Category: News

Congratulations to the three incumbent trustees, Victor Montanez III, Raymond Bush, and Patricia Peters, for winning their elections for a four year term.

According to the Korean War Legacy Foundation, Sal was born in Brooklyn on January 14, 1933. He served in the Naval Reserve from 1949 to 1951 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in the Marines from 1951 to 1953. In 1952, he was sent to Korea and was stationed on the front lines near Panmunjoem. Among the battles and campaigns he fought in were Kimpo Peninsula, Bunker Hill, Siberia, Vegas City and The Hook.

He was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained during a grenade blast. In addition, he received the Naval Reserve Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Korean Defense Medal and the UN Medal.

Victor Montanez III was sworn in as the new trustee during the village’s October 4 board meeting. He replaces Barbara Lacey, who is relocating elsewhere.

A 49-year village resident, Mr. Montanez has been employed as an information technology (IT) specialist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook for the past 17 years. He also owns his own IT firm, Gemini Total Solutions, based in Islandia. Prior to this, he was a business manager and director for Phibro Animal Health in Fort Lee, New Jersey. His duties included serving as an assistant to the company’s chief information officer and handling domestic and international business matters.

Mr. Montanez is a graduate of Suffolk County Community College in Selden, New York, where he earned his Associate of Arts and Science degree in Business. He is currently enrolled at SUNY-Stony Brook as a Business major.

His father, Victor Montanez, Jr., is a member of the Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144. In September, the younger Victor Montanez served as a guardian for his father during the Honor Flight, in which war veterans are escorted during visits to the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr. Montanez is married and has two daughters.

The Village of Islandia held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Triangle on November 5. Mayor Dorman, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, was joined by village board members, local war veterans and members of the Lakeland and Hauppauge Fire Departments to honor those who served and continue to serve in the armed forces.

During the ceremony, Mayor Dorman asked those in attendance to remember those local residents who served in the military and have since passed on. He also recognized all the local veterans’ groups that were in attendance. An invocation was delivered by Chaplain Tom Brauner of Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144.

A number of residents have recently expressed their concern about fire pits or bonfires creating excessive smoke, which can permeate clothing or skin and cause severe health problems. This is caused by burning damp or wet wood, adding too much wood to the fire, or using accelerants such as lighter fluid to make an even larger fire. Excessive fires may also be deemed a nuisance under the village code.

For the safety of your family, guests and neighbors, the size of the fire in your fire pits must be kept to a minimum. Below, please find some additional tips to help keep your family and guests safe.

Do not burn leaves — Not only is it illegal, but it is dangerous. Burning of leaves also gives off particulate matter and carbon monoxide, which affect a person’s heart, blood oxygen levels and respiratory system.

Always use dry wood — Using wood that is damp or wet will give off very heavy smoke.

Use the right amount of wood — Some people will add too much wood in order to create a fire as big as they can. This can be unsafe as some of the wood that is aflame may fall out of the pit and cause a fire.

Do not use accelerants — This is dangerous as the flames may shoot up, causing burns to yourself and/or others nearby.

Do not sit too closely — Some of the embers that come out of the fire pit may still be hot. This may land on your skin and your clothing, causing burns and/or your clothing to catch fire.

Be careful with the marshmallows — Give your marshmallow time to cool before eating it. If it falls into the fire pit, do not try to retrieve it. If you are with young children, make sure they are supervised and keep them away from the fire as far as possible.