At the May 21 work session at village hall, the village board discussed a plan for an intermodal transportation facility that calls for the construction of a four story parking garage on the premises south of the LIRR tracks between the train station and the KeySpan building on Old Country Road.

Negotiations have been ongoing between the village, the Long Island Rail Road and KeySpan. The intermodal facility is said to be a key component of the village's downtown revitalization, particularly in the southwest quadrant of the downtown area. The facility would tie together the railroad, Long Island Bus and vehicular parking in one area.

A few years ago, the village voted to approve a $25 million federal grant for the facility. The project involves the construction of a parking garage with approximately 950 parking spaces combined with a bus terminal with seven bus bays . The bus terminal would be moved from where it is right now toward the platform, closer to the train station. The garage would be would be three stories above the ground and approximately 38 feet high.

Included in the project is access to the Mineola train station. There will be a pedestrian overpass, which goes from the parking garage across the tracks. The facility will comply with the American Disabilities Act and have an elevator for each floor of the garage.

The location of the project is the parking lot of the KeySpan building, which is located at 250 Old Country Road, between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, just north of Old Country Road. The parking lot that is presently at the location holds approximately 325 spaces. The intermodal facility will be built on that parking lot and above it.

Negotiations have been ongoing. In addition to the federal grant, Senator Michael Balboni is expected t o secure some grant money and the project is also expected to be funded by the MTA. The overall cost is expected to be about $30 million. However, none of the costs of the construction will be absorbed by the Village of Mineola.

The deal involved the MTA purchasing the property, including the KeySpan building and the construction of the intermodal facility. It is expected that construction would begin in mid-March of 2005 and last 18 months.

The project also involves the resurfacing of surrounding roads, the establishment of a traffic signal on Fourth Avenue and Old Country Road and involves the recirculation of traffic through southern Station Plaza.

The parking facility will be open to the public. Because federal funds are being used to pay for it, there cannot be specific, designated use. However, it is expected to be used by commuters of the railroad, but one need not be a commuter to use the facility.

The lot would still need to be used by the occupants of the Keyspan building so approximately 660 parking spaces would be left of the 950 for the public.

Mayor Jack M. Martins said some of the positives of the project includes alleviating parking in the downtown area. The mayor did, however, caution that there is some down sides to the project. For one, the village will be losing 40 metered parking spots in the area in which the village collects revenue from. According to superintendent of public works Tom Rini, the village collects about $3 a day from each meter during working days.

The mayor pointed out that there is a long-term effect the project will have on the village. The MTA plans to purchase the KeySpan building and may eventually move its offices into that building. The village, however, cannot tax the MTA since it is a governmental authority. Therefore, the village would lose some or all of the tax revenue from the KeySpan building. "There will be an impact to the community. The question is whether the impact to the community is offset by the long-term benefit of allowing us to develop our downtown area," Martins said.

Mayor Martins said that the village should consider the parking facility since it is being funded federally and by the state and would help the parking situation in the downtown area, something that has long been considered a problem in Mineola. Mayor Martins said, however, that the village should also keep in mind the drawbacks when considering it.

Trustee Lou Santosus expressed concern that the village would be losing the tax revenue from the building. It was stated that the property generates $219,343 in village taxes.

However, the MTA is expected to initially use the building in a proprietary capacity instead of using it themselves. Whatever portion of the building is being used in a proprietary capacity in which the MTA would be receiving rent from tenants is taxable by the village. If, over time, the MTA becomes self-users of the property, then the village would not have the ability to tax.

Village attorney John Spellman said a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) is also being discussed in which the village would receive a payment from the MTA instead of tax revenue. However, if the MTA were to tax the property via condemnation, the village would probably not be in a position to ask for a PILOT. "Since we are partnering with these agencies on this deal, we are trying to work something out," Mr. Spellman said.

When the village board decided to accept the federal grant for the project a few years ago, John P. Colbert was the mayor. Former Mayor Colbert recently said he knew nothing of the sale of the KeySpan building to the MTA and never heard of a scenario in which the building would be taken off the tax roll.

The project will most likely be discussed again at the June 4 village meeting.

Cablevision is expected to broadcast a village budget from April on Friday, May 30 on channel 18 at 7 p.m.