Mineola Board hears comments on federal Housing and Urban Development grant (See

Mineola Village Board Approves Community Development Block Grant

BY JENNIFER CORR

jcorr@antonnews.com

The Mineola Village Board on March 9 reviewed and approved the various projects that would be funded by the federal Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grants that are distributed by the Nassau County Office of Community Development.

Community Development Coordinator Thomas V. Savino stood in front of the board to go over the application, with $500,000 in total being requested to better the village.

The first item is to convert and install LED lighting fixtures in all public street lights located in areas that are eligible for the grant. The village will request $295,000 to accomplish this project.

Also in the application, $75,000 is being requested to cover costs involved with installing sight lines of lighting for pedestrian pathways. This is a feature, according to a packet distributed to the board by Savino, that would enhance downtown ambiance and encourage pedestrian walkability and comfort.

“During the COVID period, we received money to create pedestrian lighting down in our [Transit Oriented Development zone], which is essentially around the railroad, Mineola Boulevard, Second Street, Main Street; that whole zone,” Savino explained during the meeting. “In that zone, particularly on Second Street and Main Street, there’s a lack of street lighting. We’re looking to put in curb lights to increase the lighting for pedestrians.”

However, because of the topography underneath the sidewalk, there are challenges in installing these lights.

“We’re going to need additional engineering assistance to get that through,” Savino said.

Commercial rehabilitation is also addressed in the application, with a request of $120,000. The money would fund efforts to continue assisting and subsidizing private commercial building and business owners’ expenses to produce coordinated and qualified exterior improvements to their buildings. The goal would be to create a harmonious, clean and inviting aesthetic in the village.

And lastly, $10,000 has been requested to assist senior citizens, those with disabilities and qualified low-moderate income residents to fund improvements to their home, including energy efficiency, accessibility and repairs.

“You and the committee have literally changed the face of the village in certain areas in a positive way,” said the Mayor Scott P. Strauss.

Also at the meeting:

The board approved a new restaurant on 90-18 Jericho Turnpike. The applicant, Jason Jin, will be opening a sushi restaurant. He already owns a restaurant in Ridgewood called Jin Ramen Sushi that serves noodles, sushi and other entrees. Jin said the menu for this new restaurant in Mineola will be similar. The restaurant will be small with 37 seats and beer, wine and sake will also be served there. There will be a take-out service as well, but the main focus of the restaurant will be dine-in service.

The board also was presented with a potential new business that would open on 133 Mineola Blvd. called Your Space. The board was unable to vote on the application that night. Your Space, which would occupy the area that used to be Eleanor Rigby’s, would provide two floors of rental office and conference room spaces. On the top floor, there would be a pub. The pub would feature a partially retractable sky-rise system that would be open in warmer weather.

The Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Mineola will hold a public meeting on March 16 at Village Hall, 155 Washington Ave. in Mineola

The Latest From The Mayor Of Garden City

Budget Sessions for 2022 through 2023

The Garden City Board of Trustees will conduct work sessions to review the tentative 2022 through 2023 Operating and Capital Budgets in person in the Village Hall Board Room and via Zoom. The sessions began on March 10. Here is the schedule:

Budget Work Session Two

March 16 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. • Police Department • Department of Public Works and Water

Fund

Budget Work Session Three

March 24 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. • Fire Department • Finance Department • Other unallocated expenses and revenues • Administration • Library

Budget Work Session Four

March 30 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. • Presentation of changes and the final budget

Monday April 4, 2022 7:30 p.m.

•Adoption of budget

For those who wish to attend any of these sessions, email Village Clerk Karen Altman at kaltman@gardencityny.net before 3:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting and she will send the link.

Water Update

Residents may have already received a mailer providing an update about lead in the water. There has been a lot of discussion throughout the village on the topic of lead in the drinking water. Recently, the village was informed that a homeowner was diagnosed with an elevated blood lead level and promptly notified their engineering consultant and the Nassau County Department of Health (NCDOH). The Village immediately had the wells and points of entry to the system sampled for lead. The sampling demonstrated that the water entering the distribution system was non-detect for lead. The NCDOH was also notified by the resident, and they performed an investigation of the residence for lead exposure, part of which was sampling the water for lead. The result of the water sample was above the New York State Action Level of 15 µg/l. The home has a privately-owned lead service line connection to the public water main.

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets and fixtures. In homes with lead pipes that connect the home to the water main, also known as lead services lines, these pipes are typically the most significant source of lead in the water. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older developments. A 2008 American Water Works Association and Water Research Foundation Study, based on a national survey of utility Lead and Copper compliance reporting, suggested that the percent of lead contribution to a typical home served by a lead water service was as follows: • Lead service line: 50 to 75 percent • Premise piping: 20 to 35 percent • Faucets: 1 to 3 percent

Feb. 27

A person’s identity was reportedly stolen and used to apply for a fraudulent driver’s license.

A motorist on Stewart Avenue was charged with driving with a suspended license and operating a cell phone.

The Garden City Fire Department and the Garden City Police Department responded to St. Paul’s Field for a report of a gas leak. Firefighters determined the area was safe.

Feb. 28

Packages were reported stolen from a Garden City Plaza FedEx drop-box.

Items were removed from a vehicle parked on Weyford Terrace and later found by a passerby on Kilburn Road.

A motorist on Clinton Road was charged with unlicensed operation and operating a cell phone while driving.

Important steps to reduce lead in drinking water include having water tested. New York State Department of Health has a free lead testing pilot program. Go to the New York State Department of Health website at www.health.ny.gov/environmental/ water/drinking/lead/free_lead_testing_pilot_program. Note that this program has limited capacity and therefore, residents may choose to use a private laboratory. If the water tested at or above the action level of 15ug/l, residents should either utilize an approved filter or use New York State Certified (NYSDOH-Certified) bottled water for drinking and cooking.

Visit the following Environmental Protection Agency websites for more information: Lead exposure in general: www.epa.gov/lead Specifically for lead in drinking water: www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinkingwater/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water

Visit the village website at www.gardencityny.net for updates and further information. Residents may also contact the village at 516-465-4003 for any more questions.

Track work: Hempstead Branch

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has advised the village that they will be replacing the wooden ties along the Hempstead Branch over the course of the next six weeks. • This work will take place from just west of Covert Avenue to about Franklin Avenue. see GARDEN CITY MAYOR on page 13

Police Activity In Garden City

GCFD and GCPD responded to a call on 7th Street for a report of a gas leak. Firefighters determined the area was safe.

Officers assisted Firefighters in the rescue of a small child who was stuck inside an elevator on Hilton Avenue.

A motorist on Rockaway Avenue was charged with unlicensed operation and passing a Stop sign at Merillon Avenue.

March 1

A resident’s identity was reportedly stolen and used to open an unauthorized bank account.

A motorist on Stewart Avenue was charged with unlicensed operation and improper license plates.

Firefighters and officers responded to a residence for a fire alarm and determined the cause to be burnt food. —Submitted by the Garden City Police Department.