With Mayor Jack M. Martins hard at work, spending long hours on the budget in an attempt to lessen a 17 percent tax increase, a revenue boost may have come from an unlikely source - the MTA.

The Village of Mineola, by vote of the board, had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the MTA and KeySpan in accordance with the Intermodal Center, a parking garage and bus depot that will be built on the south side of the railroad tracks behind the KeySpan building, which is located on Old Country Road.

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, the village would take ownership of Station Road from KeySpan. The MTA requires the road for its bus depot, which will be part of the Intermodal Center.

According to village attorney John Spellman, the MTA agreed to purchase Station Road from the village for $623,100. In addition, the MTA requires a touchdown point on the north side of the tracks for a pedestrian overpass. The MTA agreed to pay the village $26,900 for a permanent easement and temporary work easement.

According to Spellman, since the MTA would take title for Station Road from the village, it is willing to replace Station Road by constructing Third Street between Third and Fourth Avenues, which is currently part of the parking lot. This way, anyone heading westbound from Mineola Boulevard on Third Street would now be able to go all the way through to Fourth Avenue when it is completed. "We would be basically trading Station Road for Third Street," said Spellman.

In order to go forward with the agreement, the village board of trustees must first hold a public hearing to make a determination that Station Road is not needed as a public thoroughfare.

Last week, closing on the sale of the KeySpan building took place so that the MTA has taken title of the KeySpan building, although KeySpan will continue to occupy the property for about four more months.

The board of trustees passed a unanimous resolution accepting the deed to Station Road from KeySpan. The board then passed a unanimous resolution to sell the village's interest in Station Road to the MTA for $623,100, subject to the road being discontinued as a public thoroughfare. The board then passed a unanimous resolution granting the MTA a temporary work easement and permanent easement for a portion of Front Street on the north side of the tracks to serve as the touchdown point for the pedestrian overpass for $26,900. The board then passed a unanimous resolution indicating its willingness to accept Third Street between Third and Fourth Avenues from the MTA subject to the completion of the Mineola Intermodal Center and the construction of the road pursuant to the standards of the Village of Mineola Department of Public Works.

A hearing was then set for May 11 for the issue of whether to discontinue Station Road on a public thoroughfare.

Mayor Martins called the negotiation a great opportunity for the village since the village will not only get $650,000 but also the MTA would construct Third Street as a road acceptable to the village.

While Martins is opposed to using a one-shot revenue such as this $650,000 from the MTA to fund recurring revenues in the budget, a portion of the village tax certiorari payments included in the 2005-2006 budget is not expected to be recurring.

The village is expected to have to pay out $1.3 million in tax certiorari or tax repayments while between $800,000 and $850,000 is the norm. "This is really an exceptional situation," said Spellman.

Therefore, the mayor and board could opt to use the $650,000 from the MTA to pay for the portion of the tax certiorari payments. This would lower the tax impact to village taxpayers.

The money from the MTA represents some benefit to the village since Mineola seems to have been hurt by the Intermodal Center. By the MTA taking title of the KeySpan building, the village will lose $240,000 in tax revenue in 2005-2006 since the MTA, as a quasi-governmental entity, is tax exempt while KeySpan was paying taxes on the property. Due to the KeySpan building coming off the tax roles, the village will lose $1.2 million in assessed valuation.

Village News and Notes

• The bid for the refreshment stand in Wilson Park for the pool season was awarded to Dover Caterers, the same company as last year, for $4,350. The caterers sent a letter to the village vowing to improve on the issues from last year. Dover was the only bid.

• All Island won the bid for transportation for the pool. Last year, Long Island Checker Cab provided the service. This year, All Island Taxi gave the village a lower bid.

• The village was again awarded the Tree City USA Award for 2004.

• Chaminade High School held a demolition ceremony for its property on the site of the former Koeppel Ford. Construction on the school's new gymnasium/auditorium could begin in June.

• Company #3 of the Mineola Fire Department added two new members. They are Philip Carvalho and Daniel Scalzo.