This Week In Rotary: The Mineola Make-over

From left: Joseph Scalaro, village clerk; Raymond Sikorski, program chair; Thomas Tierney, Rotary president; and Jack Martins, Mineola mayor.

Several years ago, when Mineola Mayor Jack Martins had just started his term in office, he spoke at a Rotary Club meeting about the beautification and restorative program that was about to begin in the village. Today, many aspects of the program have been completed, and more is yet to come.

Many Garden City residents appreciate using the very large parking garage built at the LIRR station. Other significant improvements have also been made, including the new bridge over Mineola Boulevard. The construction was inconvenient for a while, but now it works well. The bridge was made a certain height to accommodate freight trains, which will be coming in increasing numbers soon. Roslyn Road track improvement project is nearing completion, and the Willis Avenue crossing will be next.

There are a lot of "thorny" issues that have yet to be resolved. The parking problem has been improved, but more help is still needed. Newly installed parking meters have helped speed foot traffic for the stores since people can no longer leave their vehicles for long periods of time. Another major problem was parking at the courthouses. Too many people were parking in the village of Mineola and not patronizing local merchants.

The village is attempting to make portions of some of the less attractive commercial areas into residences. Officials want more affordable housing and are trying to get the zoning code changed. The code restricts building height to three stories; developers want to be able to construct buildings at least six stories high.

Mayor Martins spoke at some length about the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line Corridor Improvement Project. The main line corridor runs 11.5 miles between Queens Village and Hicksville train stations, and includes Bellerose, Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Merillon Avenue, Mineola, Carle Place and Westbury.

The railroad contends that the third track is needed to accommodate anticipated ridership growth and relieve track congestion during peak periods. They foresee a significant increase in reverse commuters, who travel east during morning peak hours.

Although the railroad has said they will try to avoid property acquisitions, people along the corridor are afraid that there is no guarantee that their backyards will not be taken away. Ultimately, the MTA can exercise their right to eminent domain because they are a state entity. Homeowners are also concerned that additional trains will mean more noise, pollution and structural stress on their homes. Several people are also worried that the pro-ject will move the track so close to their homes that property values will be negatively affected.

Another issue that was raised at the meeting was the homeless. According to Mayor Martins, the only jurisdiction empowered to handle them is the police. They have to be careful to avoid violating the civil rights of the homeless. Police officers try to encourage them to move to facilities set up to help them in Uniondale.

If you are interested in joining the Rotary Club, call past president Dr. Joseph Frey at (516) 741-7450. The club meets almost every Monday at noon at the Garden City Hotel.