Perfect price for work on police headquarters
Police Chief Jim Read and Supervisor Gary Gerth presented a proclamation at the December 14 Town Board meeting to Hamptons Fine Carpentry executives in appreciation of their pro bono work on police headquarters. From left, Chief Read, Milos Djurasic, his father, Borislav, brothers Stefan and Boris, and Supervisor Gerth.
How to get the best buy when painting and repairs are needed at Shelter Island Police Department headquarters?
Get it done for nothing.
If you noticed crews working at the headquarters from Halloween through November 9, you saw members of Hamptons Fine Carpentry, builders and general contractors based in Southampton, at work sanding and painting the exterior windows, door trim, columns and railings.
Total value: $17, 910. Total bill to the town: Zero.
The Town Board passed a resolution December 14 thanking the company for completing “a fantastic transformation to the Police Department headquarters” and “for their most generous donation to the town to beautify the building.”
The company, run by Borislav Djurasic and his sons Milos, Stefan and Boris, took on the job pro bono as a branding opportunity, but also, Boris Djurasic told the Reporter, as part of a goal “to create a nonprofit organization that will work on town projects.”
The company wants to enlist other contractors and builders to work pro bono for Shelter Island “and the Hamptons. We have a thriving construction industry, yet some of our landmark buildings are in dire need of repair.”
Mr. Djurasic added that Hamptons Fine Carpentry and companies could donate hours of work mainly during the East End’s off-season, and would be “effective for emergency tasks.”
The team’s impressions of Shelter Island were all good. “The first time our truck rolled onto the ferry we knew Shelter Island was slightly different,” Mr. Djurasic said, with the ferry crew giving them a warm welcome.
After a few weeks, they all came to the conclusion that the Island “has some of the loveliest people,” which they “discovered from countless pit stops for egg sandwiches and meeting with [building] inspectors and town officials and the scenic routes to the hardware store that incorporated a pastry stop.”
The company is serious about the nonprofit to help the infrastructure of East End towns, Mr. Djurasic said.
“We donated 398 hours for this project,” he added. “What if we create a situation where 20 contractors contribute 500 hours a year?”
