1st Precinct, Kellogg House visions come into focus

The picture of what may eventually stand at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Merrick Road in Baldwin became much clearer on Sept. 12 at a meeting of the Baldwin Civic Association. Presentations by the Nassau County Police Department’s first deputy commissioner, Thomas Krumpter; Ken Arnold, of the Department of Public Works; and Arthur T. Rollin, an architectural preservationist, sketched out a panorama of a bustling, modern police station adjacent to a lovingly restored and maintained heritage center focused on the past, and the future, of Baldwin. 

The NCPD makes its case
Arnold was the first speaker to address the 30 or so BCA members at the meeting at Baldwin High School, and he went over the nuts and bolts of the new police building. He estimated a cost for construction of around $10 million — a figure he said was below initial estimates — and said that the precinct, which is slated for completion in March 2015, would encompass 25,000 square feet over three floors. Arnold said that the first floor would be the main interface between the police and the community, the second floor would house squad rooms and clerical facilities, and the third floor would be used primarily for the building’s mechanical systems, like climate control and electrical.

Arnold acknowledged that both the county comptroller and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority had yet to sign off on the project, but he and Krumpter expressed a high level of confidence that the plan would be approved.

Arnold confirmed that Harrison Avenue, which bisects the Kellogg property and the existing station house, would remain open — good news for the many Baldwin residents who protested an earlier proposal to dead-end the avenue. He also explained that visitors would enter the building from Merrick Road on the north side, prisoners would be brought in through the west entrance, and Police Department employees would use the rear doorway to the south. He wrapped up by explaining that the large and costly antenna outside would be retained, and pointed out that the new facility would have 37 parking spots, 17 more than are available now.