By Anthony Rifilato
Nassau County and Town of Hempstead officials said that they are committed to bringing the historic carousel back to its original home in Baldwin. Last week, Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) said that he and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi had come to an agreement in December and are working to have the carousel restored. "It's finally coming home, where it should be," Scannell said.
But exactly when the carousel will be completed and where it will be located have still not been decided. Scannell is hoping to bring it to the corner of Merrick Road and Grand Avenue, in the hope of revitalizing what many consider to be a blighted section of Baldwin's downtown. "It's one of the last spots we have to do something about," said Scannell. "We want it to be Nunley's corner. I think the carousel is perfect for that spot."
He admits, however, that it's not going to be easy. Ever since it was purchased by the county in 1998 for $854,400, the carousel has been stored at a Mitchel Field hangar awaiting extensive restoration, but the funding has lagged. Scannell estimates that the restoration will cost $450,000. He said he plans to use $200,000 in community development funds for the project, and he hopes the county will pick up the rest. "I'm hoping Suozzi will put in the other half to restore it," Scannell said.
A spokesman for Suozzi's office said that he was unaware of any plan to fund the restoration of the carousel. "The county is pleased that Nunley's Carousel, which delighted thousands of local residents both young and old for decades, will be returned to its original home of Baldwin," was all the spokesman said.
Town of Hempstead officials support the plan. "I think it's great news, and the Town of Hempstead hopes to be a full partner," said Councilman Anthony Santino. "It belongs back in Baldwin."
Santino once suggested that the carousel be brought to Baldwin Park, but he agreed that at the Grand Avenue location, Nunley's could be a "centerpiece" in downtown Baldwin. "This looks to be an even better idea," said Santino.
The carousel was built in 1912, and for 55 years was a staple in Baldwin on Sunrise Highway, where a Pep Boys now stands. Scannell and others have been trying to get the carousel back to Baldwin for years.
The legislator was angered last year when Suozzi announced plans to move the carousel to Oyster Bay, after a civic organization, which included the entertainer Billy Joel, approached the county executive, saying the group had raised $500,000 to bring the carousel to their town. A political imbroglio erupted, with Scannell threatening to vote against the Democratic-led Legislature and its one-seat majority. "It was unfair," Scannell said. "If it was going to go anywhere, it should come home."
But the brouhaha subsided, and the Oyster Bay plan was scrapped. Now, Scannell said, the stars may be aligning. "The timing really seems to be right this time," he said.
Scannell said that he is working to attract corporate sponsorship for a building that would house, operate and maintain the carousel. He said he has reached out to McDonald's Corp. as a potential sponsor, mainly because it expressed interest in the carousel five years ago, when a plan to bring it to Eisenhower Park was proposed.
Numerous efforts to revitalize Grand Avenue have been made in the past. Scannell said that a few years ago, he and Santino met with a developer in the hope of bringing in a Borders Books & Music, restaurants and other shops. There was also a plan to build a Walgreens, but both proposals fell through.
Scannell explained that Borders is still interested, however, and that plans for that portion of Grand Avenue would be more than just façade improvements. "What we're looking to do is start fresh there," he said, noting the numerous empty shops along the block.
If McDonald's gets on board, Scannell said, the plan could come to fruition. "They're a credible corporation," he said. "The building needs to be funded."
Scannell said that a McDonald's with a "family fun center" would be opened on that stretch of Grand, and along with the carousel, could attract businesses and be a boon to downtown Baldwin. He noted that the area is centrally located, and is next to the newly renovated Baldwin Public Library and Fire Department headquarters.
"The home run is to get the carousel," Scannell said. "Wherever we put the carousel, it has to be in a place where people want to come."
The county and the Town of Hempstead, which owns the parking lot behind the row of storefronts and apartments on Grand Avenue, would have to work together in order to condemn some of the existing buildings through eminent domain, and pay owners fair market value for their businesses.
Scannell said he is confident that the project will become a reality. "I feel comfortable that if it's not McDonald's, it will be someone else," he said.
And while Scannell said he is negotiating with McDonald's, others are doing their part to make the carousel go round and round once more. Last month, a Wantagh student added momentum to the project when she began a fund-raiser called "Pennies for Ponies" calling on schools in Nassau County to each collect $2,000 in order to restore the carousel's horses and one lion. Baldwin schools have gotten on board recently, and Scannell said that this is just the beginning.
"Everyone has to be pulling together," he said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make Baldwin a better place."
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