Mineola Mayor’s Message: Snow Season Prep and Village Tree Lighting

The following are the opening remarks of Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss made during the public meeting of the Mineola Village Board on Dec. 5, 2012:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Last year I divided the village into sections and have held informal community forums within each section. These are just talking sessions between myself and the residents giving me the opportunity to interact with them on a very casual basis. I’ll continue these forums again next year, so if you missed one, don’t worry, there’ll be others and we’ll get time to chat.

Please hit our website and signup for the emails that we send out. You can get information on weather emergencies, changes to sanitation schedules and other topics. It’s a very simple process: simply enter your e-mail, you’ll get a confirmation, confirm it and then you’re on the list and you can opt-out at any time.

The fire department has started Operation: Santa. If you’d like your children to get a visit from Santa Claus, please call the fire department at 516-746-6583.

I’ve said it before, but it needs to be mentioned again: our village crews have again outdone themselves. They worked tirelessly bringing the village back to normal after the storms. They spent weeks removing trees, stumps, clearing debris from our roads, parks, in addition to doing the countless other tasks they normally do. As we enter December, I was concerned there wasn’t enough time to hang the decorations on the poles throughout the village. I met with Mr. Rini, our superintendent of public works, and he also felt there wasn’t enough time to complete this labor-intensive project before the tree lighting being held this Friday.

Folks, they got it done. They again came through on what would seem to be a small issue in the big picture but they thought enough of its importance and got it done. Mr. Rini, please convey our thanks to your staff for their untiring efforts and dedication to the residents and business owners on everything that they do day in and day out.

A few weeks ago I had the honor of sitting on an Eagle Scout Board of Review. I take great pride in informing you that Troop 45 has added another Eagle Scout to its ranks. Congratulations to Chris Gavin and his family on achieving this great milestone. I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and thank the entire leadership of Troop 45 under the direction of scoutmaster Steve Grosskopf for running such a successful youth program.

I also congratulate chief Joe Pratt and his wife Ann Marie on the birth of their son, I wish you all the very best as you welcome him into your lives and bring him into the fire department family.

I know these last few days haven’t seemed like it but the snow season is just around the corner, aside from the fluke storm we had a couple of weeks ago. With that comes the issue of snow emergencies and clearing of roads. Please, whenever two or more inches is forecasted of snow to land on the ground, move your cars off the streets until the roads are cleared. This will help with our snow removal operations. I have to warn you that we will be out issuing summonses to those who don’t move their vehicles. It’s not about getting additional revenue to the village, it’s about compliance and getting the roads cleared so vehicles can get down; not only emergency vehicles but the everyday vehicles that traverse our roadways: sanitation, P.C. Richards, UPS, delivery trucks, all vehicles. We need to have the roads cleared. Please help us in this and move your vehicles from the roadways until they are cleared.

This Friday we’ll have our annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. They’ll be hot chocolate, snacks, songs and also a visit from Santa and his helpers. Please come down to the community center to help us kick off this joyous season on Friday, December 7 at 7 o’clock.

As we decorate our own homes, please be careful not only on ladders and roofs but also when utilizing electricity and candles. Don’t overload circuits and please don’t leave any lit candles unattended.

This Sunday, John DaVanzo “Mr. Mineola,” will celebrate his 91st birthday. John is a huge part of Mineola – in fact, he is Mineola. At 91, he still volunteers at St. Francis Hospital and here at village hall where he welcomes all who enter with a warming smile and an incredibly hardy handshake. Happy birthday, Mr. D.

Ray Vaz, one of our local veterans, finally was awarded his service medals from World War II. He served in Normandy. Thank you very much for your service and congratulations first on earning them and secondly, on receiving them. Thank you again for your service.

Finally, to all our friends in the Jewish faith, I wish you all a very Happy Hanukkah.