By Kristy O’Connell
Several Mineola residents asked the Mineola Village Board on Wednesday for an update on impending parking restrictions on Linden Road.
The request follows an ongoing effort since November 2015 by residents to limit commercial parking on the residential street for eight to ten hours per day, resident Alex D’Angelo said.
“It is a dangerous situation,” Linda Fairgrieve, a resident, said. “I’ve almost been taken out trying to get in and out.”
Strict parking restrictions are currently enforced six days a week on the east end of the block off Willis Avenue, but no restrictions exist on the west end closer to Mineola Boulevard, causing a lot of congestion, D’Angelo said.
Fairgrieve and D’Angelo presented village trustees with a petition signed by all the residents of Linden Road asking for more restrictions on the west end.
Fairgrieve’s husband, Judge Scott Fairgrieve, also said the lack of parking restrictions has prevented the street from being properly cleaned for several years because sweepers are cannot fit down the block.
D’Angelo and Linda Fairgrieve asked for a daily restriction from 11a.m. until 1p.m. Monday through Friday to deter commuters from parking on their block for entire workdays.
Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira responded on behalf of Mayor Strauss who was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting, asking for “a little bit more patience.”
He told D’Angelo and the Fairgrieves that he would discuss the issue further with Strauss and contact them directly in the coming weeks.
Also on Wednesday, Arlington Street resident Frank Bancone asked the board for help in an ongoing dispute with a gym near his home.
Bancone’s home is being disturbed and potentially damaged by Seige Athletics on East Jericho Turnpike, he said.
The problem stems from vibrations caused by weights being dropped, Bancone said. Bancone has visited the gym and tried to negotiate with the owner but was unsuccessful, he said.
“You can hear the weights drop onto the ground and bounce in my house,” he said. “It goes throughout the whole house, and I don’t know what to do at this point.”
Pereira suggested that Bancone build a seven-foot fence around his property since he lives near a commercial area, but Bancone said a fence will not stop the vibrations.
“You have rights, but he has rights too,” Pereira said. “It’s a business.”
Pereira was not able to provide an immediate resolution in place of Mayor Strauss, but suggested that maybe they’ll pay a visit to Seige Athletics.
Bancone said he plans to continue attending the village’s board meetings until a solution is found.
Noah Siegel, the owner of Siege Athletics, said Bancone is the only neighbor of the gym who has complained in the two and a half years since it opened.
Bancone has made a scene multiple times at the gym, which has plenty of pads to dampen noise and vibrations, Siegel said.
“We specifically have the right to be here granted by the town,” Siegel said. “That is our right. … I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
Noah Manskar contributed reporting
