The home of the Nassau County Girls Softball champions is about to be home to an indoor pickleball gym and an acupuncture clinic.
Before hearing presentations from two businesses looking to open in the village, Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira used the first portion of Wednesday’s board of trustees meeting to honor the Mineola High School girls softball team, which ended their season as the Nassau County Champions. The 13-player team, made up mostly of sophomores, is the first to win the title since 1998.
The team had a 13-game losing streak before winning a series of playoff games, stopping just short of winning a Long Island title.
“This team was battle-tested and very brave,” Monique Wink, the team’s head coach, said while providing a recap of the season.
Pereira presented the players, nearly all of whom were in attendance at the village hall, with certificates and medals from the village.
“If you win the Long Island championship next year, you’ll get a key,” Pereira said, smiling. He emphasized how proud he was of the team, telling stories of past county championship-winning games and of the girls when they were younger, as he knew some through the village’s Little League and high school.
“This board, this village, this teacher, this former coach, is so proud of your accomplishments,” said Pereira, who teaches history at Mineola High School. “I knew that you could do it all those years ago when we were watching you play Little League. We are so impressed with you.”
Town of North Hempstead Council Member Dennis Walsh also presented the players with certificates and a congratulatory speech. Former Mineola Mayor and current state Sen. Jack Martins also sent certificates of achievement for the players and Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar, who could not be in attendance, sent a congratulatory message for Pereira to read to honor the players from Williston Park.
After the players left for the night, the board heard from two people looking to open new businesses in the village —an indoor pickleball facility and a traditional Chinese acupuncture clinic. Both needed special-use permits from the board, as the area’s zoning code states that those looking to open businesses with athletic or medical use must receive board approval first.
Maggie Regan presented her plan to open Pickleball Prime, a 10-court pickleball facility equipped with showers, a common area and, eventually, a juice bar, with her father and brother to the board.
“We are all athletes, coaches and parents of athletes,” Regan said. “We decided we wanted to combine our love of athletics with our love of community, so we decided that we were interested in developing a pickleball community.”
She said she wanted to create a partnership with other local businesses, restaurants and bars in the area.
“We think Pickleball Prime would bring a lot of business to Mineola, as we hope to partner with many of the businesses around us, such as the brewery and the restaurants down the block,” Regan said. “We’ve looked into offering specials and deals, so that people will come to enjoy pickleball, and then go out into the community to enjoy food, drink, smoothies and more.”
Regan said Pickleball Prime will open sometime in October or early November in the former Great Neck Saw Manufacturer location. The facility will also offer lessons and clinics and host leagues and tournaments for adults and kids alike, as Regan thinks the sport will be played competitively in high schools in the coming years.
She plans for Pickleball Prime to be open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily to accommodate those who’d like to work out before and after work or school.
Pereira and the board enthusiastically approved Regan’s pickleball courts.
“I think it’s great that you’re bringing this here,” said Deputy Mayor Janine Sartori. “We have outdoor pickleball courts here, and they’re always packed. Obviously, it’s a frenzy across the nation. I wish you all the best.”
After Pereira thanked Regan for choosing Mineola, Lucy Weihong Shu presented her plan to open an acupuncture clinic within a current dentist’s office, Family Dentist Care NY, where she has worked as a dental assistant for eight years.
Shu said she’s been providing acupuncture to dental patients to help relax them before their treatments when requested, free of charge.
She said she had over 20 years of experience practicing a range of natural healing techniques in Hong Kong before moving to the United States. Since then, she has obtained a master’s degree from the New York College of Chinese Traditional Medicine in the city and an acupuncturist license.
She plans to convert two of the dentist office’s eight rooms to use for her practice. Shu said she has training in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture and will take patients by appointment in the office. All will be seen directly by her.
She added that most health insurance plans cover her practice, which can provide pain relief for many and frequently reduces the need for people to get surgery to manage an issue.
“Acupuncture can reduce your pain and can reduce anxiety for young and senior people. It can also reduce the chronic issues we deal with without invasive procedures,” Shu said. “It is becoming more and more popular in our society because of this.”
After hearing Shu’s presentation, one member of the public who lived near the office raised concerns regarding parking in the area.
“Parking is still a huge issue on our street and I don’t believe it’s my job to go door to door knocking,” she said. “I’m worried for my safety.”
Pereira said he would be happy to discuss the issue with her further and help find a solution. This business would not contribute to the parking problem, he said, as Shu would be seeing patients one at a time, and they would be parking in the dentist office’s existing parking lot, not on the street.
After the two agreed to meet again to solve the problem, the board enthusiastically and unanimously approved Shu.
“I think it’s a seamless fit,” Pereira said. “I wish you the best. It sounds like an exciting venture.”
