Police briefs
Marijuana found in cars
Courtesy of Roger Wilson
Last week an Amish crew took down a 1922 barn on Bell Road and will be
shipping the wood to Naples, Fla. in two weeks to be used as part of a new
Burntwood Tavern location. The new location is the 10th Burntwood restaurant and the first outside of Ohio.
Bell Road barn to find new life
as restaurant in Naples, Fla.
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
SOUTH RUSSELL — A Bell Road barn taken
down last week will find new life as part of a
Burntwood Tavern in Naples, Fla.
Roger Wilson of Russell, who bought the
1922 barn, noted that its hand-hewn beams
probably came from another barn previously
on the property. The house on the property
has a plaque dated 1857 with the name Ibra
Robins, Mr. Wilson said, indicating that the
first barn probably was built around that time.
The 1920s barn was 30-by-40 feet, he said, with
a ridge beam measuring about 35-feet long, one
of the largest in the structure. A basketball hoop
fastened to one of the beams in the barn drew young
boys in the neighborhood who liked pickup games.
An Amish crew took down the barn and
separated the wood that will be used for the
Burntwood restaurant in Florida.
Mr. Wilson, who plans to build a home on
the site where the old house was taken down,
said he is pleased that the historic wood is
being used. “It’s going to go to a good place.”
South Russell Village Mayor William Koons
said it is wonderful that the historic wood will
be re-purposed and appreciated by many in the
future. “It is nice to see things preserved and the
craftsmanship being kept alive,” Mayor Koons said.
Steve Shutts of Chagrin Hardware said his dad
Kenneth and his Uncle Gordon lived in the house,
and they put up the basketball hoop in the barn.
More recently, the house was owned by the
McSherry family. James McSherry, an attorney
in South Russell, said his mother owned the
house for 50 years before it was sold.
He also recalled that there was a basketball court on the second floor of the barn.
Neighborhood kids who played basketball
would ask to use it in the winter time, he said.
Mr. McSherry said he is glad the wood will
not end up in a junk pile.
Bret Adams founder and owner of Burntwood
Taverns and a Moreland Hills resident said his
company seeks out used wood for its different
restaurants including the M Italian restaurant
in Chagrin Falls and the Burntwood Taverns
in South Russell and Solon.
Most of the historic wood for the restaurants
come from barns in Pennsylvania and Ohio,
he said, with some locations getting planks
of rare wormy chestnut.
Mr. Adams’ company found out about the
barn being torn down in South Russell and
took steps to acquire it. They will be using
the outside barn siding as well as the beams.
Reclaiming the wood is a “feel good” experience and the character of such wood can’t be
duplicated, Mr. Adams said.
“To be able to bring it back to life is fun
and rewarding,” he said. The stall doors are
among the pieces to be reclaimed. “The more
rustic, the cooler it looks,” he said, adding
that the old wood and beams provide a more
unique character to his restaurants than newer
materials. Stones from the barns have typically
been used for fireplaces in the restaurants.
After being dismantled, the wood from the Bell
Road barn went to a shop in Bainbridge where
it is being treated and sealed, Mr. Adams said.
Eric Etling, who owns Etling Contracting
LLC., in Bainbridge, was in charge of removing
the barn wood. The Amish crew accomplished
the task in about three days. Preparing the
wood includes removing nails, cleaning the
wood and applying a clear coat to the surfaces.
“It is in good condition,” he noted of the
wood that probably came from trees planted
in the 1600s or 1700s.
“They are hand hewn and the barn was
post and beam construction,” he said. “Every
piece of wood is expected to be used in the
restaurant, including the barn’s wood siding.”
The wood will be shipped to Naples in about
two weeks, Mr. Adams said, for his restaurant
set to open this summer. It will be the restaurant
group’s 10th Burntwood Tavern location, and
the first outside of Ohio.
Chagrin Falls police made three marijuana
arrests last week after stopping vehicles for
violations not related to the drug.
At around 10:45 p.m. on Feb. 17, police
observed a vehicle proceed through a red light
on Main Street. Upon stopping the vehicle,
officers smelled marijuana coming from inside
the car and saw a butt on the passenger seat.
The driver claimed the butt belonged to
others who had been in his car earlier. Upon
searching the vehicle, police reported finding
three burned marijuana cigarettes and residue
throughout the car.
The driver, Joseph Starr, 20, of Bedford
Heights was cited for failing to obey a traffic
control device and possession of marijuana
and paraphernalia.
On Feb. 18 just before 1 a.m., police
stopped a vehicle on Bell and Cleveland
streets after observing it had just one working
headlight. The inside of the vehicle smelled
February 23, 2017, The Times A11
of marijuana. Upon searching the vehicle,
officers found a small glass jar of marijuana
and a glass smoking pipe.
The driver, Charles Wilson, 26, of South
Euclid was charged with possession of
marijuana and drug paraphernalia and the
headlight violation.
On Feb. 19 at 11:15 p.m., police stopped a
vehicle for having a non-working license plate
light. Police then smelled marijuana coming
from inside the vehicle and found a cigarette
butt and baggie with green leafy residue inside.
The driver, David Lamparelli, 23, of
Richmond Heights was charged with the
license plate light violation and possession
of marijuana.
Police say man under suspension
Just after midnight on Feb. 19, Chagrin
Falls police ran a routine registration check
on a vehicle and found its owner was under
suspension of his driving privileges.
After confirming the driver was the owner,
Grant Sabroff, 55, of Beachwood was cited
for driving under suspension.