Riverhead Supervisor Tim Hubbard celebrated the accomplishments of his administration so far, and highlighted changes yet to come, during his first “State of the Town” speech this morning.
The speech, titled ”A New Day in Riverhead: Transparency, Civility and Action,” was delivered in front of roughly 40 people in the Town Hall meeting room — mostly town officials — on his 100th day in office. The supervisor was flanked by council members Bob Kern, Joann Waski and Denise Merrifield on the dais, along with Town Attorney Erik Howard and Town Clerk James Wooten.
Most of the speech highlighted the town’s progress on initiatives already underway, such as downtown revitalization projects and improvements to the town’s infrastructure. But Hubbard also announced a few new intiatives, including plans to put police officers in two school buildings next school year.
The town has a $6 million surplus from last year’s budget, Hubbard said, which could be used for paying down the town’s bond anticipation notes issued for its acquisition of buildings on East Main Street for the town square and paying for renovations to the new Town Hall and for the drawing of plans needed to convert the old Town Hall on Howell Avenue for the Justice Court.
The town is going in “the right financial direction,” Hubbard said, citing Moody’s Investors Service’s affirmation of the town’s Aa2 bond rating.
The supervisor said starting in September, the town anticipates having two armed police officers — also known as “school resource officers” — in school district buildings located within Riverhead Town. One officer will be in the high school and another in the middle school, he said.
“This program not only makes our schools safe, but it builds community relationships with law enforcement,” Hubbard, a retired Riverhead Police detective and former Riverhead school board member, said. “I have developed a strong relationship with the school district and we have agreed to work more closely going forward.”
Neither the Town Board nor the Riverhead Board of Education have yet taken any formal action on an agreement regarding the school resource officer program. Police Chief David Hegermiller has said there was an officer in the high school before the coronavirus pandemic, but the officer was not put back in the school because the school district refused to split the cost of the employee. Some parents called on the school district to reinstitute the school resource officer last spring after a student was arrested for bringing loose bullets into the high school.
Hubbard said he and the rest of the Town Board have “made it a point to listen to stakeholders on key issues,” including the expansion of the Riverhead Charter School. The school was looking to build a high school and middle school on farmland on Sound Avenue in Northville, a plan met with significant opposition.
“Many of you spoke out against this proposed expansion; we listened and agreed this was not the right location for that type of use,” Hubbard said. “Future expansion plans are ongoing.”
Although there isn’t support on the Town Board for the charter school expansion on Sound Avenue, Hubbard made it clear he supports the Riverhead Charter School and St. John Paul II Regional School, a Catholic school that operates in Riverhead. “Having choices for your child is always a good thing,” he said.
“I have spoken to parents from both those schools, along with parents from the Riverhead school district. All the parents were very happy with their personal choice for their children’s education,” he said.
Hubbard said the town will make changes to its Engineering Department to allow for “greater efficiency.” A new public works division will be created to oversee the buildings and grounds and street lighting divisions of the department, while the town’s Engineering Department will continue to oversee the town’s sanitation, storm water management, recycling and geographic information systems.
The supervisor also reiterated the town government’s opposition to Southampton Town’s plan to revitalize the Riverside hamlet. “This plan advocates between 1,000 to 2,300 lower attainable income housing units and calls for the development of a much needed sewer plant treatment to service the area,” he said.
“I have personally attended such meetings and spoken with Southampton Town officials and made it clear that housing units in such large volume would overwhelm the Riverhead Central School District and place an entirely unfair burden on services funded by Riverhead taxpayers like library, ambulance, parks and recreation services, among others,” Hubbard said.
Several special taxing districts, including the school district and fire district, are located within both parts of Riverhead Town and parts of Southampton Town, including Riverside. Taxes for services are generated from properties within the district boundaries, not town boundaries.
Hubbard said the town is “adamant that any new sewer district must include the county center and county correctional center, as they are located in the Town of Southampton.” The town needs the sewer capacity for properties being developed on West Main Street, he said.
“To date, Southampton Town officials have not cooperated or, in my opinion, shown any good-faith effort to meet and consider our requests,” Hubbard said. “This leaves us little choice but to pursue legal action designed to protect the interests of our town and taxpayers.”
The town has been embroiled with the county regarding payments to the town for the Riverhead Sewer District providing treatment of waste generated by the county center, court complex and correctional facility. Hubbard said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine has “indicated a willingness to work with the town on this matter to achieve a fair and equitable result and I look forward to bringing the matter to conclusion, in the very near future.”
Hubbard said the town has improved its information technology department with the hiring of a full time employee who has “bolstered” the town’s television programs on Channel 22. The town has also installed guest wifi in all town buildings, he said.
The supervisor also said the town is looking to replace several town systems, including its “antiquated” phone system, its software for meeting agendas and its website. The new website, he said, will afford “better and easier access to information, allowing for more online submissions of applications and forms and enhancing GIS, including exploring a paid subscription-based service.
Hubbard also highlighted several changes related to transparency that he promised to implement during his inaugural speech. He said he’s reinstated biweekly meetings with town department heads, quarterly roundtable discussions with civic leaders and monthly reports from board members on various town committees. Correspondence submitted to the town clerk’s office are now included in their entirety in the Town Board agenda packet.
“Speaking of meetings, you may recall I vowed to restore civility at Town Board meetings with the goal of fostering a courteous patient and polite atmosphere, so the public and elected officials could interact appropriately,” he said. “I believe we have accomplished this goal.”
The town has continued to invest in the Riverhead Water District, he said. The town is in the process of painting its Route 58 water tower and constructing a new ground storage tank in Wading River, he said. The town has also made another $7 million request to Congress for water extension projects in Calverton, he said.
Hubbard said the update to the comprehensive plan is “on time and on budget” and expects to have a final draft plan at the end of the month. “I look forward to final adoption of the plan by the end of the summer,” he said.
The town is continuing its downtown revitalization initiatives, Hubbard said. It has applied for the $25 million U.S. Department of Transportation’s RAISE grant, which will be used for street improvements and the construction of a multi-story parking garage on the First Street parking lot and improvements to East Main Street.
The town square project is in its final design phase, he said, and the agreement with the town’s master developer for the town square, J. Petrocelli Development Associates, is “quickly progressing.” Petrocelli was named master developer in April 2022, shortly after presenting the Town Board plans for a boutique hotel on the site.
The first phase of the town’s transit oriented development project near the Long Island Rail Road Station “will begin within the next 12 months,” he said, with the development of a mixed-use building with 32 owner-occupied condominium units. That project was one of several to receive grant funding from the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
The town is also working with Peconic Bay Medical Center to help complete its emergency department expansion by June, Hubbard said. The expansion will increase the size and services of the department, he said.
Hubbard said healthcare services in Riverhead continue to expand so much that “traveling up west for healthcare may no longer be necessary for many residents.”
“In closing, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the residents of Riverhead for voting me into office as your town supervisor,” Hubbard said. “The kind letters I receive, grateful phone calls and messages, and verbal compliments around town are heartfelt and much appreciated.”
“I also must commend my staff; they are incredibly hard-working and I appreciate all their efforts,” he added, before thanking his wife Lisa, and his family.
The entirety of Hubbard’s speech can be viewed on the town’s streaming service and read here.
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