Mineola board approves event planner contract, parade permit, ejector-station change order and routine hires

The Village of Mineola Board of Trustees on Jan. 22 approved a series of routine contracts, event permits, personnel actions and a change order for a sewer ejector-station generator.

The board voted to renew a contract with Long Island Pop Up to plan village events, approve a request by the Saint James Restaurant and the Chamber of Commerce to hold a St. Patrick’s Day parade block party on Second Street on March 2, 2025, and grant the American Legion Mineola Memorial Post No. 349 use of a general-purpose room for monthly meetings. Trustees also approved membership and the 2024 LOSAP (length-of-service award program) points list submitted by the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department and accepted a new firefighter candidate, Aden Meknamamy of Company 1.

The board authorized change order No. 3 to the emergency ejector-system replacement contract at the Crandall Drive Ejector Station with vendor RJ Industries for a replacement generator and automatic transfer switch (ATS) system for $118,161.59. The funding source listed in the motion was the 2024–2025 General Fund budget and/or the General Fund unreserved fund balance.

Trustees approved personnel actions including hiring Nicole Gray as a court clerk in Justice Court, transferring Concetta Ribeiro to the title of court clerk with an annual salary of $55,000, and authorizing the posting of a laborer position in the village clerk’s department with a starting hourly rate of $18 in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

The board also authorized West Towne Payments as the merchant-services provider for the village’s Flowbird solution and Mackie meters, a change the board said will reduce credit-card processing fees. “The savings are, relative to the amount, very, very significant,” Mayor Rivera said during the meeting.

All motions were put to voice vote. For each agenda item the board chair called for “All in favor?” and then noted the motion carried after voice affirmation; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript.

Why it matters: The contracts, permits and personnel moves set operational details for the village’s public events, parking payments, sewer infrastructure and court staffing. The ejector-station change order represents a capital maintenance expenditure drawn from the village general fund balances.

Details and background: The Long Island Pop Up contract was described as a renewal of the planner used the previous year for events at Wilson Park, Second Street and Memorial Park and was presented without discussion. The Saint Patrick’s Day parade block party is scheduled for Sunday, March 2, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Second Street between Mineola Boulevard and Main Street; Trustee Clark said the parade will step off at 1 p.m. and noted related celebrations at the Irish Center and Knights of Columbus.

The American Legion requested regular use of a village room on specified Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the transcript lists the dates as “on the agenda.” The board chair during the discussion encouraged veterans to attend the meetings to help sustain the post after the recent closure of the local VFW.

On public-safety and volunteer fire matters, the board approved the volunteer firefighter LOSAP points list for 2024 “as submitted by the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department.” One trustee abstained from that vote because the trustee was on the LOSAP list; the transcript records the abstention but does not provide a numerical roll-call.

Personnel items were presented as routine fills and promotions: the transcript identifies Nicole Gray as being hired to a Justice Court clerk position and notes that longtime court employee Sue Lopes had moved on; the transcript gives the annual salary for Concetta Ribeiro’s new court-clerk title as $55,000. The posted laborer position was described as Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., starting at $18 per hour according to the collective bargaining agreement.

Other meeting notes: The board announced a community forum scheduled for Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall with representatives from the governor’s office, the state legislature, Nassau County, MTA Police, Nassau County Police and Nassau County Social Services to discuss public-safety and welfare concerns. The Mineola Public Library’s month-long book drive with the nonprofit For Love and Buttercup was also announced; the library will accept new children’s and teen books during February for donation.

Votes at a glance: - Approve bills and payroll — voice vote; motion carried. - Approve contract with Long Island Pop Up to plan village events — voice vote; motion carried. - Approve American Legion Mineola Memorial Post No. 349 use of a general-purpose room for monthly meetings — voice vote; motion carried. - Approve Saint James Restaurant and Chamber of Commerce request for Saint Patrick’s Day parade block party (March 2, 2025, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on Second Street between Mineola Blvd and Main St) — voice vote; motion carried. - Approve membership of Aden Meknamamy, Company 1, Mineola Fire Department — voice vote; motion carried. - Approve volunteer firefighter LOSAP points list for 2024 as submitted by Mineola Volunteer Fire Department — voice vote; motion carried (one trustee abstained from voting on LOSAP because they were on the list). - Authorize change order No. 3 (Crandall Drive Ejector Station, RJ Industries) — $118,161.59; funding: 2024–2025 General Fund budget and/or General Fund unreserved fund balance — voice vote; motion carried. - Authorize hiring of Nicole Gray as court clerk, Justice Court — voice vote; motion carried. - Approve transfer of Concetta Ribeiro to court clerk title with annual salary of $55,000 — voice vote; motion carried. - Authorize posting of laborer position in village clerk’s department (M–F, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; starting $18/hr) — voice vote; motion carried. - Authorize West Towne Payments as merchant-services provider for Flowbird solution and Mackie meters — voice vote; motion carried.

Ending: Trustees closed the public meeting after the announcements; the board scheduled event and forum details were posted on the village events webpage noted during the meeting.