Town Board meeting wrap: Dec. 16

The final regular Riverhead Town Board meeting of 2025 took place Tuesday afternoon, with a light agenda. 

Supervisor Tim Hubbard opened the meeting with praise for a sewer district employee credited with saving the town money and streamlining work.

The town’s Labor-Management Committee recognized sewer district employee Alex Kirsch as employee of the fourth quarter of 2025.

Labor-Management Committee Co-Chair Danielle Hurley said the committee chose to recognize Kirsch “for not simply doing a job well-done and going above and beyond the call of duty, but for exemplifying those traits that foster the goals of the Labor Management Committee and our town government.”

His supervisor, Sewer District Superintendent Tim Allen said Kirsch was able to get a sampler for free through the district’s COVID-19 sampling program. He also devises innovative new ways to more efficiently handle data the district needs to work with, Allen said. “It saves us a bunch of time,” he said. 

Kirsch will receive a paid day off in addition to a letter of recognition in his employee file, Hurley said.

The Town Board presented Kirsch with a certificate of recognition.

The Labor-Management Committee, established in 1989, is intended to promote “harmony, communication and productivity” across departments and bargaining units, Hurley said.

In other action at Tuesday’s meeting, the Town Board:

• Approved a new contract with the CSEA, the town’s largest labor union, covering 2026 through 2029. See separate story.

• Acted to adjust compensation and benefits for several nonunion employees,  acting on a series of individual resolutions for specific management and confidential titles. 

• Authorized a notice to bidders for e town clerk to publish and post notice to bidders for PFAS treatment at Riverhead Water District well number five-2.

• Hired the accounting firm of Cullen and Danowski for audit services for the Town of Riverhead, Community Preservation funds for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. The firm was selected through a request for proposals process.

• Authorized a request for proposals for a construction manager for the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ new headquarters building on Osborn Avenue.

• Authorized a professional services agreement with former Town Board Coordinator Carol Sclafani, not to exceed $3,000, to assist with the training of the new town board coordinator, Stamintina Boulier, appointed on Nov. 18, effective Dec. 2.

There were no public hearings on Tuesday’s meeting agenda.

Several people used the open comments period of the meeting to thank the outgoing town supervisor for his service to the Town of Riverhead over his 10 years as a board member and 32 years before that as a Riverhead Police officer.