Mineola Mayor Jack M. Martins announced at last Wednesday's public board of trustees meeting that the village board would look into the feasibility of having its own police department to replace the Nassau County 3rd Precinct.

If it turns out that it is a cost effective proposal, the village may go ahead with the plan. Currently, Mineola's neighbor Garden City has its own police.

Mayor Martins said the village is just in the exploration stage, but the idea has been well received by some of the residents who attended the meeting.

Mayor Martins said the costs will be significant for the village to form its own police department. However, the village is already paying significant contributions for the 3rd Precinct.

"If the costs that we're paying for police protection to the Nassau County Police Department is enough to cover the cost of the Mineola Police Department, it's something we should consider as far as having police protection that is responsive only to our village," said Mayor Martins. "Once everyone gets an idea as to how much we are talking about, we may be able to move forward in that direction."

Mayor Martins said the village is still putting figures together and will revisit the issue in a couple of months.

A village police department would be able to handle misdemeanor offenses, but the village would still need to pay for the Nassau Police Department headquarters for the use of enforcement agencies like the homicide division, arson/bomb squad, vice squad, narcotics, etc.

The Nassau County Police Department is currently in binding arbitration with the county for a new contract and it is almost certain police officers will get a salary increase.

In deciding whether it is feasible for the village to implement its own police force, Mayor Martins said the cost would have to be less than what the village is currently paying for protection from the 3rd Precinct.

Some residents may not be altogether happy with the patrol of the village by the Nassau County Police Department. It was stated that in the month of March, there were a total of 30 summonses issued in the village, 15 moving violations and 15 parking violations. The village's top code enforcement officer wrote over 1,100 tickets during the month.

"We have to take a long, hard look at what we're doing and what our relationship is with the Nassau County Police Department," said Mayor Martins.

The initial announcement by Mayor Martins did have some positive feedback. "Mineola is not getting service the way it should," said one resident.

The village board will hold two hearing on Wednesday, June 11. One will deal with the proposed intermodal center at the KeySpan Building on Old Country Road and the parking lot behind the building and the other will deal with an application by Subway on Mineola Boulevard to install seating. The hearings will begin at 6:30 p.m. Discussion on the intermodal center will begin at 6 p.m.

That familiar jingle of the Mr. Softee ice cream truck will not be heard in the residential streets of Mineola this summer as the village board of trustees granted a license to Joseph Cutolo, a resident of Mineola, to drive a Mr. Softee ice cream truck throughout the residential streets of the village.

First, though, the village will check out the driver's license of Mr. Cutolo and another driver of the truck to make sure they are clean. Mayor Martins and the board of trustees made it clear that safety of the neighborhoods is paramount. Mr. Cutolo said he has children in the Mineola School District so he is sensitive to child safety. Mayor Martins also asked Mr. Cutolo to be sensitive to the residents and perhaps not continuously play the Mr. Softee jingle. The license will be valid until Sept. 30 and will allow Mr. Cutolo to sell ice cream from noon to 8 p.m. Mr. Cutolo has also promised to stay away from the Mineola Athletic Association complex where there is a snack stand and the Wilson Park complex where there is a snack stand for the pool.

The license is for one year and must be renewed next year.

The mayor and the village board approved the expenditure of $5,110 to cut four stars into the pavement at the veteran's monument in Memorial Park. The stars are the symbol of the United States military and the request was brought before the board by American Legion Post #349 Commander Sal Cataldo. The five-point stars will be cut into the walkway to the monument, one in each of the four paths leading up to the monument. The Mineola Pool is being recoated. However, the weather isn't cooperating. The village would prefer to have two coats of paint on the pool, but will settle for one coat if the job cannot be finished in time for the opening of the pool, which is scheduled for June 14.

Mayor Martins said some items in the village code may be antiquated and should be looked into. One item is an ordinance in the village code that forbids four-foot closed construction fences on the side yards of property. According to the code, residents are only allowed a four-foot open construction fence on the side yard. Therefore, a stockade fence, for example, would be illegal since it is a closed construction fence. The mayor and the board voted to initiate a moratorium on the enforcement of that ordinance, although the ordinance to keep the front of the property clear is still in effect. A task force will look into items in the code that may be antiquated. The mayor said the village would hold a hearing sometime in the future.

On the same subject, a resident appeared before the board, saying he got a notice of violation because he has a four-foot high stockade fence that has been there since he purchased the house.

The resident said he received the violation after his neighbor complained to the building department. The resident said his neighbor has been calling the building department on other issues. He said he had his barbecue two and a half-feet from his property line instead of the legal three feet and his neighbor complained to the building department.

The resident believes he is being harassed by his neighbor and that his neighbor is using the building department to attack him. The resident brought numerous photos of other houses that have four-foot stockade fences on the side yards and urged the mayor to stop the unequal application of the laws.

Mayor Martins said when the village's building department receives a complaint, it will investigate that complaint and if the issue is found to be illegal by village code, a violation will be issued. "We are not selectively enforcing. If we get a complaint, we have an obligation to investigate," the mayor said.

Mayor Martins said he would prefer that neighbors who have disputes sit down and work it out together.

Because of rain, the Mineola Memorial Day Parade was canceled. However, a ceremony was held in village hall. Commander Cataldo said village hall came in handy and suggested that village hall be designated as the meeting place in case of inclement weather during future ceremonies.

Cataldo also suggested putting lattice under the deck in Memorial Park so that nobody can get to the rocks under the deck. Spotlights have been broken at the nearby veteran's monument. It was also pointed out that lights have been broken at the hockey rink.

Cataldo also brought up the issue of non-residents using Mineola's soccer fields on Sundays at Wilson Park. Cataldo said there has to be a way to prevent non-residents from using the fields. Mayor Martins said he would go down on a Sunday afternoon with Cataldo to assess what is going on at the park and possible remedies.

As a way to curb illegal housing, resident Kevin Murray suggested a Rental Registration Program whereby whoever rents property in Mineola would have to register the property, enabling the building department to do an annual inspection of the property. Village attorney John Spellman said the village looked into it in the past but it wasn't well received by residents. However, the village may look into it again to see if it is something that can be beneficial.

The proposed intermodal center would involve a deal between the MTA, KeySpan and the Village of Mineola. The MTA would buy the KeySpan building on Old Country Road and perhaps eventually move its headquarters there. It would build a parking garage behind the building. The plan would perhaps alleviate some of the parking problem in the downtown area and provide more parking for commuters. However, the village could stand to lose a hefty sum off its tax role since the MTA is a non-taxable entity. If the village doesn't cooperate, the plan could still occur since the MTA could take the land since it is a governmental authority. The village is trying to negotiate the best deal it can with the parties involved.

Some residents expressed the sentiment that they do not trust the MTA. Mayor Martins said that residents can trust the village board to get the best deal it can for the village.

The property at the corner of Jericho Turnpike and Mineola Boulevard now has a fence around it. That is the future location of 7-11. The building department has issued all the required permits so that construction can begin on the site. The village board originally turned down the application for the 7-11, but the decision was overturned in court. The village is working on getting its website up and running. The address would be www.mineola-ny.gov. It would include items like the village code on it.

There were a number of cars parked last Wednesday on the north lot of the Koeppel Ford property on Jericho Turnpike. The special use permit to store vehicles on the site had expired. Therefore, summonses have been issued.

Koeppel Ford had gone into contract to sell its property on the north and south sides of Jericho Turnpike to Chaminade High School. However, the site was found to be contaminated, putting a halt to the sale.

Mayor Martins said an abatement program is being developed for the site and for the areas that have been affected.

The site is tax-producing for the village. However, if the site is cleaned up and the sale eventually goes through to Chaminade, the village may no longer be able to collect tax dollars from the property since it will be in the hands of an educational and religious institution.