The Brookhaven Town Board heard more than an hour of public comment on Thursday about proposed battery energy storage facilities in Manorville and Holtsville, with residents, union representatives and industry speakers lining up on opposite sides.
Opponents cited fire risk, proximity to schools and threats to the aquifer that supplies Long Island's drinking water. One resident said the proposed Holtsville plant on Morris Avenue sits near six schools, a 3,000-seat theater, housing and restaurants, and questioned burying 18,000 gallons of distillates above the aquifer. Agnes Pirro of the Manorville Historical Society warned of thermal runaway, saying it is "extremely hot and can stay reignited for days after."
Other residents urged the board to reject the projects outright. Erin Taylor, a Manorville mother living near the Weeks Avenue site, said she was never notified of the project and that "Manorville residents should not be the guinea pigs." Another speaker accused Supervisor Panico of fast-tracking permitting, telling him he was "removing the guardrails that are in place for a reason."
Supporters, including union representatives and industry officials, said battery storage would create jobs and strengthen an aging power grid. Tim McCarthy of IBEW Local 25 and Dan Pezzano both spoke in favor, and a project developer with Key Capture Energy, Lucia Yu, addressed the board about the company's Manorville proposal.
Panico told the board that neither the Manorville nor the Holtsville site has any building permits and that the town is not fast-tracking approval. "The two projects which are proposals do not have any building permits, unlike what was stated erroneously, and there were some erroneous statements certainly," he said, adding that a Suffolk County Health Department lawsuit against the Holtsville applicant was dismissed and is now on appeal, a process he said is expected to take 12 to 14 months during which no permits would be issued.
The board later adopted a local law raising income eligibility limits, up to $56,600, and increasing exemption percentages for senior citizens' property tax exemptions starting with the 2027-28 tax year. Councilman Mansella noted the town's exemption affects only its portion of residents' tax bills.
The board also adopted a local law expanding the property tax exemption for permanently and totally disabled military veterans under a revised state definition of disability. Annette Adarasto said the original state language had left virtually no one in Suffolk County eligible. "There were legally nobody in Suffolk County or New York State eligible for the exemption because of how poorly it was written, so," she said.
Members approved a three-year license agreement with a nonprofit to run kayak rentals and an environmental and art education center at the Carmans River site, including capital improvements to lighting, storage racks and parking. The board also established a 2026 capital project to remediate the Wading River Duck Ponds.
By roll call, the board authorized $367,000 in bonds for winter road maintenance equipment, including plow guards and brine sprayers, and $1.7 million in bonds for reconstruction of bulkheads, piles, decking and dredging at Port Jefferson Marina and Harbor.