FARMINGVILLE — CSEA Town of Brookhaven White-Collar Unit members can be found on every corner of their town working for the community.
Along with hundreds of other CSEA members who are part of the town’s Blue-Collar, Highway, Safety Officers and Part-Time Units, White-Collar Unit members provide many services that keep the town running smoothly.
Town of Brookhaven White-Collar Unit Executive Vice President Walter Dunn III reviews the floor plans for a building that needs to be inspected.
Keeping residents safe
White-Collar Unit members working for the town’s Department of Public Safety’s Division of Fire Prevention (DPSDFP) fulfill multiple tasks, such as issuing plans and permits for construction and conducting inspections based on the permits that were given.
In addition to those permits, department fire marshals issue numerous categories of operating permits for commercial buildings that require annual inspections.
“The plan and permit procedure and the operating permit procedure account for a large portion of the day for both the Fire Marshal I and Fire Marshall II positions,” said Town of Brookhaven White-Collar Unit Executive Vice President Walter Dunn III.
An additional source of work for the firefighters is responding to requests from local fire departments to investigate fires. If that weren’t enough, the division also includes a hazardous materials response team that responds to potentially hazardous materials that are released into the environment. For example, if there is a propane tank leak at a house or a business, the DPSDFP will receive a call from the fire department and the town fire marshals will respond. Department members are also trained in terrorism response.
Town of Brookhaven 2nd Vice President John “Dave” Bell works as an account clerk for the town.
Improving quality of life
Not to be outdone, CSEA members working in the Housing and Human Services Department cover a wide range of functions that help improve the quality of life for town residents. “We work with a variety of representatives from federal programs and non-profit agencies to help the low and moderate-income members of our community,” said Town of Brookhaven 2nd Vice President John “Dave” Bell. “We often work with HUD [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] to come up with a variety of projects. If the project is approved, we get quotes and arrange for contractors or town employees to come in and do the hands-on work.”
Our members also assist in providing town residents with funding for housing and subsidizing that housing through HUD.
Currently, the town administers funding to close to 1,000 units.
There is also a Senior Citizens Division that conducts numerous programs for seniors, including meals-on-wheels, which provides assistance to more than 250 local seniors.
CSEA members working for the town also run a Residential Rehabilitation Program.
“If homeowners are found to be eligible, they will receive a 0 percent interest and 0 percent payment loan to do repairs on their home; payment is deferred until the resident sells the home,” said Bell.
Also falling under the Housing and Human Services Department is the Town of Brookhaven Youth Bureau, where members provide comprehensive services for youths and young adults, including counseling.
“We get referrals from many different sources,” said Town of Brookhaven Psychiatric Social Worker Lizabeth Derkevies. “We do an intake and if they qualify for our services, they’re offered individual, family and group counseling. We will work with the youth, and their family, as long as they need it. The services are of no cost to town residents and they don’t need to have insurance.”
The bureau also provides substance abuse education workshop for parents and guardians that teaches “the new drug landscape,” in light of the ongoing opioid epidemic.
“This program is especially important because Suffolk County [has one of the highest rates in New York State]in opioid and heroin overdoses,” said Executive Assistant of Housing and Human Services Frank Petrignani. “There’s been a decline, but it’s going to take a village to get those numbers down.”
Currently, all drug education workshops and counseling services are offered in both English and in Spanish.
In addition, the bureau offers an English As a New Language Program for parents, who can both learn English and learn how drug culture may be affecting their child.
Members also help to bring a little joy into the lives of high school students through the Prom Gown Program, in which a prom gown is offered to town residents in need at no cost to them.“We set the gown display up to look like a little boutique,” said Town of Brookhaven Interface Coordinator Josephine Lunde.
“They get the dress for free. If they want to keep it, they can. If they want to give it back so someone else can use it, they just have to get the dress dry cleaned and return it to us.”
These are just a few of the departments and services that CSEA members in the Town of Brookhaven White-Collar Unit provide to the community’s population of nearly a half million residents.
When you combine a town of that size with the cost of living in Suffolk County, there is a lot of need.
“We have entire families coming up to us, crying and hugging us because they are so thankful for the services that we have provided,” said Lunde. “More than anything, we just want people to know that there are a lot of programs here to help them.”
— Wendi Bowie
