Amid public outcry, town board members deny intention to support waste-to-energy plant on Youngs Avenue

After an outcry from the Calverton community over a proposed waste-to-energy plant at the former animal shelter site on Youngs Avenue, the Riverhead Town Board put the brakes on the idea pending further investigation.

News media reported that board members at the work session of Feb. 14 reacted favorably to a developer’s request to pass a resolution and sign a contract with the company by the end of February so that the company could meet a March 7 deadline for a state grant that might bring millions of dollars in funding for the $22 million project. The reports sparked outrage among residents near the plant, who began calling and emailing town board members, circulating flyers — and packed the town board meeting room Wednesday evening.

“We’ve had a lot of response after that work session, so I don’t know if that timeline — the March 7 timeline — is a realistic timeline at this point,” Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said just before the meeting’s public comment period was opened Wednesday night.

“I think there’s a lot of concern,” she said. “There’s a lot of things we don’t know yet. There’s a lot of questions to be asked and answered yet. So I think to try and rush in that tight timeline — I don’t think it’s something we’ll be able to do at this point.”

But Jens-Smith and other board members shortly thereafter said they never intended to move the deal along so quickly that the developer could have a signed contract in time to meet a March 7 grant deadline.

“Don’t believe everything you read,” Councilman James Wooten told Wading River resident Nick DiPirro, who said he disagreed with Wooten’s comment — quoted in RiverheadLOCAL, the News-Review and Newsday — characterizing the idea as “a no brainer.” The quote was “taken out of context,” Wooten said, because he actually said it “seems like a no-brainer.”

Jens-Smith said the applicant made a presentation to the board last Thursday.

“That wasn’t anything the town board agreed on or has had the opportunity to read on and assess,” she said. Any reporting to the contrary was “a misprint,” according to the supervisor.

“It was left that they’re going to get information back to us,” Councilman Tim Hubbard said. “I love the idea of taking food waste and turning it into energy. I’m not so sure that this location is the best place for it,” Hubbard said, drawing applause from the crowd.

“We’re not looking to ram this forward,” Jens-Smith said. “There’s a lot of concern from the community.”

“I can understand why people were upset,” Councilwoman Catherine Kent said. “It sounded like this was happening fast. Actually I live pretty close to your neighborhood, so I get it,” she said.

Jens-Smith said the confusion resulted from “a miscommunication.”

“The town board was not in any way ready to move forward with this,” Wooten added. “I find myself defending an action we hadn’t even considered taking.”

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, who was absent from the Feb. 14 work session, said she opposes the plan. 

“Lembo came into my office in November,” Giglio said at Wednesday night’s meeting. “He was told to go around and poll the board one by one. I told him,’You don’t have any money, you don’t have any land, please leave my office.’ I told him I wasn’t interested,” Giglio said.

Editor’s note: RiverheadLOCAL stands by its original reporting. See column.