Babylon Town gifts VFW post with $380G needed to complete fire repairs
“We lost everything,” said Richie Tibbetts, right, a past commander of VFW Post 7279 in Lindenhurst, of a fire in 2019 that caused extensive damage to the building. He was joined at the post recently by members Tom Curti, left, and current commander Tom Kelly. Credit: James Carbone
Nearly $400,000 in federal stimulus money will be used to help Lindenhurst veterans get back into the place they consider their home away from home.
A fire in September 2019 caused extensive damage to the building for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7279. The flames ravaged part of the two-story structure on North Delaware Avenue, with smoke and water ruining the rest. While some flags and other items belonging to the 76-year-old post were salvaged by firefighters, much of the memorabilia was destroyed.
“We lost everything,” said Richie Tibbetts, 75, a past commander and member of the VFW for more than 50 years. “We considered that our home.”
A portion of the building was once a WWI barracks, Tibbetts said, and the fire did not reach it. It did sustain related damage, and when the walls were peeled back members discovered rotted wood and outdated wiring. Members used insurance money to rebuild and bring the hall up to code, but a contractor they hired did not finish the job, Tibbetts said.
The VFW post relies on revenue generated from fundraisers and renting out the hall for parties. Without that income, the group’s savings have diminished, Tibbetts said. Volunteers from trade unions offered their time, but with the pandemic, a labor shortage and skyrocketing prices on material delayed any further rebuilding.
“We got to a point where it got real close to the bottom of the barrel and everything came to a halt,” said Tibbetts, a Vietnam Army veteran.
Babylon Town received $27.77 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and distributed some money to the town’s three villages based on their size and needs. Babylon and Amityville villages each received $250,000 for the purchase of ambulances. For Lindenhurst, officials agreed that $380,000 should be used for the VFW building.
“When the fire happened, it not only eliminated a meeting place for them but it eliminated a place for the community to have events,” said town Councilman DuWayne Gregory. “There is a lot that has to be done, so we wanted to step in.”
The work includes ceiling, flooring and drywall installation as well as painting, Gregory said.
Lindenhurst Mayor Mike Lavorata praised the VFW post for its community contributions, including providing college scholarships to high school students. The village is planning a fundraiser for the post on Sept. 4 called “Vetstock,” featuring a day of bands playing at the gazebo.
“When the fire happened, we were so broken-hearted,” Lavorata said. “This is their home and it needs to be rebuilt.”
The VFW is “not just a bunch of old guys sitting around telling war stories and drinking beer,” said post commander Tom Kelly, 79, a Vietnam Air Force veteran. The group tries to “help whomever and wherever we can in the community,” he said, and throws birthday and Christmas parties for terminally ill patients at the Northport veterans hospital.
The town is performing a site inspection this week and will hire a contractor with a goal of having the building completed by Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
“That’s my second home,” Kelly said, and after nearly three years, “I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel now.”
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
