A streetscape improvement project to beautify Jericho Turnpike, both the north and south sides between Willis Avenue and Mineola Boulevard, is scheduled to begin on March 1 and be completed by May 31.

"I think it's going to look nice," said Mineola Chamber of Commerce President Steve Ford of Willis Hobbies. "This will really jazz it up a little."

The improvements scheduled for the sidewalk include new curbs, sidewalk brick pavement, new lighting, benches, garbage receptacles and two pocket parks. One of the pocket parks, a 100' x 10' park, will be located between the police booth and entrance to Park Field #17 and the other park, a 100' x 25' park, will be located between Piccola Bussola Restaurant the old village hall building. Former Mayor Bob Hinck, who has been working on making the plan a reality for the village, called the second pocket park a true diamond in the center of the village.

There had been talk of the formation of a center median in the middle of the turnpike much like the one on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park. However, such a median will not be part of the project.

The village board awarded the contract for the project to New York Paving. The total cost of the job will be $947,000. Of that, the Mineola Chamber of Commerce contributed $25,000 for the purchase of benches and receptacles, $10,000 came from a grant from Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli's office and the village is contributing $40,000 from its unreserved fund balance. The rest is coming from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds administered through the county.

The village hearing scheduled for tonight, Feb. 14, on incentives for zoning has been canceled. The savings from refinancing the village's 1998A, 199B and 1994 bonds is estimated to be $253,000.

A resident of Jackson Avenue recently expressed concern at a village board meeting over students walking home from school. She said two students got into a fight on her front lawn. Mayor Jack Martins met with the residents of that Jackson Avenue corridor where students walk home from school, Mineola Superintendent of Schools Dr. Larry Licopoli, Mineola High School Principal Ed Escobar and Nassau County Police Problem Oriented Policing officer John Larson to try to prevent any future incidents from occurring. The residents had also been informed of steps taken with regard to that incident.