By Kevin Greer
Lakeside Communications Manager
Being a good neighbor is part of what Lakeside is all about, even if nobody lives in the building next door.
Darrell Waite is a fourth generation Lakesider, and his family has owned a home on Central Avenue for several years. The Waites bought the property behind Epworth Lodge, long before it became the C. Kirk Rhein, Jr. Center for the Living Arts in 1999.
On a Saturday morning last summer, Waite saw fellow Guys’ Club member Jim Haskins and a couple others working on the Rhein Center storage shed. The club’s motto is, “We’re working on it,” and that’s exactly what they were doing.
They planned to put a foundation under the shed, which was about a foot underground due to water runoff. With a wooden foundation and floor, the bottom foot of the shed was damaged beyond repair. It was rotted and holding moisture and water.
There was a lot of mold, but the upper part of the shed was in good shape, which was why Haskins and his buddies from the Guys’ Club thought that they could raise it. It would have been possible to saw off the bottom of the shed and put foundation and plates underneath it.
“They are a bunch of well-meaning guys,” Waite said. “It was a big project, and I just felt that it was greater than what their expertise would allow.”
Waite came up with the idea of donating a new shed. He’s a retired funeral director who does some carpentry on the side. Along with some assistance from a few members of the Guys’ Club, Waite was going to build it.
The Guys’ Club led the process to get approval from the Historic Preservation & Design Review Board (HP&DRB). However, Sept. 1 was rapidly approaching, and all his helpers were getting ready to leave Lakeside.
Waite switched gears and hired an Amish company, Alpine Shed in Berlin, Ohio, to prefabricate a shed. The Guys’ Club sent photos to Jim Switzer, and they secured project approval from the HP&DRB.
“With help from Jim Switzer and the HP&DRB, we were able to turn around that new shed in 30 days,” Waite said. “We just had to wait for it.”
The shed arrived already assembled. It was completed in under a day and placed on a stone foundation, surrounded by paving stones. It’s made from a special wood that is used for pole barns. It’s a pre-finished wood, so it was already primed and painted. The shed had a list price of $4,000, but thanks to an end-of-season sale, Waite paid approximately $3,300.
“It was less expensive for me to buy that pre-built shed and have it dropped on the site than it was for us to construct it,” Waite said. “The beautiful thing about these Amish sheds is they’re all built in a mill, and the weather is controlled. The quality of the shed is unbelievable.”
To help prevent water damage, landscaping was done around the shed, including the installation of a lawn and the addition of dirt to raise the grade. A rock painting area is a new feature on the east side of the building.
Waite said all the credit for the project goes to Haskins and the Guys’ Club.
“Jim was like a pitbull on this project,” Waite said. “The Guys’ Club were the facilitators. If it wasn’t for Jim, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Waite has some projects planned for this summer. One has already started as an Amish company that is restitching the pool umbrellas.
Waite has three young grandchildren who will likely start frequenting the Rhein Center this summer. The arts center is a special place to many Lakesiders and he’s just happy to chip in.
“I’m really tickled with how the shed turned out,” Waite said. “I’m glad that we could be a part of making it happen, because they help a lot of kids at the Rhein Center. We love what the Rhein Center is all about. It’s heartwarming to see the thousands of people over there in the summertime, the memories that are being made and the joys created. That’s what Lakeside is all about. We’re just happy that we can be a part of it.”
