A Man With a Plan - Tim Strunk

a Man with a Plan

Tim Strunk, AN Unsung Hero

By Rheana Rogers, AFO, Executive Administrator, Apex Park and Recreation District

Tim Strunk is an unsung hero with the Apex Park and Recreation District in Arvada, CO. Tim is the Manager of Buildings and Grounds in the District Services division of Apex and oversees staff and work completion for construction and maintenance needs across a district encompassing 13 facilities serving around 200,000 residents.

In the spring of 2020 while navigating COVID closures and planning for

Tim Strunk

providing licensed childcare for essential workers, Apex Recreation Director Hillary Roemersberger approached the District Services team with the need for portable hand-washing stations for children to use before entering the facility for care. Hillary communicated the purpose and basic specifications for what she needed. Tim first investigated purchasing or renting options, but had no luck finding what was needed due to high prices and items not in stock. So, Tim being the creative and

TiM’s PLAN

resourceful individual that he is, decided to build them himself! The design he came up with was a compilation of ideas he gathered while doing some online research, complete with his own ideas for how to improve upon what he had seen. Below is his original design sketch/ build plan. Tim is an incredible engineer. Before coming to Apex, he worked at LockheedMartin on the Titan program as the Manager of Titan Logistics. As he puts it, he oversaw “spares and repairs.” He is a master of ergonomics and functional design, and has even been described as a “human 3D printer,” but that understates his talents. Tim looks at things and understands how they work and why they are designed the way they are and then thinks of ways to improve upon them. His only constraint is resources. Given unlimited resources, Tim would be unstoppable. Most materials were sourced and purchased online: the bases (garage storage cabinets) and faucets were ordered from a big-box retailer, the sinks from an RV supply company, and

THE END RESULT

the primer bulbs (the key part of the foot peddle) from a plumbing supplier. The soap and paper towel dispensers were ones we had on hand after a facility remodel. Each sink took a little less one day to complete. The sinks had a few versions, as Tim built a prototype then improved and perfected his design. The first version had the buckets permanently installed, which made the sinks too heavy and hard to move and required the entire unit to be taken to a mop sink to service. He built enough first-generation units for childcare to open and then began working on a retrofit upgrade to the original design. Tim’s “Gen-2” version added a Quick Disconnect to the supply line and an easy way to remove the drain line, which allowed the buckets to be removed before moving the unit and allowed just taking the buckets to the mop sink for service. The final per unit cost for the wash stations was about $300, which was half the price of the inferior products with the long lead time. Tim’s units have spent the summer being used by childcare, camps, and our gymnastics facility. Tim is an integral part of Team Apex, and his work on this project providing handwashing stations to keep the community safe during these uncertain times makes him an absolute hero.

HE is a master of ergonomics and functional design, and has even been described as a “human 3D printer,” but that understates his talents.

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