By:Anthony Rifilato
More than 100 residents attended a meeting last Monday in the Baldwin High School auditorium hosted by Nassau County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin), to gain some insight into a number of pressing issues in Baldwin ranging from crime and gang activity to high taxes and quality-of-life issues.
Many residents inquired about a shooting last month at Cousins Bar on Grand Avenue, following the arrest of the bar's owner, Frank Wilson, who allegedly fired shots at a fleeing car in front of his establishment on Feb. 21. Many were outspoken on this incident, saying they were distressed by the number of shootings that have occurred at or near the bar and that they wanted nothing less than to shut Cousins down.
In a strange twist, though, Cousins caught fire on March 21, not even a week after the meeting, in what police said may have been a case of arson [see story, page 1].
"Everything [else] there looks nice," said one woman, referring to the Baldwin Public Library, the firehouse and the refurbished east side of Grand Avenue and Merrick Road. "Then you have Cousins Bar, all in a vicinity where kids will be coming to. How can we OK bars to open in an area where kids are going to be?"
Residents also wanted to know what exactly happened at Cousins last month, saying that such an incident is a big deal in their community, especially since it isn't the first time that a shooting has taken place there.
Police officer Paul Benedetto, who is with the First Precinct's Community Response Team (CRT), which addresses quality-of-life issues and gang activity, said he could not provide much detail about the incident due to the ongoing investigation. However, Benedetto did say that he does not believe shots were fired inside the bar, as previously reported, and added that getting the bar closed ultimately rests with the New York State Liquor Authority.
The Town of Hempstead said that Cousins has all the necessary building permits. According to the New York State Liquor Authority, Cousins' liquor license is still active, and expires in 2005.
Captain Thomas Hayes of the Nassau County Police Department told residents that when establishments such as Cousins have repeated problems, the premises are regularly checked for violations by the police. If there are violations, appearance tickets are issued or the Liquor Authority is notified, though shutting down the premises can sometimes be an uphill battle.
"It's a very long, drawn-out process," said Hayes. "We're very frustrated by it."
Before the fire, Cousins had been hit with violations more than once, and police had notified the Liquor Authority. Residents asked if they too could help by writing to the Liquor Authority, and Scannell said they could contact his office in order to do so.
Scannell and Hayes did note that there has been some success in closing down or warning businesses that have been nuisances, such as a massage parlor on Coes Neck Road that was busted for prostitution and the Romance Cafe on north Grand Avenue, which was closed for numerous noise violations. Scannell said these were only a few results of aggressive enforcement.
"It is happening," Scannell said. "We need to be aggressive and we will be."
Gang violence a concern
While police seemed to allay some fears about Cousins, the shooting at the bar has only increased alarm about gang violence in Baldwin.
One resident asked about an assault that occurred on March 12, when a 21-year-old man was assaulted with a knife in front of his home on North Brookside Avenue in Freeport, just outside the Baldwin High School parking lot. According to Freeport police, the victim, who sustained a minor injury, may have been assaulted by gang members.
"What kind of security do they have here?" the man asked.
Benedetto explained that the CRT has, in addition to 10 plainclothes officers and 10 uniformed officers, three school resource officers who work closely with the schools throughout the First Precinct, including one assigned to Baldwin. He also said that the CRT patrols the area in unmarked cars that are not the traditional Crown Victorias, and police issue summonses for an array of quality-of-life issues, which can sometimes lead to arrests.
And though there have been some instances of gang activity in Baldwin, Benedetto explained that gangs are not as entrenched in the community as many would believe. "Baldwin is not one of the areas being seriously challenged by [gangs]," Benedetto said. "We make it very uncomfortable for them to be here."
Still, residents said they were fearful of walking home or to their cars from the Baldwin LIRR station after the murder of Anthony Battaglia in Lynbrook last year. Battaglia was killed by reputed gang members during a random mugging. Residents wanted to know why free cab service to their cars was not being provided, as it has been in towns such as Oceanside and Lynbrook.
"Are we going to be faced with the same situation as that man in Lynbrook?" one woman asked.
Hayes and Scannell said that providing such service is up to the cab companies. "We do patrol [the train station]," said Hayes, though he explained that the station is MTA jurisdiction. "We'll make sure that [patrol] cars pay attention to that area."
Hayes said that the Battaglia murder, while committed by gang members, was random. He also explained that the crime rate in Nassau County is at an all-time low, and people should not be living in a state of fear.
Sensing the residents' interest in and alarm about gangs, Scannell suggested that another meeting devoted to the topic be held in the near future. He asked for a show of hands in support of the idea, and almost everyone raised their hands and applauded the police presence in Baldwin.
Revitalizing Grand Avenue
The situation on Grand Avenue, Scannell explained, has a lot to do with the death of the $16 million plan to move the First Precinct to the west side of the street. Scannell explained that because the project has been officially scrapped, he and others, such as Town Councilman Anthony Santino, can focus on giving that section of Grand Avenue the attention it deserves.
"Now, our plan B is to work closely with the Chamber of Commerce in order to get better businesses in there and try to do the same thing we did on the east side of the street," said Scannell.
He noted that he had to use the $550,000 he secured through Nassau County's Operation Downtown Program for beautification projects on Grand Avenue while the precinct project was still in limbo. This year, funds will be used to beautify North Grand Avenue near the Associated Shopping Center.
In addition to beautification funding, Scannell's $4.4 million pond refurbishment project, an initiative that will restore Milburn, Lofts and Silver Lake Ponds, is well under way.
Some residents asked what was being done to attract new businesses into the area, and Scannell explained that the Chamber of Commerce is aggressively working to bring in new business, noting that the Baldwin Shopping Center is now 99 percent full. "We actively ... have negotiated to get bigger chain stores," he said.
Scannell explained that just several years ago, there were hardly any businesses opening in Baldwin, and that there were a lot more empty storefronts then than there are now. "I really feel that in our town, we've turned a corner," he said.
