Mineola Seeking Financial Aid for Village Hall Generator

The Village of Mineola may be receiving financial assistance to make sure the lights stay on at the village hall during emergencies.

During the October 16 meeting of the village board, it was announced that a grant application would be submitted under the New York State Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for the purchase and installation of emergency generators at the village hall, community center and the department of public works, with a minimum 25 percent match.

Several weeks ago the state had announced a program for communities that were impacted by Sandy to help fund preventative measures in the event of another storm or emergency situation like Hurricane Sandy. During that storm, power to the village hall was lost for an extended period of time as well as many of the phone lines were rendered inoperable.

“One of the things... was our generator project that we were already looking at,” village clerk Joseph Scalero said at the meeting. “It will merely allow us to cover up to 75 percent of the cost we were planning on laying out anyway.”

Two years ago the village installed solar panels on top of the roof of the department of public works as part of an energy rebate program with LIPA.

It has been a major sticking point for mayor Scott Strauss to have an emergency generator at the village hall to provide power during emergencies and also for the community center to act as a shelter if necessary.

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