By:by Anthony Rifilato and Jonann Brady
Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi plans to address the county's dilapidated police precincts if his project to consolidate and build a new police headquarters in Westbury comes to fruition.
At a meeting with the Herald's editorial staff last week, Suozzi explained that if the police unions get on board with his plan, he would like to proceed and allocate some money for the county's precincts, which many have said are in dire need of repair.
"We definitely want to renovate the precincts," said Suozzi. "The question is, how do you pay for them?"
Suozzi said that the First Precinct in Baldwin would be the first to receive funds, but it is unclear whether the building would be upgraded or rebuilt entirely in a new location. Suozzi said he would try to work with the Town of Hempstead and see if they could donate property or land in order build a new First Precinct.
At present, the plan is preliminary, and it is uncertain whether the First would remain in Baldwin if a new precinct were to be built. Suozzi would also have to come to an agreement with the police union before anything gets off the ground.
"What he [Suozzi] would do is probably work with the PBA and work out some concession to address those concerns," said Shelly Cohen, deputy county executive for real estate development.
Plans to move the First Precinct to the west side of Grand Avenue and Merrick Road had been in the works prior to Suozzi taking office, but the $16 million proposal was officially scrapped last year in light of the county's fiscal situation.
In September 2003, Suozzi conducted an economic development tour of Baldwin and visited the stretch of Grand Avenue where the new precinct was slated to be built. He proposed working with the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, and, among other things, meeting with landlords in the hopes of revitalizing Baldwin's downtown.
Though there have been one or two meetings with chamber members and landlords, the initiative hit a snag when Suozzi's office was caught in the middle a spending and sex scandal involving Peter Sylver, then the deputy county executive for economic development.
"It's not gotten as far as we would have liked it to," Suozzi said, and added that he would like to set aside more money for facade improvements on Grand Avenue, though people would have to agree on a plan.
"The first thing we have to do is get people to buy into a vision," Suozzi said. "We have a lot more to do."
