Mineola to Wave Permit Fees for Hurricane Sandy Repairs

The Village of Mineola is making it a bit easier for those who are rebuilding or repairing their homes in the wake of Hurricane Sandy by waiving all building department permit fees for storm-related repair work.

At the November 7 meeting of the village board at the village hall, building superintendent Dan Whalen said that the village had received several permits already, but that those fees would be refunded.

“I think a lot of people are running into the same situation with their insurance companies,” he said about not yet having an assessor inspect the damage to properties. “But we can expect to be seeing more and more individuals I would imagine coming and asking for this.”

Any resident applying for the permit for storm related repairs and restorations would have to submit to a village inspection to verify that it is storm-related in order to have the fees waived.

“They’ll make determinations also as to whether or not something is storm related or not,” village attorney John Spellman said of the building department.

“As long as the residents understand that they will be subjected to an inspection as would be the normal course anytime you’re applying,” deputy mayor Paul Pereira said.

The fees already collected by the village would be refunded to the applicants.