Julie Abbass
Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
(TNS)
Mar. 12—COPENHAGEN — The question of asset ownership no longer involves just the village and the non-profit Copenhagen Fire Department Inc. A Long Island-based organization that supports fire departments around the country with equipment and training called and they want their transportation van back.
On Feb. 23, village Mayor Mark A. Souva received an email from Brian Farrell, Chairman of the Terry Farrell Firefighter Fund based in Bethpage, asking for help recovering the transportation van given to the Copenhagen Volunteer Fire Department in January 2022.
Mr. Farrell said the van was given to the village’s fire department under terms that require it to be returned if it is not being used for the intended purpose of supporting firefighters and if a department wants to get rid of a vehicle donated by the Terry Fund after it has been used for some time “it must first be offered back to the Fund.”
The chief of the village’s fire department at that time, Terence M. “TJ” Williams, had asked for “a van to benefit our department,” according to the request letter he sent to the Fund on the fire corporation’s letterhead.
Mr. Farrell said he and other Fund leaders became concerned about the location and use of the van after reading about the Feb. 16 Lewis County Supreme Court’s decision to freeze all but two of the accounts under the control of Copenhagen Fire Department Inc. and the use of all equipment, apparatus and vehicles — including the van — except for a pick-up truck with a plow.
The Fund was not notified that the village department no longer existed and that the non-profit remaining as Copenhagen Fire Department Inc. was no longer under contract to fight fires, according to Mr. Farrell.
Mr. Williams sent the Fund a letter dated the same day as the court proceeding requesting a notarized letter verifying that the van was a donation from the Terry Fund which Mr. Farrell — who is a lawyer — interpreted as “clearly a ploy to get the Terry Fund involved in the dispute … we refused.”
When Mr. Farrell emailed Mr. Williams that the van should be returned, Mr. Williams asked for proof that he had signed an agreement for the van.
Although Mr. Farrell said the terms of contract were explained to Mr. Williams, the agreement was again made clear to the group that picked up the van and he believes one of the group signed for the vehicle under those terms.
A photo supplied by Mr. Farrell of the Copenhagen group picking up the van shows corporation President James Henry and corporation members Shane D. Henry and Terence M. Williams Sr. in front of the van before heading back north.
Mr. Farrell is not currently in the state and does not have access to the records so he could not locate the signed agreement but noted that even without it, because the value of the van is less that $5,000, a verbal agreement is sufficient under state law.
He and two other Fund members were present when the terms of the contract were discussed with the Copenhagen group before they accepted the van.
Mr. Souva said that although he would like to help expedite the situation to get the van back to the Terry Fund which claims there are eight departments on a wait list for a van donation, he has not reached out directly or through counsel to Mr. Williams or Mr. Henry.
“We know their stance,” said Mr. Souva. “I’m not going to try to demand it at this point. There’s no sense in trying to