Lindenhurst OKs free parking in village for veterans

The Village of Lindenhurst has found a new way to thank veterans who have served in our nation’s military: free parking.

The village board of trustees earlier this month passed a new law that allows all those with veteran license plates on their vehicles to skip the village’s parking meters. The legislation, passed unanimously by the five-member board, states that it is now legal for “veterans of the United States Armed Forces to park their vehicles at any metered location in the Incorporated Village of Lindenhurst without depositing the appropriate coin or coins.”

Veterans won’t receive tickets for not paying as long as they obey all other parking rules and have a clearly displayed veteran license plate from the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Mayor Mike Lavorata said in an interview that over the years, the village had considered coming up with a special parking pass for veterans but never formalized any plans. Then at a November board meeting, resident and Vietnam War veteran Terence Whelan asked the board if it could give veterans a parking exemption.

“It was such a no-brainer,” Lavorata said. “The least we can do is take care of those who have taken care of us.”

With the exception of the Long Island Rail Road lots, the parking perk can be utilized everywhere in the village, including under the railroad trestle, Lavorata said.

“As long as you’ve got some identification on your plate so that our guys can tell that you’re a veteran, you’ll never get a ticket,” he said.

The village charges 25 cents per hour for parking, but for those using credit cards at kiosks there is a 75-cent minimum. The fees are enforced from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Village Clerk Kathleen Schrader said the village is waiting to hear back from the state that the new law has been filed to make it official, but have already “directed staff to allow the exemption if they see the plates.”

A tough walk sparks an idea

Whelan, 77, said in an interview that the idea came to him one day after parking in front of Our Lady of Perpetual Help church on Wellwood Avenue and walking across the street to use his credit card at the parking kiosk only to find it wasn’t working. He had to then cross back to his car to find a quarter to put in the machine, an onerous extra trip for Whelan, who recently had knee replacement surgery.

“We’re all in our 70s at this point,” he said of Vietnam veterans, noting that he expects many probably already have an accessible parking placard or license plate, which the village also exempts from parking fees. “So we’re not talking about a whole bunch. It’s just guys like me who’ve got bum knees who still walk and climb stairs very slowly.”

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who spent a year in Vietnam, Whelan said he was surprised that the village board took action on his suggestion.

“I was shocked and very pleased that it took place so fast,” he said.

Whelan said the gesture of saying thank you from the village felt especially good as a veteran of a war that was deeply unpopular back home.

“Coming home, we didn’t come back to a welcome, we had to pass through protesters,” he said. “If you served in World War I, World War II, Korea, you came back to something, if only a pat on the back. I wasn’t looking to march down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, but nobody even said thank you for your service.”

Other states' vet plates eligible, too

The village was originally going to limit the parking perk to veterans with New York State license plates, but after resident Craig Santoli suggested that the law be expanded to all states with veteran plates, the board opened up the law to any veteran plate.

According to New York State Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Tim O’Brien, those seeking a veteran license plate must provide their DD-214 military discharge form “showing their branch and character of service.” The cost for a plate with an assigned number is $38.75 or $70 for a personalized plate number, according to the DMV website.

Lavorata said the village does not expect the exemption to end up costing the village much. Lindenhurst Veterans of Foreign Wars post commander Tom Curti, 79, said that of the group’s 90 members, he estimates only about 10% have a veteran license plate because of the extra expense.

“I don’t think it’s going to overwhelm the village and take over the parking spots or have a major economic impact on them,” said Curti, who has a veteran license plate. “It’s a nice gesture.”

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.