The village board voted 5-0 last week against discontinuing Clarissa Road as a village street. Therefore, the proposed sale to Metro Centers, which currently owns the parking lot as well as most of the buildings in the area, will not happen.

On Dec. 19, 2001, the Village of Mineola board, then comprised of Mayor John P. Colbert, Deputy Mayor Lou Santosus, and Trustees Maryanne Warnecke, Elizabeth Conlon and Linda Fairgrieve, voted to approve the contract agreement for Clarissa Road with Metro Centers. Therefore, if the board voted not to sell the road to Metro Centers, it may have been a breach of contract.

The village board, last Wednesday, therefore, voted not to discontinue the road as a village street. Because of the ruling, the village now cannot sell the road to Metro Centers.

"I was disappointed that a project that would be of great benefit to the Village of Mineola was opposed by some of the residents," said Metro Centers head Jon Otto.

With a contract in place, the board seemed prepared to sell the road to Metro Centers for $250,000. However, at a public hearing concerning the sale of the road, numerous residents in the area spoke out against the sale.

Area residents expressed concern over Metro Centers' long-range plans for the property. At the hearing, Otto acknowledged that he planned in the future to build a new shopping center with a supermarket in it.

Area residents were concerned with additional traffic, pollution, and noise a new shopping center may bring. Mayor Colbert and the village board apparently listened to the concerns of the residents in voting not to discontinue Clarissa Road as a village street. Since the road remains intact, Otto's plans to build a new shopping in the north end of the property near Helen Road appear squashed.

"The people did speak. The board doesn't want to impact the people with something they don't want. They spoke against it and it's dead," Mayor Colbert said. "These people deserve a suburban quality of life that they want. The board was very mindful of that. I really think that it was great that all those people came out."