Summary AI
The board held a major public hearing on eminent domain acquisition of 111 East Main Street (Long Island Science Center property) to advance the downtown town square project, hearing sharp public debate; it also advanced zoning changes at the Manufacturers Outlet Overlay District and adopted a new hazardous-materials fee for battery storage and solar projects, plus a large slate of routine resolutions.
Key actions
- The board voted unanimously to close the public hearing on eminent domain condemnation of 111 East Main Street (Long Island Science Center / A Place of Learning Inc.), leaving the record open ten days for written comment; no final condemnation vote was taken at this meeting.
- The board voted unanimously to authorize the supervisor to execute a letter of intent with the YMCA of Long Island for redevelopment of the former NY State Armory at 1405 Old Country Road.
- The board adopted a local law amending Chapter 231 (Fire Prevention) to impose a 1% hazardous-materials fee on battery energy storage systems and commercial solar installations, paid before permit issuance and deposited into a dedicated fire marshal equipment and training fund; the fee is non-refundable and not retroactive.
- The board adopted a local law amending Chapter 279 to extend property tax exemptions for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers.
- The board authorized a notice of public hearing for the hotel project (special permit and site plan) at the town square site; the hearing is limited to special permit and site plan criteria.
- Two special event applications for 'Racetrack Not Street' motorsports events at EPCAL in 2027 were approved unanimously.
- The board authorized a bond for the 2028 Biosolids Project and related sewer district capital project budget adjustments.
- A settlement of a personal injury lawsuit brought by a named individual against the town was approved unanimously.
- Multiple routine personnel appointments, retirements, resignations, and committee reappointments were approved unanimously.
Public hearings & comment
- Community Development Director Dawn Thomas testified the town has invested over $40 million in town square components and that incorporating 111 East Main Street is critical to completing flood mitigation; two time-sensitive state grants totaling approximately $1.884 million expire in June.
- The property owner's plans have shrunk approximately 80% from the original 2020 proposal; the bank previously funding the Science Center has withdrawn, and the owner raised no fundraising funds in the past year according to a board member's account of a prior work session.
- A contractor testified his company filed a mechanics lien of approximately $13,500 for nonpayment and alleged the owner asked him to provide a check to demonstrate payment for a grant program.
- Multiple public commenters opposed eminent domain as premature, citing lack of a stated replacement use, transparency concerns about a master developer relationship, and the risk of large taxpayer liability if compensation is contested; one commenter referenced a Suffolk County case resulting in over $125 million in compensation plus interest.
- Two public commenters supported eminent domain, citing decades of Main Street decline.
Auto-generated from an unofficial, machine-made transcript. It may misstate names, figures, or votes. Verify against the agenda and the full transcript below.
Full Transcript
Thank you.
Thank you, sir. Amen. Councilman Rothwell, do we have someone for the invocation tonight? We do. Tonight we have Kathleen Berenzi once again joining us. She is the chaplain of the ladies' auxiliary for the Riverhead Fire Department, so thank you so much for coming. Thank you again for the invitation. Spring has finally sprung. Look around and enjoy God's gift, the daffodils, the tulips, the cherry trees, the scythia bushes, all in bloom. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we are here this evening with grateful hearts, seeking your wisdom and guidance in the thoughts and decisions that come across to this board. Unity in progress is a goal to make our community a place for the residents and all our families. We ask you to bless our supervisor and our town council members who serve our Riverhead Town residents, with integrity and humility in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, Kathleen, and thank you for volunteering with the Fire Department. So at this time we have our announcements, so we'd like to start by a special announcement of acknowledging the scouts of the Wading River Troop 94 who are working to complete their citizenship and community merit badge. So we actually have from our office the citizen of community merit badge to Michael Hayes. And as we announce your name, if you guys would please stand up. If you guys would like to just stand up where you are, and then we'll have you come forward and we'll present these to you. Leonardo and Michael Lovett, Liam Fisher, Andrew Prunty, Alan Lopez, Shane Madden, Mason, and Easton, and Jackson. So if you guys would all come forward, we would love to present these to you.
Thank you. I know you're a Michael. So would you please come forward? Andrew. Okay, we'll give these to you. Andrew. Here's Andrew. And Michael Hayes. That's Michael Hayes right there. Liam Fisher. There you go, Liam. Michael Lovett. Oh, that is right there. Thank you. You guys can stay right up here. We're going to take a picture with you. Shane. Sorry. Shane. Thank you. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Mason. Wait, wait, stay up here. All right. Where's Alan at? Jackson. Okay. Back from Jackson. Thank you. Gentlemen, you guys are absolutely, we are thankful to have you in our community, and the Waiting River is lucky to have you. And so thank you for being here tonight and making sure that we honor the tradition that's long, that it is absolutely faith and family in America. So God bless America. God bless Waiting River for having these children. And is Easton here? Oh, there you are, Easton. There's yours. I don't want you to miss it. So if you guys want to turn around, our Councilman and our Town Clerk, come over and take a picture with us. I'm just kidding. Alan.
They could. And they'd take turns. They could get the collaboration badge. Sophia.
Sorry. The camera's not recording. Okay. Sorry, no problem.
How about another big round of applause? Congratulations, guys.
So I will say to give a special acknowledgement to the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, the parents. I had the pleasure of being Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 94 for a number of years. And the time and energy that's put in for the programming and to take care of every Tuesday night, meeting and prepping out for all the camping outings and events. And spending time at Yagu. The work that you guys do is phenomenal. So a special thanks also to the parents and the Scout leaders. So thank you very much.
Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you, guys, each and every one of you. See you at the parade, guys. Yep. See you there.
But I think you all have to stay for an hour in order to get the merit badge, if I believe is correct. And the clock is ticking.
We were discussing their goal. They're looking to get 300 pounds of unwanted medications. And if that sounds like a lot, I want you to know that they're almost at their goal of 15,000 pounds in the last 10 years. That's a lot of medication. They do a great job. This keeps the medications out of the hands of people that should not have them, or teens or children, and also keeps them out of our waterways so they're not flushed down the toilet and get into the water systems. So that's a big day coming up. Stop May 30th at the CAP Medication Take Back. Also, I'd like to mention that the CAP March, just so everybody, if you don't know, CAP is the Community Awareness Program. It's about teaching children in the school district how to stay away from drugs and lead healthy, safe lives, drugs and alcohol and other bad things. So the CAP March is going to be on June 5th. And if you have not attended, I would really highly recommend it to everybody in the community. We're going to be there. We're going to be able to come on out and march with the kids. It is amazing. They all have their shirts drug free. And it's a great day. It's a great community day. And I really recommend everybody come on out and support the youth in our town in this. And Supervisor, I have one more announcement in that regard. Good. That's all right. Okay. And that is that on June 16th, our town board is going to be honoring 16 seniors that have been participating in CAP throughout their school years. And I think it's a great way to celebrate our youth. youth in our community that are giving back to their community. And we just want to know if anybody else wants to come on down and help us celebrate what they do for our community, the children that are now seniors that have been in the CAP program all these years. I think, oh, and one last thing. I'm sorry. I'm normally, I'm just full of them tonight. And lastly, we also, the town is participating. We have a program where you can purchase online on our website, composters, composters and rain barrels. And if you do that now, you'll be able to collect it. You purchase it online and you would get it at the Young's Avenue facility on June 13th from 9 to 3 p.m. And that's fantastic because that helps keep our sanitation costs down by people not throwing away all their trash and learning how to compost. We had a work session a couple of weeks ago where we spoke about how you do, how you can do that. And we had a work session a couple of weeks ago where we spoke about how you compost and keep these different items in your backyard to help fertilize your lawns, your gardens. So I'd recommend everybody, if you haven't gone and purchased a composter or a rain barrel yet, you can still do so. And June 13th, you'll pick them up at, from 9 to 3 p.m. at the Young's Avenue yard. Okay, that's it. I'm finally done. Thank you, Councilwoman. Anyone else have anything right now? Yes, I do. Okay. So on behalf of the Veterans Advisory Committee, so in conjunction with the VFW and the American Legion, as we know, we're coming up on March 1st. Memorial Day weekend. And so we will have a Memorial Day parade here in the town of Riverhead. And I do also want to thank that this past weekend, we did plant an additional eight veterans trees in honor or memory of veterans that served here. And so they have been planted and put in place at Veterans Memorial Park. So come by and stop. And we kind of, we've been so successful. We moved some of the trees over to just outside the dog park in the Pickleball Courts. And it's a beautiful setting. And we're going to be doing a lot of work on that. And so I'd like to thank the�� that made the ultimate sacrifice and so that when we're having barbecues in a day off from work that I ask each of you to just take a few minutes to pause and reflect and what Memorial Day is truly about honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice and just take some time out over more of the weekend and please join us for parade festivities as we celebrate those that gave their lives for us and we honor them in the best way possible so thank you and that parade starts at Court Street 9 a.m. Monday and also Monday the Calverton National 12 o'clock there will be the formal service that they do every year to honor all of those that have given the ultimate sacrifice to those that have served and don't forget the fourth before the fourth will be here June will be here the warm weather today we have so make sure you check that out as we celebrate America's 250th birthday together we are super super excited about all of the things to celebrate our great nation so with that said and we don't have any other announcements we'll move into our first public hearing tonight it is right now at 614 our first public the Capitol in the afternoon and then we will be back at the Capitol in the [transcription gap] tonight to hold a public hearing pursuant to the eminent domain law regarding the acquisition by the town through eminent domain of property located at 111 East Main Street the reputed owner of the property is a place of learning Inc the purpose of this hearing is to discuss the purpose of the acquisition the public purpose for it and we're going to hear first from uh Owen Thomas who is the our Community Development director she's going to explain to the board and to the public the public purpose of the acquisition and after her address we have another person who will address another issue but we'll first turn it over to Dawn if that's okay absolutely thank you hello everyone uh can you hear me yes okay great um the town of Riverhead has been actively attempting to revitalize downtown for over 30 years this process began in earnest in 1993 when the town board designated East Main Street pursuant to article 15 of the New York State General Municipal law as an urban renewal area a designation that provides a host of revitalization tools intended to facilitate the removal of blighted and underutilized buildings and to facilitate development and reinvestment these tools include nope sorry ways to address blight and deterioration promoting clearance re-planning reconstruction and redevelopment and to foster public private partnerships in bringing projects in development that will improve these areas the plan gave the town the power to plan, undertake, and manage urban renewal projects, and to use these powers for public use essential for public interest for which public funds may be expended. Since 1993, there have been more than 20 formal revitalization plans intended to ignite economic vitality in our downtown. Each of these plans had its own purpose, but many reached the same conclusions about the elements and concepts needed to make our downtown a thriving place in the community. These plans include the 1993 Urban Renewal Plan, its 2008 update, the 2016 Brownfield Opportunity Area Study with its creative placemaking supplement, to name a few. All were intended to make our East Main Street area vibrant, the vibrant, activated local business district we all know it can be. All of these studies were completed with public engagement, including many public meetings, surveys, polls, websites, and other activities. Workshops where members of the public were able to express their visions of the downtown that they wanted to see. Time and time again, the idea of connecting Main Street to the river and preventing flooding were identified as top priorities. The public continually and consistently expressed desire to create an activated public space with open views of the river where they could visit a playground, attend an event, exercise, walk a dog, shop, spend time with friends, dine outdoors, and generally just enjoy the view of the river. This was a great idea. The idea was to create a public space where everyone could enjoy the historic downtown the way we all know it can be. In other words, the downtown should be a place for everyone, the ultimate public purpose. In 2018, the town finally got a real foothold into implementing this long-expressed desire to open up Main Street to the riverfront through the creation of a new public space, a town square connecting Main Street to Heidi Bear Way with a grant from New York State for $800,000. Since that time, the town has invested literally thousands of hours, advancing the town square project, acquiring properties, removing blighted, vacant, and underutilized buildings, creating a temporary public space, engaging in public-private partnerships, designing the details of all of its components, and obtaining more than $40 million in funding for the various projects to the point where we should be, within just a few weeks, issuing building permits for its construction. The town square project is at its very essence a public purpose. Consistent with the urban renewal plan in 1993, it will remove blight, vacancy, and deterioration from the heart of our downtown and provide new public spaces for residents and visitors and economic development that will revitalize and support the long-term economic and physical health of the Riverhead community through public-private partnership. The town square is intended to become a focal point of public activation in downtown. Its components include an adaptive playground, a splash pad, and public events-based space for large and small events of all kinds, a veterans memorial space, a water feature, places to dine outdoors, hold an exercise class, art show, musical performances, and provide a gathering space for special or holiday events. It's a place we could all be proud of and enjoy. The town square project has benefited from financial support and government partnership through New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative, New York State Empire State Development, New York State Historic Preservation Office, and Suffolk County, and has received the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, particularly for flood mitigation analysis and plans. The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council found it to be a project of regional significance in 2021. The project also involves a public-private partnership that will activate the east side of the town square with a new $30 million Hilton Tapestry Hotel, whose first floor will provide retail space, food and beverage offerings adjacent to the town square's public space, while providing needed hotel rooms for all of the east end. The activation plan created in 2022 by Phil Myrick, the former CEO of the Project for Public Spaces who was engaged by the town, emphasized that in order to be successful, all surrounding ground floor uses in the town square should reinforce the theme of family entertainment, local unique retail, and arts and culture. All of the town square renderings and public engagement sessions envisioned both sides of the town square providing this essential activation and generating foot traffic throughout downtown. In 2021, the Town of Riverhead purchased and ultimately removed three vacant, underutilized, and or derelict buildings, 117, 121, and 127 East Main Street, to begin building the town square project. These properties are now the temporary grassy area directly across from the Suffolk, and the location for the private hotel developments that's to come. The entire length of the former Sweezy's Department Store at 111 East Main Street, which sits along the west side of the town square, has been vacant, deteriorated, substandard, and blighted for well over 20 years. Nothing has been done to improve its appearance, odor, or rotting facade. That property was purchased by its current owner seven years ago, approximately seven years ago. In 2020, the owner proposed a large, rich, and ! redevelopment of the property, including a second-floor planetarium. The plan also included a first-floor, 2400-square-foot restaurant, makerspace gallery of 400 square foot, a gift shop of 800 square foot, and its main entrance all facing the town square. This project proposed the investment of $13.5 million, and the owner represented that the project was intended to, consistent with the town's downtown activation plan, quote, open up the solid wall facing east and commercial space within the existing footprint while activating and enhancing the new town square. Over the last seven years, the town's projects have moved ahead and are now ready to begin. As I mentioned earlier, it took thousands of hours of time to get to this point. The town hired consultants, including landscape architects, environmental consultants, flood mitigation engineers, surveyors, architects, engineers, and economic consultants to help conceptualize and finalize designs, and ultimately create construction drawings for these projects. The town also developed a partnership with a private developer for the creation of a hotel, a $30 million private investment into the project, which was recommended in the market study that the town commissioned in 2022 as part of the reactivation plan, and is supported by urban renewal law. Plans for drainage, sewer, water, electric, landscaping, play equipment, hotel interface, fire action, and other activities were also discussed by the project's project manager. The project's project manager, Mr.
David S. !
The project manager, Mr. David S. was the first person to be appointed as the project manager, and he was also the first person to be appointed as the project manager. In April of 2025, the town board began eminent domain proceedings to acquire the building for public use. On April 10th, at a town board work session, the representatives of the property owner appeared before the town board, requesting that the proceeding be suspended and that the entity be permitted to advance a substantially smaller version of the project, about half of what was originally planned, and represented as a planned project. The project was not fully planned, but in phases, albeit without a specific timeframe. The representatives gave repeated assertions that the planned first phase would be completed with the east side prepared for the necessary openings and eventual entrance onto the town square, and that the structure would be modified so that it was prepared for an eventual second story to support the planned planetarium. The representatives promised an August 2025 grand opening for the first phase. The town board was also prepared for a second story to support the planned planetarium. The representatives promised an August 2025 grand opening for the first phase. The town board agreed and provided the owner the time requested. However, for the following entire year, the building remained vacant and blighted. In April of 2026, the town board, seeking an update, requested the group back to explain its lack of progress. Instead of providing an update, the representatives advanced an even smaller plan for the project, now 80% smaller than the original plan, leaving the entire east side of the building as a blank wall and renovating only the front half of the first floor and the front of the building. No timeframe was provided for any future phases or plan to activate the town square as promised. What came to light at that meeting and through further research was that the entity was experiencing financial difficulties and could not promise that the funding was available to complete the 20% reduced size project. It was also learned that the owners had a $1.1 million dollar mortgage. The project was also
a $1.5 million dollar mortgage and a mechanics lien of $13.5 thousand dollars. Representatives described the entity at that time as a vulnerable not-for-profit. The plans are no longer in line with the need for activation on the town square. The property is an essential component and is key to the long-term success of the overall town square project as expressed in the many plans and by the members of the public that participated in those plans for over the last seven years. The vacant, blighted, and renovated town square site, the blighted and deteriorated building at 111 East Main Street remains in the same dilapidated condition that it was in 2019 in the heart of our downtown. The owner recently sought to move forward with a much smaller plan, the minor interior fit out and a facade improvement but again the timeframe for the long-term activation plan was not specified or identified. Long-standing planning principles require successful public spaces to be activated. Allowing a brick wall to exist on the entire west side of the town square will prevent the activation necessary for the success of this major public project. Moreover, the existence of this long, blighted, vacant, dilapidated eyesore to remain in the center of our Main Street business district does more than prevent the activation we need, it actually repels people. The town square is a creative placemaking project with a strong public purpose. It is intended to attract people, to it for activities, offerings, events, performances, markets, relaxation and as a connection to the Peconic River that hasn't ever existed. As our consultant Phil Myrick expressed, both sides of the town square need to be activated in this way to fulfill the public purpose of the town square project. A blank brick wall running along the entire west side will make it difficult for the town square project to be successful. The opportunity for a successful town square project hinges on activation and the current owner's plans provide none. The town is on the precipice of meaningful revitalization after waiting for over 30 years. While the redevelopment concept proposed by the owner of 111 East Main Street provided in 2020 with the planned 24,000 square foot and $13.5 million investment might have fulfilled the activation necessary for the town square to fulfill its public purpose the current plan actually hinders it, ensuring that the millions of dollars in public investment in this public project is protected and due to its critical location in the center of downtown and directly on the town square requires that the town manage the future of its development. Accordingly, the community development department is recommending the acquisition of the building to ensure that what is constructed in the location maximizes the public purpose that the town square is being created to provide. That concludes my comments. Thank you, Dawn. Just for the record for the public as well, on the podium here, there is an outline of the public hearing for you to look at or take with you when you leave, and there's also a copy of the survey of the property that is to be acquired if the board decides to go forward with the acquisition. In addition to that, in the notices and in the public notices that have been published in this case, the town board has acted as lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and has performed a complete review of it and determined that this project, the acquisition here, would not Thank you, Dawn.
And therefore, a negative declaration has been issued. We do have here Mr. Seaman, who's our environmental consultant, I think. Oh, there he is. Who's just going to talk very, very briefly about one little piece of the environmental package that's involved in the acquisitions, particularly of this property.
And I think I'm going to stop there. I'LL JUST COME BACK FOR A MINUTE AND THEN WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC.
THANK YOU, MR. EISLER AND DAWN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. SUPERVISOR, MEMBERS OF THE TOWN BOARD, FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JEFFREY SEAMAN. I'M THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF CONDUCTING THE SECRET REVIEW FOR ALL OF THE DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PROJECTS. BRIEF HISTORY TAKES US BACK TO NOVEMBER OF 2024 WHEN THE TOWN BOARD INITIATED THE PROJECT DESCRIBING IT AS A TYPE ONE ACTION UNDER CHAPTER 225 OF THE TOWN CODE SUBSECRETARY OF THE TOWN BOARD. IT WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY ACTION 10 WHICH IS QUOTED AS ACTIONS INVOLVING COMMERCIAL OR MULTIFAMILY USE WITHIN A TOWN OF RIVERHEAD HISTORIC DISTRICT OR LOCATED WITHIN 500 FEET OF THE DISTRICT BOUNDARY ARE BY DE FACTO TYPE ONE ACTIONS. THAT BROUGHT US TO COMPLETE A COORDINATED REVIEW, A PART 1, 2, AND 3 FULL ENVIRONMENTAL MINIGATION CAR��TIVES AND A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME TO DETERMINE WHAT THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS MIGHT BE AND WHAT THE PROPOSED MINIGATION WOULD BE. ADDITIONALLY THE TOWN ELECTED TO SEGMENT AND REVIEW WHICH IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL BUT IT IS PERMITTED UNDER SECTION 617, PART 2 AND THE GENERAL RULES PROVIDING U.S. CAR��TIVES AND CAR��TIVES AND CAR��TIVES AND CAR��TIVES AND CAR��TIVES AND CAR��TIVES AND you segment that review for a justifiable reason. In the case of the downtown projects, they were all at different stages of funding, development, design, and so it was decided it would best to review these collectively and then individually at the time of site plan and allow the lead agency, the town board, to take another look at exactly what the impacts would be of each project and how they would interrelate among all the projects themselves. So in March of 2025, the town issued its finding statement, which resulted in a negative declaration. With respect to 111 East Main Street, it was originally planned as an acquisition under eminent domain, and so originally... I'll read that section relevant to the acquisition and its involvement with CEQA. The town's intent is to acquire the site whereby the town can proceed with the downtown revitalization and flood mitigation efforts. The revitalization is compliant with urban renewal needs and is consistent with New York State coastal policies. The implementation of the proposed action will improve the quality of life in a proposed environmental district, and will improve the quality of life in the local justice area. Therefore, there are strong social, safety, and economic benefits achieved by proceeding with the proposed action. There is also the practical importance of flood mitigation necessary to protect public and private property and provide coastal resiliency of the downtown to address significant adverse impacts generated by major storm events, sea level rise, the shallow depth of groundwater, all which contribute to the development of a new urban development. Thank you. [transcription gap] The town board has the authority and power to acquire this property for the public purpose of making sure that it is incorporated into this master development of this open space and wonderful public area that's planned and being developed. This is clearly a public purpose for the eminent domain acquisition and would be something that would be within your authority to decide to do should you decide to do it. Just for the record, the notice of this hearing, both in the newspaper and on the owners, have been filed with the clerk, so they're part of the record of this hearing and I would now sit down and let the public. Thank you, Mr. Eisler. So, again, ladies and gentlemen, the public, we're going to open it up and online and we just ask when you come to the microphone that you speak clearly, please state your name and what hamlet or where you're from. So, we'd like to open it up to the floor and to anyone else online if we have that available to us now. So, I would like to speak just a few minutes. Excuse me. Our turn. I got the day. You can speak first, sure. Go right ahead. So, again, if you'd like to come up, we ask that you be, that you say it and that you speak into the microphone, say where you're from and your name and then you have a moment to speak. So, if not, I will allow the councilman to speak. I got the time. Not in a rush. So, I just want to clarify that the town board is conducting this hearing. Yes, he can speak. So, the order of the agenda will be determined by the town board. I understand. No worries. Cindy Clifford, Harder Riverhead Civic Association and also speaking as a resident. First of all, I'd like to know if Ms. Thomas would submit her overview of her corrections. I mean, there are a lot of erroneous and exaggerated facts in what she's saying. I think that probably the Long Island Science Center would like to respond to some of those. We always hear about owners' rights. Property owners have every right to develop as they see fit as long as it's a fit with our zoning or they can get variances as exceptions. Kudos to the zoning board for recognizing an ambulance facility does not fit the shopping center zoning. Yet, in spite of the many dilapidated and deserted structures downtown and throughout the town, including the old armory, the board has rarely interceded out of concern for safety, or to defend against any detriment to the surrounding neighborhood or beyond. Those properties are left alone, untouched, unhampered by having to hold to any codes or standards, except when the town has some personal interest in a specific property. In this case, against the will of the owner, wants to place ownership in someone else's hands. Also, it's my understanding that legally, just saying this is for public use is not going to cut it. You have to have a specific public use, a specific destination for the property. But anyway, I'm not a lawyer, he's a lawyer. That should not solely be up to five board members, or in this case, three, when there is solid opposition from the community. We understand the board is imbued with the ability to make decisions on behalf of the residents, but what about when the residents don't agree? Then the question becomes, if you're not working on our behalf, whose behalf are you working on? Four years ago, board members wanting to grant space to Peconic Hockey League claimed Stotsky Park soccer fields were unused. But a drive to Stotsky on a weekend found the fields actively in use by dozens of teams that were paying fees to the rec department for the use. This time, we're told the Science Center had done nothing since last spring. In response, they submitted 92 pages substantiating a year's worth of working with town departments. A little investigating would have taken that argument off the table, yet we're still here making the case why the entire board should be joining Supervisor Halpin and Councilman Kern and the local residents in support of this project. At our site, we have a list of the projects that have been submitted.
Our civic meeting Saturday, we were listing the many benefits of the Science Center returning to Main Street. I'm not going to go into what taking it would cost either taxpayers or your reputations. For me, the biggest benefit is it will enhance our downtown revitalization. And hasn't that been the great goal all along? As an interesting and active magnet, it'll draw visitors from the aquarium, bring residents downtown, result in the long-promised foot traffic and town square ambiance that will drive customers and revenue towards the city. It'll also generate ongoing, positive publicity for Riverhead and offer us something no other East End town can boast. And it's not a franchise or corporate business. It's a local, community-based, not-for-profit, providing unmatchable entertaining and educational opportunities not just for students, but for families, adults, and seniors. As a former tenant in the Science Center 11 West Main Street building, I saw firsthand how engaging their programming is. The presentations, the temporary exhibits, the permanent stations were even for me wildly fun. And we'd often hear the kids laughing as they were learning and playing, coming together. I cannot imagine anything other than full board support as the Long Island Science Center would return to downtown. Thank you. Laura Jen Smith, Good Evening Supervisor and members of the Town Board. I believe this eminent domain process is premature, incomplete, and raises serious questions that the public deserves answers to before the town proceeds any further. The Science Center did not purchase this property in opposition to the town's downtown vision. It purchased it with the town's encouragement and support. The town supported grant applications describing the Science Center as a downtown activation use and community benefit tied directly to revitalization efforts. Laura Jen Smith, Good Evening Supervisor and members of the Town Board. I believe this eminent domain process is premature, incomplete, and raises serious questions when invested in this property. At the same time, redevelopment planning for the building has been dependent upon elevations, infrastructure coordination, and design information connected to the larger town square project. Information that still has not been fully finalized or provided. So before this board considers condemnation, the public deserves to know why the town is now changing course. And I think there is a larger issue here that cannot be ignored. There have been increasing public discussions and speculations regarding outside commercial interests and destination style redevelopment. Concepts connected to this area of downtown. Whether those discussions are formal or informal, whether they involve developers, tourist attractions, or other private entities, the public deserves transparency. If conversations have already occurred regarding alternative private development opportunities for this site. Then those discussions are highly needed. And the city this. What development discussions have occurred, who has been involved, whether alternative uses have been identified, and whether this process is truly about public necessity or about clearing a site for a preferred private redevelopment opportunity. These are all fair questions that you need to ask yourself before moving forward with eminent domain. As a member of the public, we ask why is eminent domain being considered before final development plans are completed? Why has integration not been fully explored into this area with with a science center for downtown? And why is acquisition suddenly necessary now after years of public support for the organization that has purchased this site? At this point the record just feels incomplete to move ahead with eminent domain. The town has not demonstrated that this property is abandoned, blighted, or without public value. In fact, the opposite appears to be Thank you. true. The organization continues to provide to the community benefit benefit while attempting to navigate a redevelopment process tied to town controlled decision planning. Eminent domain is one of the most serious powers government possesses. It should not move forward based on speculation, shifting priorities, or redevelopment concepts that the public have not been fully seen or evaluated. So before this process continues, the community deserves complete transparency, finalized planning information, and a clear demonstration that the condemnation is truly necessary, not just preferable. Thank you. Ms. Jen Smith, I have a question. I just have a question. Is it your position that has not been a vacant building for the last six years? Is that what you just testified to? That it has not been a vacant building? Yes. It's an owner-occupied building. It's an vacant building. It's not occupied. It's not occupied in any way, shape, or form. It's an owner-owned building. It's an owner-owned. It's an entity. My question only is, isn't that a vacant building? No one is conducting business in that building, right? I believe that they've gone in and done inspections there. I believe they had asked the town for elevation so that they could move forward with their planning process. I don't think those have been provided by the town. It's my understanding that they've even engaged with the same builder as the town square, and he has not been able to provide their building. Thank you. Oh, thank you. whatever the elevations so that they can move ahead with their site plan. So I think there's a synergy to these two projects, and I think that's what the town intended originally. And I think that while one may be moving faster than the other, I think that synergy still has value to the community. And before moving forward with condemnation, that that should be explored to its fullest extent. And the town square has not been, well, the site plan isn't even finalized yet. So to ask another entity to be able to put forward plans prior to what the town is even doing, I think is premature. I'm not saying that, and I'm not saying that eventually this may not be where you end up. What I'm saying is I ask this board to take a pause because it is premature at this point when you don't have all of these things in place. Ms. Jen Smith, I'll ask you again. Hasn't this been a vacant building for the last six years? It's been a vacant building for 30 years when a different owner owned it, and the town actually went in and inspected those buildings. Then they went back and they repaired those buildings. When those buildings were repaired, they were sold. And isn't it that it has not conducted any business in the last? I'm just, I'm asking. I'm not the owner of the science center, so I think those funds would be best directed to somebody who's representing the science center so they can tell you exactly what they're doing. I know they submitted a 90-page document to you. I don't have that before me if you want to ask specific questions about anything, but I would refer you to that 90-page document to see what they have done over that time. No, Ms. Jess Smith, I'm merely asking it because a moment ago you made representations about it being occupied. What was the representation? I meant that it was occupied. No, I said that the science center is still in this town. They still have a place over at Tanger. They're still conducting their educational services. They're still doing their work. They're still conducting their community outreach. They're still meeting with schools. They're still functioning as a science center that has value to this community. That's what I said. I did not say anything about what is going on in the building. As I said, please refer to the document. You mean the 111? You mean the 111 building, correct? You don't know what's going on in there. Well, you do. You have the 90 pages. Did you read it? I'm asking you. You're asking me. I don't have the document. I'm just asking about a clarification of your remarks. I'm not asking you. I'm asking you. Thank you for your comments. So, did you want to speak? Let me see that. How long do the Boy Scouts have to stay? They'll all look for overhead. They have to be here for one hour. Yeah, one hour. Just so we're all aware, the Boy Scouts need to be here for an hour. And so we want to thank you for this. Thank you guys again for your service. Just wanted to say. They asked. Yeah, they're getting a badge for this. Okay, good. You wanted somebody to ask. So, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt you. Good. Okay. Eminent domain should be off the table. Again, why? Because the last time you claimed that the building was falling apart, an independent engineer was called in and found that the building was not falling apart, contrary to your opinion. So, the town board claiming eminent domain, as the citizen spoke up the last time, the science center has been working with Petrocelli, the master developer for the town, as their contractor and the team that is working on the town square and his hotel. They did this thinking that it would bring continuity and transfer of information with the town to get their project moving and, as was just said, to even know what the elevation of the front door would be, but without any information, even that cannot happen. But there has been no communication. And so you claim, and now here we are again with you threatening eminent domain. If you really meant to take eminent domain, you're going to have to go to the police station. You're going to have to go to the police station. And you're going to have to take eminent domain off the table. The ethical thing to do would have been to reach out to the science center and ask for what the progress was. The science center is an important asset to Riverhead and especially a vibrant downtown, a real place to bring families and not just tourists as you seem to be so afraid of those people. It is important educational hub tapped into by the schools and by parents wanting their children to learn. It is also a learning and training hub for the community. opportunity for adults and seniors to gain technical skills for jobs and just being able to function in a world where technology rules so we ask you clearly state the intended public use for 111 Main Street before advancing eminent any eminent domain action on May 21st so that the community can evaluate the proposal based on a transparent public plan wouldn't that be novel anyway you just all so you want things to be for the local people and not for those people that would be coming from somewhere and invading our town yet what do you think a boutique hotel is going to bring local people going to boutique hotels spending $150 for lunch I don't think so anyway thank you so just to correct some of the comments that are made you our consultants have been in continuous contact with the Science Center the building has been listed for sale multiple times and so and in addition flood mitigation is a major issue that no one's talking about which is the development of the entire town square and other projects towards protecting and following the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers and so many of you feel as though the town is is like rushing to judgment but I've been here for five and a half years in five and a half years when I came in and I sat down with Larry Oxman when I first arrived here and he had these magnificent plans of the Science Center and I was a very excited about it and he had a great vision but visions cost money buildings cost money to renovate to build and and after one year two year his vision seemed to continuously change and it seemed to be simplified and simplified as years went on they currently have made no progress in terms of their their mortgage on the property they have liens on the property yet a great opportunity before you that the town supported to do the jumpstart grant but in order to do jumpstart grant they would have had to it's a reimbursement grant the Science Center would have had to laid out and built a million dollars into the structure in order to get that million dollars back so as much as we all sit here tonight and we all want to be positive for the Science Center the Science Center is not down there the Science Center is up and running it's up at the Tango Mall when it was in another location downtown I loved it I took my kids there I wish they could be down there but there is no financial pathway for them to be down there because you don't have the funding to go forward and when you're offered a million dollar grant and no action is taken and we sat here a year ago and we gave them a second chance because we wanted them to succeed but I sat here during a work session I asked the question how much money have you raised over the last year and it was zero zero so we've gotten nowhere so this is not when a 92 page suddenly arrives and suddenly there's a revitalization there's no funding there's no financial pathway for them to move forward I hope that should we vote on the condamnation that we put money back in their pocket I want to see them downtown I think they need to make another simplified location where they could reestablish themselves with a less cost of overhead because I just financially it's not viable there's no funding it's not possible it's not possible it's not possible it's not there to make this project go forward. And I think that they have to be straightforward because when we sat here in a work session we asked them and their response was we have no time for fundraising. So how do we move forward? How do you build a 14 million dollar building with no money? As much as we all want it, as much as it is a beautiful project, without funding it doesn't happen. It's a reality. We can't buy a house with no money. I yield the floor. Go ahead. Sorry, sir. So just again, your name and where you're from, please. Thank you. I am Mike Dubois. I'm with the Heart of Riverhead Civic Association and a trustee with the Riverhead Public Library. I'll be reading a letter composed by a longtime Riverhead resident, Garrett Moore. He couldn't be here tonight because he's attending the concert at the Riverhead High School. Garrett is a social studies teacher also at the Riverhead High School and the students couldn't be here. tonight either because of that. Dear Supervisor Halpin and members of the Riverhead Town Board, I will not be able to attend tonight's hearing on the Science Center as I will be attending the spring concert at Riverhead High School. Please consider the following to express my support for the Science Center. Many of the places my parents took me to as a child included educational experiences. Now with the child of my own, my family trips always include something to broaden my son's horizons. Ms. !
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upon their lives and their future careers. The Long Island Aquarium has been an excellent employer for local youth and has provided them with experience to move on to future jobs. I envision the Science Center providing the same opportunities to our youth. My son is in the Smart Physics program at Riverhead High School, and I have several students who are members of the Science Olympiads. The Science Center has the opportunity to provide these students with career opportunities that are leaps and bounds beyond retail. All reports indicate that science, engineering, and artificial intelligence are going to be increasingly important professions in the near future. The Science Center can open doors to these professions while helping our town's senior citizen population learn the basics of our rapidly changing technological world. Thank you for your time. In support of the Science Center, sincerely, Garrett Moore, Riverhead High School social studies teacher, United States Coast Guard licensed captain. And on a personal note, having worked for Brookhaven National Laboratory and my wife being a hypersonics engineer, I can tell you firsthand the importance of science and technology for the country, for New York, and for Riverhead. And we ask that you work with the science and technology department. We are committed to helping the students and the community to make this happen. Thank you. Mr. DuBois? I'd just like to point out that the Science Center does exist over at the Tanger Outlet. It is located in Riverhead currently. There are places for children to go to advance in sciences. It's just not ever opened over there at the town square. But it does exist in Riverhead when it's open. I'm aware of that. Okay. Thank you. I think that there's a little bit of a disconnect. We are not against the Science Center. As Councilman Rothwell pointed out, he took his children there. I took my children there. The Science Center is a great asset. This is about the blighted building at 111 East Main Street. I've spoken with many of you with environmental concerns for other aspects throughout the town of Riverhead. And when we listen to the environmental expert talk about the issues, the runoff and the flooding and all the things that are environmentally poor for this particular area, I don't hear anybody addressing that. And I don't understand why. Because the environment is so important here in Riverhead. Where is that concern? It's not about the Science Center. It's about 111 East Main Street. And I see in the back of our town board room, there's a little bit of a discussion. We have a number of business owners that are gathered here tonight. And they have asked me, for the five and a half years that I have the honor and the privilege to sit up here, when is this activation point going to take place? When will the town square be completed? When will we have our saving grace to put patrons in our restaurants, to put foot traffic on our streets, to put people into our retail stores? And a blighted, empty building does not help them in any way, shape or form. help them in any way shape or form and we've made promises to to revitalize downtown Riverhead and this is one of the most crucial locations adjacent to our town square it is the central focal activation point and again the Science Center has not chosen been able to prove any type of financial viability to move forward and we owe it to the businesses downtown that suffer on a daily basis waiting for that day when will the new town square be built when will revitalization begin and we owe it to them and that's why we stand before us I hope that the Science Center will continue their activities whether it be a Tanger or to find a simpler place downtown so they can be closer to the foot traffic that will be created by the new town square but we owe it to those businesses who have been asking and stood before this board for many years when will you help us survive and that's what this project is about and that's what we're doing. That's why we need to take certain paths to move forward because we owe it to our downtown businesses we promise revitalization and that is what we intend to do.
Hi good evening, Talke Church and Greater Calvert and Civic Association. Thank you Ms. Waske for bringing up the environment. We do support creating proper runoff, getting rid of blighted buildings, protecting our environment in our town. Tonight that's [transcription gap] But you haven't told us what you intend to put there. It doesn't make a lot of sense to get rid of a blighted building, purchase it with town funds, get rid of it without a replacement. And if you have a replacement in mind, that needs to be brought forward before you make the full decision. Your judgment needs to include that. Without it, it's incomplete and immature. Premature and immature. Thank you. So I'd like to just... And after how many more years would you still sit in this room and feel that way? After how many more years do we continue to sit in this room and see a still vacant blighted building with no actions taken before you would feel different? I've been having this conversation for five and a half years. Yes. One of the councilmen wanted to speak. Oh, no, go ahead. Okay. Go ahead. Thank you, Bob. Angela DeVito, South Jamesport. Having listened to... Councilman Rothwell talk about that this is a vision for survival of downtown businesses that exist, have existed, and have held on all of these years in downtown, as well as the new envisioned ones. I'd like to know, is your next step going to be eminent domain of the West Marine, former West Marine building, which is just right next door to the property that we're talking about? I hope so. Are you looking at every building downtown for eminent domain at this particular point so that there's... I hope so. ...a vision for downtown revitalization can be complete and completed and so that we're not sitting here five and a half years later talking about the same stuff. Can you let us know if that's what your plan is? Thank you.
I just want to say this. I mean, I don't know how long ago it was. It must have been about three months ago. And this entire town board saw a presentation. Great rendering. Great rendering of the Science Center. All of us were excited to move forward. The question that comes to us and should come to all of you, if you want ice cream and you have no money, are you going to get it? How are you going to get ice cream? You want a Science Center, there's no money, so how are we going to get it? I hate to be that simple, but I don't know how to make it any clearer. The funding is not there. So how long do you want us to wait? Five years? Ten years? You know, help us out here. We all supported the Science Center. The question becomes, and I appreciate the gentleman from B&L, I'm on a committee there. I love science. I wanted this more than anything. I don't have the money to give to the Science Center to make it happen. Who does? Where is it? I think there's a big gap here, and I don't know how to fill it. Thank you.
So to answer your question, you spoke about West Marine Building. There is an active site plan that has been presented before the town board, and it has a mixed usage in that, and so there is an ongoing plan that is submitted to develop that particular building, and so we have never had any discussions about condemnation in any way. That's an active developer interested in pursuing that project there. You asked the question. I'll give you the answer. Well, this hearing is, right now, you can talk about that in open discussion. This is about the building that's in place. We can answer questions. Supervisors, they have questions, we'll answer them. Sure. So I believe we have one online. Good evening. This is Ron Hariri. I agree with the earlier speakers that despite all the good efforts of Dawn Thomas and her team, in this case, you have failed to really articulate the public opinion that you have. I think that's a good point. I think that the domain in taking this building will benefit the taxpayers of our town of Riverhead. In addition, I continue to be troubled by the potential cost to taxpayers of this particular purchase. We know that the crafted building has ended up costing the town millions and millions of dollars, not to include the time and effort of the able town employees that are involved in that project. This particular building is many times the size. It will ultimately cost many, many millions of dollars. I think before you proceed, you need to have an understanding of how all the pieces fit in, what the ultimate cost to taxpayers will be, what the timing will be. And I think you also need to seriously consider whether the Petrocelli Hotel project can even proceed. I know it's now been months and months since there's been no closing. That usually spells some trouble. But can that even proceed and be a successful project in the event that all of these additional pieces in this town square project cannot happen because of the potential cost? And I think what is also important to understand is that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to make sure that the construction of this town square project is a successful project. And I think that's something that we need to consider is whatever analysis, whatever projections were made years ago in terms of getting grants, those costs have probably double, tripled, or quadrupled in this economy right now. And when we have sky-high inflation, five or six or seven dollars gas, you really should not be asking the taxpayers of this town, which is the poorest and most overtaxed town on Long Island. To subsidize another project without understanding all of the different points that need to come into play to make it a successful project. Thank you for your time. So just a correction on some of his remarks by Mr. Harairi. We purchased the building. We did not condemn it. We had a condemnation on the lease only, and that cost us 2.8 million, and it was sold for 2.8 million, therefore not costing the taxpayers any money. So just a correction.
for the record we did not spend millions of dollars on craft project it was an equal trade good evening jones sear from james port thank you for the opportunity tonight i want to see downtown revitalized i want it to be a destination place for for me for residents for my friends i want to you know say to people let's meet up downtown i think that'd be great you know i i'm an old timer here i miss swizzies and woolworths and all shopping downtown but that ship has sailed it's gone you know we rezone 58 and that's where the stores went um and i was surprised and and saddened to hear that we've been working on this revitalization project for more than 30 years like don said and and i hadn't realized it had been that long um and i applaud the small businesses um who have invested their money and their life and their heart in downtown riverhead i give you tremendous credit because you know it's a leap of faith really and and you know i want you to succeed um but i i guess i have a couple of questions and some concerns about this this hearing and how some of the things are handled first of all if if the town condemns this and acquires it through eminent domain how where's the funds coming from is that tax dollars or is that is that a grant that's going to pay for that it would have to be uh transferred in and be tax dollars it would be tax dollars so the taxpayers [transcription gap] It has apartment buildings here and hotels there and restaurants here and maybe some green space there and an amphitheater over here and a playground there, but there's been nothing specific said for what's going to happen with this parcel. And I really believe that per New York state law, you really needed to say exactly what this parcel is going to be used for. It'll outline the purpose, proposed location or alternate locations of the public project. And so I feel like the public notice for the hearing was vague and some of the explanation has been a bit vague and I would urge you to table this until you can be more specific about that. The next question that I have is, will the site be left as open space or is the intention of the town to resell it and have it developed? And again, that goes into what is a town square project? Town square to me is an open space, but it's clearly not just an open space in Riverhead, it's hotels and it's restaurants and so forth. So what is the intended use of this project, of this parcel? And again, that answer has not been given. So help me understand then, if you acquire the land and then you redevelop it, how does that help support the goal that Don Thomas said? That people want access to the river and river views. So if we're putting another building on it, you're cutting off the view. This is how I understand it. So maybe you can help me to understand that. The other thing I don't quite understand is how does development, if you sell it and it's developed by somebody, which expands the impervious surface areas, how does that help flood mitigation? I always thought like green areas were better for flood mitigation, that the water could go back into the ground. But I'm no expert. So these are the kinds of things that I don't understand because there hasn't been a specific purpose stated for this specific parcel. Eminent domain is a very powerful tool. And I urge you to share with the public the specific public benefit project component for this parcel. In my opinion, for example, developing another hotel does not provide benefit to the majority of residents. It benefits outsiders. Now I know outsiders come to our small businesses. But if we're doing this for a public purpose, your public, the residents of Riverhead, your public are the voters of Riverhead. So show us and help me understand how using eminent domain in this instance will better serve the residents of Riverhead. Thank you. So some of you have asked, you know, what is our plans for it? We don't own the property now. You cannot market something in which you don't own. Only until a condemnation proceeding is completed and the town takes full ownership, it is only then that we would put out, you know, potentially an RFP or to ask for people to consider investing in downtown Riverhead as a vitalization point. So if you're going to market it, that means the intention of the town is to resell it and have it developed? Well, yes. We're not going to own it ourselves. Well, you might own it as parkland. We've already proven ourselves further down when we purchased the other parcels downtown and we've sold them. We've been a proven entity to do that. But, Ms. Sears, correction. As eminent domain in our law reads, we are supposed to state what our plan is with the land. If we're going to build a bridge. To build an activation space for the town square. But I cannot market it to any particular individual. But your plan is? Then to have it redeveloped, which isn't necessarily a public benefit project. It's a commercial development. It's an activation space for downtown, yes. If I may, I'd like to have Mr. Fisher, if you could address that point about what is actually required. Mr. Eisler. Mr. Eisler, I'm sorry. Mr. Eisler, if you could address that point as the attorney. Oh, God, just here. The purpose of the acquisition in this particular situation is, to one, deal with a blighted building. Two, to put into the town's control how that property will be used going forward. You don't have to have a buyer lined up to do the eminent domain. You don't have to have a site plan for the site. Just acquiring it to remove it alone is a perfectly good reason for an eminent domain taking. Okay. If that's the determination of the board. The concept, as I understand it, and as Dawn Thomas, I think, reported to you, is this is one piece of a large project that is creating a unique area for downtown Riverhead. And it's multi-owned. Different players own. Different properties own. here and to assemble it and put it into town control or town control to then sell to somebody else for development depending on the plans is a perfectly legitimate reason for the town to exercise eminent domain control over this property. I don't know if I've answered it completely for you, but that is certainly defensible. And while I have you here, sir, I'd just like to follow up on one other point that's been raised. Somebody had mentioned earlier about why not acquiring other blighted properties throughout the town. Isn't it specific to this town square? That is why this particular piece is being sought through the domain. Could you explain that to the public? I mean, it's very, this project, the town square project, when I say this project, as I just said, is a major project for the town. And to accomplish it, there are pieces that have to have a certain amount of money. And I think that's a very important part of the project. [transcription gap] of the town and it's stymied in part by this building and the town has the town board can make the determination that it's in the public purpose of eminent domain to acquire this building to take control over it so that it is dealt with as the town decides to deal with it either by removing it selling the property however it decides to proceed but the acquisition of a blighted building for this in the middle of this project is in and of itself a public purpose for eminent domain thank you sir we do have one online can you just give us one second man
thank you Ron Hariri again I think that council has put it correctly this is just a piece in a puzzle a very big complex puzzle and you owe it to the taxpayers of this town before you devote more taxpayer funds to have an understanding of where all the pieces fit and I just want to address a comment by mr. Rothwell mr. Rothwell you are in time for the next election and I'm very excited to hear what you have to say about that and I'm very excited to hear what you have to say about that and I'm very excited to hear what you have to say about that g g making plans, and then you concocted a fiction to claim that you were selling it to Mr. Petrucelli, one of the GOP's historically biggest donors over years, for the same price you paid for it, not including the appreciation and value, not including the efforts of Dawn Thomas and her staff to increase that value, and then paying the same guy $1.5 million to maintain the town square. That's a gift. It's a gift that you've given on the taxpayer's dime to one of your biggest donors, or the town's Republicans' biggest donors, and I'm tired of the deceit and deception regarding this entire town square. You owe us a proper plan, including the costs, including the timing, and including what the ultimate result will be and how it will benefit the taxpayers, not mere speculation and how this will fit in a big puzzle down the line. Thank you again. Mr. Harari, we invested $2.8 million, and the property was sold for $2.8 million. It was an even trade-off. It did not cost the taxpayers money. I don't know why you don't understand it. I don't know where you get your facts from. So let me ask you something, sir. But I have been invested in these projects for the past five and a half years, and my numbers are accurate and truthful, and they are what they are. You can say what you want to say. I'm sorry you don't like it, but that's the truth. It's absolutely not true. You're misleading. It's true. Sorry you don't like it. You're misleading the community again, sir. No. Okay? It doesn't include the $1.5 million gift to this guy to maintain the square. It doesn't include the $1.5 million gift to this guy to maintain the square. It doesn't include the time and effort spent by town employees to increase the value of this project. And it doesn't include the appreciation in time of any real estate project over years that you've held the property. So you're misleading the public again, and I'm sick and tired of you continuingly to be deceitful and dishonest to everyone in this community to push through this scam, which will ultimately not benefit the taxpayers but one of Riverhead's GPs. So thank you for of Flanders Riverside Northampton Community Association, also known as FRANCA. I am here tonight to speak in strong support of the Long Island Science Center and to express concern about the proposal to take away the land that allows them to operate in the community. FRANCA has worked closely with the Science Center through environmental justice project, a partnership involving a science center, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. We also help support efforts that contributed to funding for this important program. This is not just a building or a parcel of land. It is a community resource that provides hands-on science education, environmental monitoring, and real-world learning opportunities for local students and residents. Through the environmental justice project, interns and staff collected data in air quality and water quality at multiple sites across Riverhead and Southampton. That informed the project's efforts to improve the quality of the land. The project also provided information on how to apply the project's ideas to our community to better understand the health of our local environment, while also creating pathways into STEM education and future careers. If this space is taken away, we lose more than a facility. We lose opportunity for student access to environmental education and a program that directly connects science to community health. We often talk about investing in our youth and our future. This is what that investment looks like in action. On behalf of FRANCA, we respectfully urge the town to apply. Thank you.
they have the opportunity of having the riverfront, that they can do studies and they can take the children out there and it keeps it even more local. And like someone else had said, I think it was a teacher wrote a letter, I too, when I went on vacation with my children, they're now grown, one of the things that I looked for was something like a science center in a town square. It's awesome, beautiful, and I could be completely wrong and for that I apologize. But what about partnering? I don't even know if that's an option, but you want to spend, I'm hearing from the community that you want to spend money on the eminent domain, why not take that funds if they're shy? I don't know the details, but if they're shy, why don't you take that and partner with them? The community wants it. We would love it. We would love to see it on this side. And I apologize if I'm wrong, but I just, hearing everybody, I felt like saying that and I thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you very much. I'd just like to add, if I may, I'd like to have Mr. Seaman, if he's still present, is he still here? Yes. Yeah, Jeff, can you come up? I just wanted to ask him to address some of your concerns and I'll let you come on up before I keep speaking, Mr. Seaman. Before he comes up, Angela, Angela. Hi, my name is Angela. I'm from the University of Michigan. Hi. Oh, thank you.
of out of their financial ruins in order to even have something like that be able to to happen so but what a great idea i i applaud you for for thinking that deeply about this yes thank you thank you i would just ask mr seaman if you could come up and address just so people understand the significance how critical is 111 east main street to the flood mitigation plan of the town square project thank you for the question because i i think it will shed some clarity on both the municipal and public importance that you have under your consideration and and i think to um restate councilwoman gwaski's concerns this is not an argument about a science center it is about a parcel of land with a blighted building what is critical in the phase one of the downtown revitalization program is the integration of all of the properties on the south side of main street those properties that face the river and have been subject to almost catastrophic flooding caused by significant nor'easters especially when those storms come in with large amounts of precipitation they generally occur historically in march and october and unfortunately for flood victims that's also when the groundwater is at its highest elevations so with all the impervious surface that's part of all of main street there's just nothing that's going to be able to do to help the river and the river and the river and the no place for the water to go until it hits the parking lot which i think has been studied by not only the army corps of engineers but experienced by many of the business owners property owners the public and and the town so as part of the plan the east end arts center property will be elevated their buildings relocated to get them out of the flood zone the proposed hotel site plan clearly indicates that there are both stormwater and elevations of the building and all the other infrastructure that are being incorporated into that plan are also addressing the flood mitigation by removing those structures out of the flood zone and providing infrastructure to control surface generated runoff not only of their project but other interrelated projects we come to the town square and the design engineers came up with a stepped design meaning the elevations will change from Main Street which is at about 13 or 14 feet above mean sea level down to Heidi bear away that integration of all these parcels are all part of the flood mitigation program one one parcel would cause the other parcels to continue to flood unless they're all systemically raised and the infrastructure provided in order to address this mass flooding issue without the flood mitigation program we would have to move to the next part of the information from 111 East Main Street we have no idea of how they would be integrated into our flood mitigate it flood mitigation program without seeing some real hard information engineering details on the building elevations engineering details on how their stormwater system would integrate with others as the parcel stays today if all other development took place and that was not integrated now or in the soon into the future that building would flood that would be the low point in the flood mitigation program that would impact that property owner unfairly the only potential opportunity would be to construct a retaining wall that would isolate that building it might still flood based on other stormwater runoff or storm conditions that take place but the real public purpose here is to finalize that integration for the flood mitigation program that is the single driving force behind the social and economic benefits of whatever else takes place in downtown we didn't project that would affect that building project that would affect that building [transcription gap] water would be required how much wastewater would be required how much traffic might be generated what the parking requirements might be because the hotel project was a known given and I felt that a scenario showing a higher use with you know more demands on public utilities would be an appropriate analysis under secret we don't know however I think it's very important for everyone to understand that whatever happens with that parcel it will still be subject to site plan review it still has to conform to all of the secret analyses through consistency analysis that was already conducted they would have to prove the flood mitigation and the use are compatible with the overall redevelopment of downtown whether it's an empty lot or a developed site in the future but that last component that flood mitigation intent is is critical because if it doesn't fit then all the work that you're doing up to that property line is really just a waste of money is that what we're talking about when we say the pieces of the puzzle on the town square yes the piece of the puzzle is the flood mitigation and for all that jigsaw to fit properly we need to have that information we have never seen that information it also impacts the schedule of the development taking place currently and in the future some of the projects are dependent upon advancement of certain plans in order to release funding depending upon the funding source and their requirements so again I'm not here to argue I'm a scientist I mean I certainly appreciate the science and with museums and science centers offer to students that's not the issue we all do I have to look at it in a very sterile environment and that part of the puzzle is a big unknown and if we proceed without knowing or having control over what would take place there which this board could elect to do I can't finish the flood mitigation with any known outcome and I think it's important that because town board has control of site plan review for urban renewal areas and that is why we segmented the review because sometimes under secret mitigation plans are proposed alternatives are given etc but they're not always implemented you this plan has to be implemented because you have complete control of everything that will happen on the south side of Main Street and throughout even the north side when we get to the garage development things of that nature one final question what would happen as we have the town square now designed by the Community Development Agency and that and not the agency itself but the developers there are pavers that are going to be going down on the town square what would happen to those if this one eleven building remained vacant as the town as the pavers and the town square and everything get put in place that they would likely be disrupted in a major storm event I was asked a question what are you trying you know to do and my response was I'm trying to get ahead of the next nor'easter I'm trying to hopefully see that the development of of what is currently the parking lots, et cetera, the south ends of all these buildings and structures can take place in a construction schedule that could potentially be accelerated in order to hold off what we have experienced, which are more severe storms, greater flooding event. And that makes the entire area inaccessible for everybody, no matter the purpose. Now, we're also building a playground that would be behind 111 East Main Street. What happens to those playground plans if 111 remains vacant like this? We have to see where the elevations will be. Some of the components, and I think it was outlined in an earlier discussion about the East End- Ladies and gentlemen, we just ask that you keep your conversation- The East End Arts Council, with the relocation of the buildings and what might happen in the lower end. We have the option of adding more elevations. It can be appropriate to allow those areas to flood. The purpose is to isolate the structures and the individual parcels from that damage to the greatest extent practicable. With the idea that in the future, if development were to take place and we raise more elevations, that whole system continues to work as a single design. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you, sir. Sir, did you have something to say? Thank you so much for waiting patiently. Of course. Good evening. My name is Jimmy Cartasano, and I'm the owner of Facility Construction Service, a local licensed contractor in Suffolk County and approved by Consumer Affairs here in Riverhead. First became involved with the Science Center approximately 20 months ago. I've been inside the building 40 to 50 times, as well as corresponded with Larry Oxman, Lucy Barnes, via phone calls, text messages, multiple emails, meetings in person at Larry's office with Lucy. There's probably at least 100 conversations between emails, text messages, and I have every single one of them. Facility Construction is the contractor that filed the lien, so we all know. Wow. We filed the lien over nonpayment. It's still unpaid. There's also a second invoice with another lien coming behind it in the amount of $2,148, which again is still unpaid. On several occasions in person, on the phone with Larry, I have told him in Suffolk County you have eight months to file a commercial lien. The second invoice for $2,148 was based on an emergency basis. It was from an email from Bob Kern, rightfully so, to Larry Oxman because there were dangerous conditions right before Alive on 25. Against my better judgment, being on nearly $20,000, we went and we did it. We got it done. Alive on 25 went on. It was a success. Larry had called me and said, Jimmy, we know you owe the money for the first invoice. I'll get you paid, but please take care of the back of the building. We did it. We got it done. That's what licensed contractors do. Finally, lastly, Larry had called me on approximately March 26 and he said he had a way to get me paid and I was all for it. I am the father of two young children who graduated from Riverhead. Lived in Bading Hollow for 25 years. Larry called me. We went and met in the back of the Science Center the same time the Science Center was supposed to be here in this building and did not show up. He asked me to give him a check for $16,000. Maybe you should look at the cameras. $16,000 and he would hand me a check at the same time. Once my check cleared. He would give me a check instantly. Still leaving us with an original balance for over a year now. He needed to apply and show payment in the Jump Smart program, which I am familiar with. So either I'm telling the board the truth or I'm not. Let's go take a polygraph. See you at 9 a.m. What do you say? Sir, if you could get it. Thank you. Thanks. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Go ahead, sir. No, I just want to say thank you and appreciate you. I just wanted to address us. Have you been paid? Thank you. I have not been paid on the original invoice. I have not been paid on the second invoice. Lastly, over at Tanger Outlet when they needed some video games moved roughly whatever it was a year ago, I went there with another colleague. We moved a couple of things. His delivery did not show up. It was not his fault. We were there for a few hours. Never an invoice report. I'm a stand-up guy. I want to get paid. Thank you. Thank you for sharing.
Hello, Taki Church. I'm returning for a follow-up. The East End Arts property is a success and has been a success for decades. That land's owned by the town of Riverhead, and it's a nonprofit that runs it. They're doing fantastic things. We've just watched the rollout, right, at the work session on raising the property, all of the specs that have, not the specs, but the elevations of what's going to happen at that property. Good work is being done there in a partnership. So I want to echo what I heard a fellow civic head say earlier, Angela from Franca. To your point, Ms. Waske, that the assignment, the science center doesn't have funds. I can't speak to that, but they have an asset over a million dollars. Or maybe they can pay the guy that was just up here. Okay, so anecdote aside, when you have something that's really valuable, but you're not able to pull it all together, but you realize that you really need it in town, because we really do need the science center as much as we need the arts center. They complement one another. They are synergistic with a little bit
IS IT FULLY MORTGAGED? HAVE YOU LOOKED INTO THE PAPERWORK? THERE IS AN OVER MILLION DOLLAR MORTGAGE. YEAH. AM I CORRECT? YES. THEY WERE FUNDED 100%? 100% LOAN? MR. OXMAN IS HERE IN THE ROOM. YOU CAN ASK HIM. SO MY POINT BEING THAT IN THE PARTNERSHIP THAT EXISTS AT THE EAST END ARTS PROPERTY WITH THE TOWN OWNING THE UNDERLYING PROPERTY AND THE NONPROFIT RUNNING IT AND RUNNING FUNDRAISERS, RIGHT, AND APPLYING FOR GRANTS, IN YOUR INSPIRATION FOR WHAT SHOULD BELONG IN THAT TOWN CENTER, I ASK YOU AND I REQUEST FROM YOU THAT YOU PUT AS MUCH EFFORT INTO THAT PARTICULAR USE, THE SCIENCE CENTER, NOW, BEFORE YOU ENTERTAIN ANY MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT THERE. YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT. YOU KNOW WE WANT IT. PLEASE FIND THAT WAY. THANK YOU.
COLIN TOOKER FROM RIVERHEAD. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND I APOLOGIZE IF I MISSED SOMETHING, BUT WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED COST OF THIS EMINENT DOMAIN? ERIC, DO YOU WANT ANSWER? DO SOMEBODY HAVE AN ANSWER? WE DON'T HAVE AN APPRAISAL ON PROPERTY. WE HAVE TO OFFER JUST COMPENSATION. would that be I don't know we don't have an appraisal on the property yet so you want to move forward with eminent domain with no idea of what it's gonna cost yes I mean we have I mean we we know how much they bought it for and I think we have our own well once we have an appraisal we can make a final determination so you want to move forward with the town board is having a public hearing tonight to receive information from the community and from the people who have spoken on behalf of the town and they will make a determination as to whether to proceed after they've fully considered everything that's been said tonight and after we've received the appraisal and what is the plan like you now I understand you you don't have a buyer out there I understand all that but what it what's the plan and what's the plan and what's the plan and what's the plan and what's the plan what what would you ideally like to do with that piece to market it as an activation space and to pertinent just to sell it to be reimbursed to a developer so that we can complete flood mitigation and activate the town square therefore helping all of our downtown revive all of our downtown businesses in a revitalization effort so so you want to use taxpayer money mm-hmm the purchase of piece of property and then you want to sell it to a developer and then you want to sell it to a developer and then you want to sell it to a developer and then you want to sell it to a developer and then you want to
Well, because we have to wait for an appraisal. That's the proper method to go through. We can't sit here and discuss what we're going to pay. There's the court ordered. I imagine Mr. Eisler can explain. There'd be a number of appraisals that were done, and a fair market value would then be offered, and then we would be sold, and the property would then be sold, and the taxpayers would be reimbursed. Okay, one last question. That's similar. I'm ignorant to the process. Explain. But don't you get the appraisal before you file for the eminent domain? No. No? No. Okay. Why would we invest money in appraisal? If the eminent domain didn't go forward, why would we invest money in appraisal? Okay. So you don't spend if something, if this board decided not to go forward, it would be foolish to spend money on appraisal process and spend a couple thousand dollars. Okay. But your intention is to sell it? Yes. Has any of the board members, whether superintendents, supervisor, any of you, had discussions with Mr. Petrucelli about an interest in eventually owning that parcel? I can only speak myself. I'll say I have not. I have not. And I promise you, as I've said before, and I will reiterate it, I would never be in favor of apartments there. Nope. I want something that is going to activate downtown. I know myself having three children, traveling, throughout the nation, and seeing other towns, what they have there for families. I have great ideas of the possibility of what can be there that would be great for the residents of the town, for the tourists that hopefully will come to the town. This is the best possible thing. We need something to be the draw for Main Street because what's been going on the last 30 years, as I've said over and over and over again, over and over again, since I first took this seat, hasn't worked. And we owe it to the people that are trying to survive, the businesses. Downtown Riverhead. If I was the owner of 111 East Main Street, I would be embarrassed because you are the blight that is causing people not to want to come downtown to go to the restaurants, to go to the flower shop, to the deli. Have any of the board members, have any of the board members spoken to any developer who has expressed an interest in owning that parcel? I have not. I mean, I've spoken to some people about, you know, to come in and try to get some money for the Science Center. No, I'm not saying for the, I'm saying after eminent domain. It hasn't happened yet. We have to get there. And number one, number two, you know, I mean, we have a playground. This is great. It's daytime activity. I understand all that. And I am, for me, I know that the planetarium would be a nighttime and adult and kids activity because kids aren't going to support downtown. Got all that. All right. Just one final question. Go ahead. Please. So no one, none of you who are elected officials of this town have had conversations with any developer or Mr. Petrosian, Mr. Selle, in particular, about an interest in ultimately owning this parcel. And is that a yes or no? Or is that a you have plausible deniability? I said no. I have not. No. No, I don't. Thank you. Free to, each council member is welcome to answer if they're not. I mean, that's. We know that you're not obligated. Yeah, you're not. They're not obligated to answer. So, so. Wish. Oh, thank you. Did you have someone else have a comment? She's so sorry sir. She's not Yes, you know you're not you we can't do it's not a You are pulling the board you are She interrogated a prior speaker so I'll be interrogated. Well, that's not what this is not sir. Yeah, they're I wouldn't even answer. I'm sorry. They're the public body that's gonna make a determination on this So to the extent that they hear comments that they want to investigate further they can ask questions Yeah, insofar as it helps inform their final determination So I just want to say as we're doing this that I'm tonight is just a disappointing night On and you might want to wait till you you hear what I say on all levels I'm coming into office. I asked the Science Center to be here. I To be real candid with you those of you from the Science Center. I am disappointed And where it stands right now and where where that building is we are here about that building and where that building is right now while I'm disappointed with that as a Person who who believes in the values that I believe in and in my country and that's just my speaking for who I am I'm not judging Anyone else up here anyone else in the audience? I do not believe eminent domain is a card to be played unless There is a specific Absolute need for that. I've seen it in different areas with that said I do understand I said this at a work session the passion of everyone in this room. So while I'm disappointed I'm also Excited that everyone here is excited about our downtown and to see it grow And be facilitated and our town as a whole so take all that to heart that when we leave here tonight We had ten young men here who were here to see how government worked. This is how government work We come in this room. We talk about our issues We express them but also understand that we are teaching the generation behind us how to deal with things How to deal with our neighbors how to deal with the plans that we have and how to grow this God forbid in 40 years or 30 years however long this has actually been That they sit here and that they're arguing about what to do downtown. So those are those are my two cents I know that we've been here a long time How That is helping the downtown businesses. I Understand the plight of all I really do I I get it I just it's eminent domain is something that you know, you guys have been sitting here longer. I really do understand it it's just the core of who I am and That's I really wish we could have worked something out and I but I do understand the process that's happening. It's not Understandable, but it is not something that I am It's it's just not the course that I wanted to go when I call them into work session And it but it is the path that we're on right now supervisor in fairness you were not here in April of 2025 when you guys could when this board got together and said You know what? the Science Center has great Plans, let's let's give them a shot. Let's give them an extension and here we are over a year later Still having the conversation with nothing done Think about what that did to the downtown businesses who are still paying rent paying You know their their staff taxes not going whether people are going to be coming through their doors for dinner on a Thursday night Or not I do that's why those businesses elected us. I Just like to finish for a second. I do. That's why I did start with saying That I was disappointed. I'm disappointed in a contractor That's not been paid. I'm so I do understand that joint. So I think Thank You councilwoman I I do understand that and I'm that's why I said what I said so Sorry, I just I think there are businesses down there that are relying on us to take action And and when you sit year after year after year idle with no action taken They got rights to they're relying on us We these are commitments and promises that I can tell you that I set five and a half Years ago we came in that we promised to revitalize downtown Riverhead and you know I I worked on Main Street for a number of years and I saw and I walked up and down you see and it hasn't changed In many years and their businesses that I have personally attended in the past five and a half years Well, we've gone to ribbon-cutting ceremonies that we celebrated with them and sadly we watched them close Because there's no foot traffic. There's no activation space. They're not coming down it. That's really sad people gave us a chance I mean invested in Riverhead And we didn't provide the activation that they need to to have downtown Revitalized and and to generate foot traffic to generate a revenue to put people in the seats of the restaurants in the retail stores That's what the bid district is all about. That's what all of those residents. I walk those streets you talk to people So I'm not sad I'm doing what I feel is the direct thing to do to protect business owners and say where we understand You know We're here to help and I'm willing to take the necessary actions Whatever it may be to make certain that downtown Riverhead survives and it thrives because the business is down there We owe it to them to do that. Well, this is a difficult action I don't take this lightly and but but but what needs to be done needs to be done It has been years and years of no movement. We listen to talk about earlier about raising money and funds and How much money have you raised over last year? We had a work session. We asked the questions We did our due diligence and the answer was none Nothing action no action So is it fair to just sit on it year after year after year without taking any action? The answer is no we owe it to the other businesses to protect them and give them an opportunity to thrive I do agree with you a thousand percent actually on the the thing to move That's why I asked him to come to work session And that's one of the reasons I'm sitting here is because I mean like you said you were here for five years and do so I help So I am I'm doing that so I really think that councilwoman Merrifield and I actually asked them to come into work session. Yes They didn't volunteer Okay, so all right, so but either way I you know, we're here tonight and and I didn't say that I was sad I said I was disappointed but yes, sir John McAuliffe Roanoke landing in Riverhead First of all, I want to appreciate the supervisors injection of his perspective and his responsibility and I must say I have a sense that we're in the run-up to an election and We're watching the two contestants for the election Put their position That's fine because it's gonna give people substantive reasons to know John it's actually John This is a public hearing on the Science Center. All right focus on it. Okay. I'm about to do that But I think we can observe what's happening in front of it The whole issue of eminent domain, this is not a blank slate The three people pushing it now plus the development director already pushed it and the t-shirt I'm wearing is the victim of your previous version of eminent domain and We'll see on June 10th what the discussion is about what you want to put in its place but I think I agree with the supervisor about the seriousness and uniqueness of its role and What creates the contention and what why we're suspicious when people don't talk about what might be in the background is that the Use of eminent domain for the benefit of a private enterprise while they've now allowed That to be the purse you can use eminent domain for private business Purposes that isn't the fundamental purpose of it. And so when we have this kind of amorphous or a vacuum versus Something with who we know we're talking about and even the flood control stuff, I don't see why any of that wouldn't as well be done with the Science Center and And waski may be right that there might be something else But we know the potential this Science Center has served 375,000 people in 30 years They say they have 3.5 million committed grants now I don't know if somebody from the Science Center is going to speak today But I would be interested in in their numbers as opposed to mr. Rothwell's numbers the other things that I want to say is that I think that our Again, Ms. Waski has talked at several sessions about the concern that people leave the aquarium and they don't know where to go well, frankly, I don't think they're going to go to a Very expensive hotel with their two or three kids, but they would walk down the street to go to the Science Center That opens up that that Continuity from one place to the other and I don't know You're right Potentially there could be something even neater and more wonderful But here we have something that has a history in the town that has Deeply committed people to try to solve the problem and like every other human endeavor has less than perfect performance and I think that absent a real definite alternative It's a waste of money I mean you you got away easy on the first eminent domain Because they were you could buy them out and there was division among them about whether to fight There's not going to be a division from the Science Center board or from the community you go to court on eminent domain You've got a serious legal fight in front of you and probably a lot of the people who are here tonight will be testifying like Against the town and against your desire to do eminent domain. What is that gonna cost? What's the timeframe? the legal timeframe of That hearing and appeals before you actually can do anything I think to get something done you're better to work with what exists Then to put out there of a very uncertain very undefined alternative which all you have is a Negatives about exist you have no positives about what's gonna go in its place. That's completely incorrect John look at downtown We're building an adaptive playground a splash pad. We have the aquarium. We have the Suffolk theater. No, no in that space You have no positive to go in that space All you have is a vacant building is positive experience downtown John I think I think mr. Curran would like to speak so so John you may not have been here earlier but I don't know when it was what three four or five months ago this entire town board supported the Science Center the entire board every we saw renderings everybody was excited we did a press conference Outside of the building the question becomes From from what I'm getting up. I'm the simple guy up here. Okay. Where's the funding coming from? You know, we're not getting enough funding We're not able to provide the technology getting an answer on that and I did hear and I want to respect the fact that somebody did bring up I think it was large and Smith that info was not being given technical info to the Science Center which I would like you know because but I also hear that Joe Petrucelli was working with the Science Center so I'm a little bit confused there where I'm not confused is how do you do this without funding John and so you may not have been here for that but I don't have an answer to that what is the 3.5 million you'd have to I mean somebody from the Science Center going yeah we don't know but we appreciate it yeah yeah we would appreciate if you're finished then maybe they would have a chance to speak but I know if you had another comment or not all right no no that's that's the substance of my okay Thank You mr. McCoy thank you but don't put nothing ahead of something you evening Claudette Bianco Bading Hollow I heard a lot of concerns tonight about the environment and the building and the program the Science Center program I didn't hear a lot of concern about the money that you're asking the taxpayers to fund whatever the assessment of the building is going to cost whatever the legal costs for eminent domain I have no idea what the legal costs are for the city of Ohiohead are the city of Ohiohead are the city of Ohiohead are the
THEY ARE NOT BUYING HOMES IN THIS TOWN BECAUSE OF THE TAXES AND THE COST OF THE HOUSE. I DON'T HEAR A LOT OF CONCERN FROM YOU ABOUT HOW MUCH THIS IS GOING TO COST US TO DO THIS. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S A BENEFICIAL PROGRAM OR IT'S NOT. I'M NOT FOR IT. I'M NOT AGAINST IT. I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY LEFT OVER TO KEEP PAYING TAXES BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE SPENDING IT SO FREELY. AND SUPERVISOR HALPIN IS CORRECT. EMINENT DOMAIN SHOULD BE THE ABSOLUTE LAST PROCEDURE THAT YOU USE. ABSOLUTE LAST STEP. TRY TO FIND A WAY AROUND IT. I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING. I KNOW I UNDERSTAND IT. BUT THAT'S NOT THE ANSWER IN MY OPINION. AND CERTAINLY I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR IT. THANK YOU. NEW SPEAKER 1 THERE'S ONE ONLINE. ONE PERSON ONLINE. I BELIEVE THAT'S OUR LAST PERSON RIGHT NOW. NEW SPEAKER 1.
and its taxpayers in the event we have another screw-up, perhaps akin to something like the town assessor is responsible for at Friars Club. A few years ago, Guy Rodin Company of America was awarded more than $125 million in compensation, plus more than $52 million in interest in connection with Suffolk County's eminent domain. Mr. Gray, does this pertain to our eminent domain on this property? It absolutely does. And again, I'm just going to remind you, and I didn't mean to denigrate your background, but perhaps you could learn something. So in this case, Guy Rodin was awarded, $125 million in compensation and $52 million in interest on top of that compensation. Mr. Herrera, I'm failing to see your connection to our town square. And this is, we have allotted you three times, so if you could make that connection quick. Again, do me a favor, okay? I'm reading from a case that maybe you've had the time or the inflation, you or your council. Mr. Herrera, just ask that you give a point about our town square project. Yes, yes. Okay. If you screw up, okay, there's enormous potential liability to the town. In the Guy Rodin case, Suffolk County had to pay $175 million because of an error in the compensation provided to a landowner whose property was taken by eminent domain. Okay. Oh, thank you. what potential liability you are causing or imposing on taxpayers if you get all this wrong. And there are a lot of people out here tonight that have said you're getting this wrong. And you know what? You know what? What the some people say, the classic definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again. And thank you, Miss Waski, for acknowledging that whatever you've done for the past 30 years hasn't worked. I just hope this doesn't have the same failed consequences for the town. Thank you. Thank you, sir. I think there's two. Thank you, ma'am, because the 30 years it hasn't taken off, right? Maybe. Did somebody else have a comment? I don't know. I've paid taxes over the past. If you don't, I'm. Yeah, somebody. If you guys make a move, I'm going to close. You just think. Yeah. My name is Kevin Shea and I'm from Baining Hollow. Kevin. Kevin, can I just ask you to pull the microphone a little bit? Yeah, thank you. This better? Yes, much better. Thanks. I figured before I came here that there would be going to be a lot of facts and a lot of discussion. So I wrote a poem. A poem? Yeah, a poem. Does it pertain directly to are this imminent? Yes. I would keep it. Yes, sir. Appropriate. Just in the time of us. Thank you, sir. Consistency of the steering time. It's titled. The Anchor and the Seed. To plant a town square is a noble thing. To clear the soil to invite the spring. But a square is just dirt and a river just flows without the deep roots where community grows. For 30 long winters in frost and in sun, the Science Center's quiet work has been done. Three hundred and seven. Seventy-five thousand seeds. The minds of our children. Their hopes and their needs have been watered and nurtured to help them look high. From the soil of Riverhead up to the sky. And it is not just the blossom of youth that will gather, but the shade of the old trees enjoying the weather where retirees mentor the young who pass through a space for the lifetime to gather and renew. In 2020, our ! Our!
by their own careful gains. And this town called this center a deep water anchor to draw in the funding without any rancor. We use this bright vision of science and grace to harvest 10 million from the state for this place. But you cannot grow forests by chopping the root. And you cannot expect a dead orchard to fruit You claim there's no progress. That reports were not made. But the roots were communicating deep in the shade. The planning department received every sheet but it died on the vine before reaching your seat. You claim that no final site plan has been cast. Yet you hold back the light on a design built to last. How can a center build on an elevation unknown while the town's final grading has never been shown? And look at the parcel just over the way. Pat Tricelli is building and digging today. Permits are granted. They're scaffolding high with no final site plan beneath the same sky. Why punish the nonprofit steady and true for this very same leniency granted to few? Instead, a cold frost has been cast and the earth has been blown through the air. A cloud of condemnation that freezes what's fair. The lenders have paused and the waters are stirred. By the threat of a seizure by a vague empty word. Municipal purposes. A shadow. A draft. While a stop work order binds its own craft. You criticize branches for failing to grow while blocking the sunlight and water below. You criticize branches for failing to grow while blocking the sunlight and water below. 92 pages of planning and care sit right in your hands but you act like it's bare. If you fell this great tree through an eminent domain, 3.5 million washes straight down the drain. In June 30th looms when the jump-smart funds die. 884 thousand reasons why the free water was lost. The ! The free water was lost when the free was why grants tied to this soil meant for youth to ascend will wither and vanish a terrible end while corporate projects get tax sheltered shade and pilot agreements on plathers plazas are made you threaten an anchor that asks no for no favors just to enrich our community's labors all kids on the block deserve the same yield as the well-fed children in the wealthier field so don't clear-cut the progress they've tended for years don't trade an anchor for lawsuits and tears lift up the stop order let the frost thaw choose partnership here not the blade of the law let the science center run flourish where it was designed a beacon of hope for the heart and the mind thank you
is there anybody else that wanted to speak
wrote this tonight yes yes my name is uh peter timmons i'm a resident of wading river thank you sir you know just move the mic toward you i support the condemnation of 111 east main street any reference to 111 east main street having potential as a science center is gone it may have had potential as a science center six years ago but it never became that it's never been a science center so when people talk about it the science center the sciences it's never been a science center and it isn't one today the building remains a dilapidated vacant blight on main street and it just so happens that it's smack damn in the middle of where the activation is supposed to be happening that everybody's been speaking about for the town square nothing ever occurred at this location until the town board began exploring a condemnation proceeding through eminent domain in april of 2025 the group proposing the science center appeared before the board with architects engineers financial representatives a whole slew of people along with the owner art artistic renditions and diagrams detailing the phases of construction were presented the board was assured that there was financial backing for the project and that the science center would be opened in august of 2025 you ! specifically remember august 1st of 2025 the owner even stated in a local paper that the construction was to begin immediately upon the obtaining of permits they just needed more time the board did not proceed with the condemnation at that time what happened next nothing a year went by april of this year 2026 only after the town board began the process of begging a condemnation proceeding again did the science center gheadhead center group appear again looking for additional time again they showed up with artistic renditions plans different plans I might add and diagrams detailing the phases of construction in fact I think they showed up with more people the second time that they did with the first time this time they assured the board the Science Center would be open at the end of this year or early sometime in 2027 insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results it is insane to allow the Science Center group more time to continue as far as in fact it's worse than insane because unlike the time that they met with the board in April of 2025 we now know that a bank that was going to was funding them back in 2025 has now backed out of funding them it came to light that there's a mechanics lien on the property which directly affects the science groups science center groups ability to secure additional loans a 1 million dollar reimbursement grant that they had is expiring in June in less than two weeks and now it's come to light this month that there is now a 1.1 million dollar mortgage on the property things have gotten substantially worse for the Science Center group now this is especially true when you consider timing the town square project is beginning now and it requires activation it needs a venue which will will draw people to Riverhead 111 Main Street is smack in the middle of where the town square project is about to begin to not proceed with the condemnation of the property will hurt the town square project it will be as mr. Petroseldi described at a recent work session people will come out of the aquarium look down the street and go home because if there's nothing else drawing them to the downtown further to not proceed also hurts the downtown businesses having this dilapidated building 111 main East Main Street has already hurt the downtown businesses and will continue to do so if you don't vote for condemnation it's also going to help the taxpayers it is time to proceed with the town square project I implore you to proceed with the condemnation of 111 East Main Street it is necessary it is the right thing to do thank you thank you sir oh so this man sorry we don't know because I don't know who he is or where he's from and how he got all that information. It was a little out of sync with everything else, so I was just curious who he is. I'm sorry, but we just don't approach each other. What's his name? I don't think we read that back, and I think that he gave it. If the court reporter got it, Eric. Do you have his name? No, Eric, Counselor. I think he said what his name was. It's public information. Yeah, he announced that. It's just peculiar to me. I just want to make sure we're following procedure, so I don't know that we have to read that back. Does he know anybody on the board? I'm just wondering. Is it about the condemnation? Yes, I'm wondering if because he got up and presented all this extensive information against the... I think you know us all on the board, Cindy. I know you all, right. Every resident has an opportunity. Is he a friend of yours? What's that? Does that question need to be answered? I don't know. Yeah, I mean, nobody here knows him. Okay. So we're just wondering, because mostly... Well, I don't think that knowing someone... Generally, the people who are... Excuse me, excuse me. I don't think that knowing someone is predicated on... On them being able to speak as a... So I just... No, that's true, but generally people offer opinions rather than statistics and information. That's why it seemed a little off. Okay. So, never mind. I appreciate... No, no, no. I just appreciate it. I just want to make sure I'm following that procedure. Yes, sir. Your comments? Jim Wooten. I live in Riverhead. I'm not part of the heart of Riverhead, but I live in the heart of Riverhead, and I always have. I started my career on Main Street in 1974. I started my career in 1945, over 50 years ago. And I can tell you that Main Street has been dying for 40 years, almost 50 years. And it's not through anything particular except shopping trends and people wanting bigger box stores, Woolworth or a Caldor or a Billy Blake or a Food Fair or a Tom McCann. Nobody wanted to go to the smaller shops on Main Street. So it's been a slow, slow death. This plan... for Main Street, this Riverhead Central Square, was not only applauded federally and by the state, but with millions, over $50 million of award granted to create and sustain a place. It's needed. I can tell you it's very exciting. The residents that live in Riverhead gave up on Main Street a long time ago. They really did. I mean, thank God the Suffolk Theater is there, so some of us still go down there. And there's a couple of restaurants that we go to. But the general population of Riverhead gave up on Main Street a long time ago. They really did. And I'll stand by that, because I've lived on Main Street, and I continue to live on Main Street. But I can tell you this plan is worth it. And I'm not a big... I'm a conservative, like all my friends here, about eminent domain and not using that as a tool. But sometimes, sometimes you have to. Because if you have a beautiful hedgerow and there's one dead tree in the middle, it's got to come out. You've got to put a new tree in. And I'll leave it at that. Thank you for your perspective, sir. Thank you, sir.
Claudia Bianco-Bading Hollow. I'm sorry, and I don't mean this in a derogatory way, but I truly think that Mr. Wooten making comments is a conflict of interest. He's an elected public official. He's a tax tax. He's a resident. He's a resident of this town. I understand that, but in his capacity, he's an elected public official. And we're elected and we're speaking. He has a right to speak. Everyone has a right to speak. Yeah, I absolutely have a... He does a First Amendment. Is that accurate? Yeah, he does. I've got five generations in this town. I have nothing... You know, it's not personal. I just thought it was a conflict of interest that he spoke. It's not a conflict of interest, unfortunately. Okay, thank you.
Hi, Denise Cibilletti, Riverhead. I just have kind of two questions. I think it would... One of them is for Mr. Howard, so I'll wait. Sorry. That's okay. Are you allowed to talk? I think so. Sorry about that. I try not to. I'd ask our counselor a question. But no, so I think it would benefit all of us to have a clear idea of how this process works. And so if one of, like, Eric Howard or Frank Eisler could sort of outline that in a way that's, you know, that would be a good idea. That we all, everybody else could understand. There's a process to it. It's, you know... So that's one thing. And the second question that flows from that is, how long will it be, realistically, before the town, if everybody on the board or a majority on the board agree to proceed with this, before the town could actually have control of that property in order to market it to do something else with it? Because I think that's a crucial fact. And I was hoping when Jim got up, he was actually going to sing. I thought about it. Oh, he probably probably made a
proceeding that would require a determination the resolution making findings and that would then either not go forward or go forward based on the decision of the sport once that occurs we would be filing a petition in the Supreme Court to acquire title to this property and we just did the same process for 127 not too long ago when we acquired the leasehold interest to that property and we the town ended up with a resolution in terms of price with that particular tenant and we got I'm gonna say within four months we actually acquired title to the property by getting the court order allowing the condemnation that's a fast track so don't bet on that timing but then once the proceeding goes into the court the court will then decide whether or not to grant the condemnation order and that immediately would then be filed with the county clerk entitled vests in the town but it can be done you depending on what kinds of other factors but it can be done within a couple of four or five months if all the moons line up correctly thank you mr. mr. Isler in the in the in the interim from the determination to the filing of the petition we'd be making an offer yes we we would be making getting the an appraisal done we would be making our what was called in condemnation world our highest and best offer is we have to offer the owner of the property what our appraiser says is the fair market value and that would be the offer we would make and the property owner has two options they can accept it and as a full payment which is what happened in our leasehold case or choose to challenge the value in the court process we would have to still make that advance payment based on our appraisal to the property owner at that point but then the court will ultimately decide what the value should be after hearing appraisal testimony and that you know those facts but that would then obviously take the process longer but title would actually be in the town at that point thank you sir it's just a question of what's the fair value thank you sir thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you [transcription gap]
that I've heard and particularly what you just said. Is there a way to do this without condemnation, without eminent domain? Is it possible to enter into a negotiation with the Science Center for a fair price? Since you've made quite a few arguments about why you need that piece of property. And then is it possible because we've all agreed on how important the Science Center is and what an asset it could be to downtown, is there a way to think about a swap of some sort that might then be part of this negotiated settlement? So I just ask that you consider some of those options. Thank you. And then we have two online. I just have a question just in reference to Mr. Seaman. So when he was talking about the floodplain and the floodplain and the floodplain, and when the original secret was done that it was segmented and now looking at the property as a whole, I guess it seems it's come to some realization that this property without proper elevation will increase the flooding in that area in particular. So my question is for that building, is the plans that were designed for the town square without this building, is it sort of self-created that there is this necessity to have this building and the floodplain is done now for the town square because of the engineering of the original plans of the town square? Would that have not been the case had it been looked at as a full secret as opposed to segmenting it out? I just want to get to those other two. And Jeff, if you have a quick response to that, if you want to make your way around, we'll take the comment online while we're waiting for him to make his way around.
I'll just answer one of the questions the prior lady had asked. At any point, you know, the current owner of the property can negotiate and close a deal and sell whether it be to the town or to somebody else at this point. But we're under the presumption that it's been on the market twice and that there's not a desire to sell it so. But they have every right to market it right now. Alan Weinstein.
this so there's a question for you I can double it up sorry Jeff thank you for being patient sir okay my name is Desmond Wong I live in Bain and Hollow I'm not here today to argue about any delays any thing about the flood drainage or blighted buildings or about whether the Science Center is valuable to the community I think those are all the wrong arguments and I want to explain why the question in front of this board is not really should we seize this parcel the question is why does every problem in this downtown have the same solution crafted was in the way so eminent domain the square needed a builder so sole source designation the hotel parcel needed an owner so a no bid sale at 2.6 million to an LLC whose financials have never been publicly disclosed the park needed an operator and so 7% of construction cost plus 150 thousand dollars a year for 10 years paid to the same developer the hotel needed tax abatement and the contract this board signed actually requires the developer to apply for them now the Western anchor isn't performing on the developer's timeline and eminent domain is back on the table every one of those decisions has been justified individually and most of the individual justifications sound reasonable and that that is actually exactly the problem when every separately reasonable decision keeps producing the same beneficiary what you have is not a series of choices it is a structure a structural problem this board has bound the town of riverhead by contract to use its sovereign power eminent domain tax forgiveness no bid disposition of public property in service of one private counterparties revenue model the budget a public property in service of one private counterparty's revenue model. That is a conflict of interest. That is the conflict of interest. It is not about donations. It's not about any one council member. It's about the contract itself, the way this deal was built. So I'm not going to argue for or against seizure on the merits tonight. I'm going to ask four things and I'd like each of you to say on the record whether you will commit to them. One is before any further action on the Science Center, this parcel, publish the full audited financials of Petrocelli Ripperhead Town Square LLC and an independent appraisal of the $2.6 million crafted sale. Number two is pause the eminent domain consideration on the Science Center until an independent review of the material. The master developer agreement, specifically the 7% management fee and the 10-year operating commitment is conducted and released publicly. And number three, do not treat this parcel as a developer question. Treat it as a planning question. So open a public design process for what the western anchor of the town square should be before anyone asks who should build it. Number four, any member of this Board who has received campaign contributions directly or through party committees from Petrocelli entities should recuse from any vote or decisions affecting this parcel. And so refusing any of these is itself an answer to the question I asked. I understand that you have a question, but you don't dictate our answers. So I really do appreciate your comments, but thank you for your comments. I don't think there's any votes. Jeff, do you want to answer the question that was at hand? Jeff Zientski- Well, I'll do the best I can. I'm not sure I understood the question. I think it related to the purpose of segmenting the return. Male Speaker 2 Yeah, it was the difference between doing CEQA as a whole and segmenting it out. Jeff Zientski- We did CEQA on the whole action, which is the entirety of all of the development proposed at that time for the downtown. And so we did that. And then we did a segmented review, which is permitted under 617.2, the general rules of the state law, that would be applicable when you have a large-scale, multi-phase project at various stages of development and design and implementation, all hinged on other sources of funding and funding for the project. And so we did that. And then we did a segmented review, which is the only way that we could get a general rule of funding for it to actually be implemented. So that explanation is in the CEQA record, so if people would like more information, they can certainly acquire that information. Male Speaker 1 Thank you, Mr. Seaman. I think we have one more, and, yep.
Male Speaker 1 We have one online, but you can make your way over. Male Speaker 1 Okay. I want to remind all of us, you know, particularly since we have another speaker that echoes my concern about doing the same thing over and over again, being the clinical definition of insanity, but I want to remind us all that just a few years ago, Dawn and Frank Isler stood before this board, Ms. Halpin was not there, she was not on the board at the time, and they told us that they had this great idea to resolve the problem with Kat and the Gramezians. That was years ago. And you know where their wonderful solutions left us? Male Speaker 1 Yeah, I got you. Male Speaker 1 Years of litigation. Male Speaker 1 Yeah, Mr. Harre, we asked that, we're not talking about the Gramezians right now, we just needed to be specific to this in the essence of time and everyone's time. Male Speaker 1 Okay. Male Speaker 1 I just wanted to encourage you to take a minute to understand what I'm saying. You have the same actors that told you they had a solution to the Gramezian-Kat problem, and we've been embroiled in years of litigation, nowhere close to a resolution.
An appeal has already been filed. Male Speaker 1 Do you have a point about this exact, I'm sorry, I hate to keep cutting you off because I want it to be done. Male Speaker 1 Yes, absolutely. With the same players guiding you, you are destined to the same miserable screw up and waste of taxpayers' money and assets and time. Male Speaker 1 This is your opinion, and we all do have an independent vote up here. So I do appreciate your comments. Thank you for calling in and letting us, sir. Mr. McAuliffe. Male Speaker 1 Yeah, a very simple question. Male Speaker 1 Very simple. Male Speaker 1 Process. Does the judge or the Supreme Court decide yea or nay about eminent domino or only the amount of the payment? Is it only the amount of the payment that goes to court? Or can the court say this was a bad decision, you're not entitled to eminent domino? Male Speaker 1 Or Mr. Eisler. Male Speaker 1 Both. Male Speaker 1 The court reviews the petition. If the petition sets forth a facially valid public purpose, it is granted. Male Speaker 1 So the court could say no, this is not a public purpose. Male Speaker 1 In very rare instances, I'm sure they could. Male Speaker 1 Yeah, but that'll be part of the argument. Male Speaker 1 Whatever argument's advanced, that's not. Male Speaker 1 Thank you, Mr. McCullough. I believe we have one more online for this matter. Male Speaker 1 So no. Male Speaker 1 This is the . Male Speaker 1 No, I believe we have one online we're waiting on. But Mr. Eisler, if you could be ready, that would be great. Fantastic. I don't want to, I want everybody to chance to speak, but I do. I'm done. Male Speaker 2 Just for the record, other scouts from 94 had an opportunity to make two other merit papers. Male Speaker 1 Yeah, I just. Male Speaker 1 That's right. Male Speaker 1 Yeah. Male Speaker 2 Is there still one online? Male Speaker 1 No. Male Speaker 1 All right. All right. So Mr. Eisler's going to wrap us up. Male Speaker 1 We do have one online. Male Speaker 1 I was kidding. Female Speaker 2 Can you guys hear me? Male Speaker 1 There we go. Male Speaker 2 I didn't hear you wrap this up. Male Speaker 1 All right. Go ahead. Alison, can you hear us? Alison Kahneman- Yeah. Male Speaker 1 Thank you. Alison Kahneman- I can hear you. I thought somebody was talking. So hi, Alison Matway, Waiting River. I'm from the University of Michigan. I've been listening the whole time on Zoom. A lot of questions were answered, so I'm not going to ask those. But someone did say, I think it was Mr. Kern or Mr. Rothwell, that the eminent domain would be paid for by the taxpayers, but then once there was a buyer, that the taxpayers would be, the money would be refunded to the taxpayers. So I'm not sure if that's true. But I think that's true. Male Speaker 1 Yeah. I think that's true. Male Speaker 1 Yeah. I think that's true. So it was the women who actually refunded the money. We refunded the money to the taxpayers. And then another question that was asked was how much it would cost. And you don't know because of the assessed value, blah, blah, blah. What did it cost to do eminent domains of the crafted building? And can we kind of extrapolate that it would be similar in cost to what that was? Mr. I can answer that. The issues are really distinct. This was the... With 127 it was the least... leasehold interest. The town actually owned the building. And so the factors that go into valuing is all different than if you're taking title of the fee title to the property. Thank you, sir. Okay. So does anybody have a guesstimate about how much this would cost? And if not, will that money, let's say eminent domain is utilized, will the money be returned to the taxpayers once there is a buyer? Or like, how does that all work? I guess you're looking at where the money initially, the funds would be coming from fund balance. So and then upon the sale, the funds would be returned to fund balance. Correct. Okay, so it comes out of a fund, not that our taxes go up, it just comes out of the fund, and then it gets replaced. So it's not like the Friars had debacle. Correct. That we would get a... $300 extra bill in our taxes. And then remember, once it is purchased, it goes back on the tax roll. And once it's developed, that will help the taxes as well. Right. And okay, that makes sense. And I just have one more question. I believe you guys keep referring to an activation site. Is that what you're saying? Activation, is that the right word that you use? Like, what is that? What is an activation site? It sounds like a lot of like corporate speak that people aren't aware of what do you mean by an activation? Are you talking about like an anchor site that will draw people? And is there a guarantee to the businesses that you guys mentioned that are so upset because this building is blighted and it's the reason why their businesses are failing? Like, are you guaranteeing that whatever this activation site is, is going to be a failure? Is that what you're saying? I think it's going to bring business to downtown Riverhead because as you and I, as we all know, downtowns in every part of the country are slowly in decline. And I don't know, can you guarantee that this activation site is going to bring business back to downtown Riverhead? Allison, I'll address that. If the town square is done properly, where there are events with two or three thousand people... I think it's going to be a failure. ...and it's programmed on a weekly basis, it will... all the data is there that says that, yes, that will activate downtown and people will go to the businesses. In addition, what will happen, the success of it will also and can also attract other retail situations. And the data's all there. Well... This was part of the... I don't know... This was part of the... Go ahead. ...the pattern book, the comprehensive plan. These are all of the ideas that went into the thinking and the hard work of how to make our downtown succeed. And we're trying to put all of those pieces, again, to the puzzle together to make this area activate and become alive and have foot traffic, businesses. It's all... it's all great stuff that we're trying to put together. Yeah. And I would love that. I've lived in Riverhead for 23... almost 24 years now. And I would love that. I love downtown Riverhead, regardless of what's going on with this blighted building. I'm there all the time frequenting the businesses that are there. The Latino-owned businesses are amazing. The food is great. My concern is that that pattern book and the comprehensive plan were all started... I mean, obviously, I'm not going to be able to do it all by myself. But I'm going to be able to do it by myself. I'm going to be able to do it by myself. Oh, thank you.
Eminent Domain and this anchoring and all that is going to change that. So, like, I'm hoping that it's not you take over this building by Eminent Domain and it doesn't do what it purports it's going to. Well, let me ask you, when you go downtown, which you said that you love going downtown and you walk past 111 East Main Street, what are your thoughts? I mean, downtown Riverhead right now is a hot mess. So my thoughts are that the whole place needs to move along, you know, but I mean, I still go. I still go and I still go by, you know, the riverfront when I can and go to the businesses where I can. And I actually enjoy the town. But again, I've lived here for a very long time. I don't you don't have to convince me to go there. Like it's the maybe getting new people there or, you know, getting. People from out of town there. But like, I'll always be a Riverhead, you know, supporter. Thank you. And if anybody needs incentive to go downtown, go to Ben and Jerry's. They have the best new item of the key lime pie ice cream. Thanks. Thank you. If there are no further comments from the public, I would suggest to the board that you entertain a resolution. To close the public hearing. And as I said earlier, that the next step would be to determine what whether to go forward or not with the acquisition. We have 90 days to do that. Is that different? Make a motion. Is that different than hearing open for 10 days for it and comment? If you want to do that, that's your. We can then officially close after that. I second it. 10 day. You second. Okay. That was a first. Just a vote, please, on the. I'm sorry. It would be. Has there been a motion made? Yeah, they made a motion. Motion is made. And I second it. Ending public comment tonight with written notice over the next 10 days. Okay. So it's held open for written comment? Written comments for the next 10 days. That's typically what we always do. We treat it like every other public hearing. For how long? Yeah. So it's 10 days. And so we'll do that. We'll do. Typically the way we do it is we end it. And then we, again, keep it open for written comment for 10 days. At the end of that, then we would have a resolution to move forward. That's fine. All right. So vote. I guess. Do we just do it. Eric, is it all in favor? Is it as a vote individually? You want to do a voice vote? Yep. Vote, please. Okay. Waski? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Hoppin? Yes. To close the hearing and leave it open. Yep. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good night. Thank you. I want to thank everybody for their things. Our next public hearing was. Schedule started at 6 o'clock. It is now 846. If you're going to leave our room, we do ask that you do do it silently as the next public hearing is important. To amend Chapter 301, Article 17, Business F. Excuse me. Give me one second. Yeah, that's 17. 17, Business F. And to begin us with that, we have our planner, Greg Bergman. All right. I'll wait for a second and let everybody clear out. Thanks.
All right. Thank you. Good evening, Mr. Supervisor, members of the town board. For the record, my name is Greg Bergman, senior planner with the Riverhead Planning Department. The purpose of tonight's public hearing is to receive comment on proposed changes to the Business F Manufacturers Outlet Overlay Zoning Use District. Sure. The proposed changes were discussed at the town board work session on April 9th, and the resolution to schedule the hearing was adopted. The proposed amendments to the Business F Zoning Use District are supported by the town's 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update, which acknowledged the need to provide flexibility within the zoning code to enable businesses to experiment with new concepts such as pop-up shops, restaurants, experiential retail, or mixed-use developments that include office space. The plan acknowledged that providing flexibility within the Business F District should strike a balance between supporting adaptation and ensuring that any changes align with broader land use goals and do not compromise the Zoning Code. The plan also acknowledged that such changes are typically made with the involvement of property owners, businesses, and the community. To that end, the Planning Department has worked closely with Tanger's management to craft the proposed amendments in a way that they feel support their economic goals and in a way that we feel does not compromise public health, safety, or welfare. The substantive changes to the Business F Zoning District are summarized as follows. We're going to strike the phase of Manufacturers Outlet from the title of the Zoning District and the purpose of tonight's public hearing. The proposed amendments will be adopted by the Town Board Office of the City of Tanger's purpose section of the Code. We're removing the single-story campus requirement as there is already a maximum permitted height within the Zoning Use District, which would govern the height of buildings. We're removing the need for special permits to establish uses within the Zoning District, which is an extra regulatory step for developers and business owners, and instead making potential redevelopment of the site a function of site plan review by the Planning Board. Most importantly, we're creating a broader list of permitted uses within the Zoning District, specifically permitted would be retail stores, personal services, banks, movie theaters, indoor recreation, which excludes motorcycle or ATV courses, raceways, or shooting ranges. We're allowing restaurants with or without drive-thru windows, excluding drive-in restaurants. We're also allowing commercial video game centers and professional offices. We are removing previously specially permitted uses in the Zoning District, which are very narrow in scope and prevented a meaningful reuse of vacant spaces. We're removing a number of uses in the accessory use section, as many of these uses are now being ported over to the permitted use section. And we are removing some of the prohibited uses, as some of those uses are now being made permitted uses. I will note for the Board and the public's knowledge that even though there is a section in this Zoning Use District that calls out prohibited uses, that section is actually redundant as the definition of permitted use within Town Code Section 301-3 states that any use which is not permitted is not permitted. And that section is listed as a permitted special exception or accessory use shall be considered a prohibited use. I think it's just there to really call out and make explicitly clear those prohibited uses. And we are also amending certain development standards, including removing the ability for the Reviewing Board to relieve landscape requirements through Site Plan Review. We are relaxing parking requirements, going from one parking stall per 200 square feet to one parking stall per 250 square feet, which is in line with our current retail parking requirements. Thank you. And I'm adding the phrase substantially contiguous to the requirement for a landscaped area of a minimum of 25% of the total site. As part of these proposed amendments, there are no changes proposed to the dimensional regulations in the Business F Zoning Use District. So the proposal that's before you tonight would not result in any additional floor area beyond that, which would already be permitted in the Zoning District and is really being put forth in an effort to allow for greater flexibility in reusing vacant space or potential redevelopment of the site to better ensure that the Zoning Use District has a proper use of the space. And I'm adding the phrase substantially contiguous to the requirement for a landscaped area of a minimum of 25% of the total site. suit the needs of new tenants i will also note for the board that i received a letter of local determination from the suffolk county planning commission as referral zoning code is required under suffolk county administrative code and new york general municipal law so i apologize i know it's a little bit of a lengthy recitation but i feel like it's important for the board as well as members of the public so with that said i would open it up if there's any questions from the board or any member of the public
hi yes no dinner served over here so long oh yeah i was hoping you were gonna get something i didn't get it um i just i just have a couple questions i did not get to see the work session so uh i know the height elevation is not being elevated but they can now put a second story in so will shops be allowed on the second story as well um within the complex so if somebody wanted to put some hairdressers or uh professional offices and things like that on the second story that would be permissible is that correct yes okay very good it's giving me the knot what was that i said greg is giving me the nod yeah okay i did help work on this so i'm aware yeah all right um and i do think there is excess parking there so i think reducing the parking uh dimensions i think is a very good idea i think that we have that in a lot of places on 58 um the other uh question uh the one one thing i would question and i think it just because of the competitive nature of it uh we do have a lot of drive-in service services on route 58 uh that do uh cull a lot of their business from the people that come to visit tanger and i think to add drive-in service there for for restaurants i don't think is uh an appropriate place to put it uh at tanger so i would just be something i would think hopefully that you consider maybe not putting that in there or limiting it to maybe one or two on the edges of the complex as opposed to within the complex itself um the other uh question that i had was just about the setback i don't understand going from the 100 feet to the 35 feet i'm not sure is that all around the permit perimeter of tanger and what would be the purpose of limiting that because it is set back nicely it is off the road there is a lot of vegetation there and i think it adds to the character especially driving coming right into the town off of uh the expressway to see the greenery there so i'm just wondering um what why that is if i'm reading it correctly uh so for the board's knowledge referencing one of the sections uh currently says a landscaped front yard of a minimum of 100 feet uh we're striking that uh changing it to 35 feet which is consistent with the entire route 58 corridor um in terms of greenery off of the expressway i mean the existing buffer and the development of that tanger site long predates any my involvement with the town um there is no 100 foot buffer along 58 once you get off the expressway um so it's done for the purposes of really being consistent uh in terms of if and i mean there are the tanker property is unique in that it has two frontages obviously you've got the frontage along 58 and you have the frontage along west main street which is substantially uh heavily wooded um that is the purpose of adding that language for the substantially continuous buffer equal to 25 of the site uh i did a rough calculation uh that wooded area on the south end of the site is approximately i think it was like 550 000 square feet roughly uh the 25 percent calculation based on the sites the overall site dimensions requires about 515 000 square feet uh any any potential development would never encroach you know that that buffer needs to remain substantially contiguous so that's why i'm putting that language in so if you're looking for a buffer that's going to be a good idea to add that buffer to your site and then you can add that buffer to your site and then you can [transcription gap]
you good evening Martin Sanluzki 215 Roanoke Avenue rib head I have a small handout I got six copies that just illustrates the two questions I have if I could hand them up so the first handout that I have I have a copy here that I can sort of discuss this is an aerial photograph of the Tanger properties Tanger one and Tanger two and then there's the parcel in the middle which is the only the third parcel that's the business F zoning obviously Tanger two has a huge landscaped area with the salamander buffer and Tanger one has a huge landscape area with the balance on Main Street from the DEC setback with wild scenic rivers and our site has a much much less doesn't have any restricted areas other than one small area and a large area and a large area and a large area and a large area [transcription gap] substantially contiguous is and since tanger one and tiger two have and always will have substantially contiguous property and the property that we got the site plan approval of has the connection between tanger one and tanger two crossing over it that's the orange stripe we cannot achieve contiguous so could you just consider taking that uh portion of the chain code change out because it's really moot it always applies to one and two and can never apply to ours unless it's uh we were going in for a site plan revision or something and we'd become prejudicial because a big chunk of our site is cut off by tanger's cross easement so if you could just consider removing that port part of the change the second one that i handed out is has to do with the uses uh all i think the change is good by the way all of these changes make a lot of sense uh the only thing that doesn't make sense that i have a question for you i hand it up down in south carolina right near our place this is a place called k1 it's an indoor kart racing place very family oriented uh it has party rooms uh it has arcades um they have we you know families go there bring kids there there are uh clubs that have competition races there and they're indoor carts electric i just don't understand and the question is on indoor recreation why do you want to eliminate certain family oriented indoor recreation what's the reason but this wouldn't if because it allows indoor recreation and it calls out what it doesn't allow and it's it doesn't say you can't have go yeah why you you just said you want to go cars yes but it says which shall not did i miss something yeah it says indoor recreation which shall not include motorcycle or atb courses raceways or gunfire yeah but i don't i you know what and raceway raceways and that's that's a really good point to me i'm fine with go-kart i don't think you know let greg answer it because he you know let's blame him for operation um so the the language from that was honestly take the existing the the way the existing business f code says talks about accessory uses indoor and outdoor recreational areas whatever reason i didn't draft the prior revision but it says indoor and outdoor recreation shall not include motorcycle rate tv courses um i personally would have no issue if there was a electric go-kart track i've seen there was one out in farming dell that i went to those things probably go like 40 miles an hour hairhead i'd have no issue i mean i'd probably behead ahead of a gheadhead gheadhead issue I mean I don't think that would be a substantive amendment that if we struck raceways I mean motorcycle and ATV courses they think are a different beast but if there was an electric go-kart track I'd have no issue with that so if the board would be amenable I have no issue striking raceways I think I don't think it's to me it's not a raceway it's an indoor amusement yeah that's just just a room to remove any sort of you know confusion or any potential interpretation I'd have no issue with that to mr. San Louis keys other point the substantially contiguous buffer obviously the piece in the middle of what I'll refer to as the jury spec yo piece has a final site plan approval that was approved by the Planning Board last year that approval is good for three years with the possibility of one extension so I mean by no stretch of the imagination would we go and apply a new code amendment to an existing site that's already received you ! final site plan approval so if they wanted to construct that site pursuant to their final approved site plan I don't want to use the term vested but I think they have enough skin in the game and they've received an approval that we would be hard pressed to not issue a building permit for that site so I don't see how their their site would be affected in the event that they come in for a completely different plan I think we address it at that point and to this point there is no definition of substantially contiguous but when there is no definition when a term is not explicitly defined in our code you typically refer to the generally accepted definition so substantially contiguous again obviously if there's a roadway in between it you have to kind of give them a little leeway for that you know existing condition he's great when the goat cuts kind of people but thank you I just wanted to add that if it's not applicable but it's actually continuous I don't understand why it would be in there All it doesn't apply really to apply to any of the three sites and with the recreation If you just leave indoor recreation, I don't there are so many things that we aren't even thinking of that could be indoor recreation You know, you're eliminating some very particular. I don't understand why what I mean ultimately it's your decision You five people are the one that are deciding to limit indoor recreation Why would you do that? It's because ultimately it's your decision. It's not a code revision or Recommendations you hear all the information you give it the hard look and when you adopt the law You five people adopt the law that will be your decision to limit certain recreation uses I just don't understand why you do that So I'd hope that when you take a vote you'd request that these amendments be made or at least consider them Because ultimately it's your decision. Thank you Good evening Jones Sear and James port. I'm just two things I would discourage you from allowing drive-through restaurants takeout whatever or or retail there because When I drive through there people are like in another zone like oh look, there's our money And you're driving through and people are not paying attention to the road So I'm just saying that you're not going to be able to do that Okay So the other thing that I think that might be ahead of the budget It specifically contradicts recommendations in the 2024 comprehensive plan update to increase the green space in shopping center parking lots. It's a specific recommendation in the 2024 comp plan to have fewer parking spaces and more green space. So to reduce the buffer zones, it seems like it contradicts the comprehensive plan update. So I would ask you to eliminate that from this proposed resolution rezoning. Thank you. CHAIR BAILET. Thank you so much for all your comments. Is there anyone online? Nope. All right. With that said, I believe we don't have anyone else in the room that's going to make a comment. So we will close this hearing and leave it open again for 10 days for written comment. All righty. And then our next public hearing. CHAIR BAILET. Can I just ask? CHAIR BAILET. Councilor Howard, just if we were to make an amendment like to adjust recreational use or whatever there, if we're doing it, does that mean we have to call for another public hearing? Or to what extent can we amend without having, you know, like? MR. Yeah, it would have to be a significant change to the proposed law. I think what should happen is, you know, there was a couple different comments about various things. Maybe some discussion happens about what, if anything, is going to be taken from those comments and then put into the law, if anything, and then make a determination from there as to whether it would warrant a renewed public hearing. CHAIR BAILET. So just in the link without closing it, is there something that we can address now or just? MR. I mean, I would, not to step on Councilor Howard, but I mean, we'll typically leave this open for written comment. I would probably recommend to the Board. Let's receive that written comment. If the Board's amenable, we'll bring it back for a work session, for a discussion. Again, removing Raceway and making any, I don't personally think anything we heard tonight is substantive or a major change, you know, a wholesale change that would warrant another public hearing, but. MR. I'm just checking because I think they need help up there. So I'm just looking to prolong the process. CHAIR BAILET. MR. Right. So because we're talking about specific uses, I'd want to look into, you know, the ! I mean, maybe some research as to what would constitute a substantial change and whether that would be, whether we'd be required to re-notice it. Alternatively, we could adopt it and then subsequently amend it, which might be faster. MR. That's the quickest way to do it. CHAIR BAILET. MR. Thank you. CHAIRMAN BRYANT.
is intended to add a hazard materials fee that's going to be associated with any better energy storage project. The fee is going to be 1 percent of the cost of the decommissioning fund, which is calculated in the course of the project's approval by the town's consulting engineer or the town engineer. That fee will be 1 percent of that decommissioning fund, and the hazardous materials fee will be a dedicated fund for the fire marshal and the HAZMAT teams to acquire equipment, train, pre-planning to assess and mitigate hazards associated with the decommissioning of the storage systems or commercial energy production systems. CHAIRMAN BRYANT. Is this fee up front, or is this something that happens? MR. Yes. CHAIRMAN BRYANT. It's going to be paid prior to the issuance of the building permit. MR. Prior to the issuance of the building permit. So it would be most likely set forth in a site plan approval resolution as a condition of approval. CHAIRMAN BRYANT. So what happens if something happens in 10 years on a site like this? MR. That's what the decommissioning fund would be. So the consulting engineer is going to assess the project. CHAIRMAN BRYANT. And the site plan is going to be paid prior to the issuance of the building permit. MR. So the consulting engineer is going to assess the project and come up with a fee that correlates to the cost that they think it would be to take everything away and restore the property to its natural state. MR. So he's taking the CPI into account and building it out? CHAIRMAN BRYANT. That I don't know exactly how the consulting engineer would come up with that. What this is intended to do is recognize that decommissioning project fee, the entire cost of it. MR. And what is the percent of it as being dedicated to the town's fire marshals for, I mean, in furtherance of the HAZMAT team? So any kind of equipment training, et cetera? MR. So to clarify this, because we bond for decommissioning. So we have a project they have to bond money, have in place should the project be to be decommissioned. Just now you're adding a nonrefundable fee. They're going to pay this because it says that the fire marshal HAZMAT team is going to utilize this money. So they're not bonding in case of a HAZMAT. MR. This is in addition to that. So the way they came up with this was to take whatever data-based figure that that decommissioning fund is determined to be by the consulting engineer, taking 1 percent of that. So if it is $100, you're going to take $1, and that's going to be paid to the town, and it's going to go into a dedicated fund. [transcription gap] 10 or 15 years when everything is obsolete and they want to remove it, they're not just going to leave it there for us to clean up. That decommissioning fund is then used ostensibly to make sure that the structures are removed and the properties are remediated. Yeah, but when they do all that, they get their bonded money back. But just saying that this is money that they're not getting back. Correct. This would be a one-time fee in furtherance of whatever impacts the town might have through its fire marshal's office as a result of having these storage systems in the town. So it would fill a funding gap for the hazmat personnel and equipment that's required because of the existence of these types of storage systems.
Any other questions from anybody up here? Okay. Go ahead. Hi. Taupe Church and Greater Calerton Civic Association. So I came in here and I needed these. It's now thundering out there. So everybody who's drinking water who hasn't left the room, I commend you. I just want to find out from this proposal, is this for brand new projects that we haven't seen yet or is this retroactive to all the ones we already have? This won't have a retroactive. This is a retroactive effect. So it will be effective as of the date of adoption. So it applies to both solar, right, ground solar and BESS, yeah? Yes. How much more are we anticipating? So I understand the reasoning for having something like this. It would have been fantastic when Nextera was lobbying to do those 200 acres. I'm happy to hear it's happening, but it doesn't seem to be effective to what we already have. We have over, however, 600 square acres? [transcription gap]
I know we have 600 acres of solar, but how many more acres do we have in Riverhead that are potentially BESS developable? Do we have a number? Well, I do understand. I think that for tonight's hearing, I mean, I guess if you want to answer, you know that, Eric, but we could, yeah. It's predicated on substations. Yeah, substations. You know, like proximity to substations when you're talking about BESS, and whether the wire is there. I don't know the answer. You know, we'd have to try to talk to the town engineer and see if he knows. It is a good idea to do, but I feel like the cow just already, the horse is already out of the barn. The door is shut. I know there's a small percentage of possibility this is going to happen. It's just, I'm just not seeing the, it would have been great to have had this several many years ago so that when we were going through those processes through planning department, that was part of the hearings that we were in for those projects. I commend you for doing it now. Just a little. Dr. The good news is that we have been requiring that these people putting in these systems, you know, do put up money for equipment for the hazmat team, for the fire departments. So it's not like this has been ignored. Dr. Yeah, you're adding a different fee. I understand. Thank you very much. Thanks, Dr. Williams. Dr. So that's why I just want to get full clarification on this. So you've had other projects, so we have our own CVE project going up in the solar. They went ahead and they paid for it. They paid funding to revet fire department who requested certain items. And so they gave that funding. So now you're doing in addition to them meeting the requirements and the request of the fire department, you're still asking for an additional fund for hazmat team. Dr. One minute. Dr. Michael, then my secondary question to that would be is we had a very serious fire up at Crown, which many, including myself, spent hours up there fighting that fire. And then we billed them for Crown. And Crown paid for service. Dr. Yeah. And then we billed them for service. And then we billed them for fire. Dr. So you're saying that you're paying for the cost of services rendered for equipment that was utilized fighting that fire. So when you do this 1%, are you then making them exempt from paying what potentially could be a larger figure for cost of services rendered? Dr. No. So those fees are in connection with an emergency that actually occurs, right? Dr. Mm-hmm. Dr. This fund is intended to supplement the cost of services rendered. Dr. Mm-hmm. Dr. So what we're doing is we're going to supplement additional services that the town needs to either acquire by way of equipment or train by way of personnel that we don't currently have but now we're going to have because we've determined that we need it due to these types of battery energy systems, right? So we already had the recycling center, and they had a fire there. And we had something in the code that allowed us to bill them for services in connection with that specific emergency. Dr. I just want to make sure we're not opening ourselves up to litigation and somebody says, well, I already paid the 1%. I gave the town for the hazmat team, so therefore I shouldn't have to pay when the actual event comes, which I assume would be a lot larger bill. I just don't know if we're discontinuing our precedent. You know what I mean? Dr. Yeah. I mean, I think it's sufficiently different in that if a fire does occur, you have the fire department going there for a day or two days. And if you're not paying for the fire, you're not paying for the fire. Dr. Yeah. And you have fire marshals there with the hazmat team. They're using equipment that then has to be cleaned. They're maybe using materials. They're using other equipment that then may be, I don't know, damaged or whatever in the course of whatever their activities are there. So that's already in there, in that we bill them for that. This addresses the lack of equipment that we have now to respond to those things in the first place. So thank you. No other questions?
Chapter 293, shellfish and finfish. And again, I believe, Councillor Howard. Yes. This one is relatively straightforward. This regulates the restrictions on taking shellfish and finfish and permit fees. We are amending subsection B of section 492, I'm sorry, 42 of Chapter 293. Currently, there is no fee. We are implementing a $10 fee. And then shellfish taken by temporary residents, they typically currently have to apply for and obtain a temporary resident permit. That fee was $15 for up to 15 days. We are amending that to $50 for up to 30 days. All right. So we're missing a dollar sign on that 50, right? Yes. Anyway. It's not crossed out in front of the 30. No. It's true. It's not. No. It's still there. In eagle eye. It's still there. What happened? Oh, it's in front of the 30. All right. Good. Try to trip me up. He's trying to say. Is there a public, I'm sorry, did you get the full explanation? I just want to make sure. That is the full explanation. Any other comments on the day? I don't want to. No. Anyone in the room would like to make a comment? I can see everybody's got the shellfish, finfish excitement. All right. With that said, we'll close. The public hearing, keep it open for 10 days for written comment. The same thing. Thank you all for bearing with us. Our next public hearing was scheduled for 6-10. It is now 9-19. And our public hearing to amend Chapter 231, Article 4 of Fire Prevention. Okay. So in retrospect, this probably should have preceded the Chapter 301 public hearing because I think the purpose that we're adding to Chapter 301. I think Chapter 231 here helps explain what we did in Chapter 301. The purpose and intent is recognize that battery energy storage systems and commercial solar energy system installations present unique hazardous materials risks and decommissioning challenges whether planned or as a result of fire, explosion, or other emergency incidents. The purpose of this section is to establish a hazardous materials fee to support preparedness, response, and mitigation capabilities within the town hall. Thank you. And the purpose of this section is to establish a hazardous materials fee to support preparedness, response, and mitigation capabilities within the town of Riverhead. And it goes on to establish the 1% fee that we spoke about a few minutes ago in Chapter 301. And it sets forth the purposes for the funds. They include acquisition of specialized hazardous materials response equipment, training of personnel in the identification, assessment, containment, and mitigation of hazards associated with battery energy storage system and commercial solar energy systems. Development of pre-incident planning, response protocols, and risk assessments. Support of emergency response operations related to hazardous materials incidents involving such systems. And it goes on to say that the fee will be administered by the fire marshal's office. And that no CO will be issued for the operation until the fee has been paid. And that is where it ends. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Any comments from our council members or questions in the room? Anyone would like to speak online? I see. Pretty straightforward. Okay. Well, I will, again, once again, close this public hearing. Keep it open for 10 days for written comment. And that finishes our last public hearing for the night. And we will be moving to our comments on resolutions. If you have a comment on a resolution, if you'd come to the meeting, we'll be moving to the resolution. And we'll be moving to the resolution. Thank you.
And I'll close the resolution if you'd come to I think I'm number one, too. But thanks, guys. All right. Yes, ma'am. Hi. Taki Tershen again. Can I get some clarity on number 54? Is it authorized the settlement of legal action by Patrick Gugliotta against the Town of Irvine? When I read the resolution, I didn't understand the nature of the case. Could you just shed a little light on that? Alan Tegneri, M.D.: So it was a personal injury case filed against the Town that we are settling. Alan Tegneri, M.D.: Yes. Okay, thanks. If we have one online, you can go ahead. You can make your way up. I didn't see you. I'm sorry. My name is Debbie Nidal. I'm from Aqabag. I think it's resolution number 51 for YMCA. Correct? So I have a statement I'm going to read. Good evening, town supervisors and members of the board. My name is Debbie Nidal. I'm a proud lifelong resident for Riverhead for more than 30 years. I've been deeply committed to serving and strengthening our community through my work with several nonprofit entities that represent a variety of human service agencies here in the town. Now serving as the chief development officer for the YMCA Long Island, I am honored to address you this evening on behalf of Anne Bridges, our president and CEO, to present and support an opportunity to further strengthen Riverhead community. Tonight we respectfully request your support. Our support for resolution 2026520 that authorizes the town supervisor to enter into a letter of intent that provides the YMCA of Long Island with initial site control to commence the process for adaptive reuse of the former New York State Armory property at 1405 Old Country Road. This is a well-constructed, utilized town asset that will become vital and more valuable located next to a populated town. This is a vital first step for the YMCA to move forward with requests for funding and approvals necessary to establish a YMCA community service hub for the Riverhead residents. This proposal is a result in years of careful study, thoughtful planning, and meaningful community engagement. We have worked diligently to ensure this project is timely, programming meets identified community needs and the town why? Because this will be a town. Why?
Resolution will be a direct response to urgent public health, wellness, and fitness needs by promoting aging well in place for our growing senior population, enhancing educational program for youth, parents, and families, and creating a true community hub, a welcoming and inclusive center where neighbors of all ages can come together for fitness, wellness, learning, public safety, and most importantly, connection. The YMCA of Long Island's investment is in this community hub will drive economic growth and job creation, generating new opportunities for residents and supporting Riverhead's long-term commitment to vitality, safety, and community. With more than 175 years of experience, a YMCA, our YMCA, and the National YMC is more than just a building. We are the heart of many communities. The YMCA of Long Island is truly dedicated to being a responsible, and collaborative partner with the Town of Riverhead, committed to ensuring this project delivers lasting benefits and a brighter future for all who call Riverhead home. I personally want to thank you for your consideration and time on this. What a tremendous asset this will be for the Town, and somebody spoke earlier about that armory being a blighted building, and what a great repurpose of that. That's right. We're excited. Thank you. Long time coming. One online. We have one person online. Okay. Thank you. We have one person online. You had to wait all that time to say that. Yes. Somebody's online? Yes. You jumped ship on us. John, you can hear us. You can speak. Go ahead. I don't think you can hear us. Five more. Maybe he's getting sleepy. Sorry. I'm here. We had only one car, and we had to go to the other side. I'm sorry.
We are in different schedules. Let me... Okay. Let me get the real video. All right. Sorry. This is just the clarification on the resolution for the June 10th meeting to discuss the hotel project. What are the parameters of your decision at that meeting, at that hearing? I mean, if, for instance, 100 people should... Yes. up and said, we think this is a bad idea and you should go back to the drawing boards and leave the space open. MS. John, what resolution are you talking about? MR. The resolution for the June 10th. MS. 501. MS. 501? MS. Thank you. MR. Sorry, I don't have my paper in front of me. Anyway, the question is, is this an open process in that hearing that if you heard that the community really did not want a hotel in that space, do you have the legal authority to go backwards on this and reconsider it? Or is it basically a technical hearing on whatever the permit is as opposed to that? I assume also this hearing will not get into the question of the IDA issue. Which I'm sure is also going to be very controversial. Or I don't know, maybe it can. Can this hearing also consider objection to them going for IDA? What are the parameters of what that hearing will cover? MR. So this is a hearing. MS. Or is able to do? MR. This is intended to be a hearing on their special permit application and site plan application. So there are factors set forth in Chapter 301. I forget exactly which. Section, I think it's 313. Sets forth the criteria for a special permit. And then there is criteria set forth for site plan review as well in Chapter 301. And so the intention would be to limit this public hearing to information and comment on those criteria set forth in the code. CHAIR BAILET. Thank you, Councillor. Thank you. MR. I don't know if you can make it legalistic for me. Can people argue for reconsidering the project? MR. I mean, it's a public hearing, so, you know, it really should be focused on comment related to the criteria associated with special permits and site plan. So it's the use itself is already a special permit use in the zoning use district, and the Town Board has already entered into a master development plan. MS. And has already entered into a master developer agreement that provides for the submission of an application for this use. CHAIR BAILET. Hopefully that answered your question, Mr. McCullough. Thank you for your comment. MR. Not entirely, but I will try and think about what he's saying and try and get some legal advice about it. Thank you. CHAIR BAILET. Is there anyone else online? No one else? Anyone else in there? Okay. Comments on resolution? Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead. Sorry. Make your way. Good evening, Barbara Blass, Jamesport. I have a couple of comments on resolutions 507 and 508. And the comments address process, not the merits of the application. I was just originally looking at the original copy of the resolutions that referred to the EPCAL Motorsports Park and the EPCAL Motorsports Park 2027 summer classic. So I have these comments about that. This has been a recurring special event since 2021. And there have been a material expansion in the number of events. The type of events, the projected attendance, and even the actual area being utilized. The resolutions approve special events that are taking place for more than a year from now. And my question is, at what point does this activity lose its type 2 classification as a temporary use under SEEKER? Just a question. And then I was drawn again, the original resolutions that were in the packet utilized the words EPCAL. [transcription gap] EPCAL site, which further begs the question of its temporary use classification. To my knowledge, there's no copyright or trademark associated with the name EPCAL, but are there any other legal questions raised by the marketing of the events occurring at the EPCAL Motorsports Park? We don't know what impact this may have on the town's own marketing of the site. It's a reference to the EPCAL Motorsports Park, a de facto rebranding of the town's property. So I only put these things out there. I don't even know. I appreciate Eric and I actually had some communication about this, and that's why the titles of the resolutions have been changed to remove those words, so I appreciate that. But the fiscal statement was not a completely amended number C that contains that language. But I only put that out there as if to ask if there's any concern about the utilization of EPCAL in connection with the Motorsports Park. We're marketing the property, hopefully, and I don't know if there's any impact that may take place. Yes, Bob? I see. You're helping us out. You've got the word EPCAL out there. You know, it's like Southampton. How many things happen in Southampton? Southampton this, Southampton that. I just throw it out there for your consideration. But I love it. You brought that up. All right. Yeah, so I just have a couple comments to respond to that. In terms of whether it's a Type II action or not, typically every year, either Jeff Seaman or myself does have communication with the DEC about the continued events there, and they haven't ever raised any objections about the scope and the nature of what's happening. There was a request. There was a request to extend the EPCAL. I think it was a request to expand the season into bird nesting season. That obviously didn't go forward. That's really, I mean, at this point, one thing that I would possibly think would change the secret classification. To Ms. Blass's point, she did email me. I did speak with Mr. Scalzo about the use of the term EPCAL Motorsports Park. In my view, it's probably not totally accurate to use that term. I think it's probably a little too much of a reference to the property. So that's what I conveyed to Mr. Scalzo. Peter Scalzo, the promoter of Racetrack Not Street at EPCAL. And Eric did correct me. We did put that out there. And so we are removing the EPCAL Motorsports Park, and we're going to go back to Racetrack Not Street at EPCAL. You're welcome. Thank you. And yes, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Yes. We, I've been trying every year to try to go during bird nesting season, and I never give up. However, like the counselor says, we don't want to get into that headache with the secret and takes permit, et cetera, et cetera. So we are wanting to continue. We're happy to be able to continue to do what we do and looking forward to the 2027 season because we want to continue to make some improvements out there. Thank you. Okay. And I'll just say that separate and apart from the resolutions approving the special permit applications, every year we do a license agreement that includes more detailed guidelines that are going to be followed for use of the property. And you're tough. That's right. Thank you, sir. I'm Dr. Durgin on the same matter. Two questions. Number one, there's two night times available for the first night. And I think they're available for the first night. two nighttime races going until 1030 were there other races that ran at night in previous years in this year in previous years like one or two of them yes usually the Saturday night events so there's only two in this next one for 27 that I saw right that go to 1030 no wait a minute there's two resolutions yeah ones for the championship and ones for the classic so if I recall correctly the summer ones are the ones that go later and then the fall ones are the ones that end earlier has a number changed in the amount of races that go at night that said I couldn't tell you up the top my head I would have to look at prior your application she asked if the number changed so yeah could you get if you want me to [transcription gap] here but what I can't hear a thing oh I'm sorry did the number change but am I waiting or no I can answer that this is we're going into our sixth season and every season has been the same our summer classics have always been at night because we run starting in August and it is still hot so we typically ran for Saturday night events for the last five years and we're doing the same for 2026 separate question what what's an on their resolution tonight for those two resolutions is the special event application fee correct correct not the contract no there's a separate license fee okay and have we been you know when you have an event like if you have the mosaic Street Fair right it's a one-day event and you have to have a special event application fee and you have to have a specific event And just could you speak briefly to the contract? I know it's not on the resolution, but just to give me background on the charges, are they the same as they've been or is there any changes to it? We've typically done $2,500 per race day. Per race day? Yes. Okay. And that's staying the same? How did we send it? Did we increase it? What? Did we increase it last year, Pete? Oh, oh, I'm sorry. I believe we started at $2,500, then we went to $3,000. And when we do a two-day event, then the town is giving me a break at $2,500 per event. In addition, what we also do is we pay a storage rental fee for the equipment that's left there throughout the, even though we don't run, but all the months that we don't run through the winter, we pay a storage fee for that. Right. Well, thank you both for your comments. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. I don't think we have anybody online. And so with that said, we'll be closing our comments for resolutions. We'll be moving the resolutions. Bob did say he'll be right back. I was going to say, the only line I want to get on is the bathroom line at this point. Okey-dokey. We're going to take a one-hour recess for dinner. We're going to take a five-minute break. Have you been there? At midnight? At 1.30. All right. So. I think we've got to wait for Bob to vote. We do. So he's going to be a second. So if anybody else would like to leave the room. All those Boy Scouts today. And all now Eagle Scouts who graduated college tonight. I guess. Yeah. Because if I don't, I'm going to win anyway. Okay. We have another. Another straggler. Excuse for the. Everybody's leaving. There's only one whole pass at a time. Sure. That'd be great. Can we. Yes. First, can I get a motion to take a recess five minutes? So moved. Second? No. Second.
I just need to stand for a second.
Stand up too. Stand up. Get all the Reese cups. I said, how did Denise get all the Reese cups?
It's humid. No sinuses. Breathe in something. Of course. We have to get these cleaned. They're like... Put a note in.
We know.
Get those. Wipe down. Yeah. I'll open the... Richard Downs issue.
I'm happy. You should probably clean those. I told you that. Me and Bob are like... That's lost again tonight. I think the return's supposed to be that close to it. Against the... There was a... Okay. Oh, thank you.
I got some of those cookies. Okay.
I have my pancakes from Olga. Pass them down. Pass them down? What? Do you want one? Joanne, you want a Reese's peanut butter? No, thank you. You want a Reese's? I know, I'm good. Energy boost. Better hold out until dinner. If I eat something now, it's going to be more hungry. Maybe we can vote without him. Walking on sunshine. Correct? Maybe we move forward. He's upstairs. Oh, yeah. Where'd everybody go? I'll second for Bob. Okay. He's in something. Okay. All right. Ambulance District Budget Adjustment to Fund RVAC 2026 Budget. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Okay, let me change the second hand. Waski? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution. Let me just mark this. I'll read this one. Budget Adjustment for the Removal of Weeds, Yard Waste, Litter, Garbage, Refuse, Rubbish Upon the Premises Known as 219 Hubbard Avenue, Riverhead, New York. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. You guys are so far ahead of me here. Waski? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Rothwell? Kern's here. Shout out Kern first. Halpin? Yes. Kern? Yes. Oh, look at that. Did you say yes? Okay, Resolution Number 3, which is 472. Town of Riverhead 202B, Biosolids Project Bond Authorization. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waski? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 473. Sewer District Capital Project Number 82210, Budget Adjustment for Biosolids Facility. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waski? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 474. Sewer District Capital Project 82611, 1575 Old Country Road, Budget Adoption. So moved. Second. Vote, please. Waski? Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 475. Raheadifies Removal and Auction Sale of Fixed Assets. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waski? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes, resolution is adopted resolution 476 authorizes removal of fixed assets so moved Seconded vote, please. Yes. Yes. Yes turn. Yes. Well have any idea how much money we're to get to the VCR Yeah, yes, how been yes resolution is adopted resolution 477 authorizes purchase of Massy Ferguson tractor for highway department so moved seconded vote, please Waski yes, very few. Yes turn. Yes, Rothwell. Yes, Alvin. Yes resolutions adopted resolution 478 Approves the attendance of one police department employee to attend a seminar so moved second vote, please. Waski. Yes Yes, yes, well, yes, Alvin. Yes, sir resolutions adopted resolution 479 Authorizes personnel employees to attend a seminar so moved seconded vote, please. Waski. Yes Merrifield yes turn. Yes. Well, yes, how big yes, sir Resolution is adopted resolution for 80 appoint seasonal personnel to the Recreation Department. So moved second second vote, please Yes, very few Yes, Rothwell. Yes, Alvin. Yes resolutions adopted resolution 481 ratifies the reappointment of a seasonal pump out boat operator so moves seconded vote, please right Waski yes, very few. Yes turn. Yes, Rothwell. Yes, Alvin. Yes resolutions adopted resolution 482 ratifies the appointment of a call-in bus driver to the Recreation Department so moved second vote, please Waski, yeah, very few. Yes, sir. Yes, Rothwell [transcription gap]
adopted. Resolution 485. Appoints a maintenance mechanic to the water district. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 486. Appoints a student intern to the town attorney office. So moved. Second. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 487. Provisionally appoints a youth counselor. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 488. Ratifies the termination of an employee. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 489. Accepts the resignation of a maintenance mechanic, too. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 490. Requires Old Town Board meetings done by 10 p.m. So moved. What? No. No. Ratifies and accepts the retirement of a youth counselor. Seen who's awake out there. So moved. Second. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 491. Reappoints Frank Petitregani to the Recreation Advisory Department. And Frank, I'm sorry if I mispronounced your name. Certainly did. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 492. [transcription gap] 494. Reappoints Monique Parsons to the Recreation Advisory Committee. So moved. Second. Vote, please. Waske. Yes. Murrayfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Albin. Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 495. Reappoint Shannon Reese to the Recreation Advisory Committee. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waske. Yes. Murrayfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Albin. Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 496. Reappoints Marjorie Acevedo to the Recreation Advisory Committee. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waske. Yes. Murrayfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Albin. Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 497. Reappoints Dwayne Eliezer to the Recreation Advisory Committee. So moved. You're fading out down there. Seconded. Vote, please. Fading out. Yeah. Horrible. Waske. Yes. Murrayfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Albin. Yes. Resolution is adopted. I've got a second one here I've got to get out of, though.
All right. Resolution number 498. Men's Resolution 2026-305 appointing Joe Oliver to the Parking District Advisory Committee. So moved. Second. Vote, please. Waske. Yes. Murrayfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Albin. Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 499. Extends bid for annual fire and security alarm systems. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waske. Yes. Murrayfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Albin. Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 500. Authorizes the town clerk to publish and post a request for qualifications for engineering services for installation of water mains and at... That's getting late. Pertinences. Pertinences for boundary extensions numbers 95, 96, and 97 Riverhead Water District. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Okay. Waske. Yes. Murrayfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. And Albin. Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 501. Would you mind reading it? Authorizes the town clerk to publish and post notice for public hearing for the special permit and site plan application. Albin. Yes. Albin. Yes. [transcription gap]
want to say what's left. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. And Halpin? Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 502. Stops the local law to amend Chapter 279 of the Riverhead Town Code, titled Taxation Article 8, Exemption for Volunteer Firefighters and Volunteer Ambulance Workers. So moved. All deserved. Second. Vote, please. Okay. Waske? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 503. Adopts the local law to amend Chapter 273 of the Riverhead Town Code, titled Solid Waste, Article 5, General Provisions Applicable to Solid Waste for All Properties and Uses. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waske? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 504. Acceptance of Environmental Protection Fund Grant Award through the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waske? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. For the amphitheater. Okay. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 505. Grants extension of final site plan approval for the site plan application of Zenith Building 12 McDermott Avenue, !
Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 507. Approve special event chapter 255 application for racetrack Knott Street 2027 Summer Classic So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waske? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 507. Approve special event chapter 257 application for the railroad museum of Long Island Riverhead Railroad Festival 2026. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waske? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 507. Resolution 507.
[transcription gap] Ra Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 511. Approve special event chapter 255 application for Railroad Museum Memorial and Historical Markers. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 512. Approve special event chapter 255 application for Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York. Little Flowers Summer Festival. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 513. Approve special event chapter 255 application for Jamesport Firemen's Association Annual Carnival Bazaar. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 514. Authorizes co-sponsorship of Duck Pond Day on Sunday June 14, 2026 with a rain date of June 21, 2026 with the Duck Pond Society. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 515. Authorizes designated out alcohol service vendors to serve alcohol at the Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival 2026. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 516. Authorizes designated alcohol service vendors to serve alcohol at the 2026 Duck Pond Day Street Festival. So moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waskey? Yes. Merrifield? Yes. Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Halpin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 517. Authorizes the Chief of Police to execute a student intern agreement. So moved. You can't pause that execute a student. You've got to refrain. Keep going. Scurrying. Does. You're going to be !
SECOND. VOTE, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT, WASKI. YES. MURRAYFIELD. YES. KERN. YES. OKAY. GOOD FOR YOU. ROTHWELL. YES TO EXECUTE. AND HELPFUL. YES. RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. RESOLUTION 519. AUTHORIZES SUPERVISORS TO SIGN AUTHORIZATION AGREEMENT WITH LONG ISLAND POWER AUTHORITY, LIPA, FOR 2025-2026 PILOT SOMU. SECONDED. VOTE, PLEASE. WASKI. YES. MURRAYFIELD. YES. KERN. YES. ROTHWELL. YES. HELPFUL. YES. RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. RESOLUTION 520. AUTHORIZES THE SUPERVISOR TO EXECUTE A LETTER OF INTENT WITH THE YMCA FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF 1405 OLD COUNTRY ROAD, RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK, KNOWN AS THE FORMER NEW YORK STATE ARMORY. SOMU. SECONDED. VOTE, PLEASE. WASKI. YES. MURRAYFIELD. YES. KERN. YES. ROTHWELL. YES. HELPFUL. YES, SIR. RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. RESOLUTION 521. PAYS BILLS. SECONDED. VOTE, PLEASE. WASKI. YES. MURRAYFIELD. YES. KERN. YES. ROTHWELL. YES. HELPFUL. YES. RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. RESOLUTION 522. BUDGET ADJUSTMENT FOR PART-TIME STAFF FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT AND TOWN ATTORNEYS. SO MOVED. SECOND. VOTE, PLEASE. WASKI. YES. MURRAYFIELD. YES. HELPFUL. YES, SIR. RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. RESOLUTION 523. WHO? YOU SURE IT'S NOT? OH, YEAH. AUTHORIZE THE SETTLEMENT OF LEGAL ACTION BY PATRICK GULATTA AGAINST THE TOWN OF RIVERHEAD. SO MOVED. SECONDED. VOTE, PLEASE. WASKI. YES. MURRAYFIELD. YES. KERN. YES. ROTHWELL. YES. HELPFUL. YES. RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. RESOLUTION 524. APPOINT PART-TIME CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. SO MOVED. SECONDED. VOTE, PLEASE. WASKI. THIS IS A VERY PROUD MOMENT FOR ME BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE WANTED SINCE I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO SERVE THE TOWN OF RIVERHEAD. IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE REALIZE THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PARK YOUR CARS IN YOUR FRONT YARD, IN YOUR SIDE YARD. YOU HAVE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE WITH THE PEOPLE. THE LITTER THAT YOU ARE JUST LEAVING IN THE YARDS. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE LIGHTING NEIGHBORHOODS AND IT HAS TO STOP. I SEE EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE AND I HAVE WORKED HARD WITH COUNCILMAN ROTHWELL TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. THESE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS. are going to be going street to street from Laurel to Wading River and it's time that we take back our neighborhoods and let everyone know that this is important to us. It's important to the taxpayers and I've had enough. So, yes. Maryfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Thank you Councilwoman Waski for really pushing in charge on this initiative and getting it across the finish line. I think this is a great quality of life issue that we are finally addressing and so I commend you and thank you for all your work on this. Absolutely yes. Ann Halpin. Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 525. Authorizes the supervisor to execute an amendment. Oh my gosh. An agreement with the Riverhead Thank you. Amendment. No, go, go, go. Authorizes the supervisor to execute an agreement with the Riverhead. An amendment. You're reading it wrong. Yeah. An extension agreement. No, you said it wrong. Just read it and then Waski can second. Authorizes the supervisor to execute an amendment and extension agreement with Parking and Mobility Consultants, Inc. So moved. Seconded. Who seconded it? Either one of them. They both said it. We all agree. It's not spelled wrong, right? Waski. Yes. Okay. Merrifield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Halpin. Yes, sir. That resolution is passed. Adopted. Resolution 526. Just for the record, if he had passed my resolution earlier, we'd all be home right now. It's after 10 o'clock. Authorizes the supervisor to execute an agreement with the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association, Inc. So moved. Second. Vote, please. Waski. Yes. Merrifield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Halpin. Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. So that ends our resolutions. We'll open it up for open comments now. Again, remember, you have three minutes. And there's one online, one here. And then after this, we do have an exciting CDA meeting. So stick around, folks. Colin Tooker from Riverhead. I know it's late. Everybody wants to go home. I just want to ask, you know, reiterate what I asked in my latest letter to you that you move OLA's proposed legislation. So thank you. Oh, thank you.
you hear me? Yes ma'am we can. Okay hi Alice Matway again from Waiting River. I would like to just tag on to what Colin just said. My comment is I would like to understand how this town board can continue to ignore the pleas of the people who are asking you to consider the OLA safety law legislation which will make all our residents including our police officers safer when ICE is around when ICE is involved. We've spoken at multiple meetings. We've sent you a petition. We've had lots of signatures on a petition. We're just asking for an opportunity for it to be addressed as an agenda item so that you know we feel like you're listening to us and that you're really representing all of your constituents. In some of the activism I do I happen to have come across a mom and two children who were detained that are Riverhead residents who were detained at an ICE facility or at a detention center that's not really a detention center in New York City for 20 days. The little boy is terrorized. He's terrified and the little girl is a little too young but she's still a little bit afraid and she lives in Riverhead. They live in the city. They live in Riverhead. They should not be this afraid. Our police officers should be involved in this process. Our town board should make sure that people are safe. So I really urge you guys to take up the legislation at least talk to us about it you know put it up on the agenda see what people think about it. So I would appreciate that and and I just have one more comment that I wasn't planning to make but based upon what Ms. Waske just said referring to quote-unquote certain people not taking care of their property and lowering the you know property values or whatever was said like was that like a that sounded like a dog whistle to me like a certain. No not at all there there's just people in in almost every neighborhood throughout the entire town you always have one or two people that that kind of ruin the neighborhood for other people. And you know people deserve a good quality of life and. No I don't disagree with you I have there's a couple in my own neighborhood that I take you know. Yeah I definitely take that that was not. I just it just was the way you said certain people. Yeah no I meant you have your hit or miss here or there that you know ruin it for for others in the neighborhood and I have to tell you I am feeling extremely under the weather right now. So. Yeah. [transcription gap] It took us like several years, but finally, but yeah, I will definitely do that. Thank you, Alison. Thank you for your comments. You got it. Thank you. Good night. Nope. With that, I'll just ask for a motion to. So moved. Okay. Second it. And then we'll go into our, we'll go to our CDA meeting. So close our general meeting. This should be over by about two in the morning.
Yeah, we have to just say second to close. Second. All in favor to close and open our CDA? Yeah. Aye. Yes. Joe. You bring popcorn, Joe? To be nice and quick. Call the meeting to order. Other. Any comments from the public?
Anybody online? I don't know. Any CDA matters? No one online either. No. You guys do. Motion to open. No, we did not have a motion to open it. Okay. Motion to open. Waskey. Yes. Merrifield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Halpin. Yes. Thank you. So. It's fine. No one's online. No agenda items. So I have one question. Yes, sir. How did Jeanette get that chair? Anybody has any open, right? Open comments. Open comments on any CDA matters. No comments. Motion to adjourn. So moved. Get it. Second. Waskey. Yes. Merrifield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Joe, thank you very much for your extra time this evening and waiting this out. Yes.
Thank you, guys. Thank you.