A long-planned new headquarters for the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps moved a step closer to construction Tuesday, with the Town Board’s approval of two measures related to the project.
The ambulance headquarters drew the most discussion among the board’s formal actions. The board scheduled an Aug. 4 public hearing to conduct a Monroe balancing test for RVAC’s proposed new emergency services facility at 1111 Osborn Avenue. The project calls for demolishing the existing one-story ambulance building and replacing it with a 25,303-square-foot, three-story building with ambulance bays, offices, meeting rooms, bunkrooms, kitchen space, recreation and fitness rooms and other support space.
Council Member Ken Rothwell said the building is expected to exceed town height limits by a small amount and may also exceed square-footage limits, largely because the height needed for ambulance bays made a fully two-story design impractical. He said the public hearing is one of several steps expected before the project can move into construction.
The board also authorized an agreement with RVAC, subject to a permissive referendum. Rothwell said the agreement provides for an initial 25-year lease with five 10-year renewal terms, giving the ambulance corps up to 75 years in the new facility.
A resolution authorizing Supervisor Jerry Halpin to sign the agreement states that the agreement is attached to the resolution but the agreement was not in the agenda packet released to the public, so details of the agreement could not be independently verified as of presstime.
Rothwell also said RVAC has raised $6.4 million toward the project and would cover the cost of the bond and interest. He said the remaining cost is expected to be paid through ambulance service fees, mostly through insurance carriers, and said the project is not being built with taxpayer funds “at this point.”
RVAC President Garrett Lake thanked the board, Rothwell, the town attorney’s office and town financial staff for their work on the project, saying the long-term lease relieves stress for the ambulance corps’ membership.
In other action at Tuesday’s meeting, the board:
Adopted new downtown parking restrictions aimed at ensuring turnover in downtown parking lots. The local law approved Tuesday limits parking to two hours between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. in 30 stalls behind Moonfish Brewery and in the parking lot east of the Salvation Army, running from East Main Street toward McDermott Avenue.
Warren McKnight of Riverhead asked how the new rules would be enforced. Rothwell said town code enforcement officers regularly patrol parks, beaches and recreation sites and would issue tickets for violations. Rothwell and Council Member Denise Merrifield said the Chamber of Commerce and the town parking committee had sought the relief for downtown businesses during the busy season.
Held a public hearing on a separate proposed parking ban on the south side of Sound Avenue, beginning at Northville Turnpike and continuing east for 1,000 feet. Town Attorney Erik Howard said the measure is intended to address dangerous conditions created by vehicles parking along the road and people crossing Sound Avenue. That hearing was left open for written comments until July 31.
Adopted a local law prohibiting parking near the intersection of Twomey Avenue and Sound Avenue to improve traffic safety and sightlines.
Approved several changes to town land-use procedures and fees. One local law amends Chapter 301, covering zoning and land development. It revises the site-plan review process, eliminating an existing requirement for preliminary site plan approval and transforming the current two-step process into one. That proposal drew criticism from residents and environmental advocates who said holding one public hearing toward the end of the review process limited the public’s opportunity to weigh in on applications before they advanced toward final approval.
The code revision also removes certain land-use application fees from the town code, allowing them to be set by Town Board resolution. Related measures amended fee provisions for the Zoning Board of Appeals, coastal erosion hazard permits and wetlands permits.
The board then adopted a Planning Department fee schedule.
During comments on resolutions, Kathy McGraw of Northville questioned why suggestions from the public had not been incorporated into the site-plan changes, including suggestions for earlier public involvement. Officials said the change eliminated a preliminary step and simplified the process without reducing public input.
Council Member Joann Waski said pre-submission conferences would be listed on the town website and open to the public. McGraw said those meetings are often held around 10 a.m. and are not videotaped, making them difficult for many residents to attend.
Scheduled an Aug. 4 public hearing on proposed amendments to the town’s pet-store animal welfare law, intended to align Riverhead’s code with New York’s Puppy Mill Pipeline Law and update standards governing the retail sale of companion animals.
Accepted $144,400 in developer fees from Calvosa Custom Homes Corp. for water main work connected to the Summerwind Farm subdivision in Aquebogue.
Adopted an $8,800 sewer capital project budget for engineering work related to the proposed Peconic River Hotel at 127 E. Main Street, funded by J. Petrocelli Development Associates. The board accepted an $8,800 developer-fee payment from J. Petrocelli Development Associates for sewer map and plan work connected to the proposed Peconic River Hotel at 127 E. Main St.
Authorized the Riverhead Police Department to apply for DHS/FEMA Port Security Grant Program funding toward the purchase of an estimated $620,345 high-speed rapid response patrol vessel for use on Long Island Sound and Great Peconic Bay. If awarded, the grant would require a 25% local match.
Accepted the 2025 Justice Court audit.
Authorized the town clerk to seek bids for replacement of the HVAC system at the George Young Community Center.
Accepted a donated life ring for Grangebel Park from the Riverhead High School Key Club.
Ratified acceptance of donations from local businesses and individuals for the annual snapper tournament.
Personnel actions included appointing Jennifer Gould as a seasonal pump-out boat operator at $25 per hour; appointing Dylan Mullen as a Maintenance Mechanic III with HVAC concentration at $57,748.71 annually; appointing Philip Guglielmo as a Water Treatment Plant Operator Trainee at $67,552.03 annually; and ratifying Ashley Schandel’s appointment as Parks and Recreation Superintendent. The board also accepted the retirement of Police Officer Michael Mowdy and ratified the resignation of part-time code enforcement officer Michael Elco.
The board approved several event-related items: alcohol service by the Polish Town Civic Association for the Aug. 15-16 Polish Town Street Fair and Festival; a special-event permit for the Akliral Property Event in Wading River on Aug. 29; and a special-event permit for a Protection Sports Association K9 competition at Veterans Memorial Park from July 31 to Aug. 2. It also amended a previously approved Jamesport Fire Department fireworks permit to reflect a July 17 rain date because of expected inclement weather.
After the Town Board meeting, the Community Development Agency approved a $95,000 fund balance transfer for additional EPCAL legal fees related to the town’s case against Triple Five.
The open comment portion of Tuesday’s board meeting was dominated by immigration enforcement and calls for the town to respond to OLA-backed public safety and accountability proposals. Several speakers urged the board to consider a policy or committee addressing interactions between Riverhead police and federal immigration agents, or at least to publicly compare OLA’s proposal with existing town and police procedures.
Desmond Wong of Reeves Park asked Supervisor Jerry Halpin to commit to a written public response by Aug. 4 identifying the town’s procedures, whether Riverhead or its police department has any agreement covered by state law, and who would compare state law, town policy and OLA’s proposal. Halpin thanked Wong for his comments but did not commit to a response date.
Kerry Flanagan of Riverhead read a letter responding to Waski’s recent public comments. Waski replied that she does not support OLA and supports ICE, law enforcement and the rule of law. She said she wants to hear from all Riverhead residents, but said legal residents and people trying to become U.S. citizens come first for her.
Other speakers, including Cindy Clifford, Lori Raccinello, Kevin Shea, Kathy McGraw, Ron Hariri and John McAuliff, urged the board to engage with OLA or adopt a local public-safety policy, citing fear in the immigrant community and concerns about federal immigration operations. McAuliff also asked whether the town is monitoring residents who could be affected by changes to temporary protected status.
Several residents also questioned the town’s spending on litigation challenging New York’s even-year election law. McAuliff and Clifford asked whether the town would seek to recover more than $200,000 paid toward the case after the town withdrew. Town Attorney Erik Howard said the town joined the lawsuit because it viewed the state law as an intrusion on municipal home rule. He said the withdrawal was strategic and procedural, made after consultation with outside counsel, and discussed in executive session. Howard said recovering the money would likely fail because the payment was made under a signed contract.
Hariri asked whether the town has a closing date for the property sale and whether site-plan approval would come first. Halpin said the closing was “imminent,” and Rothwell said it was tentatively being set for Aug. 5. Howard said a project-approval resolution would need to be considered at the Aug. 4 Town Board meeting.
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