After 11 years on the Board of Trustees, the Village of Brookville plans to honor late trustee Robert “Bob” Spina, who died following a brief illness on March 25. He was 82.
Tim Dougherty, the village administrator and building commissioner, worked closely with Spina and said he was “instrumental” in the village’s inner workings, calling every morning to see what he could do to help.
“He was really hands-on,” he said.
As head of emergency management, Spina would drive around every road in the village after storms to look for issues that could be resolved, Dougherty recalled.
After moving to the village in 1991, Spina quickly became involved in the community. Before Spina he stepped into his role as trustee, Spina volunteered on the planning and zoning boards.
“Not only was he a long-term trustee and our director of the office of emergency management, but he was a dear friend and loved by all those who came to know him. Bob’s passing is a real loss for our village,” said Mayor Dan Serota in a letter to residents.
Dougherty said Spina played an important role “Code Red,” a system that allows the village to community with residents in times of warning or emergency. He said the system has resulted in quicker response time from the village via residents’ phone and e-mail.
He also created stricter guidelines for contractors in the village and mandated CPR courses for village staff, Dougherty said.
Spina’s legacy extends beyond his work in the village, Dougherty and Serota said. Dougherty said he raised funds for the St. Edward The Confessor church in Syosset after a fire destroyed part of its campus.
“Bob touched so many lives, not just in our village, but in his faith, his family, his business and the friends he made wherever he went,” Serota wrote in his letter to the community.
Dougherty said the village plans to commemorate Spina’s legacy in the near future, although there are not yet concrete plans.
Spina is survived by his wife, MaryEllen; his son Robert and his wife, Madeline; his son Joseph and his fiancee, Dana; his grandsons John and Drew; and his extended family and friends, according to Dignity Memorial.
