They say you can judge a society’s worth by the way it treats its neediest children and its oldest adults. With its schools, playgrounds and parks and its clean and caring senior-citizen facilities, Liverpool measures up admirably.
Six years ago, however, our mettle was tested when a local woman abandoned her newborn infant down on Pearl Street across the railroad tracks. The baby girl died in a dumpster.
Liverpool residents, appropriately led by their village police department, banded together to show how a caring community reacts to such a tragedy.
They restored the poor child’s very personhood by giving her a name, Isabella Marie. They restored her dignity with a funeral full of prayer and ceremony at St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church. And rather than relegate her to an unmarked pauper’s grave, they buried her under a marked monument in the village cemetery in a plot donated by the family of a former Liverpool police chief.
Together, we washed away the shame. We shined a light of hope into the dark corner where evil inevitably lingers.
Elder care needed
Sometimes we have even more difficulty caring for our aging neighbors.
Take the case of Estelle Linehan, 81, whose house on Lake Drive was literally falling down around her, in part because of her own reluctance to deal with the overwhelming problem. The village ordered property inspections and eventually charged her with multiple misdemeanor violations the state building code.
In December a deadline was set on needed chimney repairs, but in January longtime Liverpool businessman and landlord Val Lamont purchased the property in question and relocated Linehan and her 39-year-old son to Hiram Avenue, off Old Liverpool Road.
He stepped in, he said, because he’s concerned about the way older Americans are being treated.
“Estelle is 81 years old, but no one took care of her,” said Lamont, who’s in his late 80s himself. “She’s a really, really smart woman who attended Cornell University, and she wants to be independent.”
Lamont took it upon himself to drive her to the store for groceries every week.
Judge showed compassion
As Linehan’s troubles escalated, village government bent over backwards to help her. Codes Enforcement Officer Bill Reagan worked for two solid years to help her make repairs, even securing grant money for her and enlisting the aid of volunteers to fix the roof. A mix of stubbornness and confusion led Linehan to spurn those helping hands.
Another village official who deserves plaudits for his kind treatment of Estelle Linehan is Judge Anthony LaValle, who presided over her case in Village Court.
On Nov. 18, for instance, Linehan expressed her anger in court. “I never knew what the charges are,” she said loudly. “I need control of my house.”
Despite her outburst, Judge LaValle remained cool, calm and collected and quietly reassured Linehan, “I’m here to protect your rights.” His warm and friendly demeanor did as much as his words to address her concerns.
Couples invited
Another way that Liverpool cares for its swiftly aging population is by operating the House at 807, which, for the past 20 years, has offered apartments for eight well elderly at 807 Oswego St.
As of March 1, however, if the Liverpool Housing Authority’s newest concept comes to fruition, nine residents may be living at the House of 807, according to Authority Chairman Jon Zappola.
“We have a large bedroom for a couple,” Zappola said. “They’d have their own private bathroom in addition to all the amenities we offer to our individual residents.”
House at 807 residents get daily home-cooked meals, cable TV and easy access to laundry facilities all at a reasonable price with no need to sign a long-term lease or rental agreement.
The house has its own live-in manager, an on-site library and a communal living room with a fireplace.
But until now, the house hasn’t had couples.
“We feel there’s a need in the community for such a place,” Zappola said. If interested, call the house at 457-1334 or call Zappola at 382-7442; house-at-807.org.
New 807 manager
The Liverpool Housing Authority recently hired a new house manager, Cynthia McCaffrey, to replace Deborah Sacco.
Zappola also welcomes two new members to the board of directors, Thomas Dlugolenski and Kelly Hedrick.
Zappola is a former Liverpool mayor, and a retired art teacher and baseball coach. He lives in Liverpool with his wife, Suzi.
Readers can contact the columnist at [email protected].
