By John Nugent
At the June 19 Board of Trustees meeting, Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira responded to resident complaints about the poor condition of many roads and increased traffic in certain parts of the village.
Speaking directly to the board, a Wellington Road resident asked, “When will our road get done?” He expressed concern about the deplorable condition of his street and added that it is a direct route used by emergency vehicles going to NYU Langone Hospital.
The mayor said “there are 36 miles of roads in the village, 72 miles of curb and apron. The cost to repair 9/10 of a mile of road is $1.3 million.” He continued by saying that $1.5 million is allocated annually for road repair from a total budget of $25 million.
The mayor also pointed out that many of the roads in the village are controlled by the county or the state. Mineola is not responsible for their upkeep.
Superintendent of Public Works, Thomas Rini said the village is divided into six areas. His department dedicates a certain amount of roadwork to each section every year.
Pereira added that while the village is aware of needed repairs to many of its roads, “we can’t respond to whoever makes the most noise.” He cited the necessity of maintaining economies of scale with regard to the expense of the frequent moving of equipment and personnel from one worksite to another.
“We have a fiduciary responsibility to keep your taxes low,” said the mayor.
Another resident expressed concern about increased traffic and parking problems, particularly around the schools. She has observed many cars double parking and blocking driveways on residential streets.
Pereira said these problems have intensified since the school system changed its model from neighborhood to cluster schools. Under the old system, he said, most elementary school children walked to their nearby school. Now, every child is assigned to a particular building regardless of where he or she lives.
This has resulted in a need for buses and car transport for children who do not live near the school building. Local streets around the schools are now crowded with cars stopping to drop off and pick up children or sometimes blocking driveways while waiting for them.
The mayor concluded that more traffic has created more congestion and additional stress on the roads.
