The Riverhead Town Board voted unanimously Tuesday to determine that the Suffolk County Water Authority's proposed North Fork Transmission Line, which would run through Main Street and Main Road, is not exempt from the town's zoning and land-use law.
Councilman Rothwell thanked the town attorney for the work on the determination, and Greater Calverton Civic Association president Taki Turchin told the board afterward, "Thank you for being our town board and our town attorney protecting our home rule against Suffolk County Water Authority."
The board also voted 5-0 to authorize an appraisal of a 5.3-acre farm parcel at 1458 Middle Road in Calverton for possible open-space preservation, after Turchin urged the vote and Rothwell said he and a council colleague had lobbied the Suffolk County Legislature and worked with the owner, who is now willing to consider a town proposal. Supervisor Halpin told the Calverton residents who attended, "Your voices are continually heard by everyone in this county."
In other action, the board authorized the town clerk to solicit redevelopment proposals for 111 East Main Street as a downtown "destination attraction," scheduled a public hearing on the 2027 preliminary town budget, and adopted local laws amending the town's procurement policy, fire prevention and fireworks code, and parades and special events code.
The board opened a public hearing on community development block grant funding, with representatives of Riverhead CAP and Warrior Ranch Foundation requesting money for programs including a school social worker and support for veterans and first responders, alongside a speaker named Judy Barth who described serving meals three evenings a week to people in need. The Chamber's director, Mariana, asked the board to invest "$7,000 of it in the young people who will be running staffing and starting businesses on Main Street 10 years from now." The comment period on the grants runs until Oct. 24.
The board also approved easements tied to the Summerwind/Aquebogue subdivision, which remains under a stop-work order over permit violations including unpermitted tree clearing; Supervisor Halpin voted no, citing the ongoing legal department review. A resident speaker told the board the approval was "rewarding bad behavior," adding, "They shouldn't have done what they did the way they did it. You shouldn't have approved it neither should have the planning board." The same resident said the town's $1,000 fine limit for developers is too low, saying, "$1,000 to a developer of a multi-million dollar project is lunch."
During public comment, longtime Church Lane resident Mary Beth Andresen described a narrow, winding road with no sidewalks, shoulders or white lines used as a GPS cut-through, with pedestrians and children at risk. Bill Fullerton renewed a four-year request for a traffic control device at Reeves Avenue and Horton Avenue in Calverton, where, he said, "In December of 2021 a very dear friend of many of us who are here today was killed on Reeves Avenue at the intersection with Horton Avenue." A board member said the intersection would go on the agenda for the next traffic safety meeting.
Resident Desmond Wong pressed the town over its police cooperation policy with federal immigration agents, saying the police chief had confirmed judicial warrants are required before holding someone for transfer to ICE but that the town has not identified a civilian procedure for verifying such warrants at nonpublic buildings. "Families worried about sending children to school or entering town buildings need to know what safeguards the town and its police provide during federal immigration operations," Wong said. He asked for answers by Oct. 9 and for the board to announce by Oct. 20 whether it will conduct an independent review of its immigration-related policies.
A speaker identified in the meeting as Mr. Shea told the board a prior comment about him referencing Sept. 11 "cut to the core of my FDNY firefighter service and my identity as a 9-11 survivor," and asked for a public correction. A council member apologized for comments made about him but said she would not apologize for being angry over his wording describing the attacks as an "accident" or "incident."