By:LARRY MAIER
Not having to rise and shine to make the 6:13 a.m. train from Baldwin to New York is a mixed blessing. Sure, you may get an extra hour or so of sleep. But the search for a parking spot at the train station can be even more aggravating than having to get up at the crack of dawn.
The Town of Hempstead hopes to relieve some of that commuter stress for Baldwinites by providing additional parking spots for Baldwinites only.
Town Councilman Anthony Santino recently announced a project that will create 75 new Baldwin Only parking spaces in the empty lot on the northwest corner of Brooklyn Avenue and Spruce Street. The only other Baldwin Only lot is on Brooklyn Avenue just north of the Baldwin station.
Many commuters already park in the empty lot, but it is mostly dirt, with large potholes and frequent flooding problems. There are no marked spaces, which results in cars blocking in other cars. Also, the lot has no lighting, a concern to many commuters who return to their cars after dark.
The new lot will include asphalt paving, lighting, striping, landscaping, drainage and the installation of curbing and sidewalks, with ramps for the disabled.
The town is in the process of condemning the lot and acquiring it via eminent domain. The estimated cost of creating the new parking field is $950,000, which will be financed through a bond issue. The subsequent funding to pay for the bond will come from the Baldwin Public Parking District, which will allow the lot to be restricted to only residents of the district.
That prospect of another Baldwin Only lot is good news to commuters like Ingrid Keating and Greg Weaver.
Keating has been riding the rails to her job in Manhattan for about four years. She has a Baldwin resident tag on her car but says that by the time she gets to the station to catch the 8:13 a.m. train, there are no spots in the resident-only lot across from the station. She usually has to park far down on Brooklyn Avenue and walk, or run, close to a half-mile to make her train.
Weaver says he can get a spot in the resident lot when he catches the 6:46 a.m. train. But if he opts for a later train, he too gets stuck with a long trek down Brooklyn Avenue.
Both Keating and Weaver said they were unaware of the town's plan for the new parking lot, but wholeheartedly approve.
It's great news. We definitely need more parking spaces, said Keating, who added that the town might consider looking into purchasing the building next to the vacant lot and tear it down, too for even more parking.
Weaver said that part of the parking problem at the station is caused by heavy usage of the station by non-Baldwin commuters.
People from other towns like Rockville Centre come here to park, Weaver said.
Santino said he regularly visits the Baldwin station and meets with commuters. The first thing everybody wants to talk about is the lack of parking, Santino said, adding that commuters were the ones who asked the town about creating the additional parking. Baldwin people called this lot to my attention, he said.
Creating parking spots for Baldwin residents would also help people from neighboring towns who commute from Baldwin, by freeing up spaces on Brooklyn Avenue. Anything that creates more spots helps out, Santino said.
The town expects that the acquisition of the property and the construction of the lot will be finalized by mid-2002.
