Residents Donate $18,000 Entertainment Center to Fire Department

A former Strongsville couple has donated audio-visual equipment and furniture valued at $18,225 to the city's Fire Department.

The items have been installed at the on Prospect Road.

Fire Chief Jeff Branic said the home theater system was donated by John and Carol Stradtman, who recently sold their Strongsville home and retired to the Las Vegas area.

"It's a very generous gift," Branic said.

City Council on Tuesday night formally accepted the donation and thanked the Stradtmans.

Branic said John Stradtman is a former Cleveland firefighter who also ran a successful construction business. When they sold their house here, they decided to give away their home theater and chose the Fire Department.

Branic said the department auctioned off some of the furniture and donated the money to We Care, a Strongsville-based charity that provides Christmas gifts and food to children in the Appalachian region of West Virginia.

The rest is installed at the main fire station. Branic said the department is putting up a plaque to thank the Stradtmans -- and to make sure people know the equipment was donated, not purchased with city money.