By Jonann Brady
Now members of the Baldwin community have expressed interest in partnering with Sustainable Long Island. And, judging by the enthusiasm at a town meeting last week where a representative of the group spoke, Baldwinites are eager to turn their visions into reality.
Sarah Lansdale, a program coordinator with the Huntington-based organization, explained the group's mission to a crowd of about 150 Baldwinites at a town meeting hosted by Legis. Joseph Scannell last Wednesday night.
"I'm very excited," said Scannell, who invited Lansdale to the meeting. "My whole idea was be as aggressive as I can to partner with any agency that can help us and help Grand Avenue."
Sustainable Long Island works to advance the economy, social equity and environmental health of communities, said Lansdale. The group spends several months bringing businesses, government leaders and community groups together, and then works closely with them to hammer out solutions to a problem the community identifies. Then they bring in experts to identify funding and help implement the project, she said.
Lansdale stressed that the group bases its actions on what the people wants. "We don't come in and tell the community what to do," she said.
Besides the Roosevelt revitalization project, Sustainable Long Island has worked with communities like Huntington redesigning one street and has redesigned an entire neighborhood in Newcastle. The group, which is privately funded, often has its project costs underwritten by government agencies or through grants, said Lansdale.
The possibility of partnering with Sustainable Long Island has many residents feeling revitalized. Lansdale said she was approached by several community members and received a number of phone calls in the days following the meeting.
Leaders of community groups were optimistic about what the partnership could offer the town. "It's great to...get more professional expertise," said Doris Duffy, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and board member of the Baldwin Community Association. "Whatever help they can offer the community is wonderful. The Chamber will work with anyone."
Duffy said that since the Chamber had already hired a private consultaning company to complete a major demographic and community planning study two years ago, the community was now ready to implement changes.
Lansdale agreed that the study would be helpful in the planning process, but she said that no definite decisions had been made yet about working with Baldwin.
"I have to talk to people internally," said Lansdale, who said she will also be following up with people who approached her at the meeting. With the group heavily involved with the Roosevelt project, working with Baldwin could be a ways in the future.
That doesn't dampen the enthusiam of community leaders, who say that reaching out to the group is a positive step toward a better Baldwin.
"It's another affirmation [we're] going in the right direction," said Duffy.
