The new face of Merrick Rd.

If you want to see the future of Merrick Road’s revitalized businesses, look no further than the New Old Venice Inn, now known as NOVI. Its attractive burgundy awning, oval wooden sign and café-style street lighting will be used as a template for the five businesses neighboring it to the east, as well as one across Merrick Road, on the south side of the street.

According to a release from the Town of Hempstead, “the town board recently passed a series of resolutions paving the way for new business storefront facades to be constructed at six business locations on Merrick Road in Baldwin.” The statement indicated that five of the locations would be those damaged by a fire in May 2010, and the sixth would be the women’s clothing boutique Amused, across the street.

Susan Trenkle-Pokalsky, a town spokeswoman, told the Herald that work on the facades was slated to begin in early August, and added that “contracts still need to be signed, so as of right now I do not have the anticipated completion date.”

According to architectural schematics (see images, page 3), the addresses of the storefronts that will receive upgrades are 87, 91, 97, 831 and 839 Merrick Road. The businesses slated for makeovers include DeFrancisco’s Pizzeria, the John P. Brown Ladder Company, Hot Cuts Hair Salon and the Pure Spa Wellness Center. The other business included in the plan is a newcomer called Stat EMS, which is still under construction.

Erik Mahler, a real estate agent and the co-president of the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, told the Herald that Stat EMS is an ambulette service with 20 to 30 employees. Mahler added that the company, while not yet up and running, has been paying rent on the location since

October and has been “an active participant in the redevelopment of the business district while awaiting licensing approval from the state.”

The makeover plan for the businesses includes a complementary color scheme, new awnings, wooden signs in the style of NOVI’s and adjustable “gooseneck” outdoor lighting. “The town has also enhanced the streetscapes in the downtown area by adding brick-paved walkways, Victorian street lamps, decorative trash receptacles and new plantings along the north and south sides of Merrick Road,” said Trenkle-Pokalsky.

“Councilman [Anthony] Santino and I are very enthusiastic about these new facades,” Town Supervisor Kate Murray said in a press release. “We’re working hard to revitalize downtown Baldwin.”

In the release, Santino added, “We expect that there will be increased business activity because of these improvements.”

While reaction to the news of the project was positive, many in Baldwin said that the town should have completed it sooner. “This has taken way too long,” said Mahler. “They kept promising this in the fall, and now come August they say they’re going to start again? I think they should have started this within six months of the fires, not 12 months.”