Serving The Willistons, Albertson, Herricks, Mineola, Roslyn Heights, and Searingtown
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Friday, November 25, 2016
Vol. 65, No. 48
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HOLIDAY PARTIES, CHAMBER BOOSTS COUNTY OKS REVENUE, IGNORES NIFA THREAT DINING & GIFT GUIDE LOCAL SHOPPING PAGES 37-44
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Study IDs big parking fixes for Mineola New downtown parking garage, increased fees among proposals BY N O A H M A N S K A R Mineola needs big changes to its parking rules and infrastructure to help alleviate parking woes and aid businesses in its downtown business district, according to a villagewide parking study released last week. The village should build a parking garage with at least 425 spaces, change parking hours for 65 spaces, add 34 parking meters and raise some parking fees to “create new parking opportunities for village residents, commuters, employees, shoppers and visitors,â€? according to the study conducted in the spring by Level G Associates, an Old Bethpage consulting ďŹ rm. The proposals would aid the growth of an area with the largest imbalance of parking supply and demand from customers attracted to successful businesses, Long Island Rail Road commuters and trafďŹ c at Winthrop-University Hospital, the study found.
The results “verify what people who live and work in Mineola have known for years — it is very diďŹƒcult to ďŹ nd available parking in this area of the village between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays,â€? the study says. Changes in other parts of the village could reduce congestion and make parking easier for residents, the study says. The village commissioned the study in September 2015 to evaluate possible parking ďŹ xes as it continues eorts to revitalize the downtown area. Mineola’s Village Board will weigh the recommendations in the coming months and likely implement some of them after gathering feedback from business owners and residents, Mayor Scott Strauss said. “I would have liked to have gotten some of these things already in the works, but we’ve got the report now and we’re going to go forward with it,â€? Strauss said. Continued on Page 66
PHOTO COURTESY OF NASSAU BOCES
Betty Rodriguez of Mineola (center) is seen at the Nassau BOCES Adult Learning Center Health Fair she started. Learning Center Principal Laura Holder-Gibbs and Assistant Principal Patrick Silvestri are seen left and right, respectively.
Cancer survivor says thanks by aiding others ment and recovery, she said. Since then, the Mineola resident has tried to return the When Betty Rodriguez was favor by helping people get acdiagnosed with breast cancer cess to health care who might in 2007, her family helped her otherwise have trouble doing so. Her latest eort was last get through three years of treat-
BY N O A H MANSKAR
month’s inaugural Nassau BOCES Adult Learning Center Health Fair, which Rodriguez organized in a partnership with the school she has attended for the past three years. Continued on Page 66
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