Akzo Nobel Volunteers Refurbishing Castletown

The morning sun beat down on Gladys Guzman and Cheryl Mils-Urbach as they applied a coat of stain to a picnic table.

But was it better than a day at the office?

Both laughed. "It's great to get out and do stuff in the community," Mils-Urbach said.

Both are employees ofAkzoNobel, the paint and coatings company that is one of Strongsville's larger employers. 

The company has volunteered to revitalize the Castletown playground, located between the and the , this week.

More than 75 employees are working this week to stain the entire wood structure, as well as trash bins, picnic tables and fencing.

"It's going well," said Lisa Bring, group leader for the volunteers. "It's a huge project."

AkzoNobel also donated 28 gallons each of wood stripper, bleach and stain for the work, according to Brent Painter, the city's director of economic development. It also brought along brushes, rollers and pans.

The city will have a rededication ceremony for Castletown at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12 to reopen the playground and thank AkzoNobel for its help.

"It's going to be really nice," Painter said. "We can't thank them enough."