Mineola Village Board Notebook: January 2

The Mineola Village Board of Trustees held a meeting on Wednesday, January 2. Here are some of the things you may have missed.

Winthrop Diabetes Center

• Village building superintendent Dan Whalen reported that the contractors are about “95 percent on completion” for the demolition of the buildings for the new Winthrop diabetes research center.
• Whalen was also scheduled to meet with the management and construction crews on January 3 regarding the schedule for soil work, report and foundation work on the new structure.

Auto Body Shop Permit

• The board approved a special use permit for a body shop at 3 Sagamore Ave.
• The property originally had a covenant with the village that an automotive/ auto body shop may not be operated at the location.
• “I don’t see a problem with putting that type of business there or relief from the covenant and then granting a special permit,” trustee Lawrence Werther said. “The area is conducive to it, we’re not going to be impeding on any residential areas by putting that there.”
• Added deputy mayor Paul Pereira: “In the present economic state that having a business that is conducive to that neighborhood is much better than having an empty building.”
• All violations and summonses along with associated fines on the property have been paid and satisfied.
• Paul Cusato was the lone trustee who voted against the measure.

Building Department

• The building department has received the plans for the Winston and the Churchill projects. “The plans for both of those projects have been commenced,” Whalen said. “I expect to see something on those sometime in the next 30-45 days, first assessment of those plans.”
• The department had also received a request to construct a three-story apartment building on Second Street and Main Street off the northwest corner stretching from the bakery south to the corner then west.
• In response to a question regarding parking on Second and Third Streets as well as a construction truck occupying the front of the hospital, Whalen said that he did not see any change in plans and that parking was handled through the office of the superintendent of public works. “I was at meetings where he made sure that we’d be compensated for any meter that was being taken out,” he said. “As far as that particular vehicle, there may very well be something that’s going on with the hospital itself right now as opposed to that particular project.”

November Financial Report

The financial reports for the village for the month of November is as follows:

• 12 residential permits issued for $35,655
• eight commercial permits for $3,720
• eight plumbing permits for $1,245
• 11 electrical permits for $1,250
• 19 title searches for $1,669.25
• 12 certificates of occupancy for $300
• 19 licenses for new businesses for $4,995
• for a subtotal of $48,834.25.
• The justice court was on vacation and figures were not available at the time of the meeting.

Personnel

• Central garage mechanic Mike Zwinski requesting payout of eligible benefit time based on number of years with the village due to his resignation.
• The village will also post an open position for a mechanic at the central garage.

Other Board News

• Resident Bill Urianek asked permission to present a check for over $8,000, representing numerous soda bottles and cans to an armed service member at a future board meeting as well as recognizing the work of village residents to collect the recyclables. “I know there were a lot of people who want to come and see him and meet him,” Urianek said.
• The board approved a list of tow-car license applicants for 2013. The village requires tow-car owners to be licensed to do business within the village and accept the rates on single-point tows within the village. There was a total of 18 applicants, one of which is new.
• The Evening Star Quilters requested the use of the community center gym and two classrooms for Friday, Nov. 8, 2013 and Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for their annual quilt show.
• The board authorized a $380 monthly benefit payout from the fire service award fund to Mineola Fire Department Volunteer Firefighter John Murray pursuant to the length of service awards program, effective Jan. 1, 2013.

The next meeting of the Mineola Village Board will be on Wednesday, January 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the village hall.

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