Baldwin
HERALD Celebrating 103 years of life
BFd hosts 9/11 ceremony
Man indicted for sex trafficking
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Vol. 27 No. 38
SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 2020
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Redevelopment meetings restart after long pause in the Baldwin zoning overlay district, which has a temporary zoning code to encourage develThe process of deciding opers to build there and revitalwhich potential developments ize the downtown, which has will be submitted to the state as been blighted by vacant buildpart of the effort to revitalize ings for nearly 20 years. downtown Baldwin Baldwin Comresumed on Sept. 9 mons, at 785 Mervia Zoom after a rick Road, would months-long pause be an affordable because of the housing developcoronavirus panment within the demic. overlay zoning disThe Local Plantrict that would ning Committee, stand four stories which comprises high and have 33 community leaders residential units, and business ownLou Bekofksy, of ers in Baldwin, VHB, explained. joined Town SuperThe plans visor Don Clavin include no comand consulting mercial or retail team VHB Engispace and 33 parkneering on the call doN ClaViN ing spots. The total to discuss potential Town supervisor cost of the project projects for the would be about B a l dw i n D ow n $12.8 million, and town Revitalization Initiative, about $850,000 of the DRI funds for which the community has been requested. The Local received a $10 million grant from Planning Committee has about the state last year to overhaul $9.7 million of DRI funds to work the long-struggling downtown. with. The group discussed three The sponsor for Baldwin new transit-oriented and mixed- Commons is Conifer Realty LLC, use projects, which were pro- which Bekofsky said has previposed during the pause. Most of the projects fall withContinued on page 4
By BRidgET dowNES bdownes@liherald.com
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Bridget Downes/Herald
dozENS oF loCal residents and animal rights activists gathered in Milburn Pond Park in Baldwin on Sept. 9 for a vigil to pay tribute to the 86 Canada geese that were removed by a federal agency, in error, in June and later killed.
USDA: 86 geese killed at Baldwin park by accident By BRidgET dowNES bdownes@liherald.com
Dozens of local residents and animal rights activists have denounced the recent removal by a federal agency of 86 Canada geese from Milburn Pond Park in Baldwin that were later killed. The agency said it was a mistake. In a July letter to Nassau County, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services department confirmed the removal of the geese in
June and apologized for what was called an administrative error. The same type of work has been undertaken at several other Nassau County parks that are located within seven miles of John F. Kennedy International Airport, officials said in the letter, with the goal to reduce the hazard to aircraft posed by the geese. “When we reached out to the [county] Parks Department this year for Milburn Pond Park, it was with the understanding that it was a
park within the seven-mile radius,” wrote William Wilmoth, assistant state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services. “However, we erred in this understanding and apologize for any confusion this may have led to within your department and with Nassau County residents.” The park is about 11 miles from Kennedy Airport. Continued on page 3
t’s really important if we want to see real growth along Grand Avenue from the southern tier all the way up to the train.