “My brothers haven’t done anything but help them. I don’t know how they are going to handle emergencies in the future.”
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