By Rachel Kalina and Anthony Rifilato
The town deemed the area blighted and said that 50 percent of the businesses there were vacant. In October the town board started the condemnation process and approved a contract for the legal work of drafting the urban renewal plan and condemning the property.
The town then authorized a contract for professional services related to the downtown urban renewal project in September, which town officials said would pave the way for a revitalized commercial district in Baldwin. Presently, the town is in the process of reaching out to developers for the project. As of now, the cost of acquiring the property is estimated to be $20 million, and Town Councilman Anthony Santino said he hopes taxpayers will not have to foot the bill - but that a developer will do so. The project could include the historic Nunley's Carousel, if a developer agrees to incorporate the landmark into the plan.
Nunley's return?
If that plan falls through, Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) is looking to bring the carousel to a local county park in Baldwin, possibly Milburn Pond or Lofts Pond.
The carousel is still awaiting an extensive restoration at a Mitchel Field hangar. Scannell said that Milburn and Lofts ponds are under consideration because it is close to the Grand Avenue area designated for urban renewal.
Tragedies and tributes
But while Baldwin's commercial and cultural viability were discussed this year, the community had more personal, tragic circumstances to sort out.
Baldwin lost two Baldwin High School students in one year: Luis Mora, who died tragically during a surgery last December, and Chaneé Monique Brown, who was killed in a car crash in April.
At graduation, A diploma was placed in her front-row seat, next to that of Luis Mora. To honor Brown's memory and raise money for a criminal justice scholarship in her name, Brown's family held a basketball competition in August. Brown had wanted to become a FBI agent.
The community also grieved for Baldwin resident and Marine Sgt. Julian Arechaga, 23, who was killed in Iraq's Al Anbar Province in October. Arechaga was one of three marines killed when their Humvee struck an improvised explosive device. Arechaga had finished his required assignments in Afghanistan and Iraq last year and had come home, only to voluntarily return to Iraq to be with his comrades. He posthumously received a Purple Heart, and was praised as a hero.
School footnotes
Throughout the year, Baldwin's middle and high schools experienced a series of bomb threats, which lead to police responses and student evacuations. The district implemented tighter restrictions and increased supervision, including cameras and the removal of pay phones at the high school. High school students also showed the community their concern for others as they held "Darfur Day" and raised money and awareness for the dire situation in Darfur.
