_________________ bellmore ________________
HERALD Calhoun names interim principal
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Vol. 28 No. 36
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september 4 - 10, 2025
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Sharing pages with the people Resident builds library for community installed the box on his lawn. What began as a solution to clutter has since become a welOn a quiet Bellmore cul-de- coming stop for neighbors to sac just north of the Southern take a book, leave a book, and State Parkway, a brown wooden keep the cycle of reading alive. “I have too many books,” box mounted on a pole now greets visitors on Frank Caia- Caiati said. “I love when I find ti’s front lawn. It is no ordinary them and I was like, ‘I have box — it is a Little Free Library, enough property, I’m going to neatly stocked with novels, put one in myself. So, I put some concrete in a bio g raphies, and couple of days and children’s favorites. put it in. I’m just so For Caiati, the happy that it’s here decision to build and it kind of the library matches the house. s t e m m e d f ro m a It’s like a modern simple problem: he vibe. This is like h a d m o re b o o k s our vibe.” than he knew what Soon after it to do with. He also wanted to make it a FrANK CAIAtI went up, the library 40th birthday pres- Bellmore resident be g an to attract ent for himself. attention, especialRather than pilly on social media. ing them into storage bins or “I put a few books in,” Caiati selling them at a yard sale, he continued. “Some people have decided to share them. The come by and drop books off, small structure at 2148 Isabelle which is fabulous. But I have so Court has become more than many books to keep throwing just a place to exchange stories in there.” — it is a symbol of how one When the Herald visited the neighbor’s idea can spark a Caiati home on Aug. 28, the box community connection. held an eclectic range of books, When his bookshelves began including Nickelodeon’s “Starla to overflow, Caiati got to work. and Ze g,” “Darington and A b o u t t wo we e k s a g o, h e Stripes,” “The Adventures and ordered supplies from Amazon the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmand Home Depot, mixed a little es,” “Treasury of Bedtime Stoconcrete at the base, and
by brIAN KACHArAbA
bkacharaba@liherald.com
r
eading and literacy is just huge for me.
Courtesy Nicholas Truong
Bellmore Fire Department Chief Steve Marsar waved goodbye to the FDNY after 35 years.
Marsar retires with FDNY
Bellmore F.D. chief spent 35 years with the department by brIAN KACHArAbA bkacharaba@liherald.com
Legendary Bellmore fire chief Steve Marsar began his tenure with the FDNY at 9 a.m. on Aug. 19, 1990. Exactly 35 years later, at the same date and time, he called it a career with New York’s Bravest. Marsar, who retired as Battalion Chief, leaves behind a remarkable legacy of service that spanned decades, promotions, and countless lives impacted both in the firehouse and the classroom. To his colleagues, he was more than just a firefighter — he was a leader, mentor, teacher, and a strong advocate for the mental health of first responders. At the conclusion of his final night shift
with Ladder 3 and Battalion 6, his colleagues gathered to mark the occasion in true FDNY fashion. Placed in the middle of the department’s “Circle of Honor,” Marsar listened as “Auld Lang Syne” and other Irish ballads filled the firehouse. The moment was steeped in emotion as fellow firefighters celebrated not just an ending, but a career well lived. Wearing a white T-shirt with the phrase “I’M FIRED UP ABOUT RETIREMENT,” Marsar left the firehouse for the last time as an FDNY employee. “It was really special,” Marsar said. “All of the companies in the area came by, people I helped get on the fire department came by. Some of the staff chiefs, the higher-ups from CoNtiNueD oN page 10
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