Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira has said the village has been approached by the Mineola Fire Department along with the Boy Scouts Troop 45 of Mineola to potentially organize Mineola’s Memorial Day Parade this year.

For the past two years, the annual parade has been on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, an observance was held in Memorial Park. 

Two veterans organizations have held the parade in years past, Mineola VFW Post 1305 and the American Legion, but the VFW post has closed due to a lack of membership. 

Pereira said last Wednesday that the department and troop inquired about taking over responsibilities for the parade.

“We’re very happy about that and as a village board, we are going to do what we can to help them to continue this tradition of having the Memorial Day Parade, which of course is followed by a brief ceremony down at Memorial Park,” Pereira said during his report. “We are going to do everything possible to make sure that happens and we think it will because once you give something to our volunteer firemen, they will make sure that it happens.”

Pereira also provided an update on the new Fire Department headquarters currently being built on Jericho Turnpike, saying “major construction” is expected to be completed by a window from September to October. In recent weeks, steel beams have been erected on the old site of the previous firehouse, which was demolished in 2021 due to structural issues.after more than a century of operations.  

Trustee Paul Cusato also congratulated Department Chief Andrew Martone, First Assistant Chief Domingo Magalhaes and Second Assistant Chief Bryan Strauss for getting sworn into their respective positions for another year. Martone was sworn in by Pereira at Department Company 3 on Elm Street. 

The next meeting for the Mineola Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, May 4.