By James Hanlon
Leader Staff Writer
An old cabin in north Addison Township had fallen into disrepair, until Life Scout Brian Kostick of Troop 366 fixed it up for his Eagle service project last fall.
“It was really beat up, it had critters living in it, it had all sorts of stuff wrong with it, it smelled inside,” Brian said.
The cabin, owned and operated by Addison Township, is located off Haven Rd., near Loon Lake in the township’s 229 acre Watershed Preserve. According to Park Committee co-chair Charles Paringian, the cabin was built by two brothers and early residents of the area, Paul and Harry Heglemeister, in 1955. Paringian said there hadn’t been much work on the cabin in the last 20 years. The primitive building has no running water or electricity.
With the help of several adult leaders, fellow scouts and a few friends, Brian painted the exterior, built a new picnic table, installed new window hardware to make sure critters can’t sneak in, and installed a woodstove under the chimney. The project took two days to finish.
“There’s no critters living in there, it looks nice. It’s cleaned up and anyone can go camping there,” Brian said.
“He did a fantastic job at making this cabin usable for the residents of Addison Township,” said David Kostick, Brian’s father. “I’m extremely proud of him!”
A plaque on the cabin commemorates his efforts.
“My Eagle Project taught me a lot about leadership and it taught me a lot about project management and it was an exciting experience. It had its ups and downs, but it definitely taught me a lot,” said Brian, who is 17 and about to begin his senior year. He passed his Eagle board of review in June and hopes to have his court of honor this September.
Unfortunately, the cabin is closed due to Covid restrictions. Under normal circumstances, Addison residents can rent the cabin for $10 a night by registering in the township offices.

  Brian Kostick, Paul and Harry Heglemeister