Mineola OKs parking for Chaminade

Richard Tedesco

The Mineola Board of Education acceded to a request from Village of Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss and voted unanimously last Thursday to permit Chaminade High School fans to park at two nearby district schools during school sports events.

“They have no parking. They have a lot with 60 spots and they have 1,700 students in the school,” Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler told the school board members.

Nagler said Strauss was “adamant” in his request that the school board make 70 parking spots at the Jackson Avenue and Mineola Middle schools available to alleviate parking issues for Emory Road residents on game days at the private Catholic high school.

While the school board members agreed to permit use of the public school parking spaces with no conditions for now, they were also united in their intention to formulate plans to charge Chaminade fans for the use of the parking areas.

“It’s wear and tear on our lots and it’s an inability for our parents to use it. I think we should be charging for that,” said board President Christine Napolitano, who also said that Chaminade parents use the parking lot at the athletic center for tailgate parties.

“I truly have a concern about tailgating,” said board Vice President Will Hornberger.

Nagler suggested that the school board hire an outside company to collect parking fees and said that company would be responsible for monitoring activities in the public school lots.

“Once we have a lease in place, it is not our responsibility to enforce it,” Nagler said.

Board member John McGrath suggested letting Chaminade use the lots “until we have a [parking] permit lease.” He suggested the board could impose parameters for use in the lease agreement.

“You build in a penalty,” he said in response about concerns other board members raised on potential problems in cleaning up the lots after the games.

Board member Irene Parrino suggested determining upcoming dates of Chaminade football games for the remainder of the season.

Chaminade athletic director Don Scarola said the school’s varsity, junior varsity and freshman football squads could be playing each weekend through the week before Thanksgiving.

“I always have at least one game on every given Saturday,” he said.

Playoffs for the Chaminade Flyers football teams start on the first weekend in November. Both the varsity and junior varsity squads will be in the playoffs, with locations for their games yet to be determined, according to Scarola.

Because of SAT tests being administered on Nov. 5, both teams may be playing on their home field on Sunday, Nov. 5, Scarola said. There could be home games played in subsequent weeks, with the junior varsity squad possibly playing at home on the weekend preceding Thanksgiving, depending on the outcome of their games.

Scarola said access for parking at the Jackson Avenue and Mineola Middle Schools would be a welcome option for Chaminade fans, with or without a charge for the parking space.

“Options are good,” he said. “And if they want to charge for parking, go ahead.”

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