The winds of change are blowing in Riverhead Town Hall.
Supervisor Tim Hubbard made it clear yesterday after taking the oath of office as the 64th supervisor of the Town of Riverhead: Things are going to be different.
In a speech to an enthusiastic crowd that overflowed the Town Hall meeting room — a speech that drove the crowd to its feet in a standing ovation at its conclusion — Hubbard pledged open government in Riverhead, “a level of transparency…that has not been seen before.”
From the establishment of a commission to devise a plan for “the proper and best use” of the property at the Calverton Enterprise Park, to reinstating quarterly roundtable meetings with the town’s civic associations, to work session meetings with more substantive discussions and the monthly presentation of committee reports by Town Board members, Hubbard stressed his aim to improve communication between the town government and town residents.
That includes, the supervisor said, the return of civility to Town Board meetings.
“Both elected officiaIs and the public are expected to be courteous, patient and polite,” Hubbard said. “I understand things can get heated, but we can all take a breath and conduct business in an adult manner,” he said.
“No more circus atmosphere at board meetings,” the supervisor said. “If individuals cannot be civil, then they will not be given the floor.”
The new supervisor said another priority for a transparent government is to improve communications with town employees. To that end, he said, he will have regular department head meetings every other Monday to ensure he is personally kept abreast of what is going on in each department of town government.
Hubbard, 63, who has served eight years on the Town Board as a council member in the administrations of three different supervisors, set out an ambitious agenda for his own administration:
Downtown revitalization: Progressing with development of the town square and the transit-oriented development district, integral parts of the long-sought revitalization of downtown Riverhead.
EPCAL: Putting the Calverton Enterprise Park property owned by the town back on the tax rolls. With the cancellation of the sale to Triple Five/Calverton Aviation & Technology, the town has “fresh opportunities to develop that land from a new perspective,” Hubbard said.
“Smart growth and green growth must be incorporated with any development of the site,” Hubbard said.
“I will immediately begin the formation of a commission and/or task force to explore the best uses of EPCAL,” Hubbard said. Those uses “must create living wage jobs while being mindful of the environment,” he said.
“This commission will include knowledgeable members of the development community, and the business and real estate world along with local civics and residents,” Hubbard said. He has already met with members of the local civics to discuss the future of the property, he said.
“It is imperative to get this right for the future of our town,” the supervisor said.
Comprehensive Plan: Completing the town’s comprehensive plan update, which will provide guidance to “assure Riverhead is on the right track for the next 10-20 years,” Hubbard said.
Healthcare: Assisting Peconic Bay Medical Center in its continued growth and bringing and assisted living facility to Riverhead.
A successful town requires access to excellent healthcare, he said.
“Riverhead is blessed to have Peconic Bay Medical Center in its backyard. The days of traveling west for quality healthcare are long gone,” Hubbard declared. “Northwell Health and Peconic Bay Medical Center have lured top-rated physicians and medical staff to its facility. They are in the process of expanding onto the old Mercy High School property,” he said.
“I promise the town will assist them in their endeavor to provide our community with a first-rate medical center,” the supervisor pledged.
Hubbard also said he will work to ensure Riverhead is home to a “state of the art, affordable” assisted living facility that includes “a memory loss center.” He said he has already met with the principals of a company looking to site such a facility in town.
Education: Building a better relationship with the Riverhead Central School District.
Riverhead, Hubbard said, is “lucky to have choices when it comes to education,” including St. John Paul Regional School, Riverhead Charter School and the Riverhead Central School District.
Hubbard said he will work to foster a relationship with the school district, something that “has been missing for years.”
Town government and the school district can both benefit from shared services, he said.
The supervisor said he has already met with Interim superintendent Cheryl Padisich and Board of Education President Colin Palmer regarding reinstituting the school resource officer program, which he called “a top priority.”
“We need to renew a positive relationship with the school district for us both to be successful,” Hubbard said, adding, “A strong school district adds value to everybody’s property.”
Police, fire and EMS services. Police, fire and EMS services are “very important to the well-being of our town,” said Hubbard, who is a retired Riverhead Police Department detective and a former member of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
“I commend and am extremely grateful for all our first responders,” Hubbard said.
The supervisor, who serves a dual role as the town’s police commissioner, said he will continue to provide the police department with the tools and support it needs, including the addition of new police officers “to keep up with our growing town’s safety needs.”
He said the department will establish a downtown substation and will soon unveil “a new plan of enforcement for quality-of-life issues that have plagued the area.”
Hubbard also pledged support for the volunteer fire departments in town, whose members, he said, “put their lives on the line to protect us.”
“I will make sure that all of our fire services will receive the equipment and training needed to protect themselves from new building trends and energy sources,” the supervisor said. “If a developer has a project that will require additional training or equipment, it will be their responsibility to provide means and access to our men and women of the fire services.”
The supervisor said he will “immediately work with [Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps] to build a new headquarters for them.”
The ambulance company long ago outgrew its Osborn Avenue headquarters, built in the late 1980s and its managers have advocated for an expansion or move to new quarters for years.
Some of the ambulance corps’ equipment must currently be left outside because they have “seriously outgrown their facility,” Hubbard said.
New protocols since COVID require facilities to have rooms and areas for decontamination, he said.
With the implementation of a “full” ambulance billing program last year — which allows RVAC to bill insurance companies for the cost of ambulance transport — the ambulance has been able to put away funds to build a new headquarters, he said.
“A new facility will not come cheap, but it is money wisely invested to meet the excellent level of care they provide,” Hubbard said.
Riverhead Justice Court: Creating a modern, safer, larger town court facility.
He next turned to the Riverhead Justice Court, which he said has been “operating in substandard conditions for some time now.”
The supervisor said the purpose of buying a new Town Hall was to renovate the former Town Hall on Howell Avenue into a modern, more spacious, safer justice court facility.
“We will retrofit the old town hall into a new town court complex,” Hubbard said. “It will be larger and safer than the current facility. It will meet current standards required by the New York State Unified Court System. This in turn will allow the police department to expand in its building,” he said.
Collaboration in Town Hall
The Town Board will work together to accomplish these things, Hubbard said.
“Town board work sessions will spend more time on resolutions and explaining them to the board members and the public,” the supervisor said, expressing his intention to return to that practice, which had been in place under administrations prior to that of former Supervisor Yvette Aguiar. I
“I will encourage department heads to place more items for open discussion on the work session agenda,” Hubbard said.
Another change: “The board will now sit down below at the work table for all work sessions. This provides a more intimate gathering while conducting business,” Hubbard said.
The Town Board for the past four years has conducted work sessions seated on the elevated dais, a change initially implemented by Aguiar in April 2020, when some in-person meetings first resumed after COVID-19 struck. The practice was never discontinued after the crisis subsided.
The supervisor said he looks forward to working with new council members Joann Waski and Denise Merrified. “Together they bring many new ideas and fresh thoughts to the board,” he said. “Along with Councilman Rothwell and Councilman Kern, great things can and will be achieved during the next two years,” Hubbard said.
“I am excited to get started and I want everybody in town to know I will be accessible to you,” the supervisor said. “I will provide a level of transparency to the Town Board that has not been seen before,” he said.
“Together we will make Riverhead the best town in Suffolk County.”
Officials take their oaths
Hubbard was sworn in by his daughter, Meaghan Howard, an attorney. His wife Lisa held the Bible on which he placed his hand.
Before the supervisor was sworn in, the other newly elected officials raised their right hands for the oath of office.
Merrifield’s oath was administered by Acting Supreme Court Justice and Suffolk County Family Court judge George Harkin. Waski was sworn in by Annmarie Zilnicki, her aunt. The husbands of each new council member stood at their sides, Bibles in hand.
Riverhead Town Justice Lori Hulse was sworn in by her brother William, a New York State Police captain, who held a hefty Hulse family Bible, bound in worn brown leather, that dates back to 1822.
Assessor Dana Brown was sworn in by Harkin, with her daughter Claudia at her side.
Town Clerk James Wooten, accompanied by his wife Rebecca and daughter Alivia, was sworn in by Sal Mangano, owner of Mangano Funeral Homes, including the Tuthill-Mangano Funeral Home in Riverhead, where Wooten has been employed.
Assessor Meredith Lipinsky and Receiver of Taxes Laurie Zaneski took their oaths of office prior to yesterday’s ceremonies and were not in attendance.
The new supervisor, after taking his oath of office, went to the podium to speak. Before beginning his prepared speech, he looked around the room.
“Wow,” he said.
“This is overwhelming for me. I have to tell you. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to be the supervisor of the town that I love,” Hubbard said.
“I’m so glad to see so many friendly faces out here. People who took time on a holiday to come down here for this. It means the world to me,” he said.
The supervisor thanked Suffolk County Republican Chairperson Jesse Garcia, Suffolk County Conservative Vice Chairperson George Schwertl, Riverhead Republican Committee Chairperson Tammy Robinkoff and Vice Chairperson Victor Prusinowski. He also thanked Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller and former Chief Joe Grattan for attending the ceremonies.
Hubbard, who served as an officer under Grattan’s leadership of the town police force, credited “my former chief” with taking him “under his wing” as a cop. His 32-year career in the Riverhead Police Department “kind of paved the way for leading into more public service,” he said. “So, Chief Grattan, I thank you very much for all that you did for me,” Hubbard said, drawing applause for the ex-chief.
An ebullient Council Member Ken Rothwell was master of ceremonies for the day.
A color guard from the Riverhead VFW Post 2476 presented the colors, as James Flood’s bagpipes filled the meeting room with “God Bless America.” Hubbard’s grandchildren, Colton Hubbard, Violet Howard and Ruby Howard led the room in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mark McLaughlin sang the “Star Spangled Banner.”
The front of the Town Hall meeting room, where the ceremonies took place, was filled with large red poinsettia plants, donated by former Council Member George Gabrielsen, a Jamesport farmer who Hubbard said generously steps forward to donate flowers and plants for all town occasions. The dais was festooned with red, white and blue bunting.
Flood led the recessional with a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
The Rev. Larry Duncklee, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Riverhead offered the opening and closing prayers.
The whole day was overwhelming, Hubbard said in a brief interview after the ceremonies concluded, as a crowd pressed forward to congratulate him..
“I’m very excited to get started,” he said, smiling broadly.
Hubbard then went back to greeting the well-wishers lined up in the center aisle to shake the new supervisor’s hand.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
